Kiyohara raised his other hand.
In the center of his palm, a faint mass of purple-black chakra slowly gathered.
It was the special Yin Release chakra he had learned to refine today through the "Dark Medical Ninjutsu." After combining it with Yang Release power that contained Asura's chakra, it had become exceptionally pure.
Furthermore, the dosage was extremely small, enough to produce an effect for only an hour or two at most.
The cluster of Yin Release chakra drifted out from Kiyohara's palm and slowly seeped into Kurenai's body.
Kurenai's body trembled slightly.
She could clearly feel a strange chakra flowing through her body.
Wherever that mysterious power passed, her senses became abnormally sharp.
She could hear the insects chirping outside the window, and even her eyesight became noticeably clearer.
"What is this?"
Kurenai asked in confusion.
"A jutsu that enhances the five senses."
Kiyohara answered.
This was one of the applications of the "Dark Medical Ninjutsu."
Kurenai immediately realized something. She bit her lower lip gently as those beautiful crimson eyes stared at him.
"You jerk..."
She lightly slapped Kiyohara.
Kiyohara simply smiled and gently rubbed her head.
Kurenai quietly knelt down.
The night passed.
Morning sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting warm rays into the room.
Kiyohara slowly opened his eyes.
Lowering his head, he looked at the face resting peacefully on his arm.
Kurenai was sleeping soundly.
Her long, slightly curled dark hair lay scattered across the pillow.
Her eyelashes cast faint shadows beneath her eyes, while the corners of her lips curved upward ever so slightly, as though she were having a wonderful dream.
Kiyohara quietly watched her.
The events of last night flashed through his mind.
Suddenly, he realized something.
The "Dark Medical Ninjutsu" really could enhance the five senses.
Vision.
Hearing.
Touch.
Every one of those senses could be amplified to a level ordinary people could hardly imagine.
What would that mean during battle?
It would allow someone to detect enemies much sooner and judge incoming attacks with far greater precision.
But outside of battle...
Kiyohara looked at Kurenai before carefully slipping his arm out from beneath her head.
She shifted slightly, her delicate brows knitting together for a moment, but she did not wake up.
Kiyohara gently tucked the blanket back over her before standing.
After spending some time preparing a simple breakfast in the kitchen, he returned to the bedside table, picked up a pen, and wrote a few lines on a piece of paper.
"Breakfast is in the kitchen. Don't forget to eat."
The next moment, Kurenai was the only person left in the room.
The daylight gradually grew brighter.
Kurenai's eyelashes fluttered before she slowly opened her eyes.
She sat up, and the blanket slipped from her shoulders, revealing her fair skin.
Her mind gradually became clear as she remembered everything that had happened the previous night.
Turning her head, she noticed the note on the bedside table.
"At least you still have a bit of a conscience."
...
Inside the Hokage Tower.
Kiyohara sat in his office with a stack of documents piled in front of him.
The inauguration ceremony was only a few days away, and there was no shortage of preparations to make.
He picked up one of the documents and quickly skimmed through it.
It contained the construction proposal for the gambling district behind the mountain.
Picking up his pen, he signed his name without hesitation.
Then he immediately moved on to the next file.
Before long, nearly all of the government affairs had been handled.
Then a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Would the Nine-Tails Incident still happen?
In the anime, on the day Kushina gave birth, Obito had infiltrated Konoha when the village barrier was at its weakest. He abducted the newborn Naruto, released the Nine-Tails, and caused that devastating catastrophe.
But now...
Too many things had changed.
Minato was still alive.
Kushina was still alive.
Naruto had not yet been born.
And as for Obito...
Kiyohara frowned slightly.
He had already fought Obito before.
Obito knew exactly how powerful he was.
If Obito still intended to follow his original plan, it would practically be walking straight into a trap.
But...
What if he gave up?
Then the Nine-Tails Incident would never happen.
However, Kiyohara did not believe that would be the case.
