A few days later.
The major powers of the Ninja World had all received their Youth-Preserving Pills.
After testing them, they began taking them one after another.
Iwagakure, Land of Earth.
"Father, although we've already tested it, let me go first just to be safe. Iwagakure can do without Kitsuchi, but it can't do without you~" Kitsuchi snatched up the Youth-Preserving Pill first and spoke with firm resolve.
"Kitsuchi, you..." Ōnoki tried to stop him, but it was already too late. Kitsuchi had swallowed the pill.
Kurotsuchi turned pale with shock too. "Daddy~ No~"
Ōnoki gritted his teeth. "Hyuga, you'd better pray my son is all right, or I'll make you die with him..."
"Oh... hoho~" After taking the pill, Kitsuchi let out a blissful cry, as though he were enjoying a sauna.
Then.
Kitsuchi grew younger, but remained a thickset, good-natured man. "Hehe~ Father, I seem to be fine. I'm bursting with energy now. This feels amazing..." He even swung his fists a few times.
Kurotsuchi's eyes lit up. It was that good?
"Really~ Really~"
"Hurry, hurry, hurry~ Get me one..."
Then Ōnoki turned into a young fellow too.
Yes, young and little.
A young man.
Ōnoki roared excitedly, "Ohoho~ This endless strength, this vibrant body!" He was thrilled by the power surging through him.
However.
Just then, Kurotsuchi suddenly spoke. "But Grandpa, you still haven't gotten any taller."
"Didn't you say you were tall and imposing when you were young, and only bent your back from working so hard for the village?! You lied..."
Rumble~
Her words struck like a bolt from the blue, making Kitsuchi's face go deathly pale. His eyes widened as he stared at Ōnoki in horror, silently praying that he wouldn't lose his temper.
Height had always been a sore spot for Ōnoki. Nobody in Iwagakure dared bring it up, because height was an absolutely forbidden subject there.
Yet Kurotsuchi, that troublesome child, had blurted it out without a care. She was practically stomping through a minefield!
Kitsuchi hurriedly shielded Kurotsuchi behind him, so nervous that even his voice trembled. "Father, Kurotsuchi is only a child and doesn't know any better. Please don't blame her. I'll take her home and discipline her properly. I'll punish her..."
As he spoke, he frantically signaled to Kurotsuchi with his eyes, hoping she would recognize her mistake and apologize.
"Hehe~ Doesn't lying stunt your growth?!"
Carefree as ever, Kurotsuchi seemed oblivious to the strange atmosphere and kept looking at Ōnoki with an innocent expression.
Holy shit~ You little menace, you're still talking? Are you tired of the two of us having such good lives?!
Kitsuchi groaned inwardly, wondering why his daughter was so reckless. She really was a headache!
Still, she was his own flesh and blood. He couldn't abandon her, no matter what. He took a deep breath and braced himself, determined to protect Kurotsuchi from harm at all costs.
At the same time, he silently prayed that Ōnoki would forgive Kurotsuchi's thoughtless mistake for the sake of their family bond.
Even a vicious tiger wouldn't eat its own cubs.
Probably.
"Kitsuchi~ Do you think I'd hurt Kurotsuchi, my only granddaughter?! Or you, my own son?"
Ōnoki's voice was low and hoarse, seemingly laden with deep weariness and resignation. A trace of desolation showed in his eyes, as though the scene before him had left him profoundly disappointed. Even his joy at regaining his youth had faded considerably.
"Has the distrust between father and son really grown this deep?" Those words struck Kitsuchi's heart like a heavy hammer, leaving him unable to answer for a moment.
"Father, I... I didn't... I only wanted Kurotsuchi to be safe... I didn't think that far..."
Kitsuchi quietly looked at Ōnoki, his heart filled with conflict. He knew he ought to trust his father, but his own experiences left him unable to avoid doubting him.
Power could corrupt a person.
He only wanted his family to live happily together.
The position of Tsuchikage, being the village leader's heir.
He really hadn't given those things much thought.
"Grandpa~ Dad's just an honest man. He's no good with words, so stop scaring him... He's drenched in sweat..." Kurotsuchi spoke with a grin, looking utterly carefree. That boldness certainly befitted the future Fourth Legs... Tsuchikage. By comparison, Kitsuchi fell far short~
Kitsuchi said, "Oh~ I understand?!"
