After dumping a mountain of tedious political work onto Tsunade, his newly appointed secretary, Uchiha Tobirama strolled out of the tower in high spirits.
The streets of Amegakure were still slick with rainwater, puddles not yet fully dried.
Yet the suffocating, lifeless gloom that once hung over the village was gone.
"Greetings, Lord Tobirama!"
"Greetings, Lord Tobirama!"
Wherever Tobirama went, civilians and ninja alike stopped to bow deeply. There was no resentment in their eyes—only gratitude.
After all, Tobirama kept his word.
When Konohagakure took control, there was no looting, no oppression. Food was distributed openly, and medical ninja set up free clinics along the streets. For the people of the Land of Rain, who had endured years under Hanzo's iron rule, it felt like stepping into a dream.
"Careful there. Pay attention while you work—safety comes first."
In a good mood, Tobirama steadied a collapsing stall for an elderly man, then casually used Water Release to wash away the mud clogging a street corner.
After that string of small, considerate gestures, the looks people gave him grew even more fervent.
This was how reputation was cultivated.
A god standing high above inspired awe.
A god willing to bend down earned absolute devotion.
Tobirama turned into a quiet, narrow alley.
"Ple… please…"
A frail voice came from behind a pile of trash.
He stopped.
A filthy little girl staggered out, bracing herself against the wall. Her pale orange eyes were filled with longing, locked onto the rice ball in Tobirama's hand.
"Give—"
Thud.
Before she could finish, her legs buckled, and she collapsed face-first into a puddle at his feet.
"Tch. Trying to scam me?" Tobirama muttered lightly.
Even so, his movements were swift. He scooped her up in one smooth motion.
The instant he touched her, he froze.
Brushing aside the mud-soaked hair from her face, he caught sight of unmistakable blue-purple hair—and the white paper flower pinned at her temple.
His pupils shrank.
Konan?
The future Angel of the Akatsuki?
The woman who would later bury Obito Uchiha under six hundred billion explosive tags?
And right now… she was just a starving little beggar?
Tobirama's lips curled upward.
When luck arrived, it came crashing in all at once.
He didn't know where those two unlucky brats—Yahiko and Nagato—were, but if he intercepted the Angel first, who knew whether Akatsuki would even exist in the future.
"Looks like you got lucky."
He removed his outer cloak, wrapped the filthy little kitten inside it, lifted her gently, and vanished into the rain.
---
Half an hour later, inside Tobirama's private bedroom.
Under warm yellow lamplight, Konan lay on a wide, soft bed. Her eyelashes fluttered, and her eyes snapped open.
Alert.
An instinct honed by years of wandering.
Like a startled animal, she shrank back into the corner of the bed, clutching the blanket tightly, eyes wide with fear as she stared at Tobirama seated nearby.
"You're awake?"
He held a bowl of steaming porridge, smiling calmly.
"Relax. I'm not going to eat you."
"Here. Drink this first."
The aroma hit her instantly.
Her defenses crumbled. Konan swallowed hard, her stomach betraying her with a loud growl.
She hesitated for three seconds.
Then survival won.
She leaned forward cautiously, took the bowl, and gulped the porridge down in a rush, nearly scalding her tongue.
"Slow down," Tobirama said lightly. "No one's taking it from you."
Watching her, he couldn't help reaching out to ruffle her short blue-purple hair.
It felt… surprisingly nice.
Konan stiffened but didn't dodge. She kept her head down, drinking, the tips of her ears slowly turning red.
When the bowl was empty, she wiped her mouth and finally looked up, a bit of clarity returning to her eyes.
"Th-thank you, Big Brother."
Her voice was soft and pleasant.
"But… I should go."
This was the home of a strange ninja—one who wore Konoha's colors. Even if there was a truce, she hadn't forgotten the fear Konoha ninja once brought.
She lifted the blanket and tried to get up.
"Ouch!"
Her legs gave out instantly, and she slid off the bed, landing squarely on the carpet.
Clumsy. Adorably so.
Pfft.
Tobirama laughed.
"With a body that can't even walk two steps, where exactly do you think you're going?"
"It's still raining. Go outside like this and you'll starve to death."
Konan sat there, face burning red, tears pooling at the corners of her eyes.
It hurt.
And it was humiliating.
Tobirama walked over, lifted her up like a chick, placed her back on the bed, and tucked her in.
"Stay put."
"Leave after you've recovered. I can afford to feed one kid."
With that, he turned off the light and left the room.
"Get some sleep."
Silence returned.
Konan curled up beneath the warm blankets, only her eyes visible as she stared at the closed door.
Her thoughts raced.
He looks powerful… and rich.
But this is Konoha territory. It's dangerous.
Still… I don't have any strength right now…
She bit her lip, then made a firm decision.
"I'll pretend to be obedient for now."
"Once I recover… I'll sneak away."
"Yes. That's the plan."
Satisfied, she closed her eyes.
Soft bedding.
A full stomach.
Only seconds later, faint, steady breathing filled the room.
---
Meanwhile.
Konohagakure, Hokage Office.
The atmosphere here was far heavier than that quiet bedroom in Amegakure.
Smoke hung thick in the air.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at the head of the table, pipe in hand, brows knotted.
Across from him sat his three old comrades:
Danzo Shimura, Utatane Koharu, and Homura Mitokado.
Konoha's old guard—all present.
"Too fast… far too fast," Koharu said, adjusting her glasses.
"Uchiha Tobirama has been at the front for only days, and the Land of Rain has already fallen."
"His reputation is soaring. If we don't suppress it now, who will be able to restrain him once he returns?"
Homura nodded grimly.
"The Uchiha Clan has never been stable. If someone like that decides to seize power—"
Danzo's lone eye gleamed coldly.
"Hiruzen. Hesitation now will only bring disaster later."
He drew a finger across his throat.
"Kill him."
"Blame Iwagakure or Kumogakure. Remove the threat and rally the village's hatred."
Brutal. Efficient.
Pure Danzo.
"Nonsense!" Hiruzen slammed the table.
"He is a hero. The hero who conquered a nation!"
"Kill him now? Do you want civil war? Uchiha Tomiyama and Uchiha Setsuna are not fools!"
Danzo sneered. "Then what? You'll just let him climb over your head?"
Hiruzen was silent for a long time.
At last, he exhaled slowly.
"He cannot be killed. But he cannot roam free."
"Recall him."
"Place him in the Anbu."
"Give him a captain's rank and keep him under my watch."
"The Anbu answers directly to the Hokage. It will sever his ties to the clan—and to ordinary ninja."
"And the public will gradually forget him."
A promotion in name.
A leash in truth.
Koharu and Homura exchanged glances and nodded.
"This is prudent."
Only Danzo laughed coldly.
"Hiruzen… you're still weak."
"Do you really think the Anbu can restrain a monster like that?"
"You'll regret this."
He turned and left.
---
Deep beneath Konoha, within the Root base.
Danzo sat alone, fingers tapping the armrest.
"Hiruzen wants soft control. How laughable."
"The Mangekyo Sharingan… that power belongs in my hands."
Madness flickered in his eye.
If he could obtain those eyes—even one—
"Ru. Mu."
Two masked figures appeared instantly.
"Go."
"Contact our agents in the Land of Rain."
"Leak Tobirama's return route."
"Strike while he's on the move."
"If they fail, you intervene. Disguise yourselves as Iwagakure's Explosion Corps."
"I want him dead."
"But remember—his eyes must be retrieved."
Danzo smiled thinly.
If Hiruzen wouldn't do it, then he would.
This was the Will of Root.
"In the places where light cannot reach—
I alone decide."