Konoha’s current structure had, by now, fully settled.
None of the major clans resented the amount of authority Kyoichi held; on the contrary, his control was always asured, never infringing on their interests, and the village itself was growing stronger by the day.
For every clan, their prosperity was tied directly to the prosperity of the village.
A flourishing village ant stability for their bloodlines, room to grow, and a future worth protecting.
Besides...
Kyoichi always made sure every clan got a share of benefits.
So were small, but for the minor clans, they were precious.
Compared to that—
Danzō had been the definition of a miser: no benefits, high demands, and constant expectations that they should die for him.
Who could compare?
There was no comparison.
Once you’ve seen a good leader, you don’t go back to a tyrant.
With Danzō long forgotten, Kyoichi’s influence spread effortlessly.
Konoha was peaceful now.
Especially the smaller clans.
Take the Shiranui clan, for example. They specialized in tool-based combat, but they weren’t the elite among weapon masters. With Kyoichi’s innovations spreading, they would’ve been surpassed sooner or later.
So they volunteered to teach other shinobi tool techniques—while they themselves devoted their efforts to researching the new concealed-weapon system Shiranui Genma had learned from Kyoichi.
A brand-new, unexplored path.
If they succeeded, it didn’t matter how much others improved; the Shiranui clan would forever hold an indispensable niche within Konoha.
The sa was true for the Gekkō clan.
Their signature was the Dance of the Crescent Moon—technique-oriented, completely different from Kyoichi’s nin-blade arts.
But after Gekkō Hayate trained under Kyoichi, he picked up valuable insights from nin-kenjutsu—he couldn’t fully learn them, but he could incorporate many concepts into the Gekkō clan’s own style.
In short—
Konoha’s clans weren’t losing their traditions.
They were growing stronger.
The strength of the entire village was rising.
Sothing unimaginable in the past.
However... even this growth had limits.
After months of intensive education, many genin had risen significantly.
But beyond this point, their progress would depend on talent and accumulation—
and not everyone could beco a chūnin just because training got better.
Especially now that the war was over, promotions required exams or ti.
But even without promotions, the improvent in raw ability was undeniable.
As a result—
Mission casualty rates had dropped dramatically.
Assignnts were more balanced.
The whole village was operating in a healthier, more efficient cycle.
Even the Guardian Ninja force had stabilized.
Their role was strictly defensive—protecting the daimyō—so they didn’t conflict with Konoha at all.
Though if they grew too powerful, they could beco a threat...
But as long as Konoha remained overwhelmingly strong, what was there to fear?
---
A month or two passed quietly.
Tsunade spent that ti restructuring the village and expanding civilian employnt paths.
The Konoha Police Force also underwent reform—
No longer limited to patrolling inside Konoha, they were now assigned to secure major routes, including the newly built railway and surrounding towns.
The daimyo agreed readily.
More patrols ant more safety, more trade, and more prosperity.
Everyone benefitted.
And with peace ca new clans—
Such as the descendants of the Senju who’d awakened Wood Release.
And, of course...
Minato Namikaze.
As one of Konoha’s top shinobi—together with Kushina—they were eligible to form a new clan...
if they could have a child.
Until now, despite their efforts, nothing had happened.
But that day, after Minato took Kushina to the hospital—
Tsunade received the news:
Kushina was finally pregnant.
And not only that—
Among the Uchiha, several kunoichi were also newly pregnant.
Uchiha Mikoto happened to run into Kushina at the hospital; the timing was nearly identical.
Kyoichi didn’t hear about this imdiately.
He’d been busy with Orochimaru for days, trying to fix the Iburi clan’s fatal flaw.
The Iburi kekkei genkai allowed their bodies to turn into smoke—
but the mont wind touched them, they died.
With Wind Release shinobi everywhere, the clan had barely survived by hiding away.
Solving the flaw wasn’t hard.
Teaching them to control it easily was.
So the project dragged on.
By the ti Kyoichi heard the news, three days had passed.
Minato arrived, excitedly asking for na suggestions.
Kyoichi didn’t hesitate.
"Pick whatever you like. Worst case, take sothing from Jiraiya’s book—you love his writing anyway, don’t you?"
"H-Hey—don’t joke around!"
"I ant Tales of the Gutsy Ninja. What did you think I ant?"
"Uh..."
Minato was speechless.
Jiraiya’s other books were growing quite famous in the village, so the mont novels were ntioned, that was his first reflex.
Such an honest man.
Kyoichi held back a laugh.
As he thought—
If Minato’s child wasn’t nad Naruto, it just wouldn’t feel right.
Though Naruto Uzumaki was Kushina’s line—
Namikaze nma would’ve been funny too.
Minato smiled brightly.
"Yeah... his first book really spoke to . All right then—the child will be nad Namikaze Naruto. I hope he grows up as strong-hearted as the protagonist."
"Congratulations, then."
Kyoichi poured him a drink.
The first child is always special.
Minato looked absolutely overjoyed.
And if Naruto was on the way, then Sasuke couldn’t be far behind.
Konoha was becoming more and more familiar...
The future of the shinobi world was uncertain.
The Infinite Tsukuyomi might never co to pass again—not from Madara, at least.
If Madara could still fall for that trick after everything—
Then even Kyoichi wouldn’t know how to save him.
And if Black Zetsu ever escaped the Chibaku Sphere to try manipulating things again, it would probably get tricked instead.
If that happened...
Well, that’d be fun to watch.
"Speaking of which," Minato said, "Kushina and I are having a child—what about you? Any plans?"
"? We’ll see. Things are... still too busy right now."
Kyoichi answered calmly.
But deep down...
He knew the future of this world was about to unfold.
And two newborn destinies—Naruto and Sasuke—were already on their way.
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