The lights in the Hokage Office finally went out.
Akashi Sora dragged his exhausted body along the streets on his way home.
He had long since taken off the ceremonial robe and casually tossed it onto the office sofa. That thing was heavy and stifling — it seriously ruined his post-work mood.
[Finally going home.]
[First day as Hokage felt more exhausting than fighting ten Pains.]
He pushed open the apartment door.
Warm light spilled out, accompanied by the fragrant aroma of food.
A small figure immediately rushed out from the kitchen. Her red hair glowed like a burning flame under the lamplight.
"Big brother, you're back!"
Karin's face was full of genuine joy.
She ran up to Sora, tilting her little face upward, eyes sparkling. But when the words reached her lips, she hesitated, adding a playful, probing tone as she whispered,
"Wait… shouldn't I be calling you… Lord Fifth now?"
Seeing her careful yet barely-suppressed-amused expression, Sora couldn't resist reaching out and giving her a light flick on the forehead.
"Ow!" Karin covered her forehead and pouted in grievance.
"No manners at all."
Sora scolded with a laugh, slipped into his slippers, and headed straight for the dining table.
The table was set with steaming hot dishes — simple home-cooked food, yet to him it looked far more tempting than any delicacy.
He sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and began eating without any ceremony.
Karin obediently sat across from him, hands propping up her chin, simply watching him eat with an expression full of happiness.
"Big brother," she asked softly, "is being Hokage… really impressive?"
"Impressive?"
Sora's mouth was stuffed with rice as he mumbled, "It's trouble. Mountains of paperwork, endless meetings, and two old fossils constantly trying to seize power."
[Most importantly — no overtime pay.]
He swallowed his food, took a sip of soup, and finally felt alive again.
Looking at Karin's face full of admiration, Sora sighed inwardly.
"Karin." He set down his bowl and chopsticks, his expression turning a little more serious.
"Hm?"
"From now on… I probably won't have much time to personally train you guys anymore."
The smile vanished from Karin's face in an instant.
Her beautiful purple eyes quickly misted over, as though rain was about to fall at any second.
"W-Why?" Her voice carried a slight tremor.
"Because I'm the Hokage now."
Sora spread his hands helplessly. "There are way too many things in the village that need my attention. I can't spend all day messing around with you guys at the training grounds like before."
[Main reason: it's too tiring. High-intensity childcare isn't suitable for a leader like me who wants early retirement.]
Seeing Karin on the verge of tears, Sora's heart softened.
After thinking for a moment, he said,
"But don't worry."
"Until I find a suitable replacement, I'll use shadow clones to continue guiding your training."
"I guarantee your progress won't fall behind."
Only then did a bit of light return to Karin's eyes.
Shadow clones… that would work.
Even if it wasn't big brother's real body, at least she could still receive his guidance.
"Then… what about after that?" she asked, still a little uneasy. "Which jōnin-sensei will take over?"
"Haven't decided yet."
Sora picked up his chopsticks again and stuffed a large piece of meat into his mouth.
"Need someone strong, patient, and preferably very free…"
[Most importantly: obedient, able to perfectly execute my training syllabus, and not mess around with some 'happy education' nonsense.]
[Hmm… I'll scout around the village later and see which unlucky bastard gets to inherit this glorious '卷王' (grind-king) training duty.]
He glanced at Karin and added,
"Anyway, relax. Your big brother won't abandon you."
"Now eat. The food's getting cold."
"Oh…"
Karin lowered her head and took small bites of rice, her heart a tangle of emotions.
There was confusion about the future, a trace of loss,
but above all — the solid, warm sense of security brought by the words "won't abandon you."
The next morning, the sun was bright.
Akashi Sora yawned as he sat up in bed, feeling every bone in his body protesting.
[Being Hokage really isn't a job for humans.]
[Physical exhaustion is one thing — the mental fatigue is the real killer.]
He walked out of the bedroom. Karin had already prepared breakfast.
"Big brother, good morning!"
"Morning."
Sora casually created a shadow clone and patted its shoulder.
"Glorious mission for you: take those three hyperactive little brats to Training Ground 3 and continue yesterday's training. Don't let them slack off."
The clone gave an "OK" hand sign and vanished instantly.
[Perfect.]
[Childcare and work — both handled. I really am a master of time management.]
After breakfast, he put on the ceremonial robe embroidered with "Fifth" and headed once again toward the tallest — and most boring — office in the village.
It was time to thoroughly reshuffle the deck of power in Konoha.
…
Hokage Office.
Yamanaka Kaede was already waiting. She had organized all the documents she processed overnight, categorizing them neatly and placing them in one corner of the desk.
"Lord Fifth, all the documents you requested have been prepared."
"Thanks for your hard work, Secretary Kaede." Sora lazily sat in the chair, wearing his professional smile. "From now on, just call me Lord Sora. It feels friendlier."
Kaede paused for a moment, then gave a slight bow.
"Yes, Lord Fifth."
[Fine, whatever makes you happy.]
