"You will regret this, Hiruzen!"
Danzo spat the words through clenched teeth, delivering the line with all the gravity of a man who'd rehearsed it a thousand times. Then he turned and walked out.
"Danzo!" Makoto's voice cut cold across the room. "He is the Hokage. Deal with it."
SLAM.
The door answered for him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen watched the scene with a quiet smile, his satisfaction with this particular student growing by the day.
Why bother dealing with that maggot Danzo himself when his pupil could handle it?
Outside, Danzo was seething.
There was a time when anyone in Konohagakure who dared speak to him like that would have been dead within the week.
Sakumo Hatake had been arrogant. Uchiha Shisui had been untouchable. Neither of them were breathing anymore, were they?
But Makoto Nishikado was a different problem entirely.
The boy had Sarutobi Hiruzen's absolute protection, and Hatake and Shisui had never enjoyed that luxury.
The reason was painfully simple: Konohagakure's talent drain had become catastrophic.
With Sarutobi Shinnosuke and his wife dead, the Third Hokage was desperately short of someone he could trust without reservation.
Even Kakashi Hatake didn't quite qualify. His father's death remained a thorn buried deep in the old man's mind.
And then, at that exact moment, Makoto had appeared.
The level of trust Hiruzen placed in him now rivaled what he'd felt for his late eldest son, if it didn't exceed it.
Danzo understood the math: if he moved against Makoto, Hiruzen would fight him to the death.
He couldn't even blame the old man. If he had a subordinate like that, he'd guard the asset with everything he had.
Loyal. Powerful. Young.
Where the hell did Hiruzen find a workhorse this useful? Danzo cursed inwardly. A subordinate like that wouldn't even need mind-controlling seals.
Back in the office, Makoto wore a mask of righteous indignation. "Master, Danzo has been disrespecting you for years. Shouldn't we find a way to take care of him?"
Hiruzen waved the idea off with a chuckle. "Makoto, don't be so hasty. Danzo may be ambitious, but everything he does is still for the sake of Konohagakure."
Makoto nodded, barely suppressing a laugh.
Right. All for Konohagakure.
And then spending decades in power systematically eliminating your own people. That tracks.
Danzo bore the lion's share of blame, but Hiruzen had never been innocent. He'd enabled every step from the shadows. The two of them were a matched pair: all warm smiles concealing shark's teeth.
Pocketing his kunai, Makoto shifted topics. "Then, Master, if I'm to serve as a jonin instructor, which squad would you assign me?"
The Flying Thunder God kunai in his hand wasn't the modified tri-pronged design Minato Namikaze had made famous. It was Tobirama Senju's original model. He'd only mastered the technique a year ago, so he hadn't yet reached Minato's level of refinement.
That was only a matter of time.
Hiruzen laid three files on the desk. "If all goes well, I plan to place Naruto, Sasuke, and a civilian girl named Sakura Haruno in the same squad. Under you."
The Nine-Tails jinchuriki and the sole Uchiha survivor were both priority assets for the village, and both required constant monitoring.
Hiruzen had added Sakura, a civilian with no notable background, because he knew Naruto had a crush on her. Her presence would help manage the jinchuriki's emotional state.
But there was a more important reason.
Hiruzen intended to use Makoto as an influence on both Naruto and Sasuke.
Makoto was his most devoted follower, and the old man wanted the two boys to absorb that devotion through osmosis, turning them into obsessive fanboys of the Third Hokage as well.
With the Nine-Tails jinchuriki on one side, the Uchiha survivor on the other, and Makoto Nishikado, master of the Flying Thunder God, in the center...
Who the hell in the ninja world could possibly stand against him?
And he wouldn't even have to lift a finger, of course. Let the subordinates do the fighting, just like the Third Great Ninja War.
Makoto blinked.
Wait. Did I just steal Kakashi's job?
He refused immediately. "Master, I'm afraid I can't shoulder that kind of responsibility. Putting everything else aside, Naruto's situation is highly sensitive. His instructor should be someone proficient in sealing jutsu, or at the very least, someone who possesses the Sharingan."
