"Right now, the most important thing for the village is restoring order as quickly as possible."
Homura continued speaking.
"The Hokage has already begun rebuilding the damaged buildings with Wood Release. The Medical Corps is treating the wounded, while the ANBU are clearing out the remaining enemies around the outskirts of the village."
As he spoke, Homura glanced toward where Kiyohara was standing.
The towering trees that had sprung from the earth were gradually transforming.
Their rough bark smoothed into polished wooden planks before assembling themselves into the framework of houses.
Such astonishing chakra control was something Homura had never witnessed in his entire life.
It left him completely awestruck.
Even during the era when the First Hokage had still been alive, Homura had never seen Wood Release manipulated with such incredible precision.
"Wait."
Danzo, whose expression had grown darker with every passing moment, suddenly interrupted.
"The damaged buildings?"
Homura nodded.
"Most of them were inside the barrier. Kiyohara is already taking care of them."
"Homura."
Danzo's voice became noticeably heavier.
Now that he had already offended Kiyohara, there was no longer any room for retreat.
The two of them had never gotten along.
If Kiyohara chose to use this opportunity to settle old scores, Danzo would be in serious trouble.
"Have you ever considered that this incident... might not have been an accident?"
Danzo said slowly.
He had already figured out how to pin the blame on Kiyohara.
Homura's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"When a jinchuriki gives birth, the seal reaches its weakest point."
Danzo paused.
His single eye remained fixed on Homura's face, carefully observing every change in his expression.
In truth, even Danzo himself had not known about Kushina's childbirth.
He had only sensed the eruption of the Nine Tails and noticed enemies attacking the outskirts of the village.
That was why he had immediately led Root's forces out of the village to hide and observe the situation.
"You mean..."
Homura slowly frowned.
"Back then, Madara attacked Konoha while controlling the Nine Tails."
Danzo's tone grew increasingly serious.
"It is common knowledge that the Sharingan can control tailed beasts."
"So tell me."
"If someone from within the Uchiha Clan hadn't secretly interfered tonight, then how do you explain the Nine Tails suddenly losing control?"
Homura silently looked at him without replying.
Seeing no immediate rebuttal, Danzo spoke even faster, sounding increasingly convinced of his own argument.
"Kiyohara may be an Uchiha, but he wasn't born and raised within the clan."
"His authority over them is limited."
"Those Uchiha who have lived in Konoha for decades..."
"Would they really be willing to let some outsider become Hokage?"
"Would they really accept continuing to be excluded from the center of political power?"
Just as Danzo was preparing to continue building his argument, a woman's voice interrupted him.
"Danzo."
Danzo turned around.
Koharu was walking toward them from another street, holding a stack of documents in her hand.
Her face carried an unusually serious expression.
"Koharu."
Danzo looked at her.
"You arrived just in time. What I was just saying..."
"I heard everything."
Koharu interrupted him before he could finish.
She walked up to Danzo and stopped directly in front of him.
"Danzo."
"Everything you just said..."
"Doesn't hold up."
Danzo frowned deeply.
"Why not?"
"Because the one who sealed the Nine Tails was Kiyohara and don't forget."
"The Uchiha Clan respects strength above everything else."
Koharu answered calmly.
She increasingly felt that Danzo's prejudice against the Uchiha had reached an absurd level.
Hearing those words, Danzo unconsciously clenched the hand hidden inside his sleeve.
Beneath the restraint wrapped around his right arm, the Sharingan embedded in his flesh simultaneously contracted.
"Right now, everyone in the village is saying that the Hokage is the Second God of Shinobi."
Koharu continued.
"If you choose this moment to question him..."
"Do you honestly think anyone will listen?"
Danzo remained silent.
Because he knew she was telling the truth.
In the face of absolute strength...
Every conspiracy...
Every scheme...
Every political trick...
Became nothing more than a joke.
For perhaps the first time in a very long while...
Danzo truly realized that.
Fortunately...
Aside from his cooperation with Shinno, he still had several secret experiments underway.
