Konoha.
Chiga walked calmly down the familiar streets, the sound of his footsteps mixing with the faint breeze drifting through the village. Beside him, Kurenai followed closely, her head lowered, face tinged with a subtle red.
After a few quiet moments, Chiga finally spoke.
"Kurenai, why are you walking with your head down? You seemed pretty bold in the park the other day."
Kurenai flinched, then looked up with an embarrassed expression. "C-Congratulations, Chi..Chiga San. Please don't bring that up! I was just… emotional."
"Oh? And who else have you hugged like that?"
"No one! Besides my dad, only you!" she exclaimed, stamping her foot in frustration. Her cheeks flushed deeper, caught between anger and embarrassment.
Chiga chuckled softly. He realized he may have gone too far. Reaching out, he gently took her hand and offered a quiet apology.
"Alright, my bad. I shouldn't have teased you."
"Mmm…"
Hearing the softness in his voice, Kurenai visibly relaxed. She leaned a bit closer, glancing up at him with a mixture of shyness and curiosity.
"Chiga San… where are we going?"
"To my office," he replied calmly.
"Your office?"
"Yes. The Hokage office."
Kurenai froze for a second, blinking in disbelief. Only now did the reality truly hit her—Uchiha Chiga was now the Sixth Hokage of Konoha. The shift had been so sudden that even now, the village hadn't fully processed the change.
As they arrived at the Hokage building, the guards standing watch wore complex expressions. One of them, a long-haired Anbu with violet hair, stepped forward and saluted.
"Hokage Sama!"
The others followed suit—some hesitant, some defiant, some simply confused.
Chiga's gaze settled on the masked woman.
"Yugao, take off your mask."
She flinched. Under his quiet command, she slowly reached up and removed the mask, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful face.
Chiga smiled softly. "You're too beautiful to hide behind that thing. No more masks."
"B-But Hokage Sama… it's a regulation for the Anbu."
"Then you're no longer in the Anbu," Chiga replied simply. "From today onward, you'll be my personal guard, just like Shizune was for Tsunade."
"This... Chiga San…"
"No more 'Hokage Sama.' I prefer when you call me Captain."
With that, he walked past her with Kurenai, heading inside. Yugao remained frozen for a few moments, her heart racing. A fellow Anbu touched her shoulder.
"Yugao… you know Uchiha Chiga?"
She gave a quiet nod. Like Kurenai, she had known him since her academy days, had served under him in his old Anbu squad, and had been saved by him more than once during missions.
When she heard he had returned, her heart had raced with joy. But the next time she saw him, he was already fighting Konoha itself. She'd intended to stop him… but Kurenai had acted first. So, she could only blend back into the crowd.
She had even considered secretly helping him escape.
But instead, Chiga hadn't just survived—he had killed Danzo, pressured Tsunade into abdication, and now sat as the Sixth Hokage.
After everything, she had convinced herself it was over between them. And now, just like that, he'd appointed her his personal guard.
Was that a true need… or something else?
She turned silently toward the exit.
A fellow operative called after her. "Yugao Uzuki, where are you going?"
"To speak with Shizune San," she replied, her voice calm but filled with purpose. "I need to learn what it means to be a Hokage's aide."
---
Inside the Hokage office, Chiga sat comfortably in the grand chair, while Kurenai remained standing beside him, her expression unreadable.
"Chiga San," she asked softly, "why did you want to become Hokage?"
"What? Is it that strange for me to want this?" he replied, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"Well… you never said anything about it before."
"Have you forgotten that Minato once tried to make me the Anbu Captain, only for Danzo and the elders to block it?"
"Of course I remember!" Kurenai's expression darkened. She'd never forgotten the injustice. The elders' reasoning had been sickeningly clear—an Uchiha could never be trusted with that level of authority.
Even now, the memory made her blood boil. Chiga, however, had quietly endured the rejection back then, swallowing the humiliation. But in his heart, Danzo had died a thousand deaths.
Now, he was dead for real. Not even ashes remained.
"If I had shown any ambition back then," Chiga said, leaning back, "Danzo probably would've arranged for my execution."
Kurenai looked at him in awe. "So… becoming Hokage was your dream all along?"
Chiga slowly rose from the chair and walked to the large window, staring out at the massive stone faces carved into Hokage Rock.
"It wasn't really a dream. More like a passing interest. The title doesn't mean much to me."
He laughed lightly. "I used to be a king, you know. The 'Hokage' is just a village head."
Kurenai blinked. Was he joking? Somehow, she couldn't tell.
Chiga's gaze settled on the Fourth Hokage's face.
"Minato… I wonder if you'll still want this seat when you return."
Kurenai's eyes widened. "Return? But he's—"
Chiga turned back toward her. His fingers brushed over the white snake that coiled around his waist.
"Orochimaru, you know how to break the Reaper Death Seal, don't you?"
The snake opened its mouth. A slow, familiar voice oozed out.
"I do… but it requires the Shinigami mask. And the risk is considerable…"
"You don't need to worry about the risk. Just get the Shinigami to appear."
"I don't have the mask anymore," Orochimaru replied. "It should still be in the Uzumaki Shrine."
"Then retrieve it. Do this well, and I might consider granting you freedom."
Orochimaru's reptilian face briefly lit up in joy—until he saw the purple lightning spark in Chiga's eye.
"But if you even think about betraying me…"
The white snake trembled violently. "Understood! I'll obey, I swear!"
Kurenai stared in disbelief at the snake. Until now, she had thought it was some kind of accessory. But this was Orochimaru—one of the most dangerous figures in shinobi history—reduced to a belt ornament.
Still stunned, she managed to ask, "Chiga San… is that really him?"
Chiga flicked the snake's head with mild irritation. "Just a troublesome snake."