In the ninja world, strength is the only truth.
With enough strength, a shinobi can reshape nations, defy fate, and even bend the will of others. Minato Namikaze, who had survived countless battlefields, understood this truth better than most.
Now, as the newly appointed Fourth Hokage, Minato had already made a difficult decision: to resist the mounting pressure from Iwagakure and retain possession of the Five-Tails, Kokuō.
Whether by stalling with diplomatic excuses or severing ties altogether, Iwagakure would not retrieve their Tailed Beast—not until their strength recovered enough to challenge Konoha again. Until then, the Five-Tails remained Konoha's asset.
As for who owned the Five-Tails, Kawaki Aoba didn't care. That was Minato's burden, not his. Politics, factional manipulation, and clan diplomacy—Aoba had no intention of being part of it.
He had enough on his plate.
During the following high-level council meeting, Kawaki Aoba said little. In fact, his only words were metaphorical:
"I brought my ears today, not my mouth."
He remained silent until the meeting concluded.
But afterward, he approached Minato Namikaze alone.
"Minato, I need to speak with you privately."
Minato blinked in surprise, but gave a nod. "Of course. Is something wrong? If it's something personal, I'll help however I can."
Kawaki Aoba smirked inwardly. Minato had become more cautious since becoming Hokage. He was willing to assist personally, but matters concerning the village came with caveats.
Understandable—he had only recently ascended to the position.
"Relax, Minato. I'm not here to trouble you. I just want to make an exchange."
Aoba produced a small jade pendant from his pocket. It wasn't identical to the one he'd previously given Hiruzen Sarutobi, but it was clearly from the same artisan—if not the same mold.
Just like before, Kawaki Aoba employed subtle tricks of illusion and persuasion, this time aimed at Minato.
To sweeten the deal, Aoba added, "Minato, I'm sure you've already faced resistance while consolidating your control over the village. If you had the Fire Daimyō's backing, things might run smoother."
Minato glanced at the jade amulet resting in his palm, remaining silent. Neither he nor Kushina Uzumaki, his wife and the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, had any real need for it.
But if it could secure the Fire Daimyō's support, it was an offer too valuable to ignore.
The pressures of leadership—layers of scrutiny, conflicting interests, and heavy expectations—weighed down on him, even in these early days. He rubbed his temple, sighing.
"What exactly do you want in return, Aoba?"
Seeing Minato's tone soften, Kawaki Aoba gave a small smile.
"Nine-Tails chakra. I need a significant amount of it for experimental purposes."
Minato raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "If that's all, I'll speak to Kushina. She can assist."
As Hokage—and Kushina's husband—Minato had the authority to make such an arrangement. Besides, extracting non-lethal amounts of chakra from a cooperative jinchūriki was relatively safe.
To him, the pendant was practically worthless; to Aoba, it was everything.
Both men thought they had struck a profitable bargain.
Aoba, seemingly the one giving more, was quite satisfied. The cost of crafting that defensive pendant was little more than time and technique. Though not user-friendly for the average shinobi, it was functional and only took a day or two to refine.
In return, he had secured a rare source of raw Tailed Beast chakra.
Still, if anyone had gained the most from this exchange, Aoba believed it was Minato. After all, he had to provide after-sales service, including explaining the pendant's use and assisting in activating its defensive properties.
Once outside the Hokage Residence, Aoba mentally contacted Jixiang Sanbō and his other subordinates, issuing a new directive: shift their targets from minor nobles to the elite daimyō clans.
He wanted one last large haul before cooling down his operations. But more importantly, he wanted to instill unease among the upper nobility—paranoia was good for business. The more fear they lived in, the more valuable his defensive tools became.
And don't ask why he still chased profit even after plundering so much wealth.
In this world, who ever complained about having too much money?
Besides, at his current level, his wealth had to appear legitimate.
Jixiang Sanbō and the others worked fast. Just a day after receiving their orders, Aoba heard that a noble household from the Land of Fire had been attacked.
The news spread rapidly, reaching Konoha and even the Fire Capital.
The Daimyō was livid, and the noble families were terrified. They immediately pressured Konoha to dispatch elite protection forces.
Minato Namikaze, faced with the growing uproar, had no choice but to act. While he had hoped to use this situation to consolidate influence, the speed of the response forced his hand. He felt a tinge of regret for missing the opportunity to fully leverage it.
The Informant: Nohara Rin
That afternoon, the Konoha gates buzzed with activity. A crowd of high-ranking ninja, including elders and clan representatives, assembled to see off hundreds of shinobi.
Among them were seasoned jōnin and elite chūnin—more than enough to constitute an entire warfront if mobilized together.
Kawaki Aoba, standing silently with the upper echelons, watched the deployment closely, his Kenbunshoku Haki scanning every chakra signature.
Roughly 5% of the assembled force belonged to the Hyūga branch family. Though the Byakugan was arguably the most potent reconnaissance dōjutsu in the shinobi world, this ratio felt suspicious.
Both the Inuzuka and Aburame clans had capable scouting ninjas, yet their representation was minimal.
To Aoba, it stank of favoritism—or deeper manipulation by the Hyūga elders behind the scenes.
And he didn't believe for a second that the Hyūga had done nothing to skew the allocations.
The Hyuga clan had long maintained ambiguous ties with certain noble families in the Fire Capital. This wasn't even considered a secret in Konoha.
Now, with their latest maneuver, it was clear they intended to strengthen those connections, potentially aligning themselves with a powerful network of nobility.
While such political maneuvering was rare among ninja clans, it was undeniably shrewd. Should the Hyuga clan's plan succeed, their influence in Konoha might even surpass that of the Uchiha at their peak—reaching a level where even the Hokage would hesitate to act against them.
