Morning dawned gently over Konohagakure.
And somewhere beneath the Hokage Tower, deep inside the hidden ANBU Headquarters, a very confused young Kakashi trailed behind Hatake Kyūjō with a puzzled look on his face.
That morning, he'd been hit with a piece of news so sudden, it nearly gave him whiplash.
His father—Hatake Sakumo—had just been officially named the Fourth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf!
In other words, Kakashi… was now the Hokage's son!
That alone would have been hard enough to process—but to make things even wilder, this also meant his status in the village now surpassed that of Sarutobi Asuma, that annoying brat who always strutted around like royalty. Now, he could proudly claim his place as the "Second-Generation Elite Kid" of Konoha.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Kakashi threw a sideways glare at the man walking in front of him—his uncle, Hatake Kyūjō—and grumbled in his head:
Adults are so annoying… Why didn't anyone tell me something this important sooner? At least give me time to mentally prepare!
Kyūjō led the boy into the deepest chambers of the ANBU base, stopping in front of a well-secured door—none other than the office of the current ANBU Commander. Knocking lightly, he called out calmly:
"Minato, it's me."
The door opened almost instantly from the inside, revealing the calm and youthful face of Namikaze Minato.
That's right—Minato Namikaze, one of Konoha's most elite Jōnin, had just been appointed as the new ANBU Commander by the newly seated Hokage, Hatake Sakumo.
"Kyūjō? You sure you don't want this position yourself?" Minato asked, raising an eyebrow, his tone laced with genuine curiosity.
Kyūjō let out a chuckle, patting Minato's shoulder with a serious yet relaxed smile. "No thanks. You're far more suited for it. You know I've never been the 'leader' type. Just thinking about reading reports every day gives me a headache."
"Besides, you're different, Minato. Ever since you were young, your dream has always been to become Hokage. You want to protect the village and give more to the people here. You just need a bit more experience. That's why, for now, this role is perfect for you."
His expression softened.
"Work hard, alright? I'll be waiting for the day you become the Fifth Hokage."
Hearing that, Minato's expression eased, and he gave a warm nod.
"Got it, Kyūjō. Thank you."
Kyūjō then gently pushed Kakashi forward.
"I'll be leaving the village for a while. There are matters I need to handle with Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and a few other hidden villages."
"While I'm gone, I'm leaving Kakashi and my other two students—Obito and Rin—in your care. Kakashi's already strong enough, so go ahead and slot him into the ANBU trainee program."
"As for Obito and Rin, just stick to the training regimen I set for them. Give them guidance every now and then when you can."
"I'll be gone anywhere between one to two months. Maybe six at the latest. I'm counting on you, Minato. And when I'm back… I'm treating you all to a good meal."
The moment he finished speaking, Kyūjō's body shimmered—then dissolved into a cloud of white mist.
A Shadow Clone.
And just like that, he was gone.
Left alone in the room, Kakashi and Minato exchanged an awkward glance.
Two people who—according to the original timeline—were supposed to become teacher and student... now stood face to face, caught in an uncomfortable silence.
— — —
Three days later, in the Land of Earth—Hidden Stone Village, Iwagakure.
Hovering a hundred meters above the rocky landscape, Hatake Kyūjō floated mid-air with casual grace.
He didn't bother hiding his presence. On the contrary, he made no attempt to conceal it at all. Naturally, the shinobi of Iwagakure noticed immediately.
Most were stunned—not just by the fact that an unknown individual had appeared out of thin air, but by how he appeared.
Someone was floating in the sky… without wings, without visible jutsu.
Wasn't the only person who could fly in their village the Tsuchikage himself?
But despite their wariness, the shinobi of Iwagakure remained calm and disciplined. They swiftly assumed defensive formations and sent word to their leader: the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki.
— — —
It didn't take long.
A small, floating figure emerged into the sky. Barely reaching one meter and forty centimeters in height, the elderly shinobi hovered confidently as he stopped about fifty meters in front of Kyūjō.
Short. Wrinkled. Yet full of presence.
Ōnoki of Both Scales—the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure.
The moment he laid eyes on the young man with white hair, striking blue eyes, and an enigmatic lightning-shaped mark on his forehead, Ōnoki recognized him immediately.
There was no mistaking it.
Hatake Kyūjō. Younger brother of Hatake Sakumo. The rising legend of the Hatake Clan.
According to Iwagakure's intel archives, Hatake Kyūjō was classified as being on par with the legendary Sannin—bordering on Kage-level threat.
In theory, that kind of opponent shouldn't be a problem for someone like Ōnoki, who wielded Dust Release and was one of the strongest shinobi alive.
But...
Something about this young man's presence—so calm, so assured—sent chills down Ōnoki's spine.
What is going on with this clan...? Why are they all monsters?
Honestly, Kyūjō's presence felt more overwhelming than Sakumo's ever did.
Still, Ōnoki held himself back. He didn't attack. Not yet.
And Kyūjō? He didn't seem in any rush, either.
In fact, he was observing something with great interest.
The Tsuchikage's floating ability—the Light–Weight Rock Technique. A high-level Earth Release technique that allowed flight by manipulating body weight. It had originally been developed by the Second Tsuchikage.
Kyūjō was silently analyzing the technique, planning to replicate it for his own use.
In the anime, the jutsu reduced the user's weight to virtually nothing—allowing flight and insane movement speed.
If Kyūjō combined that with his existing aerial mobility…
How fast could he truly become?
As Kyūjō stood silently watching, Ōnoki began to grow irritated. The kid hadn't said a word.
Just staring.
Finally, the old man couldn't hold back.
"Oi, brat! You came to Iwagakure all by yourself—what's your angle? You think no one here can stop you?"
Kyūjō, now almost finished 'copying' the flight technique, finally opened his mouth with a relaxed tone.
"Alone? Sure, that's enough. And yeah—no one in your village can stop me."
"So let's skip the nonsense, Ōnoki. I'm not here to waste time."
"Hand over your Tailed Beasts—both the Four-Tails and the Five-Tails. Stop this stupid animosity with Konoha. Just focus on rebuilding your village, and I'll leave you alone."
Yes—Hatake Kyūjō had come for the Bijū.
Not just the ones in Iwagakure.
All of them.
His reason?
There were two.
First, to establish true peace in the ninja world.
Kyūjō couldn't understand why Hashirama Senju had decided to scatter the Tailed Beasts across the major villages—hoping it would maintain balance.
The result? More war. More hatred. No lasting peace.
History had already proven it.
And the future—the one shown in the anime—proved it again.
Second, Kyūjō wanted to consolidate the power of the Tailed Beasts under his control as a precaution.
Because one day… Black Zetsu, the traitorous son, might rise again and try to resurrect his mother—Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
And when that day came, he would have to face Kyūjō first.
And how would he contain the power of all nine Bijū?
Simple.
He would seal them inside his own body.
If Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki could house the power of Ten Tails, then surely—Hatake Kyūjō, who had nearly perfected the Eternal Sage Body and reclaimed all of his strength from the world of One Piece—could do the same.
When it came to raw physical power...
In the entire shinobi world—no one could compare to him.
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