"Hiruzen, tomorrow's negotiations are scheduled for the afternoon."
Danzo stepped into the Hokage's office and delivered the information Root had just sent.
"Root has already made contact with Kizaru. He is bringing two children with him, so he won't be able to return to the village until noon tomorrow."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's brows moved slightly.
"Two children?"
The last time Kizaru and Tsunade had brought children back, it had been Nagato's family.
A thought naturally crossed Hiruzen's mind.
"Are they Uzumaki orphans again?"
"No." Danzo shook his head. "According to Root's report, they seem to be ordinary war orphans."
Hiruzen nodded slowly, then rose from his seat.
With his pipe in his mouth, he walked around the desk and stopped in front of Danzo.
"Danzo, what do you think of Kumogakure's attitude?"
"They are cornered beasts." Danzo's voice was cold and firm. "They lost the Third Raikage and the Two-Tails. They are in no position to threaten us."
As if worried that Hiruzen would hesitate out of softness, Danzo added heavily,
"This is not the time to show weakness."
"What worries me is not Kumogakure alone."
Hiruzen exhaled a thin cloud of smoke.
"It is what Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure may do behind the scenes. If we push too hard, they may set aside their grudges and unite against Konoha."
Danzo had naturally considered that possibility as well.
"Hiruzen, leave that matter to me. I can stir up friction between them."
As the Hokage's advisor and the shadow of the village, Danzo was very familiar with that kind of work.
Hiruzen shook his head.
"Not yet. The current situation is delicate. If even one step goes wrong, Konoha may lose its advantage."
Danzo frowned.
He was clearly dissatisfied with Hiruzen's words.
You can doubt my character.
But you cannot doubt my ability.
Especially when it comes to doing things that should never be written down in official records.
"I am not doubting your ability," Hiruzen said, as if he had guessed what Danzo was thinking. "I am worried that the shinobi carrying out the mission may make a mistake."
Danzo's expression eased.
"I will lead them myself. There will be no mistakes."
"Let us wait until Kizaru returns tomorrow."
Before reaching the final step, Hiruzen was still unwilling to use Danzo's methods.
"Hiruzen, you cannot rely too much on Kizaru." Danzo's tone was serious, but the faint smile on his face betrayed him. "He is only ten years old. He still needs your guidance."
Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe and glanced at Danzo's wrinkled face.
That old face was clearly trying to look calm.
Unfortunately, the pride was written all over it.
Hiruzen did not bother exposing him.
Forget it.
You are the one who talks about your nephew every day.
Kizaru is still my direct disciple.
…
After noon the next day, Kizaru finally returned to Konoha with the two children.
He reached down and lifted Yahiko and Konan off Matatabi's back.
"Oooh… thanks for the ride, Matatabi~"
"Only this once," Matatabi said coldly.
Her tone made it clear that she was absolutely not interested in becoming Kizaru's personal mount in the future.
"Matatabi-san, thank you!"
"Thank you very much!"
After being set down by Kizaru, Yahiko and Konan stood properly and bowed to Matatabi.
Matatabi glanced at them, then gave a faint nod. Her large body shrank down to the size of a cat before she lightly jumped onto Kizaru's shoulder.
"You two come home with me first. I'll arrange someone to look after you."
Kizaru still had to show his face during the afternoon negotiations, so he could not stay with them for long.
Yahiko and Konan nodded obediently.
They walked to either side of him on their own, then raised their hands and held onto Kizaru's.
Their small hands were wrapped in his warm palms.
The two children raised their heads and looked at him, their eyes bright with excitement.
"Then… let's go home."
Kizaru looked down at them and smiled.
"Yeah!"
They answered together.
Yahiko and Konan, who finally had a home again, smiled so happily that their eyes almost shone.
Holding their hands, Kizaru led them through the lively streets of Konoha.
Along the way, villagers cast curious glances at them. Some familiar faces greeted Kizaru and asked about the children, but he only answered lazily with a smile and continued walking.
Eventually, he brought them to the front gate of the Shimura estate.
"This will be your home from now on."
Kizaru looked at the gate in front of them and spoke gently.
Yahiko and Konan had already been stunned by Konoha's prosperity along the way. Now, staring at the tall, old-fashioned gate of the Shimura residence, their eyes filled with surprise, anticipation, and a little uneasiness.
Kizaru-nii's home is so big…
Everything that had happened over the past two days felt like a dream.
For Yahiko and Konan, who had become orphans and wandered through the Land of Rain in fear and hunger, this sudden happiness felt almost unreal.
If this is a dream…
I hope I never wake up.
The two children tightened their grip on Kizaru's hands, as if afraid this warmth would disappear the moment they let go.
Kizaru felt their uneasiness.
His hands tightened slightly around theirs.
That small warmth made Yahiko and Konan look up at him again.
"Don't worry."
Kizaru's smile remained lazy, but his voice was unusually soft.
"From now on, this is your home."
