Kyusei glanced at the hand resting on his shoulder and carefully studied Minato.
Minato was already forty-four.
His once brilliant golden hair had dulled over the years due to Menma's incident, strands of silver now mixed within it.
Even though Menma was safe now, the exhaustion of years of worry lingered in his eyes, leaving behind a faint melancholy.
His features were still handsome, but the confidence and radiance Kyusei had seen when they first met were gone.
Now—
He looked like a man worn down by life.
"You should wait until Sasuke finishes the Wood Release transplant before going."
Kyusei chuckled.
Even if two people looked identical—
They were still different individuals.
Minato was about to argue—
But Kyusei's next sentence stopped him.
"Even if you don't care about yourself, you should think about the child Kushina is carrying."
Minato fell silent.
At the thought of his unborn child, he gave up the idea of going alone.
"…Alright."
"I'll go with Sasuke after his surgery."
Family—
Always came first for him.
"Good."
Kyusei smiled and patted his shoulder.
No matter what—
Amegakure would not be simple.
Whether it was Nagato, Madara, or Obito—
They would be facing a fully matured Rinnegan.
Even with Flying Thunder God—
Minato's safety couldn't be guaranteed.
When the time came—
Kyusei would go with him.
After chatting a bit more, Kyusei moved to leave. His hand rested on the door handle, but he paused and looked back at Tsunade.
"If you truly want to carry out the Dragon Vein Plan…"
"The first step is eliminating all enemies in this world."
"If you can't do it—"
"I can."
Tsunade's expression tightened.
Enemies.
Who?
Where?
She understood exactly what he meant.
First—
Amegakure.
Nagato, with the Rinnegan.
Second—
The Land of Wind.
The Dragon Vein.
And finally—
Every nation.
Once Konoha took the Dragon Vein—
The entire world would turn against them.
Three enemies.
Three stages.
"…I understand."
Tsunade nodded calmly.
"Call me if you need help."
Kyusei waved and left without hesitation.
Minato followed immediately.
He would escort them back to the Dragon Vein.
Kyusei might be strong—
But the group included elders and children.
It wasn't convenient.
Outside, Homura, Mei, and the others were already waiting.
Minato activated Flying Thunder God.
In an instant—
They arrived at Rōran.
"I'll see you off here."
"You've already traveled once. The Dragon Vein recognizes you now."
"Just follow its guidance."
Minato smiled and gently ruffled Mei's hair.
Mei stared at him, eyes shining.
This gentle, slightly melancholic man…
"Not coming with us?"
Kyusei asked.
"Kushina is over there."
Minato shook his head.
"This Konoha still needs me."
"And she'll be taken care of."
"…Alright."
Kyusei nodded.
Without hesitation—
They jumped into the Dragon Vein.
Minato watched them disappear, sighing softly before turning away.
Because of Menma—
Kushina had acted half-heartedly during negotiations.
Tsunade hadn't said anything—
But Minato noticed.
He didn't want Kushina to face that.
Not while she was pregnant.
—
Purple light surged.
Kyusei and the others returned to their world.
Without delay—
Kyusei went straight to Kaoru.
Inside the Hokage tent—
Kaoru sat at the head, stretching after finishing a mountain of paperwork.
Her figure was perfectly outlined—
And Kyusei walked in at that exact moment.
She blinked.
"…You're back already?"
She wasn't embarrassed.
There was nothing left for him not to have seen.
"Didn't want you worrying."
Kyusei placed the treaty on the table.
"They agreed."
"And acknowledged our leadership."
"If needed, their forces can be deployed anytime."
Sasuke, Minato, Sakura—
Their strength was undeniable.
Kaoru smiled as she read.
"Well done."
"As expected of you."
Kyusei leaned closer.
"Anything happen while I was gone?"
Kaoru waved it off.
"Just caught a few spies from the Land of Earth and Lightning."
"No big deal."
Kyusei grinned.
"Want me to handle them?"
Kaoru rolled her eyes and pushed his face away.
"Behave."
"What if someone walks in?"
Kyusei smirked.
"Wouldn't that make it more exciting?"
"I'll excite your head!"
Kaoru's face flushed as he continued teasing her.
"Kaoru-sama, I—"
A woman in a white coat walked in—
And froze.
"…Am I interrupting?"
Her face turned red instantly.
"I didn't see anything!"
She fled.
"Nonou!"
"Wait!"
Kaoru shot Kyusei a glare and ran after her.
—
Three months later—
Konoha was reborn.
With ninja labor, Hyakuzoku's puppet construction, and Dragon Vein energy—
An entirely new city had risen.
Five times larger than before.
Nearly five thousand square kilometers.
Even after housing everyone—
Many buildings remained empty.
But that didn't matter.
The future would bring more people.
Now—
Kyusei stood with Kaoru and the others before the Dragon Vein.
It was time to move it into the city center.
"Hmph."
Kaoru shot him another glare.
She hadn't forgotten what happened three months ago.
Kyusei smiled awkwardly.
"You two arguing?"
Tobirama noticed instantly.
"There's still a lot to do."
"And many nations left to conquer."
"Don't cause trouble now."
Kyusei snorted.
"What would you know, you lifelong bachelor?"
Tobirama froze.
"…What's wrong with that?"
He changed the subject.
"When do we begin?"
"After things stabilize."
Kyusei replied calmly.
"Agreed."
Tobirama nodded.
Meanwhile—
Kaoru finished preparing the array.
Kyusei and Menma stepped forward, supplying chakra.
"Spiral Flash Super Celestial Extreme Flying Thunder God Formation—Activate!"
Tobirama twitched.
Chuunibyou…
Golden light erupted.
The Dragon Vein vanished—
Replaced by empty land.
"It's done…"
Relief spread.
The Dragon Vein now belonged to Konoha.
Unless the Sage of Six Paths interfered—
Konoha ruled this world.
No—
Multiple worlds.
"Let's go."
Kaoru grabbed Kyusei's hand and pulled him forward.
Tobirama watched, smelling something in the air.
…Love.
Inside the new Konoha—
Towering buildings lined the streets.
Hyakuzoku excitedly explained:
"I combined ancient architecture with modern systems!"
"Ventilation, water, drainage—all complete!"
"Steel and reinforced structures!"
"Residential, commercial, industrial, military zones!"
"Clan districts have been pre-planned!"
He was glowing with pride.
From a hunted rogue ninja—
To the architect of a city.
Everyone looked at him with approval.
"Fugaku."
Kaoru called.
Uchiha Fugaku stepped forward cautiously.
"This will be your clan's district."
She pointed to a prime area.
"…Kaoru-sama…"
He stared in disbelief.
"What? Don't like it?"
"No!"
He lowered his head deeply.
"The Uchiha clan—will serve the Hokage with our lives!"
Everyone turned.
He was the first—
To publicly call her Hokage.
The position was already decided—
But now—
It was acknowledged.
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