Someone as obsessive as Obito would never abandon his goal so easily.
Besides...
Behind him stood Black Zetsu.
And behind Black Zetsu stood Uchiha Madara.
Neither of them would simply give up.
"I need to prepare."
Kiyohara collected his thoughts.
Whether the Nine-Tails Incident happened or not, he had to be ready.
Because Konoha now belonged to him.
Private property was sacred and inviolable.
Naturally, Kiyohara had no intention of allowing anyone to come and destroy what was now his village.
...
Two hours later, Kiyohara had an ANBU operative escort him to the ANBU headquarters.
"Hokage-sama."
The ANBU shinobi guarding the entrance knelt on one knee, his respectful voice muffled beneath his mask.
Kiyohara gave a slight nod and walked into the base.
The headquarters contained everything one could need.
Equipment rooms.
Intelligence analysis rooms.
Rest areas.
Every facility was fully equipped.
ANBU members dressed in black uniforms hurried back and forth between the different sections.
Yet every time they recognized who had arrived, they would stop, bow respectfully, and only then continue on their way.
The ANBU was Konoha's most unique organization.
It answered directly to the Hokage and was responsible for intelligence gathering, assassination, and various special missions.
However...
After recently going through a transfer of power, the ANBU could not honestly be said to be completely loyal to Kiyohara.
If Hiruzen were to raise his banner once more, Kiyohara estimated that quite a few ANBU members would still choose to follow him.
After all...
Hiruzen had served as Hokage longer than anyone else.
"Gather every squad captain."
Kiyohara stopped walking and spoke to the ANBU shinobi following behind him.
"Conference room. Ten minutes."
"Yes, sir!"
The shinobi instantly disappeared, using the Body Flicker Technique to relay the order.
A short while later...
Several figures stood inside the conference room.
The ANBU squad captains all wore identical black uniforms.
Their masks had been removed, revealing faces both young and weathered.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke sat in the first seat on the left.
A fresh scar had appeared across the face that resembled Hiruzen's.
He sighed inwardly.
He still remembered the first time he had met Kiyohara.
Back then...
Kiyohara had merely been a young genius who had attracted his father's attention.
Although brilliant, he had still been nothing more than a promising junior.
Now...
That same young man had already climbed to the highest level of power in Konoha.
The conference room door opened.
Kiyohara walked inside.
Everyone's eyes immediately focused on him.
Taking the seat at the head of the table, Kiyohara folded his hands together.
"I called everyone here today for two reasons."
He spoke calmly.
"First."
"The ANBU will undergo reform."
There was silence throughout the conference room.
Shinnosuke frowned slightly.
"Hokage-sama, the ANBU's organizational structure was established during the Second Hokage's era. It has remained in use until today without any problems..."
"The times have changed."
Kiyohara interrupted him.
"The ANBU of the Second Hokage's era only needed to carry out missions."
"But now..."
"What we need is not merely a blade that can execute orders."
His gaze swept across everyone present.
"Starting today, the ANBU will undergo expansion."
"Several entirely new divisions will be established."
"First."
"The ANBU Taijutsu Special Operations Squad."
"Might Guy will serve as its captain."
His eyes turned toward Might Guy, who sat quietly in a corner.
Guy froze for a moment before immediately standing.
He had never expected to receive an official position.
"Kiyohara... no, Hokage-sama!"
"I absolutely won't disappoint your trust! I'll make the flames of youth burn even brighter within the ANBU!"
His passionate declaration caused the eyelids of the surrounding ANBU members to twitch.
No matter how they looked at it...
Might Guy simply did not fit the ANBU's atmosphere.
Still, since it was the Hokage's order, nobody voiced any objections.
"I believe in you, Guy."
Kiyohara smiled faintly.
People often joked that the Nine-Tails was the village's ultimate deterrent.
In reality...
The true nuclear-level deterrent was Might Guy himself.
Once he opened the Eighth Gate, the Evening Elephant was already terrifying enough.
