So, the three amigos went to eat some ramen, as it was that good shit.

You know, very good stuff.

Seijuro sat at the end of the bar, flanked by Nawaki and Minato. Teuchi was humming a tune as he prepped another round of spicy miso bowls.

"You're not eating slow to savor it, are you?" Nawaki teased, slurping his third helping like a starving wolf.

He then went on his fourth, eating that shit like he hadn't eaten in days.

"I like the Naruto in them. It's quite tasty," he said calmly.

{He is speaking of the ramen, not the MC of the show.}

Minato chuckled, still nursing his first bowl.

"You deserve a break. After all, you're technically unemployed."

Seijuro grinned softly, swirling his noodles.

"Technically. Doesn't mean I'm unproductive."

They ate and laughed into the evening, their conversation drifting from training to girls to what kind of ramen bowl Kushina would suplex a man over.

—

It was salt ramen. There was no if nor but about it—it was and always would be salt ramen. Maybe next time it would be miso ramen, or beef ramen, but as things stood, Kushina would suplex a man over salt ramen.

Aight, she might even do it for free.

Wait...

"Didn't she suplex you before, Nawaki?" Seijuro asked.

Nawaki, who was in the middle of slurping his noodles, paused... Yeah, she did. What about it?

So what if he ate her spare ramen and she was mad? He still ate. He won.

Anyway, it was fun.

—

Once home, Seijuro kicked off his sandals and stretched with a yawn, arms high above his head.

His house was quiet. Warm. Peaceful.

He took a hot bath, dried his hair, and slipped into bed.

For once, there were no shadows watching him.

No knives pointed at his spine.

No seals humming against his walls.

Just... sleep.

And he took it.

He also spent the next 4 to 6 hours fusing the Bijū chakra into his own.

The process was long and tedious, but since he was used to it now, it was way faster than it had been before.

Speaking of which, he wondered if he could go Bijū Cloak now—since, technically, he was a human-shaped Bijū.

He had the most chakra in the village...

Excluding Kurama, of course. Kushina was like second closest to his chakra levels though.

Yet, the amount of chakra he wished to show—and the amount he actually showed to the village—was... elite jōnin level.

In Kakashi units, it would be like... his actual chakra was around 150+ Kakashis, but what he showed was like 1+ Kakashi.

So yeah.

He was stronk.

Now time to live his daily life.

While passing by the Hokage building, it seemed like Hiruzen was making an announcement... wonder what that was about.

"—By order of the Fire Daimyō and the Konoha Council, Danzō Shimura has been stripped of all authority as Elder. Root is hereby disbanded. Any active Root operations are now considered illegal and treasonous. Danzō Shimura is no longer recognized as an acting authority within the Hidden Leaf. If he is discovered leading or commanding any force... he is to be terminated with extreme prejudice."

Gasps. Murmurs.

Seijuro didn't even blink.

He took a bite of his steamed bun and walked away.

"Took 'em long enough," he muttered.

Also, it wasn't an if, but more like a when.

While sure, Seijuro's clan wasn't the strongest, nor was his influence that big, he was friends with a lot of upcoming newcomers—like Minato. And also, let's not forget Nawaki.

And the fact that he was like a brother figure to Kushina—a man good enough to make a seal where she could walk around the village without the chakra chains seal constantly active. For fuck's sake, she had mastered version one state.

Could go all the way to the Fourth Tail and still have control.

And, there was Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the fact that he was respected by every ANBU—by virtue of him creating Shunpo, and also being so easy to work with.

The White Fang... and also, the fact he used to babysit the kid of the Daimyō.

Easiest S-rank mission of his life.

Holy hell... he had influence. Which was aight. He practically had a good relationship with every clan in Konoha.

Maybe except the Hyūga, since Hiashi... well, let's not talk about that.

Maybe he should teach Hikaru a fighting style to help him.

Time Skip – 3 Months Later

The seasons shifted. Leaves fell, and frost whispered on rooftops.

Seijuro spent the time training—not in flashy jutsu or illusion—but in fusing the Bijū chakra with his own.

With 60% of the Three-Tails and Six-Tails chakra absorbed into his system, he had undergone profound internal changes.

🔥💧 New Abilities Gained 💧🔥

🌊 Coral Release (Yōton - Lava Variation)

From the Three-Tails' essence, he learned how to form coral constructs from chakra—capable of rapidly expanding upon contact with chakra signatures. Traps, spears, barriers—whatever he could think of. It was like earth, but alive.

