Fujimoto Tōma returned to Konoha with too many thoughts rattling in his head.
The discussion he'd had with Orochimaru still lingered like a bad aftertaste. On paper, the deal made sense. Research. Longevity. Knowledge without moral brakes. That kind of bait was impossible for Orochimaru to ignore. Tōma was confident he'd taken the right angle.
Still, confidence didn't erase unease.
Had he missed something?
If Orochimaru exposed the plan, things could spiral fast. Trouble with the other four great villages wouldn't bother Tōma much. If it came to it, he could force them into submission. Violence between villages was ugly, but predictable.
The real problem was Konoha itself.
There were people inside the village who would never agree with him. People he didn't want to face. If they chose to stand against him openly, the situation would become… annoying. Complicated. Loud.
In that case, he'd have no choice but to stabilize the village first before pushing the plan forward.
Tōma exhaled slowly.
He was still confident he could achieve his goal. It was just that the road had grown longer, messier, and far more crowded than he'd anticipated.
For a moment, his gaze dimmed.
Had he changed?
The thought crept in uninvited. Darker. Colder. If he abandoned his plan entirely, the world would likely enjoy a long stretch of peace after the Fourth Shinobi War. The five great villages would draw closer. Everyone would be too exhausted to fight again. As long as no outside threat appeared, the era would stabilize.
But if he followed through…
Even if he succeeded perfectly. Even if he stood on the battlefield with power that looked divine.
There would still be people who valued pride more than life.
Blood would be unavoidable.
All of that would hinge on a single decision. His.
That realization weighed more than he expected.
"So I really am just an ordinary person," Tōma muttered after examining his own heart.
If he were a conqueror carved from legend, there'd be no hesitation. No doubt.
"But people change."
He laughed quietly and slipped into a transformation jutsu as he walked through the village. Doubt was allowed in private. Never in front of those who believed in him. And once a decision was made, hesitation was poison.
He had already shared his vision with Nara Shikaku and the others.
That meant he was already walking that path.
Turning back now wasn't an option.
"So did I cut off my own escape route ahead of time?" he murmured, smiling faintly.
Of course he'd thought about regret. And while he didn't regret it, the shadow of doubt was still there.
Tōma looked up at the Hokage Rock. Six faces watched over the village now. His own likeness had long since been carved among them.
He raised his hand, fingers spread, as if gripping all the Hokage within his palm.
Then he clenched his fist.
His eyes returned to their usual calm.
Maybe he hadn't changed after all. For someone like him, nothing was more entertaining than rewriting the world itself.
That thought carried him home.
For the next couple of days, he planned to spend more time with Fujimoto Sana and Yamanaka Ino. Once the other Kage returned to their villages and preparations began, his role as overall commander would chain him to responsibility.
And beyond that…
He still had his own objective.
Soon, he'd be busy.
"Mom, I'm home."
Just like always, he called out as he opened the door.
The next morning, news arrived swiftly.
The five daimyō had approved the start of the Fourth Shinobi War.
"That fast?" Tōma raised an eyebrow.
He leaned back, tapping his fingers against the desk. The Fire Country daimyō lingered in his memory. Compared to the others, that man had always been competent. Calm under pressure. Efficient. He managed the Fire Country well and understood when to follow the flow of the era instead of fighting it.
That wasn't luck.
A country couldn't be governed by shinobi alone. The systems were different. Power and administration didn't always overlap cleanly.
Tōma shook his head.
That was a problem for after the war.
The Hokage's door burst open.
"Tōma! Something happened to Sakura!"
Yamanaka Ino rushed in, breathless.
Tōma straightened. "Calm down. Sakura hasn't been on any missions lately. What happened?"
Ino explained quickly. During training, she'd seen Sakura fall from a cliff. She'd rushed her to Senju Tsunade immediately.
Physically, Sakura was fine.
Mentally… she'd lost her memories.
Ino had gathered most of their peers to help jog Sakura's memory. Everyone except Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke.
"You didn't find Naruto at his place?" Tōma asked, already extending his perception.
Nothing.
The Flying Thunder God mark he'd placed on Naruto was gone. Or rather, unreachable.
Naruto wasn't in the village.
As the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, Naruto couldn't leave without notification. Someone would've told him.
Unless…
A cold thought flickered through Tōma's mind. Naruto had heard the plan. Chosen to leave. Found a way to erase the mark.
Decisive. Painfully so.
Tōma shook his head.
Speculation helped no one.
He looked at Ino. Sakura's strange behavior might be connected.
"Take me to Sakura," Tōma said. "I'm her classmate too."
Ino hesitated. "Aren't you busy?"
"Not today."
She nodded and led him to a training field.
Tōma stopped short.
The scene in front of him defied logic.
"Can someone explain what I'm looking at?"
Inuzuka Kiba was wearing cat ears and meowing.
Hyūga Hinata, face red enough to boil water, stood in an outrageously revealing cheongsam.
Aburame Shino was spraying insecticide like his life depended on it.
Akimichi Chōji looked solemn. Nara Shikamaru looked… vacant.
Tenten seemed normal, which somehow made things worse.
Hyūga Neji and Rock Lee were tied up and unable to move.
Ino winced. "This is how Sakura remembers everyone. We thought acting it out might help."
Tōma rubbed his temple.
Sakura approached, froze when she saw him, and bowed stiffly.
"H-Hokage-sama… hello."
"You're afraid of me?" Tōma asked gently.
"N-no!"
"She's fine, Sakura," Ino said quickly.
Sakura nodded, uncertain.
Sasuke arrived moments later, removing his ANBU mask.
"…What is this?"
Then Sakura pointed at him.
"Womanizer!"
Sasuke stared.
Ino covered her face.
Eventually, Sakura explained.
Everyone she knew was… reversed.
Kiba loved cats. Hinata was aggressive. Shino feared bugs. Shikamaru was foolish. Chōji was slim and sharp. Ino was gentle and affectionate. Sasuke was a smooth-talking flirt.
And Tōma?
In her memory, the Hokage was distant. Overwhelming. Someone the village feared to speak around.
Tōma smiled.
That answered enough.
"Ino," he said calmly, "take Sakura home. You'll find what you're looking for there."
Sakura hesitated, then nodded.
"Everyone else," Tōma added, "go home. She'll recover in a few days."
After the field emptied, Sasuke spoke quietly.
"This is like Boruto's case, isn't it?"
"Similar," Tōma replied. "But not dangerous."
Somewhere out there, another world existed.
And in that world, another Fujimoto Tōma clearly ruled with an iron shadow.
Interesting.
Very interesting.