It was a bold move, and not one they tried to conceal. Plenty of sharp minds resided in Konoha, and Kawaki Aoba was certainly not the only one who had noticed.
Strangely, none of the major clans made any attempt to oppose this development. The only reasonable explanation was that the Hyuga had offered terms too favorable to refuse.
Kawaki Aoba didn't know the specifics, but he could easily imagine the Hyuga clan sparing no expense to secure their position.
It intrigued him.
Initially, Kawaki Aoba had no intention of interfering—but now, the Hyuga clan's conspicuous actions had placed them squarely in his path.
It was simply too blatant to ignore.
"Aoba, is it really okay for Konoha to send away so many ninjas at once?" Yuhi Kurenai asked gently beside him.
"You're worried about the other villages, aren't you? Don't be. The recent attacks on the nobility weren't limited to the Land of Fire. The other great nations are likely facing similar situations.
They all have to deploy their elite shinobi to protect their nobles. Without sufficient manpower, they won't be able to start anything—even if they wanted to."
Aoba's analysis was spot on. The other Hidden Villages—Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure—were all experiencing the same strain. Especially Iwagakure and Sunagakure, which already lacked surplus manpower. The current demands were stretching them dangerously thin.
The resulting vulnerability of their villages was evident.
However, there were upsides too. For instance, Sunagakure, long neglected by the Wind Daimyō, had finally been granted emergency funding to protect its remaining nobles. That influx of resources could be redirected to the village's development.
For Sunagakure, this crisis was a mixed blessing.
Iwagakure, however, had no such luck. After previously clashing with Kawaki Aoba and suffering heavy losses, they were left in a truly dire situation.
Back in Konoha, Yuhi Kurenai seemed to reflect on these developments.
"If that's the case," she said softly, "maybe the attacks on the nobles aren't entirely a bad thing. With all the shinobi occupied, there won't be another Great Ninja War anytime soon."
Her voice was barely above a whisper—meant only for Aoba.
He merely smiled, gently patting her on the head without replying.
As they stood together watching the shinobi deployment to various parts of the Land of Fire, Kawaki Aoba felt as if he were witnessing the dawn of a new era.
An era dominated by shinobi—and the beginning of a nightmare for the nobles.
And time proved him right.
Half a month later, Yuhi Shinko, Kurenai's father, returned from a mission bearing a report. Within the Land of Lightning, a team of Kumogakure shinobi assigned to protect a noble family had apprehended a group of rogue ninjas infiltrating the noble's estate.
After interrogation, it turned out these were unaffiliated wanderers—desperate men who hoped to strike it rich.
Their plan had been simple: assassinate the nobles, steal their wealth, then blame it on the Meizu Organization—a shadowy group blamed for several recent attacks.
If the plan worked, they'd vanish into luxury. If it failed, they'd die trying. They had nothing to lose.
These were their exact words.
Unfortunately for them, they had targeted the wrong noble—one protected by Kumogakure's elite. Their luck had run out.
But their idea wasn't unique. Across the shinobi world, more than a dozen minor nobles had already fallen victim to similar plots. In each case, the perpetrators had claimed allegiance to the Meizu Organization.
Yet in that same period, the actual Meizu Organization had only acted three times. The rest were copycats—rogue ninjas trying their luck.
The message was clear: the shinobi world was large, and it was never short of those willing to gamble their lives for a better future.
Such things hadn't happened before—not because people weren't desperate, but because no one had dared to take the lead.
Now that Kawaki Aoba had stepped forward, they had an example to follow.
"My father says the ninja world is only going to get more chaotic," Kurenai murmured, resting her head in Aoba's lap as they relaxed in their home. "Especially in smaller nations without their own shinobi villages. The nobles there are the most vulnerable. The five great nations are much safer by comparison."
As she spoke, her words slowed, and she let out a soft yawn.
"Sleepy again?" Aoba asked with a chuckle. "You've been napping a lot lately. Don't you think that's a bit unusual?"
Kurenai blinked, then nodded thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it… yeah, I've been sleeping more, but I still feel fine. My chakra feels balanced."
Aoba smiled knowingly. "Oh? You really don't know why? Or are you just pretending? Be honest—have you been overtraining your genjutsu again? Your mental energy might be growing too fast for your body to keep up."
"Mmm..." Kurenai groaned and turned over, burying her face into Aoba's thigh in protest.
"Come on, don't play dumb," Aoba said, laughing as he lightly tapped her twice.
Still, she didn't budge—choosing to act like an ostrich, hiding from the conversation.
"Alright, alright," he said with a sigh. "I won't make you train taijutsu anymore, okay?"
It was ironic. As she matured, Kurenai's aptitude for taijutsu had clearly stagnated. Meanwhile, her genjutsu abilities—amplified by her Kurama clan lineage—had advanced rapidly, making the contrast even starker.
Perhaps it was linked to her bloodline, which specialized in powerful illusions but was notoriously fragile in physical combat.
"Really? You're not going to force me to do that pointless taijutsu anymore?" Kurenai peeked up with hopeful eyes.
"Really. When have I ever lied to you?" Aoba replied. "But we still need to address your physical fatigue. Sleeping half the day isn't healthy."
As he spoke, he pulled out a small, ornate box and placed it beside her.
"Open it. It's a gift I prepared for you. It'll help with your physical condition."
Kurenai's eyes lit up as she eagerly opened the box. Inside was a strange fruit, unlike anything she'd seen before.
The swirling patterns on its skin resembled a fox with nine tails.
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