"Ring ring..."
"Smack!"
A hand reached out from under the covers and smashed the unfortunate alarm clock, which was placed on the bedside table, into pieces...
The reason it was so unlucky was that this alarm clock only "survived" for one night, from the moment it was turned on to the moment it was destroyed.
"Hmm... it's morning..."
The boy, who had just knocked his own alarm clock away, threw off the covers, sat up, slowly got out of bed, and went into the bathroom to wash his face and mouth.
When he finished all this and appeared in the living room, he was undoubtedly transformed.
"You're up?"
In the living room, a burly man eating and drinking at the dining table turned his head and glanced at him.
"You woke up late today, Qi."
"Yes."
Grinning, Qi sat down at the table, directly facing the burly man, who was also his master, Kaguya Ogata. He suddenly turned his head and saw a beautiful black-haired girl in a kimono carrying a bowl of porridge as she walked out of the kitchen.
"Young Master Qi, please have some."
She first placed the porridge in front of Qi, and then bowed politely.
"Um, Chiyo- nee... thank you. Please sit down and eat with us."
The moment Qi heard the word "young master," his previously high spirits plummeted, leaving him listless and weak. He truly disliked such terms...
"And could you please stop calling me 'Young Master'... Didn't I tell you not to be so polite?"
Without a doubt, this young girl is the newest member of this family...
Two weeks ago, Qi finally returned home, only to find that in addition to his master, who had severe violent tendencies, there was also a seductive young woman who acted as his maid...
The girl's name was Yuki Chiyo, a surname that is quite rare in the Land of Fire.
When asked, she said that she was sent by the village because someone reported that a certain bastard would go to his house to freeload every night, so she strongly requested that the village send a cook so that the scoundrel could eat better at home and stop wasting his family's food.
Logically, such a ridiculous report and suggestion should have been ignored, but unfortunately, the reporter is one of Konoha's current top publicity figures, so the request was passed, making it even more absurd. Therefore, Qi's household now has someone who's more like a full-time maid than a cook...
But this does not mean that Qi will be happy about this...
Thinking about it, it makes sense. Originally, this house was a place where Ogata could relax without restraint because he was often away on "business trips." But now there's someone else there, who is not only "camping out" at home all the time, but is also a woman about his age. Although she has no ill intentions, it's enough to make him feel restricted.
It wasn't that he hadn't considered firing the other person, but just as he was about to do so, the Third Hokage happened to appear at his doorstep. After a conversation, he never mentioned the matter again.
Of course, these are all things that need to be considered. The truly important matter for Konoha right now is only one thing.
" The Fourth Hokage of Konoha has been chosen, and the inauguration ceremony will be held today, you know that, right?"
Picking up a bowl, Ogata casually grabbed the sake jar next to him, filled the bowl to the brim, and downed it in one gulp.
"I know, it's because Minato has been in power for four generations. I voted for him too."
Qi wasn't very interested in alcohol; he took a sip of the hot tea that Yuki Chiyo had brewed for him.
"You still call him senior brother?"
Ogata glanced at Yuki Chiyo to the side and said indifferently,
"You have nothing to do with Orochimaru anymore, so don't call him that anymore."
" Orochimaru, huh...?"
Qi suddenly felt as if he had forgotten something important...
"You're lucky. At least you were already Danzo's disciple before he defected, so no one has a reason to cause you trouble."
Ogata looked at Qi with a half-smile.
" Orochimaru has a female disciple who, although she didn't run away with Orochimaru and seems to have been used as Orochimaru experimental subject, is still being questioned by some people in the village."
"What is this? Taking advantage of the chaos to carry out factional purges...?"
Qi showed a look of disgust upon hearing this.
"Maybe I should suggest to my teacher that we throw all these infighting guys in jail!"
"Save those words for when you take command of 'Root.' At least your teacher is one of those guys you mentioned who likes infighting."
Ogata chuckled, clearly not believing that Qi's words had any power.
"Don't make such harsh remarks if you don't actually have your own people. It'll only make you a laughingstock. But..."
He paused, then glanced at Yuki Chiyo, who remained expressionless, seemingly oblivious to everything.
"If you can successfully bring back some of your clansmen next month and train them into excellent ninjas, then you will have a certain amount of power. For example, protecting one of Orochimaru's abandoned disciples will be a piece of cake."
"I don't need to insure her; she'll be fine anyway."
Qi's expression darkened.
"And how many clansmen can be brought back depends on how far the Feudal Lord of Fire and the Feudal Lord of Water can negotiate."
Perhaps, for the sake of his people, he should use his knowledge of certain events in the original story to do something that would influence the future, even though it would lead to greater uncertainties. But for the sake of his people, it would still be worthwhile...
At the very least, if he didn't do this, he definitely wouldn't be able to take back the Kaguya Clan, who were still being closely watched by Kirigakure. Unlike the already "extinct" Yuki Clan, the Kaguya Clan hadn't gone through the "extinction" process yet. As expected, the Feudal Lord of Water would definitely not agree to the Land of Fire's request to take the clan away.
But this was indeed the only chance for the Kaguya Clan to survive. Otherwise, if Kirigakure were to make its move a few years later, everyone in the Kaguya Clan, except for Kimimaro was spared because of Orochimaru, would be wiped out...
"Alright, although I don't know what you're thinking, I advise you not to do anything unnecessary in this regard."
Suddenly, Ogata wiped his mouth, stood up,
"Let's go, it's time to attend the inauguration ceremony of the new Fourth Hokage."
"Oh..."
Qi, whose thoughts were interrupted, also remembered the most important matter at hand. He quickly finished his porridge in one gulp and followed Ogata toward the door.
Of course, he didn't forget to greet Yuki Chiyo...
"Well then, Chiyo- nee, we'll head out now."
"Yes, young master, please take care."
Yuki Chiyo maintained a businesslike demeanor, and her use of "Young Master" clearly indicated that she had no intention of changing anything because of Qi's suggestion...
Qi was at a loss about this. This full-time maid was practically a robot. Although her service was top-notch, talking to her was incredibly stressful.
He shook his head helplessly, waved to Yuki Chiyo one last time, then walked out of the entrance hall and closed the door.
"Young Master Qi..."
Yuki Chiyo remained standing in the same spot, expressionless, staring at the closed door, muttering words that Qi, who had already left, could not possibly hear.
"I truly hope you can rebuild my people..."