Sora dropped the title issue. He sent out several orders through the internal communicator.
"Notify Nara Shikaku, Hatake Kakashi, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Uchiha Fugaku. Have them come to my office in ten minutes for a meeting."
Kaede's movements paused slightly. A hint of surprise flashed beneath her mask.
These four people represented Konoha's brain trust, elite combat power, intelligence hub, and… the most sensitive and powerful clan.
Was the Fifth going to make big moves on only his second day in office?
Ten minutes later, the office door was knocked.
Four figures entered one after another.
Nara Shikaku still looked half-asleep and grumbled "what a drag" under his breath.
Hatake Kakashi had both hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall half-dead, as though he might fall asleep any second.
Yamanaka Inoichi's expression was serious; he gave Sora a slight nod in greeting.
And the last to enter, Uchiha Fugaku, had the most complicated look on his face. Dressed in the clan head's attire with a sword at his waist, his sharp eyes carried an irrepressible mixture of anticipation and tension.
The atmosphere in the office instantly grew heavy.
"Sit down." Sora pointed to the nearby sofa, his tone as casual as if he were inviting friends over for tea.
[Wow, Konoha's F4 has assembled. Just missing an Akimichi representative and we could play mahjong.]
Once the four were seated, Sora didn't waste time.
"I called you all here today to announce several personnel appointments."
He looked at Nara Shikaku.
"Shikaku-senpai, starting today, you will officially serve as the Hokage's Chief Advisor. You will assist me in handling all village administration and coordinating all reform plans."
The laziness vanished from Shikaku's face. He sighed. He knew there was no such thing as good news.
"…Can I refuse?"
"No." Sora's smile was brilliantly sunny. "The capable bear more burdens, after all."
[Joking aside — the village's strongest CPU. If I don't drag him in as my strategist, is he just going to sit there and collect mold?]
Next, his gaze turned to Kakashi.
"Kakashi-senpai, you will take over as Captain of the Jōnin Commander, while also being responsible for reorganizing the Anbu. I will grant you the highest level of authority."
Kakashi scratched his silver hair lazily. "Yeah, yeah, got it."
But the visible eye beneath his headband shone with unprecedented seriousness.
Then, Yamanaka Inoichi.
"Inoichi-senpai, I have decided to integrate all intelligence resources in the village with the Yamanaka clan at the core, establishing a brand-new 'Konoha Intelligence and Strategy Headquarters.' You will serve as its first Director."
Inoichi wasn't surprised. This was exactly his field of expertise. He nodded solemnly.
"Understood."
Finally, Sora's gaze settled on Uchiha Fugaku.
Every person in the room unconsciously held their breath.
"Clan Head Fugaku."
Sora's voice was clear and powerful.
"I have decided to abolish the existing Military Police Force and establish a brand-new 'Konoha Security and Rapid Response Force'! You, Uchiha Fugaku, will serve as its Commander!"
BOOM!
These words exploded like a massive bomb inside Fugaku's mind!
He jerked his head up. His deep eyes were filled with utter disbelief!
He… was being made commander of the new force? After the Uchiha had been marginalized for so many years?
How was this possible!
Shock appeared on the faces of Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi as well.
Only Kakashi gave Sora a thoughtful glance.
Sora continued as though he hadn't noticed their reactions:
"This force will have greatly expanded duties. It will not only handle internal security, but also border patrols, protection of important individuals, and response to sudden invasion incidents."
"And most importantly—"
His voice grew heavier.
"The members of this force must be a mixed composition: Uchiha clansmen, former elite Anbu, and shinobi from various other clans in the village. What I want to see is a powerful, fully integrated collective with no divisions."
"All operational guidelines and funding expenditures will be completely transparent. The force will report directly to the Hokage Office and the Jōnin Commander, and will be subject to supervision by the entire village."
Fugaku's body trembled slightly.
He wasn't stupid.
He instantly understood Sora's intention.
This was both an unprecedented grant of power and trust to the Uchiha clan — and the most thorough way possible to tear down the wall between the Uchiha and the village!
It was a bold gamble — and their only path to redemption.
"But… Lord Fifth," Nara Shikaku frowned, "a reform on this scale — where will the funding come from? After the war, the village's finances are already—"
"No need to worry about money."
Sora interrupted him and pulled a document from the drawer.
"A friend of mine — who prefers to remain anonymous — has generously donated a massive sum sufficient to cover all reform expenses."
He said it lightly, as though it were a trivial matter.
[Thanks for your generous contribution, Mr. Kadō. I'll make sure your estate is well spent on the great cause of building a new Konoha.]
Dead silence filled the office.
Uchiha Fugaku slowly stood up. He walked to the center of the room and, facing the young Hokage seated in the main chair, dropped to one knee in a deep bow.
"The Uchiha clan pledges everything to Lord Fifth!"
His voice rang out firm and resolute.
The meeting ended. The others left.
Sora leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.
The framework of power in Konoha had now been built exactly according to his blueprint.