He had zero interest in babysitting those two walking disasters.
Hiruzen paused, then nodded. He genuinely hadn't considered that.
"You're right. That's a fair point. I'll look into other candidates."
Relief washed through Makoto. "Then I'll take my leave, Master."
"Of course. I look forward to seeing what you do next."
Hiruzen smiled as he watched him go.
...
The Ninja Academy was bustling with life.
Students and parents packed the entrance, a buzzing crowd of pride and noise.
"Mom, look! Look!"
Ran Mouri showed off the forehead protector perched on her head, beaming so wide her eyes crinkled into half-moons.
"Well done." Eri Kisaki smoothed a hand over her daughter's hair. "I'll cook something nice for you and Sonoko when we get home."
The smile on Ran's face died instantly. Beside her, Sonoko Suzuki went pale.
They both knew the truth: Eri Kisaki's cooking was a genuine biohazard.
Sonoko, who'd dropped out of the Academy two years prior, managed a trembling suggestion. "Um... Auntie Eri, maybe we should eat out instead?"
In the four years since arriving in this world, Eri had carved out a respectable niche for herself.
She'd studied Konohagakure's criminal code and landed a position as a legal consultant with the village's public safety division. Not bad at all.
Nearby, Eriri was similarly flaunting her new forehead protector to her mother, Sayuri Sawamura. Though her personality would never allow her to throw herself into her mother's arms the way Ran had.
"Oh my, our little Eriri is so talented!"
Sayuri pulled her into a hug first.
Eriri squirmed halfheartedly, putting up a token resistance before surrendering to it.
Like Eri, Sayuri had gradually adapted to this world, even building something of a career. She'd followed Jiraiya's lead and taken up writing novels.
The genre, naturally, was her personal favorite: boys' love.
Sales were surprisingly strong. She was the highest earner among the transmigrated parents, and had upgraded to a larger house the previous year.
Yumiko Miura stood with Yui Yuigahama and Hina Ebina as always, grinning. "Hopefully we'll end up in the same squad."
The three of them had spent the past four years working as servants in Makoto's household, along with Ichinose Chizuru. Chizuru, however, had never managed to break into their little circle.
As for the Yukinoshitas, the wealthiest of the group back in the real world, they'd fared the worst.
One was a real estate mogul. The other, a political operator. Neither skill translated to a world where ninja clans had monopolized every resource worth having. What scraps were left for civilians?
So for four years, Mr. Yukinoshita had worked construction, while Mrs. Yukinoshita had landed at a sweets shop as a pastry chef, serving sweet-tooths like Naruto and Mitarashi Anko—though mainly Anko, of course.
She'd started as a waitress when they first arrived. Four years later, her other abilities hadn't improved much, but her baking had become genuinely impressive. She was the family's primary breadwinner now.
Mrs. Yukinoshita looked at her two daughters, both wearing their new forehead protectors, and opened her mouth to speak when...
"Makoto's here!"
Every head swiveled in unison.
He strolled toward them, unhurried, hands in his pockets.
Students and parents alike turned to watch. Admiration. Awe. Respect. Even a few sharp glances of jealousy.
Ran Mouri, Tobe Kakeru, and the others who'd been celebrating their fresh genin status felt a flush of embarrassment creep across their faces.
They were all the same age, and he was already a chunin. Meanwhile they were still thrilled about becoming genin.
The Akizuki sisters did what they always did, rushing to reach him first.
"Makoto, look!" Akizuki Airi held up her brand-new forehead protector, not yet tied on, cradling it like a treasure. Her smile could have lit up the street. "I'm a ninja now too!"
He laughed and ruffled her hair.
Then Akizuki Marina's sharp eyes caught something. "Hey... Makoto, is your vest a different color than before?"
He smiled. "This is a jonin vest."
Silence hit the crowd like a shockwave.
A jonin?
Makoto Nishikado was already a jonin?
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PS: I'll be dropping 2 chapters at 00:00 sharp. And if we stay in top 50 for entire day I'll drop 2 MORE. I WANT ALL THE POWERSTONES.