Leave during warti was a rare luxury. After nearly half a year of constant combat, Kiyosuke and his team finally returned to Konoha.
Unlike the front lines, filled with the roar of battle and lurking dangers, ti in Konoha seed to have frozen. The village looked exactly the sa as it always had—only with fewer pedestrians and rchants on the streets.
The three of them said their goodbyes at the village gate. Once ho, Kiyosuke and his shadow clone spent so ti cleaning the dust-covered house from top to bottom. After that, he went out to grab a bowl of Ichiraku Ran and then collapsed onto his bed, falling asleep the mont his head hit the pillow.
He slept like the dead, completely knocked out until the following afternoon, when Asuma ca knocking to wake him.
Opening the door with a ss of disheveled hair, he muttered groggily, "What’s up?"
"My old man wants to see you."
The Third Hokage?
"Give a sec."
Kiyosuke went to wash up, and a few minutes later, he erged with damp hair. He ran one hand through it and used heat release to evaporate the water, styling it into a sleek new look.
"Man..."
Asuma looked on with envy. If only his hair weren’t so coarse, he would’ve definitely asked Kiyosuke to give him a makeover too.
What a convenient jutsu.
"Let’s go," Kiyosuke said as they started walking. "So why does the Hokage want to see ?"
"No idea," Asuma replied, shaking his head. "The old man didn’t say. Just told to co get you."
Didn’t say? What’s he planning?
Kiyosuke frowned slightly, puzzled by the summons.
"Alright then. By the way, he didn’t ask for Kurenai too?"
"Nope. Just you. Alright, enough with the questions. Let’s go. Once we’re done, we’ll grab dinner with Kurenai."
"Sounds good."
The two walked side by side toward the Hokage’s office.
...
Inside the Office
Since the war had started, mission requests had dropped, and most of the Hokage’s responsibilities had shifted toward managing the conflict. Surprisingly, things had beco slightly less hectic.
Sitting in his chair, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked relaxed. On the nearby sofa sat a middle-aged man with bandages wrapped over his right eye and an "X"-shaped scar across his chin.
Compared to Hiruzen’s open and composed deanor, this man gave off a much more sinister vibe. His only visible eye narrowed slightly, as if he were scheming sothing malicious.
"Pardon the interruption," Kiyosuke said as he and Asuma entered the room.
Hiruzen smiled when he saw them.
"Ah, Kiyosuke, you’re here. No need to be so formal. I called you in to confirm a few things."
The scar-faced man cut in, "According to the intel Orochimaru sent back to the village, you encountered Sasori of the Red Sand and lived to tell the tale. Not only that, but you also confird that the Third Kazekage was killed by Sasori?"
Hiruzen gestured toward the man with a smile.
"This is Shimura Danzō, a senior advisor to the Hokage. He’s here because of that very matter."
"That’s right," Kiyosuke replied, glancing briefly at Danzō. "The one who killed the Third Kazekage was Sasori. He turned the Kazekage into a human puppet that can use Magnet Release: Iron Sand. Sasori admitted it himself."
This guy... always eyeing the Hokage seat. Definitely not soone to trust. He even once tried to stab a Susanoo with a kunai—what was he thinking?
Not that Hiruzen was any cleaner himself.
The two old foxes were silent for a mont. They didn’t ask how Kiyosuke had managed to escape Sasori, because as high-ranking mbers of the village, they knew he was Orochimaru’s disciple and possessed a unique body constitution.
Danzō spoke up. "Then it’s settled. The instigator behind this war is Sunagakure’s Sasori. Hiruzen, this information could be very useful."
"But there’s no evidence. Kiyosuke is the only witness—it’s just his word," Hiruzen replied with a shake of his head.
You can’t spread rumors without proof!
"That’s not our problem."
If there was evidence, it wouldn’t be called a rumor, now would it?
Danzō thought Hiruzen was far too indecisive to be a proper Hokage. If only he—
Suppressing the desire buried in his heart, Danzō continued,
"All we need to do is leak the information. It’ll destabilize Chiyo’s standing and help shift the balance at the front lines."
The grandson of the commander assassinated the Kazekage. Real or not, Chiyo would still fall under suspicion—and so would her younger brother, Ebizō. If those two pillars of support were shaken, Orochimaru’s offensive would be that much more effective. Victory would only be a matter of ti.
"You’re right," Hiruzen nodded. "In that case, I’ll leave this task to Root."
Danzō nodded in acknowledgnt and turned to leave.
Kiyosuke twitched at the corner of his mouth.
So that’s how it is—dump all the dirty work on Danzō. If things went south later, it would be on him and Root. Hiruzen would keep his hands clean. What an old fox.
Hiruzen chuckled. "That intel ca at just the right ti, Asakawa Kiyosuke!"
"Sir!"
"In recognition of your service to the village, I’m promoting you to Special Jōnin, effective imdiately. Keep working hard and aim for full Jōnin soon."
Special Jōnin were ninja who, while not fully qualified as Jōnin in every regard, had specialized skills that made them valuable enough to promote.
In Kiyosuke’s case, it was a combination of solid intel and distinguished warti service.
To be honest, based on his performance—assassination, infiltration, information gathering—he had already proven himself worthy of being a full Jōnin.
But becoming a true Jōnin required being well-rounded, not just strong in one area. Combat prowess, yes—but also a broad knowledge base.
Kiyosuke’s fighting strength was already on par with many standard Jōnin. It was his knowledge and experience that needed work.
"Thank you, Lord Hokage. I’ll gladly risk life and limb for the village. I’ll give it everything I’ve got."
"Haha, no need to be so dramatic. You two go on now. Asuma, Kiyosuke—enjoy your well-earned ti off."
Asuma glanced over at Kiyosuke with a trace of envy. Special Jōnin already, and so quickly too. He knew it was only a matter of ti before Kiyosuke was promoted to full Jōnin. This was just a transitional phase. With the war still ongoing, it wouldn’t be long before Kiyosuke reached the top.
The gap between them... was it growing even wider?
He couldn’t help feeling frustrated—but also helpless. Kiyosuke, in so ways, was even scarier than Kakashi.
Who would make Jōnin first—him or Kakashi?
"C’mon, snap out of it," Kiyosuke said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Let’s go find Kurenai and get sothing to eat. I’m starving—I haven’t eaten all day."
"Oh. Yeah. I wonder if Kurenai’s already eaten."
"If not, we can drop by her place and mooch off her. I heard her mom’s cooking is amazing."
The two of them left the office, arms slung around each other’s shoulders.
Hiruzen watched them go with a smile, feeling nostalgic for his youth. Back then, he was the sa—carefree and brimming with energy. If only he hadn’t been made Hokage so young...
Gazing at the slowly sinking sun, he sighed.
That sunset reminded him of the youth he had long since lost.
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