11 - Will of Fire or Pile of...

Kei had no idea about the chaos within Root or Danzō's fury.

After spending the entire day sorting through the information in his mind, he noticed the sun beginning to set.

Kurenai, Guy, and Genma, along with the others, had finally managed to maintain their water-walking stance under the seal's restrictions.

Calling out to them, he led the group back to Konoha. Once again, he treated them to dinner and reminded them to bring bento for tomorrow before dismissing them. Watching the exhausted group drag their heavy bodies home, he formed a hand seal and discreetly activated the Yamanaka clan's sensory jutsu, connecting to the barrier that enveloped the entire village.

He silently praised the foresight of his clan's ancestors for leaving a hidden backdoor when they established the village's sensory barrier. By distinguishing chakra signatures, he quickly located Kushina's position before quietly severing the connection.

Stopping by a dango shop in the shopping district, he bought a bag of Konoha's specialty dangos, before leisurely heading toward the jonin standby station.

The area where the old standby station once stood had changed. The ruins from yesterday had been cleared, and after salvaging any usable materials and documents, the ground had been leveled and reinforced using Earth Release. Over twenty workers and a few genin were now diligently transporting construction materials under the guidance of master craftsmen.

Kushina stood nearby, wearing a plain white safety helmet, holding a few architectural blueprints in her hands as she supervised with great enthusiasm.

Noticing Kei approaching with snacks, she ran over, grinning mischievously like a fox that had just stolen a treat. Holding up her dirt-streaked hands, she opened her mouth wide, motioning for him to feed her.

"Ah~"

"What are you looking at on those blueprints?"

Kei chuckled, picking a dango and popping it into her mouth.

Kushina's eyes narrowed with joy as she chewed on the soft, salty-sweet dango. With a proud expression, she spread out the blueprints for him to see.

"Take a look~ I designed this! What do you think?"

"You designed it? Who drew it?"

"I explained it, and someone else drew it for me~"

"Did the Hokage approve this?"

"I paid for it! Why would he say no?"

"… That makes sense."

Kei examined the structure on the blueprint. It showed a building shaped like an ice cream cone, with nine spiraling walls converging at a single point. He tried to imagine what the Third Hokage must have been thinking when he approved this design.

The bright red color scheme matched the Hokage Building, so at first glance, it didn't seem too outrageous. But… something about it felt off.

If the paint started to fade, wouldn't this thing look like a giant pile of—?

Maybe, just maybe… the Hokage thought it resembled a flame, symbolizing the Will of Fire?

Uh… the Will of Fire… shaped like a—?

Now that he thought about it, it really did look like shit, and it was not the sweet emoji kind.

It was just shit.

Pure shit.

"What do you think?"

Kushina's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Faced with such an expectant expression, there was no way Kei would say anything to ruin the mood.

"Hmm… The symbolism is great. From the front, it probably resembles the Uzumaki clan emblem, right? Nine spirals—representing both your name and your identity as the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. That's a clever concept. Though I bet it is cursing up a storm inside the seal right now."

Kei pointed out some key aspects of her design.

"Hehe~ Kei, you really understand me best!"

Kushina nodded repeatedly, spreading the blueprint wide under the setting sun. She wanted to leave her mark on Konoha. Whether others saw it as good or bad, liked it or feared it, it didn't matter. She was who she was—Uzumaki Kushina, the second jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails after Uzumaki Mito.

Watching her, eyes shining like stars, her laughter blending with the evening glow, radiating energy as if she were glowing herself, Kei made a mental note to talk to the logistics department later about increasing the maintenance budget for the jonin standby station. They absolutely could not let the paint fade—he was afraid the sight of it would be too much of a blow for her to handle.

A sudden whoosh cut through the air. The sound of the Body Flicker Technique.

A masked ninja clad in the standard ANBU combat uniform appeared less than two meters from Kei's side. That kind of proximity was a clear sign of hostility to a ninja, making him furrow his brows slightly.

The ANBU were a special force directly commanded by the Hokage, chosen through rigorous selection, their loyalty to the village and its leader unquestionable. Because of that, their attitude during missions often reflected the Hokage's stance. Yet, never before had an ANBU approached him with such an overtly threatening presence.

"Kei, the Hokage orders you to report to his office immediately. You have an important mission."

"Understood."

Kei nodded, handing the bag of snacks to Kushina. "I'll be heading to the Hokage now."

"Mm, be careful."

Kushina accepted the bag, though her expression stiffened slightly. She had waited for years, and finally, she was starting to get a response to her feelings. She had just been thinking about consulting Mikoto for some romance tips, then that old man had to interfere again!

Did the Third Hokage have some sort of grudge against jinchūriki finding love?

Damn it! She was going to tell Tsunade! She'd have her smash up the Hokage's office!

"Don't worry. Oh, and my new genin, I'm leaving them in your hands."

Kei noticed her mood souring and quickly decided to throw the kid her way as a distraction. On one side, a powerful jonin who could de-stress by training or tormenting someone. On the other, genin desperate to improve and willing to endure any hardship.

A perfect match.

"No problem, dattebane!"

Kushina nodded firmly, clearly pleased with his trust.

Kei smiled, waved, then turned and sped off toward the Hokage's office. Only when he started moving did the ANBU messenger follow closely behind—close enough that it felt less like an escort and more like surveillance, confirming the uneasy suspicion he had moments ago.

Was the old man getting more paranoid with age? That didn't seem right.

Kushina had just stayed over at his place for one night. And they had slept in separate rooms.

They hadn't even done anything, so why such an overreaction?

Wait… last night, to prevent his clan members from eavesdropping with sensory jutsu, he had kept an anti-sensory barrier up the whole time.

Shit.

Did the Third Hokage think he and Kushina had already reached that stage in their relationship?

Kei froze for a split second.

Now that he realized what was going on, he wasn't sure whether to blame himself for being careless or curse the old man for overreacting.