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

Bang!

The front door slammed shut.

Miss Yukie stormed into the entryway, kicked off her slippers with force, planted her hands firmly on her hips, and glared at the boy standing before her.

Her little face was pulled taut with frustration.

"Sah! Ha! Ru! Kiri—!!"

Even though he'd already anticipated the scolding, Kiri hadn't quite expected such an earth-shaking roar to come from someone so small.

"You promised me you'd be home by ten last night! And then you didn't come back at all!"

"Your office line was constantly busy! The food I made went cold! And in the middle of the night, there were explosions near the Hokage Tower! Huge flames, ANBU on rooftops, even the Uchiha Police got deployed! The signal flares from the walls were going off, too!"

"Then everything went quiet again, and you still didn't come home! I thought— I thought something happened to you!"

Her voice trembled with rising emotion.

Dark circles under her eyes from staying up all night had turned red at the edges, and her tears welled up into shimmering drops she was struggling to hold back.

"And then, I find out you were out on some late-night date with that sneaky, two-faced cat!"

"You just got back and you're acting all casual, like you were just out for a stroll!"

Finally overwhelmed, her flushed little face collapsed into a pout. She charged forward like a kitten and slammed into Kiri's chest, nuzzling and shoving angrily.

She looked like she wanted to bite him.

He felt her tiny hands grab his sleeve tightly. Her tears seeped silently into his clothes, and her muffled voice, heavy with nasal congestion, reached his chest:

"I was so scared…"

"Yeah… I know."

Kiri gently wrapped his arms around her, softly stroking her hair and trailing his fingers down the length of it, as if calming a frightened kitten.

To Yukie, her older brother was her only anchor in this world — the one who raised her and shielded her. He'd always been her protector, her safe harbor.

In daily life, this manifested as some pretty intense big-brother obsession. But during times of crisis, it revealed just how fragile her heart could be.

When Kiri had just graduated and was constantly out on field missions, she often couldn't sleep for days, anxiously counting the days until he returned.

And yet, he wasn't even her real brother.

Kiri thought this calmly, without a ripple of emotion. His voice, however, was warm and sincere:

"It was my fault tonight. I should've come home sooner. I made you worry."

"Mm."

Her response came through her nose, still not quite satisfied.

"Next time, I'll be home on time," Kiri added quickly.

"Mmm…"

Still not enough.

"What else?" he prompted her gently, hoping for a hint.

"And no more going on dates with that sneaky cat girl!" Yukie declared sternly.

"Especially at night!"

"Eh?"

Kiri hesitated.

"Hmm?!"

Yukie's hair bristled instantly.

"Yes, yes, okay."

He agreed, voice laced with exasperation.

But defusing Yukie's fury took priority. The rest… could wait.

Only then did Yukie seem satisfied. She turned and walked toward the living room.

"You didn't eat, right? I kept the food warm all night. Want a quick bite?"

"Yeah… starving."

Kiri stepped inside, slipping off his shoes.

"Also…"

Yukie glanced at his clothes — a fresh set. But his sandals were still bloodstained, and there was a faint metallic scent lingering around him.

She noticed the marks of combat despite his attempts to conceal them — of course, she did. She was a ninja too.

"What happened last night?"

Kiri thought for a moment, then smiled.

"I guess you could call it… a good thing."

After eating, Kiri was unceremoniously sent off to the bathroom by his pint-sized house tyrant.

The bloodstains did stink, after all.

Once he was fully immersed in the warm bath, he finally had a moment to reflect on everything that had happened.

That little "performance" he'd put on in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi would likely help ease some of the higher-ups' suspicions about his sudden rise as a "genius," but he knew they wouldn't fully let their guard down.

And with his "tainted background," he'd never be considered for the Hokage's line of succession. That was a matter of principle.

Still, that level of exclusion… was something he could live with.

As long as Kirigakure didn't screw up and expose themselves, his life as a Konoha ninja would get much more comfortable, certainly better than his early days of deep cover.

But his biggest gain?

Was the impression he'd left on Orochimaru.

Kiri gently tapped the left side of his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart.

The brain. The tongue. The heart.