But the Night Guy unleashed in the state of the Gate of Death had long since surpassed the destructive power of a Tailed Beast Bomb.
If anyone other than Six Paths Madara, with his absurd regenerative abilities, tried to withstand that attack head-on...
They would probably be split cleanly into two pieces on the spot.
"The second division."
"The ANBU Lightning Release Special Operations Squad."
"Hatake Kakashi will serve as captain."
Sitting beside Might Guy, Kakashi lifted his head.
"Understood."
His response was calm and composed.
Completely unlike Guy.
Quiet whispers spread throughout the conference room.
Shinnosuke's expression grew even more serious.
Establishing new divisions.
Appointing new squad captains.
Ordinarily, such matters should first be discussed with the Hokage's advisors.
Yet Kiyohara had made every decision himself without consulting them in the slightest.
He simply ignored the murmurs.
Raising one finger, he lightly tapped the table.
The room gradually fell silent.
"The second matter."
He paused briefly.
"Beginning today..."
"The base salary of every ANBU member will be increased threefold."
The words struck like thunder.
The entire conference room erupted.
Shinnosuke's eyes widened.
"Th... three times?"
His voice was filled with disbelief.
For a moment, he genuinely thought he had misheard.
Kiyohara nodded.
"Three times."
He deliberately repeated it.
"In addition..."
"There will be mission allowances."
"Every mission from S Rank down to C Rank will receive additional compensation."
"There will also be housing allowances."
"Meal allowances."
"And other welfare benefits."
"If you're injured during a mission..."
"All medical expenses will be fully covered."
"In addition, you'll receive compensation."
"If someone dies during a mission..."
"Their family will receive enough financial support to live comfortably for the rest of their lives."
"Their children will receive priority admission into the Shinobi Academy."
"Even if they choose to attend an ordinary civilian school instead, they will still receive priority placement into jobs after graduation."
Kiyohara intended to model the entire system after the government employment benefits from his previous life.
"All of these policies..."
"...will be written into the ANBU's new regulations."
For now, everything was still in its early stages.
However, once his orders were issued, they would soon become official policy.
From this day onward...
The ANBU would truly become a cushy job for life, one of the most stable and well-paid positions in the village.
Kiyohara understood something very clearly.
People like Kakashi and Might Guy had genuine emotional ties to him.
They could be completely loyal and willingly carry out his orders.
But the majority of the ANBU were people he had never personally interacted with.
There was no guarantee they would willingly devote themselves to serving a complete stranger.
Kiyohara certainly did not believe that relying solely on the Will of Fire was enough.
In his opinion...
There also needed to be substantial benefits.
As long as the benefits was generous enough...
Loyalty could be cultivated far more effectively than empty slogans.
Every ANBU member present was stunned after hearing the announcement.
"So... so many benefits, Hokage-sama?"
The ANBU squad captain Tiger spoke in astonishment.
His own son had been suffering from a serious illness.
Medical expenses had always weighed heavily on his family, leaving them under constant financial pressure.
If those policies were truly implemented, they would dramatically improve his family's quality of life. His son would finally be able to receive better medicine and proper treatment.
"Of course, Tiger."
Kiyohara nodded.
"Tiger" was the codename of the shinobi standing before him, a taijutsu specialist famous for his extraordinary arm strength.
"But... no other hidden village has ever done anything like this before."
The ANBU captain codenamed "Elephant" voiced his concern.
"The ANBU system itself was something the other villages copied from us."
Kiyohara calmly shook his head.
"We have always been the pioneers of reform."
The Shinobi Academy was another example.
Every other village had modeled their own academies after Konoha's.
It could honestly be said that the Second Hokage had invented countless systems during his lifetime, each one driving Konoha's development forward.
Those systems were eventually imitated by every major hidden village, and over time they all evolved into organizations that were fundamentally similar to one another.
"I understand, Hokage-sama."