Even Orochimaru possessed very little information regarding them.
The only project Orochimaru had participated in was assisting with the creation of monstrous creatures capable of absorbing chakra until they reached their limit, at which point they would detonate.
However...
The truly important research had never been handed over to Orochimaru.
It involved a secret technique capable of sealing living beings into a separate space-time dimension, compressing them into a seal, and then deploying them across vast distances through that mark.
Danzo had acquired this secret art purely by chance.
According to the fragmentary records accompanying it, the technique had once belonged to an extraordinarily powerful female shinobi who had lived over a thousand years ago.
Because too much time had passed, the surviving records were incomplete.
Danzo only remembered references to something called the "Rabbit Goddess."
Apparently, she had disappeared under mysterious circumstances long ago.
As a result, the technique's development had remained unfinished before eventually passing through countless hands until it finally reached him.
Danzo had given this forbidden technique a new name.
He called it... 'Gozu Tenno.'
"And another thing..."
Koharu glanced at Danzo.
She did not understand why he had suddenly become distracted halfway through the conversation.
Nevertheless, she continued.
"Danzo."
"You should probably spend your time thinking about how you're going to explain your own actions tonight."
"I imagine Hiruzen will be questioning you before long."
"Hmph."
Danzo let out a cold snort.
So what if Hiruzen demanded an explanation?
He refused to believe Kiyohara would actually dare execute him outright.
"I understand."
Turning around, Danzo headed toward Root Headquarters.
After walking several steps, he suddenly stopped.
Without looking back, he said,
"Since Kiyohara has already taken care of everything, I'll be returning to Root."
His footsteps gradually faded into the darkness.
Homura and Koharu remained where they were, quietly watching his figure disappear into the night.
"Do you think he might..."
Koharu left the sentence unfinished.
Homura slowly shook his head.
"I don't know."
"But Kiyohara isn't Hiruzen."
"Danzo's usual tricks won't work against him."
Koharu remained silent for a long moment.
Then she slowly nodded.
"I suppose you're right."
...
Several hours later.
"That should do it."
Looking over the newly reconstructed district before him, Kiyohara finally stopped using his Wood Release.
Creating such a massive number of detailed buildings consumed an astonishing amount of chakra.
Toward the end, he had even released the chakra stored inside the Yin Seal to continue the reconstruction work.
"Hokage-sama."
"There have been some unusual activities inside the village."
Yugao approached to make her report.
During such a sensitive period, Konoha's internal security had naturally become much stricter.
She had discovered that several suspicious shinobi, along with certain summoned animals, appeared to be transmitting information outside the village.
"Ignore them."
Kiyohara calmly shook his head.
He knew there were quite a few spies hidden throughout Konoha.
For a long time, he had deliberately chosen to pretend they did not exist.
Even if every known spy were eliminated today, new ones would simply infiltrate tomorrow.
It was far more useful to keep those already identified under surveillance.
When necessary, they could even be fed carefully prepared false intelligence.
"In a little while, I'll be convening an ANBU meeting."
Kiyohara said to Yugao.
He already knew that the old fox Danzo had secretly slipped out of the village during the crisis.
Just like in anime.
During the Nine Tails Incident.
During Pain's assault on Konoha.
Danzo had always been remarkably quick at disappearing whenever true danger arrived.
Kiyohara increasingly felt there was no reason to keep him alive any longer.
It would be better to quietly eliminate Danzo and all of Root tonight.
Previously, Kiyohara had deliberately allowed him to live because he had been interested in Danzo's "Gozu Tenno" project that appeared later in Boruto.
But now...
Danzo had already lived far too long.
After all, once Danzo was eliminated, the experimental records would still remain.
"Understood, Hokage-sama."
Yugao nodded respectfully.
Unable to hide the admiration in her eyes, she glanced at Kiyohara once more.
Only the Hokage...
Only Kiyohara...
Could have handled a disaster of this magnitude so perfectly.
Thinking that, she quickly departed to carry out her orders.
"Kiyohara."
"Do you want to take a short break?"
