Aftermath

Gloomy and dark.

A terrifying aura spread through the room.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in his chair with a sinister look on his face, staring at the uneasy girl before him with an evil smile.

"Third Hokage, your smile is so creepy." Kushina looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with undisguised disgust.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile froze.

"Aren't you afraid of going blind, sitting around at night without even turning on the lights?"

Kushina did not care how he felt. She walked straight to the door and switched on every light in the office.

Who was he trying to scare by sitting in the dark?

"Just like Grandma Mito said, I need to watch out for an old pervert like you!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi could barely keep his expression under control.

An... old pervert!?

He stroked the beard on his chin. He did not look old enough to be called an old man, did he?

He was in the prime of his life.

Even Biwako said he was looking younger and younger.

But what exactly had Uzumaki Mito told Kushina!?

Why had his reputation suffered such terrible damage?

He was a famously good Hokage.

"Ahem." Hiruzen Sarutobi cleared his throat twice to hide his embarrassment, putting on a kindly smile.

It did seem like he had gotten a little older.

"Kushina, can you control the Nine-Tails now?"

He had been at home eating sukiyaki and singing when he suddenly sensed the Nine-Tails' powerful aura. He had been so shocked that he rushed out before he could even finish his meal.

He had not even gotten to eat the sukiyaki Biwako had carefully prepared.

He hoped Biwako would not make him sleep on the couch tonight.

"That stinking fox you mentioned is infuriating." Kushina's face was filled with resentment.

Hiruzen Sarutobi grew interested.

"How so?"

It had been better before he asked.

The moment Kushina mentioned the Nine-Tails, she launched into an endless tirade.

"Wasn't it just that I poked him in the rear with Adamantine Chains last time? He's been ignoring me ever since, and he's even stingy with his Chakra."

"Gasp!" Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately pictured the scene. A sharp pain seemed to shoot through a certain area, and he sucked in a cold breath.

The Nine-Tails had quite a good temper.

Kushina continued grumbling.

"Today was even worse. I only took a little Chakra from him and fired off one Tailed Beast Bomb, but he actually strengthened the seal himself. Now I can't even find him if I want to, and the Chakra he gives me is pitifully small too. That stingy stinking fox."

He used to throw out Chakra by the handful, but now he refused to give her any no matter what.

Hiruzen Sarutobi smacked his lips twice. Wasn't a Jinchūriki supposed to borrow Chakra from their Tailed Beast? How had it turned into outright robbery?

He rather sympathized with the Nine-Tails.

It had never suffered such torment inside Mito.

Still, he had confirmed that Kushina really could control the Nine-Tails.

It was quite a pleasant surprise.

When Mito had been around, the Nine-Tails had put in appearances without putting in effort. And Mito's status had been too high for him to dare make use of her.

But Kushina was different. Wasn't she a combat asset he could requisition at any time?

Of course, her own strength could not be too weak either.

He could discuss that with Jiraiya later.

What mattered now was—

"Alright! Kushina."

Hiruzen Sarutobi cut off Kushina's complaints. In summary, Kushina had portrayed herself as completely innocent while the Nine-Tails was heartless and unreasonable.

All he saw was a bandit robbing someone, then turning around and blaming the victim.

A stern expression appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face.

"From now on, the use of Tailed Beast Bombs is strictly forbidden within the village."

That one blast today had wiped out half a forest.

Fortunately, Jiraiya and the others had acted quickly. Otherwise, they would all have been affected. It would have been troublesome if any of them had escaped.

The news that Kushina was a Jinchūriki could not end up on the desks of the other hidden villages.

"Got it, got it." Kushina looked impatient. She had not planned to use it anyway.

Did this old pervert really need to tell her?

"So naggy."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face stiffened. This little girl truly needed a good lesson.

But he was a magnanimous adult, after all.

Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a deep sigh.

"Alright, you can take your teammates and go home."

Kushina curled her lips and muttered, "Dirty old pervert!"

"Don't think I didn't hear that!!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi roared.

Kushina hurriedly ran out.

The moment she left the office, she saw Uchiha Jin leaning against the wall and staring at the ceiling, while Minato Namikaze paced by the door.

Only after seeing Kushina emerge did Minato Namikaze finally breathe a sigh of relief. He stepped forward and asked with concern.

"Kushina, are you alright?"

After all, a whole group of shinobi had suddenly appeared and brought them to the Hokage's office.

No matter how one looked at it, it seemed like something had happened.

"It's nothing major."

Kushina turned her head aside. She did not know whether the two of them had seen her use the Nine-Tails' power.

She had mainly kept it hidden out of consideration for Minato Namikaze's feelings. Though he was rather effeminate, he was quite competitive and had always been trying to catch up to Uchiha Jin.

She had seen Minato Namikaze training desperately by himself many times.

She had been afraid of provoking him, which was why she had chosen to hide it.

As for Uchiha Jin—

To hell with him!!

Jin suddenly snapped back to his senses and turned to stare hard at Kushina.

"I have this feeling you were cursing me in your head."