Seeing Kiyohara's attitude, Elephant wisely chose not to continue arguing.
"Does anyone else have any objections?"
Rather than looking at Elephant again, Kiyohara slowly swept his gaze across every ANBU member in the room.
Elephant had once served directly as one of Hiruzen's personal ANBU guards.
His knowledge of secret techniques and his analytical abilities were both exceptional.
Kiyohara suspected that Elephant's doubts represented the thoughts of many others present.
After all...
Triple salaries.
Massively reduced medical expenses.
Huge death benefits.
Priority enrollment for children.
Priority housing allocation.
Benefits like these would sound like complete fantasy in any hidden village.
"Hokage-sama."
Sarutobi Shinnosuke stood up.
"I understand that you want to improve the treatment of the ANBU."
"But accomplishing all of this..."
"...Konoha's finances simply can't support it!"
Kiyohara looked directly at him.
"I know."
"Then why..."
"The money won't come from Konoha's treasury."
Kiyohara interrupted him before he could finish.
"I'll pay for all of it out of my own pocket."
Silence descended over the conference room once more.
Shinnosuke froze.
Out...
Of his own pocket?
His mouth opened slightly.
He wanted to say something.
Yet no words came out.
How much money would this cost every year?
And Kiyohara intended to shoulder the entire burden by himself?
"Captain Shinnosuke."
"Do you have any other questions?"
Shinnosuke slowly shook his head before sitting back down.
"No."
"In that case, it's settled."
Kiyohara rose to his feet.
The ANBU members looked at one another.
Finally...
One person suddenly shouted,
"Loyalty!"
Almost immediately, everyone else echoed the cry.
"Loyalty!"
"Loyalty!"
"Loyalty!"
For a moment, the conference room was filled with nothing but voices proclaiming their loyalty.
Kiyohara nodded in satisfaction.
"Starting tomorrow..."
"The ANBU's new regulations will officially take effect."
"Meeting adjourned."
He turned around and walked toward the exit.
Just as he reached the doorway, he suddenly stopped.
Turning back slightly, he looked toward Shinnosuke.
"Captain Shinnosuke."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"I appreciate your questions today."
"People who dare to speak honestly are valuable in any era."
He paused briefly.
"Keep it up."
After saying that, he pushed open the door and left.
Inside the conference room, everyone exchanged glances.
Shinnosuke remained seated in silence for a long time.
...
After leaving the meeting room, Kiyohara casually ordered an ANBU operative to lead him to the prison beneath headquarters.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
The ANBU shinobi called Deer nodded.
Her mask was decorated with purple markings resembling a deer's antlers.
Before long, the two arrived at the prison entrance.
The guard stationed there immediately knelt on one knee.
"Kumo prisoners are being held inside?"
Kiyohara asked.
"Yes."
The guard nodded respectfully.
"Take me to them."
"As you command."
The heavy iron gate slowly creaked open.
Kiyohara stepped into the underground prison.
After searching through several corridors, he eventually found the cell where Samui and Mabui were imprisoned.
The two women were sitting quietly on a crude wooden bed.
The moment they saw Kiyohara...
Both of them froze.
The normally icy calm in Samui's eyes was instantly replaced by burning fury.
It was this hateful man.
This was the person who had kept them locked inside this prison all this time.
"You bastard!"
Samui shouted furiously.
"Insolence!"
The ANBU shinobi behind Kiyohara barked angrily.
"How dare a prisoner show such disrespect toward Hokage-sama!"
"This is the Fourth Hokage!"
"Know your place!"
Samui's body stiffened.
Hokage?
Her eyes widened in complete disbelief as she stared at Kiyohara.
When had he become Hokage?
Mabui reacted much faster.
She immediately stood, walked to the prison bars, and bowed respectfully.
"Kiyohara-sama."
Her voice was courteous.
Her posture was humble.
Her elegant face betrayed no emotion whatsoever.
But inside her mind, countless thoughts were racing.