Kurenai walked over carrying several military ration pills.
The pills could replenish both chakra and physical stamina.
For Kiyohara, who had just exhausted an enormous amount of chakra rebuilding the village, they were exactly what he needed.
Kiyohara accepted them without hesitation.
He tossed one after another into his mouth as casually as though they were candy.
More than a dozen disappeared in only moments.
With the physique he possessed now, there was absolutely no need to worry about the pills' usual side effects.
In fact, he had reached that level quite a long time ago.
...
At the same time.
The intelligence gathered by Konoha's spies spread throughout the shinobi world by countless different channels.
Land of Earth. Iwagakure.
Onoki sat upon his massive stone chair.
In his hand was an intelligence report that had only just arrived.
The report itself was extremely brief.
Only a few short lines.
"Tsuchikage-sama?"
The Iwagakure shinobi standing before him cautiously spoke.
"Are you alright?"
Onoki slowly shook his head.
Then he lowered his eyes and read the report once again.
"Konoha's Fourth Hokage, Kiyohara, suppressed the Nine Tails tonight using Wood Release. Civilian casualties: zero. Structural damage: minor. Reconstruction has already begun."
Onoki recognized every single word written on the page.
Yet somehow...
When combined together...
They made almost no sense.
Kiyohara was an Uchiha.
So how had he suddenly mastered Wood Release as well?
And the Nine Tails had actually rampaged through Konoha?
According to the intelligence gathered by their spies, the incident appeared to have been triggered by an attack from an outside force.
Which hidden village had orchestrated such a thing?
The more Onoki thought about it, the larger his headache became.
"Could Wood Release naturally suppress tailed beasts?"
The Iwagakure shinobi asked curiously.
"The Nine Tails was subdued with almost no casualties."
"Just how powerful is Wood Release?"
He found it difficult to imagine.
After all, everyone knew that the strength of a tailed beast was closely related to the number of tails it possessed.
During the Third Great Shinobi War, Konoha had rarely relied on the Nine Tails' power.
On the other hand, Kumogakure's Killer B constantly demonstrated the overwhelming might of the Eight Tails.
Because of that, countless people across the shinobi world had long wondered exactly how terrifying the Nine Tails truly was.
After all...
It possessed one tail more than the Eight Tails.
"You don't understand."
Onoki glanced at the young Iwagakure shinobi.
The young man was one of his son Kitsuchi's disciples.
His name was Akatsuchi.
He shinobi specialized in a unique form of Earth Release that manifested as purple-colored earth.
Compared to ordinary Earth Release techniques, his version produced denser and heavier rock, earning him the title of "Purple Earth of Iwa."
"You have to understand."
Onoki slowly began.
"Back then, nearly all of the tailed beasts were distributed among the Five Great Nations by Senju Hashirama himself."
With the exception of places like the Land of Wind, which had already possessed the One Tail during the Warring States Era, and the Land of Water, which already controlled the Seven Tails, almost every other tailed beast had been personally allocated by Hashirama according to each nation's military strength.
His goal had been to establish a balance of power.
Throughout the thousand-year history of the shinobi world...
Only Hashirama had ever accomplished something so extraordinary.
It could even be said that the end of the chaotic Warring States Era was inseparable from Hashirama's overwhelming strength.
And among all of his legendary abilities...
Wood Release had been the most iconic.
Kiyohara had already possessed terrifying strength before.
Now...
He had awakened Wood Release as well.
The mere thought of Konoha marching north with such a Hokage was enough to make Onoki genuinely uneasy.
"What if..."
Akatsuchi asked curiously.
"What if Kiyohara decides to reclaim all the tailed beasts?"
Since Hashirama had once been the one who distributed them...
And Kiyohara now seemed to possess strength comparable to Hashirama's...
What if he decided that Konoha alone should dominate the entire shinobi world?
What then?
"I don't know."
Onoki sighed.
To be honest...
He did harbor certain prejudices against the Uchiha Clan.
When he had been young, Madara had nearly beaten him to death.
That overwhelming arrogance...