🧪 Sage Acid Mist / Corrosive Slime

The Six-Tails' chakra gave him access to a horrifying acid mist—able to melt stone, armor, or even lesser jutsu. When concentrated, he could form corrosive slime projectiles or defense fields that wore down enemy attacks before they reached him.

🫧 Bubble Techniques (Futton Variant)

Bubbles. Ridiculous in concept—terrifying in practice. Seijuro could create floating chakra-infused bubbles that drifted silently through the air, popping into controlled bursts of heat, smoke, illusions, or pure force. Some could explode. Some disoriented. Some screamed like banshees.

🌀 Chakra Fusion Mastery

Through months of meditation, Seijuro stabilized the two foreign chakra pools inside him. They no longer fought his body—they fused. He could now summon their energy without risk of backlash.

POV Change: Hokage Tower – Hiruzen's Office

The setting sun painted the Hokage's office in shades of gold and rust.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, stood at the broad window, pipe in hand. He stared down at the Hidden Leaf—his village—like a tired old guardian watching over restless children.

Behind him, the door creaked open.

Footsteps—measured, calm.

"You called, Lord Third?"

Seijuro's voice was quiet. Respectful.

The kind that could calm a raging chūnin or convince a jōnin to stand down.

Hiruzen turned, setting his pipe aside. His eyes crinkled slightly at the edges as he took in the boy—no, the young man—standing before him, dressed in simple blue civilian wear. No blade. No mask.

"Seijuro..." Hiruzen's voice held a note of warmth, like he was talking to a favorite student. "I wanted to ask how you've been. Truly."

Seijuro gave a small bow. Polite. Precise.

"I have been well, Lord Third. Thank you for your concern."

The Third smiled—thin, but genuine. Still, the smile didn't reach his eyes.

There was something too heavy about the air.

"That's good to hear. But... I'll be blunt."

He stepped away from the window, hands clasped behind his back.

"The recent revelations regarding Danzō have... rattled things. Trust in leadership, morale among the ANBU—"

He paused.

"Frankly, it's a damn mess."

Seijuro said nothing. Just listened, quietly.

"I want to offer you the chance to return to the ANBU."

Hiruzen's voice was firm now.

"Effective immediately, you would answer only to me. No chains through Danzō. No backroom orders. If you choose to refuse a mission—I will allow it."

The offer was rare.

Dangerous, even. It bordered on anarchy in a system built on absolute obedience.

"But we need you back. Not just for strength. For stability."

Hiruzen exhaled.

"Your name still carries weight, Seijuro. People trust you. The ANBU need to see that the Will of Fire still burns."

A beat.

Seijuro slowly lowered his head.

Eyes closing—shoulders tightening just a little.

Not in hesitation.

In conviction.

When he raised his eyes again, they were filled with something raw and earnest.

"I accept."

The words rang with weight.

Hiruzen opened his mouth to respond—but Seijuro lifted a hand.

"However..."

The pause was just long enough.

"Before I return... I want to learn the Flying Raijin."

That caught Hiruzen off guard.

He blinked. "The Flying Thunder God? That's—Lord Second's technique. Why—?"

Seijuro bowed his head again, this time more deeply. Not as a soldier.

As someone ashamed.

"Because if I had learned it sooner... I could have saved my team from the danger they were placed in. I could've warped them out. I could've avoided casualties entirely."

His voice didn't rise.

It didn't need to.

"I was too slow, Lord Third. Too limited. And others paid the price for it."

Hiruzen stared.

What he saw was a shinobi willing to shoulder blame, not shift it.

A shinobi still grieving his failures.

A shinobi with fire in his chest and loyalty in his veins.

And it made something in the old man ache.

"Very well," Hiruzen said softly. "I'll arrange for access to the technique."

He stepped forward and placed a firm hand on Seijuro's shoulder.

"Konoha needs more men like you. Honest. Dedicated. Selfless."

Seijuro offered a small smile.

"I only do what I must... for the village."

Hiruzen felt like his village would be fine, if every shinobi was like Seijuro such a loyal shinobi to the village.

If only Hiruzen knew of the countless tricks the boy had played on the village, on how well the boy could switch his emotion, the amount of people who have seen his truth emotions could be counted on one finger.

Hiruzen wasnt among those people.