Undercover in Konoha: I Was the Real Hokage All Along!

"Splash!"

Water scattered as a pebble skipped across the river's surface, creating ripple after ripple until it struck a tree on the opposite bank with a thud.

"Kiri?"

Uchiha Yayoi noticed something a little off in the boy beside her and turned to look his way.

Only to see Saharu Kiri casually dusting off his hands, offering her a relaxed smile.

"Nothing," he said.

"Just needed to vent a little."

"Sorry — this wait must be boring, huh?"

"Mmm."

Yayoi shook her head slightly, clasping her hands behind her back. The ponytail tied behind her head swayed gently with the movement.

She simply gazed quietly at his profile.

Though they'd known each other a long time, Yayoi suddenly realized — she'd rarely spent time alone with Kiri since their days at the Academy.

And now that she thought about it, maybe she didn't know him as well as she thought.

With that on her mind, she started walking beside him, keeping pace with light steps. Her tone is playful:

"Hard to believe it, honestly. The calm and collected Kiri-kun… finally losing his temper. And right in front of the Hokage, no less."

"I swear, I nearly dropped my jaw."

"I was the one whose legs nearly gave out," Kiri chuckled dryly, clearly not bothered.

"It started as me just venting on behalf of the kid from our old neighborhood… and before I realized it, the words were already out."

"Well… given your past, it makes sense."

Yayoi glanced at him, recalling their time in the Academy.

"I always thought something was off when you brought nothing but umeboshi rice balls for lunch every day. I never imagined things were that rough."

"Rougher than you think," Kiri replied with a smile.

"Old clothes and shoes were all street donations. Laundry soap was the cheapest powdered stuff. Once in a while, I'd buy a few veggies for dinner. Meat was a luxury — we only had that at New Year."

He began counting on his fingers.

"Honestly, we managed okay. I budgeted everything down to the yen."

"But yeah. We made it through graduation."

Yayoi's smile faded a little as they strolled.

Just listening to him describe his childhood… she could picture how hard it must've been — especially for a kid raising another kid.

"No wonder…"

"You've always been so strong."

"Really?" Kiri sounded a little surprised.

"Of course," Yayoi replied with a hint of pride.

"I've always kept an eye on you, you know?"

"Back at the Academy, you'd sneak off to the training ground by the river after class. You came back the next day with your bandages all torn up."

"And after we graduated and got assigned to a team, that first mission where we fought actual enemy ninja, you were the first one to react."

She smiled, nostalgic.

"I was so scared I nearly cried. The jōnin leading us, Captain Megure, got a huge gash across his shoulder in the first second."

"I thought I was done for… until you jumped in front of me."

"And even after missions, I never saw you waste a single coin — except when it came to buying ninja tools. Those, you were serious about."

Kiri listened silently.

The two of them walked slowly, just under the soft early light of dawn.

In Kiri's peripheral vision, a pale light shimmered above the girl's head.

[Saharu's Bonds Ledger]

[Yayoi Uchiha's Heartstring]

"I want Kiri to understand my feelings more."

This was the second "shallow heartstring" Kiri had encountered.

Young love. A girl's quiet yearning.

It was all very easy to understand. Even back in the Academy, he'd turned down two or three confessions.

Good looks, after all, were a built-in advantage.

But right now, Kiri wasn't focused on romance.

His Limitless Technique had now reached Phase Two. To advance it further, he needed at least two more Heartstring Points.

Yet so far, only Yuki and Yayoi had ever triggered Heartstrings in his vision.

While baiting Hairo and the others, he'd been racking his brain trying to figure out how to squeeze more points out of them.

That's when it finally hit him — the word "shallow".

If there's a "shallow" heartstring, surely there must be "intermediate," "deep," maybe even ultra-deep" ones too?

Which meant… figuring out how to evolve a shallow one was now his top priority.

Like Yayoi's wish.

"To have Kiri understand her feelings."

It was just the beginning of something — the very start of a new connection.

