After the three annoying old men left, the Third Hokage sat in his chair, looking at the portraits of the First Hokage and Second Hokage on the wall.
Minato knocked on the door just as the Third Hokage began handling paperwork. The Third Hokage invited them in.
"Minato!"
The Third Hokage smiled and took a puff from his pipe. Seeing Minato's sunny face and vibrant energy, the Third Hokage knew his persistence had been worthwhile.
People grew old, and they died. If he and Danzo and the others never aged or died, young men like Minato would never get the chance to be entrusted with important responsibilities.
When you were old, you had to make way for the next generation!
Minato didn't bring up what had happened with Liao Wu again. His teacher, Jiraiya, had already explained the details to him.
Liao Wu had blown himself to pieces, and not a trace of his Forbidden Technique would leak out.
Minato had come to the Hokage's Office to request a posting to the front lines. In the Ninja World War, Mist Village was now the only opponent Leaf Village had left.
Mist Village had never fought a Decisive Battle against Leaf Village. Instead, it kept harassing the Land of Fire along the coastline, which had thoroughly vexed Leaf Village's leadership.
Minato's exceptional mobility was undoubtedly a key asset against Mist Village's raids. With Minato away from the front lines, Mist Village had regained its momentum over the past few days.
The Third Hokage tapped on his desk and nodded. "All right, Minato. Sorry for the trouble. Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru are all a handful. Leaf Village has to rely on a young man like you to shoulder the burden."
Minato rubbed the back of his head and smiled awkwardly.
The Third Hokage looked at Kakashi, standing behind Minato. His face was blank, as if he were a shut-in, lost in his own world.
The Third Hokage offered him some comfort. "Kakashi, your left eye carries the bond you shared with Obito. You can't spend the rest of your life lost in grief over his death."
"I understand, Hokage-sama!"
Kakashi nodded.
The Third Hokage noticed that Rin seemed to have something to say but was holding back because of her position, so he asked, "Rin, go ahead and ask whatever you want. I'll answer you."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Rin voiced the question that had been troubling her. "Did Lord Liao Wu really kill his fellow villagers to research Forbidden Techniques? Lord Liao Wu was such a kind person. I often saw him feeding stray cats."
The Third Hokage sighed. Officially, Liao Wu's death had been declared a suicide at Kannabi Bridge, where he had taken his own life out of remorse for his grave sins.
It was a way of preserving some dignity for Liao Wu and the Uchiha Clan.
The Third Hokage stood up and looked out the window toward the Uchiha district. "Rin, if you want to truly understand someone, looking with your eyes isn't enough. People are complex, living beings. How can you claim to understand someone based on only one angle, one side of them?"
"Perhaps Liao Wu was kind, but he could also become cruel in pursuit of his ambitions."
The Third Hokage thought of Orochimaru, a shadow crossing his brow. After Tsunade and Jiraiya returned, they had both suggested that Anbu investigate Orochimaru.
Anbu's report mentioned that Orochimaru had been eager to obtain Liao Wu's Forbidden Technique.
For years, Orochimaru had been secretly researching something on his own. Human experiments and Forbidden Techniques—he had probably dabbled in both!
But they couldn't make wild accusations without evidence. At this critical juncture, with the war still ongoing, they could only placate Orochimaru, not push him too far.
After Minato left with Kakashi and Rin, the Third Hokage called to the Anbu in the Hokage Building:
"Lian Chuan, go get Jiraiya."
"Yes!"
After Jiraiya entered the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage said helplessly, "Jiraiya, don't disguise yourself as Liao Wu to flirt with young women next time. You'll only make Anbu suspicious."
Jiraiya changed back to his original appearance and gave an awkward laugh. "Well, that kid was handsome! When we were kids, he loved turning into me and sneaking into the Female Bathhouse to steal the girls' underwear."
The Third Hokage took a puff from his pipe, his heart sinking a little. With Liao Wu dead, Jiraiya might be the one most devastated.
They had been such close friends back in school.
Jiraiya had even considered letting Liao Wu sign Mount Myōboku's Summoning Scroll, but the Third Hokage had snuffed out the idea because of the political risk posed by Liao Wu's being Uchiha.
"Jiraiya, Liao Wu is dead. You need to grow up."
"Yes, Liao Wu is dead."