Ōnoki sighed deeply, a trace of pain flashing through his eyes. He knew his son's worries weren't baseless, but he still couldn't accept such distrust between father and son.
"I'm sorry~ Father, I shouldn't have doubted you."
After a brief silence, Kitsuchi slowly said, "Father, I... I don't know how to deal with things as they stand." His voice carried a hint of bewilderment and unease. His image as an honest man was now firmly established.
"Your dad understands~"
Ōnoki gently patted Kitsuchi's shoulder and spoke firmly. "Kitsuchi, whatever happens, we're family. I hope you can trust me, just as I've always trusted you. Iwagakure still needs us."
Kitsuchi gave a sheepish grin and scratched his head. "I understand, old man. I was overthinking things. You're right, we're family~" Only he knew what he was really thinking.
Ōnoki smiled too. "That's more like it. Whatever's on your mind, we can talk it out as father and son..."
"I have no idea what you're talking about?!"
Kurotsuchi grinned. "Grandpa, Dad, I'm off to play with Big Brother Deidara. Hehe~ See you~"
"At her age, that girl still thinks of nothing but playing..."
"Kitsuchi, you should go too. Get home and rest early, and exercise more. Look how fat you've gotten..." Ōnoki watched Kurotsuchi skip away with a smile as he spoke to Kitsuchi.
"Yes, Father~ You should rest early too." Kitsuchi obediently bowed, then rose and left.
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, watched his son's retreating figure with an unreadable expression. After a long while, he sighed and closed his eyes.
Once he left the Tsuchikage Building.
Kitsuchi realized that his back was soaked through and he was mentally exhausted, all from sheer fright... When he turned to look back at the Tsuchikage Building, his gaze became deeply conflicted.
"What do you mean, Iwagakure's future is ours?"
"It's yours."
"Who spends thirty years as the village leader's heir?"
"If you'd wanted it."
"I'd have taken over long ago."
"Now that you've regained your youth, old man."
"I wouldn't even dare dream of becoming Tsuchikage."
"I have a family now."
"I'm afraid to die."
"I only want to watch Kurotsuchi grow up safely, marry, and raise a happy family. I want nothing else."
"Old man, I hope you won't force my hand. I want to be a good son to you, but I want to be a good dad even more."
He thought back to those days.
When he was young, Ōnoki had told him many times, "Kitsuchi, I'm getting old. Iwagakure will be in your hands someday, so work hard~" Back then, Kitsuchi had taken him at his word. He worked tirelessly, took on missions, and even risked his life training to grow stronger, all to earn his father's approval.
But the old man kept refusing to relinquish power.
He even pushed out every political rival and drove away Roshi, the Jinchūriki.
That was when Kitsuchi had realized.
The old man.
Had an incredibly deep hunger for power.
Anyone who touched it would die.
"Forget it. I couldn't do the job anyway. I'll just be a good dad and a good son. Hehe~"
Then Kitsuchi put his usual good-natured expression back on and headed home, greeting passing villagers just as he always did.
"Father~ Forgive me..."
Kurotsuchi emerged from the shadows.
Her expression was conflicted too. Today's risky probing had indeed revealed a great deal and confirmed her suspicions.
"From now on."
"I'll just be a happy little airhead."
"That'll put Grandpa most at ease."
Ōnoki had inherited the power of Mu, the Second. How could his sensory abilities be weak? Seeing this father and daughter act this way only made him feel worse.
"In your eyes."
"Am I really that ruthless? You even teamed up to put on a show for me, didn't you? That last scene was for my benefit too, wasn't it? As if either of you doesn't know how strong my senses are."
"Doing this right beneath my building, hehe~"
"You two really are something." He laughed in exasperation.
Alongside his heartache, Ōnoki also felt a swell of reassurance. "Those two little bastards are pretty crafty. When I'm gone someday, I won't have to worry about them being taken advantage of."
"At least Iwagakure has worthy successors. It would be even better if they'd trust me a little more."
"Those two bastards, bastards, little bastards~"
"Ah~" Ōnoki murmured. There wasn't a trace of anger in his tone; he even sounded a little pleased.
An honest man couldn't be a Kage.
Good grief, this family had eight hundred hidden agendas between them.
Before you continue