Was that even a question?

"Hmph!" Kushina snorted and raised her chin high.

If Minato Namikaze had not been here, she would definitely have shown Uchiha Jin why flowers were red!!

Their grudge was far from over.

Jin picked at his ear, then turned to Minato Namikaze. "Minato, you're way too weak."

Kushina's eyes widened as she stared at Uchiha Jin. Did he know why she had been hiding it all this time?

It was to spare Minato Namikaze's feelings, yet he had actually said it outright.

A red glow shone in her eyes, and her hair began to float.

Jin sneered disdainfully.

Who was afraid of whom?

They had been rubbing their lovey-dovey behavior in his face.

Did they really think he would not retaliate?

Minato Namikaze also became dejected. After all, it was the truth.

More importantly, weren't his two teammates a little too monstrous?

"Come to the secret base tomorrow. I'll teach you something useful."

Jin added another sentence.

Minato Namikaze was a genius, but he had not grown yet.

To prevent Hiruzen Sarutobi from pulling some other stunt, they needed to improve the team's overall strength.

Minato Namikaze still had room to grow.

Hokage's office.

After the noisy voices outside gradually faded away and disappeared—

A cloud of smoke suddenly rose in the office.

Jiraiya appeared within it, kneeling on one knee before the Hokage's desk.

"Lord Hokage, the brains of those shinobi were destroyed. No useful memories can be extracted."

When it came to serious matters, duty took precedence over their teacher-student relationship. Jiraiya addressed himself as a subordinate.

Jiraiya's words made Hiruzen Sarutobi frown.

Such methods of destroying the brain were not something an ordinary small shinobi village could manage.

"It seems to be the work of one of the great villages. Iwa, Suna, Kumo, or Kiri—which one do you think it is, Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya had already considered the question.

"There were no distinctive techniques, so it can't be confirmed. But Kirigakure is unlikely."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. Among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Kirigakure excelled most at assassination and Water Release. Their other shinobi were relatively few and counted as scarce resources. They would not sacrifice them merely for the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.

After all, it was a mission with a near-certain death rate, and their failed outcome had already been confirmed.

The other three villages were all suspicious.

Of course, it was also possible that Kirigakure had made such sacrifices to frame someone else.

The possibility existed, but it was unlikely.

"Jiraiya, prepare to head to the front lines."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed.

Who had done it was no longer important. The situation was becoming more and more tense.

White Fang had already led people through many offensive and defensive battles against Sunagakure.

Iwagakure had also been making more moves recently, and someone was needed to guard against them.

As for Kirigakure, that was the Uchiha's responsibility. There was no need to worry.

"Hm? What about my students?"

Jiraiya was not afraid of going to the front lines. He simply had not been teaching his students for long, and going to the front lines now would leave him no chance to help them grow.

"Your students will naturally go with you."

"Do they have to face war this early?"

Jiraiya's tone was hesitant.

He did not want to bring his three students onto the battlefield just like that. The battlefield was not exactly a good place for growth.

Even he could not guarantee that he would survive.

Much less three genin.

Though these three genin were rather strong.

Hiruzen Sarutobi saw Jiraiya's hesitation. After all, it was his first time leading a genin team.

"They will have to face it sooner or later. But there is no need to rush. You can leave when spring comes next year."

Winter was gradually approaching.

Even if the other shinobi villages had plans, they would not launch a major attack during winter.

Winter.

It was the season when all things froze.

And amid the growing chaos, it was a rare period of peace.

"During this time, you need to help them grow properly. Tsunade should be fairly free right now, and isn't Orochimaru teaching Jin? You should also pay more attention to Minato."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke earnestly.

"Yes."

Jiraiya answered solemnly.

Jiraiya vanished from the spot, leaving behind only a patch of white mist.

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his smoking pipe and took a deep drag, slowly exhaling a cloud of smoke.

In the darkness, a shadowy figure appeared and disappeared. A man wrapped in bandages stepped out.

He had been there the entire time.

"Hiruzen, hand the Nine-Tails over to me. I will make her the village's strongest weapon."

Shimura Danzō spoke in a low, slightly hoarse voice.

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not look at him. Instead, he rose and walked to the window, gazing at the village outside, where few lights were lit.

His voice drifted over.

"You know that is impossible."

The Nine-Tails was the village's most important strategic weapon. It needed to remain in his hands.

"You will regret this," Shimura Danzō said coldly.

A Jinchūriki with emotions would only be driven by those emotions, incapable of fulfilling their greatest potential.

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at him.

"I am the Hokage."

Shimura Danzō's expression did not change, but his left hand clenched into a fist, veins bulging across it.

Because of a moment's hesitation, he had lost his chance to become Hokage.

He took a deep breath and steadied his emotions.

"Then give Uchiha Jin to me. I'll train him into a blade to use against the Uchiha."

Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated.

He did not want to see Uchiha Jin grow stronger, yet the boy's talent had already revealed itself.

Jiraiya would not agree either.

"If he agrees to it himself."

"I'll make him submit."