That belief that absolute strength alone ruled everything...
It had left an indelible impression on him.
No matter how remarkable Kiyohara appeared...
The blood of the Uchiha still flowed through his veins.
If he ever became another Madara...
It would spell disaster for all five great nations.
"Pass down my orders."
Onoki's expression became serious.
"Tell every Iwagakure shinobi to avoid direct conflict with Konoha whenever possible."
"And send Deidara to see me."
Konoha continued producing genius after genius.
Meanwhile...
Iwagakure had yet to produce anyone capable of inheriting his legacy.
He had to find someone worthy of carrying on Dust Release.
Judging from the current situation...
His own son, Kitsuchi, simply lacked the talent necessary to master Dust Release.
As a result...
Onoki had placed all his hopes on Deidara.
"Yes, Tsuchikage-sama."
Akatsuchi accepted the order before leaving.
His footsteps gradually disappeared.
The office door slowly closed behind him.
Once again, Onoki was left sitting alone.
"A Second God of Shinobi..."
He murmured to himself.
Not long afterward, Deidara burst into the office.
"Old man!"
"Why'd you call me over this early?"
Onoki remained seated behind his desk.
The intelligence report still lay spread before him.
He slowly raised his head and glanced at Deidara.
"Something happened in Konoha last night."
Deidara blinked.
"What happened?"
"The Nine Tails went berserk."
"Kiyohara sealed it."
The moment Kiyohara's name entered the conversation, Deidara's interest immediately piqued.
Ever since Kiyohara had left Iwagakure, Deidara had remained unusually curious about everything concerning him.
Through conversations with other shinobi, he had learned many stories about Kiyohara's exploits during the Third Great Shinobi War.
"The Nine Tails?"
"The tailed beast with the most tails?"
"That's right."
Onoki nodded.
"And Kiyohara subdued it using Wood Release."
Deidara frowned.
Wood Release?
A technique involving wood?
His mind instantly wandered to the woodcarvers back in the village who spent their days sculpting elaborate statues.
He could not help thinking...
Kiyohara's artistic range was surprisingly broad.
"Did Kiyohara carve some incredible masterpiece?"
Onoki stared at Deidara for several seconds.
He genuinely felt both amused and exasperated.
Aside from being a little mischievous...
This child was excellent in almost every respect.
Unfortunately...
His greatest flaw was that he obsessed over art every single day.
Since when had being a shinobi become an artistic profession?
"Wood Release is the legendary ninjutsu once used by the First Hokage."
"In his hands..."
"It was virtually invincible."
Onoki explained.
"Invincible?"
Deidara looked puzzled.
"Even stronger than your Dust Release?"
Onoki fell silent for a moment.
"You can't compare them that way."
He slowly shook his head.
Dust Release possessed the terrifying ability to disintegrate almost anything.
However...
Its preparation time was relatively long.
It was nowhere near as swift or versatile as Wood Release.
"They each have their own strengths and weaknesses."
He added.
"Oh."
Deidara simply nodded and stopped asking questions.
Compared to comparing techniques...
He was far more interested in discovering how far Kiyohara had progressed in his artistic journey.
The more he thought about it...
The stronger his urge became to leave the village immediately.
Watching the expression on Deidara's face, Onoki let out another weary sigh.
"Deidara."
"Hm?"
"Starting today..."
"Your training volume is doubled."
Deidara froze.
"What?!"
"I said..."
"Doubled."
Onoki repeated calmly.
"Konoha keeps producing one prodigy after another."
"Iwa cannot afford to fall behind."
"But I don't have that much time!"
Deidara immediately looked as though he wanted to escape.
If his daily training doubled...
How would he ever have enough time to pursue his art?
"Once you've completed your training..."
"I'll personally take you to Konoha for the upcoming Chunin Exams."
Hearing those words...
Deidara, who had nearly climbed out the window to flee, suddenly stopped.
If he could go to Konoha...
Then he would finally be able to see Kiyohara again.
After carefully weighing the advantages and disadvantages...
