The following day, in the Hokage's office.
Kakashi, now the Fifth Hokage, stepped into the room he hadn't set foot in for nearly half a month.
After mulling over yesterday's thoughts, he had summoned Yūgao Uzuki.
He had arranged for her to serve as Akimichi Chōza's deputy—a position with a bright future.
"Hokage-sama."
Yūgao bowed respectfully before the man seated behind the desk.
"Bring me the files on all the operations ANBU has handled recently."
At his words, a troubled look crossed Yūgao's face, and Kakashi's brow furrowed slightly.
"Is something wrong?"
"It's not that," she answered quickly. "It's just… many of the recent missions are tangled up with Root. A good portion of ANBU's records are currently in Root's hands."
Kakashi fell silent for a moment, then asked, "I don't recall Chōza ever mentioning this to me over the past year."
Yūgao gave him an odd look, her voice hesitant. "Well… Commander Akimichi specifically told me not to bring it up—"
"He said Hokage-sama would come looking for the answers himself."
Akimichi Chōza, huh…
Kakashi pictured the burly, red-haired man. As the strongest fighter of the current Ino–Shika–Chō trio, Chōza was steady, dependable, and reserved. If something this serious had been going on, he would never have kept quiet about it. Even if Kakashi rarely showed his face in the office during the day, Chōza could have come straight to the Hatake residence.
Which meant only one thing.
Someone had deliberately blocked Chōza's reports.
In the entire village, only two people possessed both the authority and the influence to pull that off: Hiruzen Sarutobi and Nara Shikaku.
Hiruzen already knew exactly what Kakashi was after. The old man wouldn't interfere for no reason.
That left just one suspect.
Nara Shikaku—the rare genius who saw three moves ahead.
He had sniffed out Kakashi's intentions from the start and quietly prevented any premature action.
But why?
"Where is Chōza right now?" Kakashi asked.
"At the Nara clan compound."
Exactly as he'd thought.
The answer in his mind lined up perfectly with Yūgao's reply.
Still, the confirmation brought no satisfaction.
Shikaku had overstepped.
Being kept in the dark was one thing. Knowing full well what was happening and still playing these games was another.
"It's the middle of the workday," Kakashi said, eyes narrowing. "How do the ANBU commander and a clan head justify abandoning their posts?"
"I… wouldn't know, sir."
Yūgao looked helpless. She was only the deputy—she couldn't read minds.
Kakashi didn't press her. He simply rose from his chair and walked out. But instead of heading toward the Nara compound, he went straight home.
"Oh—one more thing."
Just before disappearing from the office, he paused, glanced back at Yūgao, and spoke with calm authority.
"Tell Nara Shikaku and Akimichi Chōza to come see me."
He didn't specify where.
Then he body-flickered away.
He was the Hokage. Why should he dance to his subordinates' tune—especially when they already knew what he wanted and were waiting for him to come begging?
Nara Shikaku had crossed a line.
Kakashi didn't mind clever people; he needed them. But he would never tolerate anyone—genius or not—trying to manipulate him from the shadows.
In the end, this world bowed to strength.
Until your power could ignore rank entirely, obedience was the smarter choice.
The Ino–Shika–Chō trio was strong, no question.
But even they had their limits.
Human Bullet Yo-Yo, indeed.
Kakashi returned to the Hatake residence far earlier than usual, startling Pakkun, who had been dozing in his bed.
"Kakashi, you're back already?"
"And I'm starving. Hikari didn't cook today."
Pakkun wagged his stubby tail and trotted circles around Kakashi's legs.
Kakashi crouched down and scratched behind the pug's ears.
"All right, I'll fix something for you guys."
A ninja hound recognized only one master for life. Humans were different—they switched loyalties as easily as they changed cloaks. That's why Kakashi was always a little softer on his dogs. No matter how smart they were, their devotion never wavered.
"Woof!"
At Pakkun's happy bark, the rest of the pack appeared from every corner—Bull, Urushi, Shiba, and the others—all wagging tails and eager eyes.
Meanwhile, at the Nara clan compound.
Nara Shikaku stiffened the moment Yūgao delivered the message.
"Thank you, Yūgao. We understand."
Chōza gave the young woman an apologetic smile. Because of the two of them, the ANBU deputy had been reduced to an errand runner.
Yūgao lowered her voice. "Just… Hokage-sama seems to be in a bad mood."
With that gentle warning for her direct superior, she turned and left.
Watching her go, Shikaku let out a wry chuckle.
"Looks like I miscalculated."
"This Hokage-sama is still too—"
Young.
If Minato Namikaze had faced the same situation back then, he would have come straight here, all earnest questions and respectful deference. Even the Third Hokage would have played along.
But the Fifth? He refused to follow the script.
Was this his way of firing a warning shot before moving on Danzō?
Shikaku shook his head, the bitter smile deepening.
"I told you not to meddle so much," Chōza sighed, helpless. "Kakashi's the Hokage now. With that personality, the less we poke, the better. Look what happened—I got dragged into this mess with you."
From the very beginning, Chōza had wanted to report everything about Danzō directly. Now he was caught in the middle, and it gave him a headache just thinking about it.
"You're right. I was wrong," Shikaku admitted without excuse.
He had hoped to cash in the favor he'd earned by pushing for war—hoping to secure a few extra privileges for the Ino–Shika–Chō clans while negotiations were still possible.
But he'd misread the board.
That favor had already been repaid the moment Kakashi appointed him elder, made Chōza ANBU commander, and put Inoichi in charge of intelligence.
To the current Hokage, business was business—no sentiment attached.
Trying to lean on old ties or force concessions now? Impossible.
The old rules of favors and face simply didn't apply to this young man.
If you had value, you stepped up.
If you tried to strong-arm him with "connections," you'd be shown the door.
Shikaku exhaled quietly.
He really had outsmarted himself this time.
How had he forgotten?
The same man who once slaughtered the Cloud Village delegation without hesitation and left their heads on the Raikage's desk as a calling card—he was never going to bow to emotional blackmail.
This time, Shikaku had shot himself squarely in the foot.
"Let's go," he said, standing. A touch of melancholy colored his voice. "We owe him an apology first."
He felt, suddenly and acutely, that the times had left him behind.
The mindset of this new generation had overturned everything he thought he knew about human relationships.
That young Hokage didn't need complicated webs of obligation.
He just needed subordinates who would carry out his orders—cleanly, efficiently, and without drama.
————
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