Those three sealed areas had been his highest-priority objectives from the start.

And now that he had the System backing him, he could no longer afford to be tethered to the identity of a "Kirigakure spy."

He needed freedom — real freedom.

But advanced sealing techniques and their counters were the most tightly guarded secrets in every Hidden Village.

Kirigakure and Kumogakure had launched the war that destroyed Uzushiogakure specifically to steal those techniques.

The Uzumaki Clan had become sacrifices to their powerful fuinjutsu.

So, acquiring such knowledge through normal means? Impossible.

That's why Kiri had set his sights on Orochimaru.

A man who feared nothing — and had the power to back it up.

But if he wanted Orochimaru to work with him, he had to show his worth.

And the upcoming Chūnin Exams would be the perfect opportunity.

Kiri pulled up his system panel.

[Personal Info]

Name: Saharu Kiri

Age: 15

Talents: Photographic Memory (B), Kekkei Genkai (A)

Abilities: Limitless Technique – Phase Two (S), Water Release (A), Lightning Release (A+), Fire Release (B), Taijutsu (B+), Genjutsu (A), Sealing (D+), Ninja Tools Proficiency (C+)

Overall Rank: A+

Heartstring Points: 1

[System Comment]:

"HAH! Just another Kage-tier weakling — what's to fear?! With all these RIPPED MUSCLES and the POWERFUL AURA you're radiating, this is the time to USE IT, baby! GUA! KILL! AAAH! GRR—Ahem, can we maybe tone it down a little?"

Kiri's expression darkened.

"...This damn system…"

That "commentary" was such a mess of nonsense that it practically reeked of bottom-tier trolling.

With his current level, he was already hovering around pre-Kage tier, nearly equal to the top elite jonin in the entire ninja world.

Still… knowing how his system loved to open with "Kill the Ōtsutsuki," he shouldn't be surprised.

But that wasn't the point right now.

Kiri glanced back at his stats and then focused on the lone Heartstring Point he currently had.

He didn't have enough saved up for a major upgrade, but every resource had to be spent wisely and immediately. Time was also a cost.

Leveling up his Limitless Technique again would cost 2 points for only a moderate gain.

And honestly, he had other weaknesses to address.

He looked at the Draw Panel, which offered four options:

Breakthrough

Survival

Perception

Special

From previous draws, he'd learned that "Breakthrough" and "Survival" corresponded to offensive and defensive abilities, both of which he didn't urgently need.

After all, most ninjas — once hit — didn't need a second blow.

Even puppet masters and Earth-style tanks could be dealt with using Six Eyes and the Limitless Technique.

Only monsters like the Third Raikage or Uchiha Obito were problematic.

But unless he got insanely unlucky, he wasn't likely to run into those guys head-on.

As for "Perception"? His Six Eyes handled that for now.

That left… Special.

Maybe it was the spatial benefits he'd already gained from the Limitless Technique, or maybe it was just instinct, but this option felt right.

It was special, after all.

Time manipulation, perhaps? Something like Tokisaki Kurumi's Emperor of Time, or Okabe Rintarou's time machine, or even Diavolo's King Crimson?

He didn't want to admit it, but the deeper he got into the system, the more he was bound to other people he couldn't abandon.

And because of that, he needed a failsafe.

A way to prevent the kind of irreversible regret that might come one day.

[Target: Special]

[Cost: 1 Point]

"Let's fing go!!"*

With the usual string of profanity-laced hype from his system's "voice," the blank screen shimmered again.

Kiri frowned at first… but then his eyes widened.

[Ability Acquired]

[Kyōka Suigetsu (S)]

"Localized adaptation complete."

[Perfect Hypnosis]:

"Control the opponent's five senses, altering perception of a selected target's appearance, form, mass, touch, and even scent — all in line with the user's intent."

[Activation Conditions]:

Choose three activation triggers (Hand seal, Trait, Word)

The user's chakra must exceed the target's

Target must be within the chakra influence range

Continuous chakra drain while active

[Upgrade Available via Heartstring Points]

It wasn't quite what Kiri had expected…

But reading the full description still made his heart race, and a smile crept across his face.

With this power, his tactical freedom had just exploded.