Sudden News

The Third Hokage, with a pipe dangling from his lips, was puffing out clouds of smoke.

Through the swirling smoke, wrinkles had unknowingly crept across the Third Hokage's face, his temples were gray, and his emaciated body had lost its former robustness.

The position of Hokage represents not only power, but also responsibility. The entire village Genin and ordinary villagers, and there are countless matters to attend to every day. The Third Hokage is also extremely responsible. If it weren't for his robust physique, he might have collapsed from exhaustion long ago.

"Knock knock!"

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in!"

The voices of the Third Hokage also sounded much more weathered.

Katsuki pushed open the door and went in. The Third Hokage was sitting behind the table, while Kushina was sitting on the sofa in the reception area, her eyes red like a rabbit's, and two tear tracks could be faintly seen on her face.

This startled Katsuki.

"Sis, what happened?"

Katsuki walked over quickly, not even bothering to greet the Third Hokage, and looked at Kushina with concern. Her older sister, with her optimistic temperament, had never been seen crying in all these years.

"Katsuki..."

Kushina grabbed his arm, but the words she was about to say turned into sobs. She covered her nose with her other hand and sobbed, large tears streaming down her face. Her shoulders trembled slightly, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

"Sister, sister, don't cry. What happened? Tell me. Did that bastard Minato bully you? I'll beat him to a pulp." Katsuki frowned, her anger rising. She had been peaceful for two years without incident, but she had never neglected her training.

However, Kushina curled up like a hedgehog, nestled in Katsuki's arms, her frail body trembling slightly.

Katsuki's heart was burning with anxiety, but she didn't know what had happened, and she broke out in a cold sweat.

"Ahem, Katsuki," the Third Hokage spoke up at this moment, "You'll understand if you look at the report on the coffee table. In short, this has nothing to do with Minato."

At the end, he even clarified something for Minato.

He reached out with his free left hand and picked up the thin sheet of paper on the table. It contained only a few dozen words and he read it in two seconds.

Then he froze.

"This... this... is this really true?" Her usually nimble tongue seemed to be tied in knots, and she could barely utter a few words. Katsuki stared wide-eyed at the Third Hokage.

"It shouldn't be fake. This is intelligence brought back by one of our spies who Kirigakure. Mist Ninja this matter very well hidden, otherwise they wouldn't have only found out now..." The Third Hokage sighed. He was also very troubled by this matter. Just by looking at the siblings, he knew they were determined to cause some trouble.

Unfortunately, in this matter, no one dared to advise them to calm down.

On his desk lay the same thin sheet of paper, containing a few simple sentences that conveyed a very basic piece of information: there were still survivors of the Uzumaki Clan imprisoned in Kirigakure.

My head hurts!

The Third Hokage felt like his head was about to split open. He hadn't slept well for the past two days because of a lot of things going on. He had planned to go home and rest properly at noon today, which was the weekend, but then this happened. It was really a headache, both physically and mentally!

He hesitated for a long time, but finally brought Kushina and the Katsuki siblings over; there were some things he couldn't hide from them.

"Katsuki, I... I want to go to Kirigakure." Kushina sobbed.

What I feared most came to pass!

The Third Hokage slapped his forehead, pondering how to persuade Kushina to abandon such an idea. The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was running towards Kirigakure —was this a prelude to war?

"Katsuki, don't try to stop me. I absolutely have to go. Everyone in Uzushio Village... I absolutely, absolutely..."

Reaching out to stop Kushina from speaking, Katsuki slowly shook her head.

"Sister, don't worry, leave this to me, I'll handle it."

"Bang bang!"

Kushina grabbed Katsuki's right hand and bit down hard on his elbow, but it made a rather strange sound.

"······it hurts!"

Kushina covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face again. She glared at Katsuki with hatred, feeling as if she had bitten a rock, not a human arm.

"Sister, seriously, don't be angry. Leave this to me. Compared to your status as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, going to Kirigakure is much easier for me. Besides, if I want to run, I don't believe anyone but Minato can catch me," Katsuki gently persuaded Kushina. "Furthermore, my Earth Release is a perfect counter to the Water Minato Water Release that the Mist Ninja excel at..."

The Third Hokage were experiencing a complex mix of emotions at this moment, a blend of sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and salty, too numerous to describe.

As Katsuki to persuade Kushina, she felt increasingly distressed. It was as if Katsuki was already certain he was going to Kirigakure, and the way he spoke made it sound as if he were just going for a stroll around the village.

Heaven bears witness, to be honest, he didn't want to release either of these two brats. Even though Katsuki was already seventeen, in his eyes they were still children, and particularly unruly ones at that. Being unruly was one thing, but the key was that these two were the kind of self-inflicted disasters. Not only did they have unruly tempers, but they were also incredibly capable.

The destructive power of the Nine-Tails goes without saying. Just look at the nickname of the Heavenly Calamity and the glorious past achievements of Katsuki; they are not peaceful creatures. If they were to go to Kirigakure, the Mist Ninja probably be furious.

"·····"

Kushina lowered her head and remained silent. She had only spoken those words in a moment of excitement. As the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, she knew very well the extent of her sphere of influence. Unless she was mixed in with a large army, she could not even think about leaving the Land of Fire and its vassal states. The Nine-Tails... could not be lost!

But entrusting everything to Katsuki made her feel extremely uneasy. She could bravely venture into Kirigakure herself, but when it came to Katsuki, she couldn't help but worry. Human hearts are so complex and fickle.

"Katsuki, perhaps... we should just forget about it and think it over carefully Kirigakure is, after all, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages..."

"Sister, you don't need to say anything more. I'm absolutely going. No one can persuade me otherwise. Whether it's true or a trap, I have to go no matter what. The debt that the Mist Ninja owed us back then, we couldn't collect it before, but now it's time to settle the interest. This time, we'll make those cold-blooded lunatics of the Mist Ninja cough it up, principal and interest."

Katsuki's voice was as cold as a bone-scraping knife. Kushina was oblivious, only looking at him with worry. The Third Hokage, however, smiled bitterly. This little guy didn't want him to talk at all. No one could persuade him. He had already said such things. It seemed that there was really no way to persuade him back.

"But·······"

"There are no 'buts,' sister. Don't worry, I'll come back safe and sound," Katsuki said confidently.