Jiraiya seemed dazed and lost in thought, but soon he straightened up. "Old man, why did you call me here?"
"Mist Village is the only one making trouble on the front lines. Cloud Village, Iwagakure, and Sand Village clearly don't want to fight anymore. It makes no difference whether I go or not, does it?"
The Third Hokage tapped his pipe against the desk. "I didn't call you here to send you to the front lines. I want you to secretly investigate Orochimaru."
"..."
Jiraiya was startled, and his expression turned unusually serious. "You've noticed something's wrong with Orochimaru too?"
The Third Hokage nodded. "After Orochimaru came back, I ordered him to rest at home. Instead, he attacked and injured the Anbu I sent after him. No one knows where he went."
"We can't afford to confront Orochimaru head-on at this critical time. It's up to you, Jiraiya."
Jiraiya nodded. "All right, I'll investigate Orochimaru. But, Sensei, if Orochimaru really has developed a Forbidden Technique like Liao Wu's, will you deal with him the same way you dealt with Liao Wu?"
"..."
The Third Hokage was at a loss for words. He suddenly realized he wasn't as impartial as he'd thought.
His own student simply wasn't the same as someone from the Uchiha people.
Jiraiya didn't press the Third Hokage any further. "What about Tsunade? Where did she run off to?"
The Third Hokage followed Jiraiya's change of subject. "Tsunade? She came by the day before yesterday and gave this old man an earful. She's probably off gambling somewhere."
"You three are all hopeless. Even a guy like you can give me peace of mind. I really can't compare to the Second Hokage."
Leaf Village's tavern.
Kushina accompanied Mikoto and Itachi as they went to find Tsunade, who was dead drunk.
Shizune sat beside Tsunade as her personal attendant.
Since Tsunade and Dan had never fallen in love, she had no reason to adopt Shizune. The Senju Clan had bought Shizune to serve as Tsunade's personal maid.
Shizune greeted Kushina and Mikoto politely. "Lady Kushina, Lady Mikoto."
Kushina ruffled Shizune's hair. "Shizune, we're here to see Lady Tsunade."
Shizune glanced at Tsunade, who was slumped over the table, and looked awkward. "I'm sorry, Lady Tsunade is—"
The three of them looked at Tsunade and didn't know what to say.
But Tsunade wasn't drunk at all. She sat up and glanced at Kushina and the others, focusing especially on Mikoto and Itachi.
Mikoto's eyes were a little red, as if she'd been crying. Though still very young, Itachi remained calm. His composure as a Ninja far surpassed that of Kushina and Mikoto, both Jonin.
That made Tsunade take a closer look at Itachi.
Mikoto began, "Lady Tsunade..."
Tsunade waved her off. "I know what you want to ask. Come outside with me!"
As they walked along the commercial street in Leaf Village, Tsunade told Mikoto exactly how Liao Wu had died.
She didn't hide a thing, nor did she care that Kushina and Mikoto were close friends.
Kushina felt awkward after hearing the story. Liao Wu's case was classified, and Minato hadn't told her about it.
Her husband had killed her close friend's brother. How could they get along after this?
Kushina stole a glance at Mikoto. Mikoto lowered her head, but when she looked up again, her blood-red Three Tomoe Sharingan seemed ready to devour anyone who met her gaze.
Kushina jumped in fright.
"Mikoto—"
Mikoto quickly deactivated her Sharingan and apologized to Kushina. "I'm sorry, Kushina. I just... I just..."
Mikoto couldn't quite put it into words. It was as if she wanted to give voice to the sorrow buried deep inside her, and she could barely suppress the power in her eyes.
Love gave the Uchiha strength, but it could also make them lose the people they cherished most.
Itachi took Mikoto's hand and said firmly, "Mom, Jonin Minato did nothing wrong!"
"Itachi—"
Mikoto stared at the One-Tomoe Sharingan in Itachi's eyes, stunned.
Awakening it at such a young age was a testament to his talent, a source of Uchiha Pride—but also a kind of original sin!
Mikoto turned and looked at Tsunade warily.
Tsunade folded her arms and sneered. "You don't need to be wary of me. I've seen all kinds of geniuses."
Tsunade fixed her gaze on Itachi. "Kid, tell me: why did Jonin Minato do nothing wrong? He killed your own family member, didn't he?"
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