The two children stared at him for a moment.
Then they smiled.
"Yeah!"
They answered together, nodding hard.
Kizaru held their hands and walked toward the gate.
Before he could knock, the wooden gate slowly opened.
Standing behind it was Keiko, the housekeeper who took care of Kizaru's daily life.
"Kizaru-sama, welcome home."
Keiko smiled warmly.
"These are Yahiko and Konan. I adopted them in the Land of Rain."
Kizaru gently pushed the two children forward and introduced them.
"Keiko-san, I'll have to trouble you to take care of them from now on."
"What adorable children."
Keiko bent down slightly and looked at the two children, who were still a little guarded.
"My name is Keiko. I help take care of Kizaru-sama's household. You can call me Keiko-san."
"Keiko-san."
"Keiko-san."
Yahiko and Konan greeted her obediently.
Keiko's smile became even gentler.
"Good children."
She reached out and lightly touched their heads.
Then she stood up and looked at Kizaru again.
"Kizaru-sama, the clan head asked me to tell you that once you return, you should report to the Hokage Building immediately."
"How troublesome…"
Kizaru sighed in that slow, lazy tone of his, then let go of Yahiko and Konan's hands.
"Then I'll leave them to you, Keiko-san."
"Please don't worry. Leave them to me."
Keiko stepped forward and took Yahiko and Konan's hands.
"Konan, Yahiko, come have lunch with me."
"Okay, Kizaru-nii!"
Kizaru felt relieved leaving the two children with Keiko.
After saying goodbye to Yahiko and Konan, he turned and left under their reluctant gazes.
…
When Kizaru arrived at the Hokage Building, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo had already been waiting in the Hokage's office for some time.
"Oooh… looks like I made everyone wait quite a while."
Kizaru pushed open the door and walked in with a relaxed smile.
"Sit down, Kizaru."
Hiruzen sat behind the desk with his pipe in his mouth, looking at him with a faint smile.
Kizaru walked over without the slightest restraint and sat down directly on the chair to the left of the desk.
"When do the negotiations start?"
"Two o'clock in the afternoon."
Danzo, who had been sitting opposite him with his eyes closed, opened them and answered.
Kizaru looked up at the clock hanging on the wall.
"Then before that… how about lunch first, Sarutobi-sensei?"
Hiruzen took the pipe from his mouth and looked at him seriously.
"Kizaru, Kumogakure's delegation is taking a very hard stance this time. They are demanding the return of the Two-Tails. Otherwise, they refuse all compensation."
Danzo also looked at him.
"Kizaru. What is your opinion?"
The smile on Kizaru's face became even brighter.
He lowered his gaze, idly looked at his fingernails, and said in that lazy tone,
"If they want the Two-Tails that badly… then why not give it back to them?"
Hiruzen and Danzo both froze for a moment.
That answer was completely outside their expectations.
It did not sound like Kizaru at all.
The two old men exchanged a glance.
Hiruzen looked back at him.
"You want to return the Two-Tails?"
"Kizaru, that is unacceptable." Danzo's voice immediately grew heavy. "Returning a tailed beast would weaken Konoha's position."
"Oooh…"
Kizaru laughed softly.
Then he raised his head and looked at the two old men with a harmless smile.
"What I mean is… we can release the Two-Tails directly inside Kumogakure."
The office fell silent.
A freed tailed beast.
Released directly inside Kumogakure's main village.
Was that returning the tailed beast…
Or dropping a disaster into their home?
For a moment, both Hiruzen and Danzo imagined the Two-Tails rampaging through Kumogakure.
The image was a little too beautiful.
"Ahem."
Hiruzen coughed twice and finally recovered.
"Let us forget that idea."
Danzo, who was usually the hardliner, also nodded silently.
Even he felt that was going too far for the current situation.
It was not that Danzo feared Kumogakure's revenge.
He simply felt there was no need to force the creation of a major anti-Konoha alliance before Kizaru had fully grown.
Kizaru raised both hands, palms upward, and shrugged.
"Kumogakure is so scary~ Then I suppose we really should return the Two-Tails properly."
"Ahem!"
Hiruzen coughed again.
He looked at Kizaru helplessly.
"You may say that during the negotiations this afternoon. But do not actually do it."
"I understand, Sarutobi-sensei."
Kizaru nodded with a smile.
His answer sounded casual enough that Hiruzen could not feel relieved at all.
Do you really understand?
Thinking of this disciple's usual way of doing things…
And his terrifying speed…
Hiruzen was genuinely worried that during the negotiations, Kizaru might excuse himself to go to the bathroom, then return with a relaxed smile and say,
"Kumogakure is gone now, so there's no need to negotiate anymore."
"Hiruzen," Danzo said from the side, noticing Hiruzen's concern. "Let us eat first."
After a brief silence, Hiruzen nodded.
"Very well. Let us eat first."
At that moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly began to wonder whether calling Kizaru back had been a mistake.
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