But how to push it further?

How to make Yayoi feel something even deeper?

Suddenly, a thought struck him.

So, as if offhandedly, Kiri spoke:

"Yayoi…"

"You've always been that mindful of me, huh?"

"…"

Yayoi fell completely silent.

Only now did she realize just how much she'd spilled today.

"Ah! Sorry!"

She turned slightly to the side, brushing her hair behind one ear, exposing a flushed ear that burned red against pale skin.

Her usual cool tone cracked, now a little rough from dry nerves, as she tried to explain:

"What I meant was…"

But Kiri's voice cut in — soft, close, warm enough for his breath to brush her ear.

"I know all of Yayoi's feelings."

Thump.

Her heart skipped.

She froze in place, not daring to meet his eyes, just staring at his sandals, at the toes peeking out of his ninja shoes.

Her heart raced. Her mind went blank.

An overwhelming urge welled up — she wanted to confess everything, right there.

But before she could—

"But…"

Just a single word.

It froze Yayoi where she stood.

The warmth spreading through her cheeks, down to her ears, gone in an instant, like snow under cold rain.

That short, sharp turn of phrase silenced the world.

Her heart stopped… then slowed.

Then chilled.

A storm of confusion flooded her mind, rendering her speechless.

What… does he mean?

Is this… rejection?

Is this already the end of something that never even began?

Her first love. Her first desire was to confess.

Two joys overlapping — only to bring even more joy…

Wasn't this supposed to be the happiest moment of her life?

Why… why does it hurt so much?

Her Sharingan spun wildly, and in its depths, a third tomoe seemed faintly, faintly on the verge of emerging.

Dark, shadowy chakra threatened to burst out of her.

Until—

Kiri gently took her hand.

Yayoi blinked, lifting her eyes to meet his — the clear blue glow of his irises, curved like a smile.

"I'm really happy," he said.

Thump!

Her heart began to beat again. The sunlight grew warm.

The monochrome world she stood in bloomed suddenly into color — vibrant, clear, breathtaking.

The gloom vanished.

Poor Yayoi.

Totally CPU'd by this damn scumbag.

Still, she had some sense left.

Wait, hold on…

Did he say yes or not?

"Kiri?"

She still had something she wanted to ask—

But Kiri glanced toward the courtyard ahead.

There, standing silently in the doorway, was a small figure — one he recognized at once.

"Ah, Yuki."

"Looks like she was up all night again…"

He sighed, smiling as always.

"Sorry. Let's talk more tomorrow, okay?"

"By the way — if you're free tomorrow night… want to grab some yakiniku? My treat."

The rest of Yayoi's question got caught in her throat.

But the sudden change of subject sparked hope again in her chest.

She glanced toward Yuki, then nodded hard.

"Yes!"

Kiri chuckled at her bright yet slightly puffed-up expression.

"Then… see you tomorrow?"

Caught off guard by that gentle smile, Yayoi felt something strange — but she still smiled back and waved at him.

As she watched his back fade into the distance, her emotions twisted strangely inside.

Something feels off.

That… was a confession, right?

And if the answer is "I'm happy," then…

That's a yes… right?

So why… does something still feel wrong?

Meanwhile…

Kiri turned away, his expression flat once more.

On the panel before him, a string of notifications appeared.

[Yayoi Uchiha – Shallow Heartstring: Complete]

[+1 Heartstring Point]

[Saharu's Bonds Ledger: Yayoi Uchiha – Added]

[Bond Level Up↑]

[Yayoi Uchiha Bond Level: 3 → 4]

But beneath the usual messages, something new appeared.

A shimmering blue notification:

[Intermediate Heartstring: Unlocked (Inactive)]

The moment he saw it, Kiri's eyes flashed.

As expected, emotional whiplash works best.

And as for dating?

Who's got time for love when you're a double agent? Just keep 'CPU'-ing them all.

What Saharu Kiri didn't realize yet…

Was the disastrous karma waiting for him in the future?