Why had Kiyohara come here?
Was he here to deal with them?
Or...
Now that they were prisoners, Mabui understood something very clearly.
She and Samui had to recognize their current positions.
Unlike Samui, who preferred solving problems through strength alone, Mabui had once served as the Fourth Raikage's secretary.
She possessed far greater political awareness.
"Kiyohara-sama."
"What instructions do you have for us?"
Kiyohara looked at her.
This woman truly was intelligent.
"The war is over."
He spoke indifferently.
"Konoha has no intention of imprisoning you forever."
"But if you want to be released..."
"...you'll need to provide something in exchange."
Mabui's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"What does my lord want?"
"Kumo's technological research."
Kiyohara answered without hesitation.
"Medical equipment."
"Shinobi weapon forging techniques."
"Everything your village possesses."
"I want all of it."
Mabui fell silent.
Those documents represented some of Kumogakure's most closely guarded secrets.
"I can release one of you first."
Kiyohara added.
"That will serve as a gesture of goodwill."
His plan was to continue detaining the Raikage for a while longer and see just how sincere Kumogakure truly was.
Even now...
Negotiations between Konoha and Kumo had yet to reach an agreement.
That was why the most valuable prisoners still remained in Konoha's custody.
"You two can discuss it."
"Decide which one of you will return."
A faint sneer appeared on Samui's lips.
"Release us?"
"I don't believe you're that kind-hearted."
Kiyohara looked at her.
Her beautiful yet indifferent face was filled with distrust.
"If that's how you feel..."
"Then forget it."
"I'm sure your Raikage won't mind continuing to live a rather difficult life."
With that, he turned and walked toward the exit.
Mabui's expression changed immediately.
"Kiyohara-sama!"
She hurriedly called after him.
"Please wait!"
Kiyohara stopped walking.
But he did not turn around.
Mabui took a deep breath before lowering her voice.
"Samui."
"Raikage-sama is still imprisoned here."
Samui froze.
Only then did she remember.
The Fourth Raikage was still being held in Konoha.
If she refused to lower her head...
Her fists slowly clenched.
Her knuckles turned pale.
A long silence followed.
Finally...
She drew in a deep breath and walked toward the prison door.
"Lord... Kiyohara."
The words came out with obvious difficulty.
"I spoke out of line just now."
Samui bit her lower lip as she apologized.
Only then did Kiyohara slowly turn around.
The oil lamps lining the corridor cast alternating bands of light and shadow across his handsome face.
His expression remained completely emotionless.
"Samui."
"You're an elite jonin of Kumogakure."
"You should understand the rules."
He paused.
"If you're going to apologize..."
"...then apologize properly."
Samui's chest rose and fell violently.
The prison uniform she wore was somewhat oversized.
Even so, it could not conceal the full curves of her mature figure.
With every breath she took, the generous contours beneath the loose fabric gently rose and fell, causing the cloth to tighten ever so slightly.
She could clearly feel Kiyohara's gaze.
It slowly moved downward from her face.
Stopping briefly upon her chest.
Before calmly moving away again.
Her cheeks gradually became warm.
"S... sorry."
Her voice was barely audible.
Kiyohara looked at her.
"Not enough."
Samui slowly raised her head.
The anger blazing within her eyes was nearly impossible to suppress.
Yet in the end...
She forced herself to swallow it.
Taking another deep breath.
She slowly bent forward.
Then bowed deeply.
"I apologize, Kiyohara-sama."
Kiyohara shook his head.
"That's still not enough."
"Come with me."
A verbal apology alone was far from sufficient punishment.
Samui glanced toward Mabui.
A trace of guilt appeared in her eyes.
If she had not spoken recklessly just now...
Perhaps one of them really could have returned to Kumogakure.
She gently bit her lower lip before stepping forward and following behind Kiyohara.
Standing inside the cell, Mabui watched them leave, her face filled with worry.
(End of Chapter)