Seijuro would sigh. It had only been a few months, but he'd gotten the full picture.
His boots lightly tapped the polished floor of the Kage Tower as he entered. The weight of his mission clung to him like second skin. He knelt, head bowed respectfully.
"I've returned from my mission, Lord Fourth."
Sakumo, head resting on one hand, lifted his gaze. So the boy had finally returned. He didn't show it on his face, but inwardly, he was more than curious—Seijuro had vanished for quite a while with no word, and only a handful of people could get away with that.
As Seijuro approached, he paused.
"Before I begin... may I request that the ANBU currently on standby be dismissed?"
Sakumo blinked, surprised for a moment, before his eyes narrowed. He gestured subtly to the shadows.
A flicker of movement—and then silence.
Now it was just the two of them.
Seijuro stepped forward and handed him a scroll. Sakumo unfurled it, and as his eyes skimmed the report, his brow gradually knit itself into a knot.
By the end, his hand was clenching the scroll tightly.
This wasn't a mission report... it was a damn S-rank infiltration dossier.
He set the scroll aside and stared at the boy in front of him, then back at the paper.
"My spies in the Land of Fire warned me about Aizen's movements," Seijuro began calmly. "And when I learned that he had operatives embedded in every major village—including this one—I told no one. I departed in secret. I accept whatever punishment you deem fit... but disappearing without a trace was the only way I could make sure he never suspected Konoha was watching."
Sakumo stayed quiet, eyes flicking between Seijuro and the intel.
He finally exhaled.
"...I never doubted you for a second," he muttered.
"How confident are you in this report?"
"90%." Seijuro didn't hesitate. "Aizen is moving like a political ghost—slow, subtle, meticulous. He's trying to build a trade network that connects every noble family with the Uzumaki. He's making them indispensable. If this succeeds, even if a hidden village wanted to destroy the Uzumaki again, their daimyo wouldn't approve. The money would say otherwise."
Sakumo tapped a finger on the desk. "He's turning greed into a weapon."
"Exactly. While undercover in his ranks, I discovered he's also gathering discarded or endangered clans. Building a loyal force—outsiders, misfits, clans with something to prove. I couldn't enter the village directly; his Rinnegan senses chakra intrusions like a spider feeling footsteps on its web. But I slipped into one of his underground units. It took months... but eventually, I saw Uzumaki land. And this is what their village has become."
He gestured toward the additional documentation—hand-drawn maps, troop movements, clan insignias, all painstakingly recorded.
Sakumo examined the files carefully. He'd sent ANBU into Uzumaki territory before. None had returned.
Yet this kid...
"Konoha thanks you for your contributions," Sakumo said at last.
Seijuro gave a small smile. "Anything for the village."
For the briefest second, Sakumo swore he saw a younger version of himself standing there—idealistic, determined, selfless. It was a little unnerving.
"You may go collect your mission deposit at the ANBU division—"
"I can't."
Sakumo's eyebrow lifted. "Why not?"
"If, after being gone this long, I return and Konoha suddenly 'knows' about Aizen's plans... his spies will connect the dots."
"...You're thinking that far ahead?"
"I don't want Konoha to burn for a single act of carelessness," Seijuro replied. "Better to be cautious."
Sakumo leaned back slightly. The kid wasn't just sharp—he was loyal in the kind of way you couldn't fake. He was a ghost Konoha would never regret raising.
"Still," Seijuro added, "on my way back, I intercepted and eliminated a Kiri squad near the border. That mission was public. You can pay me for that instead. Use it as the cover-up."
This damn kid...
Sakumo couldn't help the small smirk tugging at his lips. If he weren't Hokage already, this boy might've been a candidate.
Actually... maybe there was still room to promote him.
Shadow Hokage had a nice ring to it.
Time Skip
Seijuro sighed a bit, having been paid for his mission of eliminating some Kiri-nin—though the pay was way more than he should've received.
Hm... 60 million for a mission was crazy work.
Well, he was no one to judge.
Anyway, he made his way back home. Hm... Kushina seemed to be out for a bit.
He did send messages back quite frequently, though.
He could just relax for a while.
After having played mind games with so many people, he just wanted to rest...
Well, that was his hope—for a bit.
As he entered his room, someone entered behind him. He looked over his shoulder.
Oh... Mikoto...
Yet something about her seemed different. Sure, she was already a solid Kage-level fighter, with a complete Susanoo and broken-ass abilities.
Truly, she was the strongest Uchiha alive currently—which was nice.
Though Kushina was a bit stronger than her, since she had learned Sage Mode—specifically Slug Sage Mode, for some reason. He knew that, in fact.
Oh well.
His main issue with Mikoto right now was—
"...Where are your clothes?"
A/N....Next chapter would be like a 4,5 year time skip, 2 kid, Itachi and Mito...yes, naruto in this story would be Kushina second kid.
Because I know for a fact she is not letting Mikoto have 2 while she has none, or 1 while she has known.
This chapter was supposed to be a special, like how he got Nagato to join and his idealogical talk with Madara but...got lazy.....
Also this is when I take the 3 ish week break, trynna finish hollow story and get new story cover done