He reluctantly accepted Onoki's proposal.
"Fine..."
He muttered under his breath before turning toward the exit.
...
Land of Wind. Sunagakure.
Rasa sat behind his office desk.
The intelligence report before him was far thicker than he had expected.
Its pages were densely filled with information.
From the Nine Tails' rampage...
To Kiyohara suppressing it...
From the appearance of Wood Release...
To the barrier isolating the battlefield...
From the complete absence of civilian casualties...
To the immediate reconstruction of damaged buildings...
Every detail had been meticulously recorded.
Each time Rasa finished reading one section, he would stop.
Close his eyes.
Think quietly for a while.
Then continue reading.
He honestly felt as though he had spent years locked away in prison and had only just returned to the outside world.
First there was news of a mysterious organization leading white humanoid creatures in an attack against Konoha.
Then came reports that Konoha had somehow divided the Nine Tails into two separate halves.
And now...
Kiyohara had mastered Wood Release.
If Rasa did not trust that his subordinates would never dare deceive him...
He would have dismissed the entire report as an absurd joke.
Chiyo sat opposite him.
Her hands rested quietly atop her knees.
Her aged eyes remained half closed, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.
Baki stood nearby with his arms folded across his chest.
His brows were tightly furrowed.
"Wood Release..."
Rasa finally broke the silence.
"The First Hokage's Wood Release."
Chiyo slowly nodded.
"It seems..."
"The shinobi world may once again return to the era when Senju Hashirama was alive."
She paused.
"I imagine peace will last for quite some time."
Rasa slowly shook his head.
"Not necessarily."
Chiyo opened her eyes and looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because Konoha is becoming stronger and stronger."
Rasa frowned.
"So strong..."
"That they may no longer have any need for allies."
Baki's expression immediately grew even more serious.
"Kazekage-sama you mean..."
Rasa calmly answered.
"If I possessed enough strength to conquer everything..."
"Why would I need to form alliances with anyone?"
Silence filled the office.
"Kiyohara is not Hashirama."
Rasa finally stopped tapping his fingers against the desk.
"Hashirama would humble himself before his enemies."
"He would make concessions for the sake of peace."
"He willingly distributed the tailed beasts to the other villages."
"Kiyohara..."
"May not."
Those words left Chiyo silent for a long while.
Eventually...
She slowly nodded.
"You're right."
She sighed softly.
"Then what do you intend to do, Kazekage-sama?"
Rasa leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
"Send a diplomatic delegation to Konoha."
"To discuss what?"
"Cooperation."
Rasa opened his eyes.
"The more areas of cooperation..."
"The better."
He intended to greatly strengthen Sunagakure's relationship with Konoha.
At the same time...
It would serve as a gesture of goodwill from Suna.
Baki nodded immediately.
"I'll make the necessary arrangements."
He turned and left the office.
After Baki departed...
Chiyo looked back at Rasa.
"Do you truly believe Kiyohara will accept our proposal?"
Rasa met her gaze.
"He will."
"Why?"
"Because..."
"He needs time."
Rasa rose from his chair and walked toward the window.
Outside...
Endless yellow sands stretched as far as the eye could see.
"For at least the next three years..."
"There will be peace."
"Konoha lost too many shinobi during the war."
"Until their military strength has recovered to a sufficient level..."
"Kiyohara is unlikely to initiate another conflict."
He paused briefly.
"And before he finishes consolidating everything..."
"We must become stronger ourselves."
Chiyo remained silent.
After a long while...
She nodded.
"The Kazekage is right."
"As for the One Tail..."
"I think we should also begin conducting similar experiments."
Originally...
The alliance between Suna and Konoha could have continued peacefully and harmoniously.
But Konoha's rapidly growing strength had now begun to make even Suna wary.
After all...
How could a person carrying a weapon ever truly stand as an equal beside someone completely unarmed?
Rasa suspected that at this very moment...
Many of the other hidden villages were feeling exactly the same.
They no longer feared only Konoha.
They feared Kiyohara himself.
(End of Chapter)