I Am a Ninja / Politics (4.2k)

So much has happened without this old man knowing...?

Outside Konoha.

After hearing about Naruto's experience at the cinema, Kurama couldn't help murmuring:

[No wonder you've changed so much, brat. You used to be such an idiot.]

"Tch."

Naruto had just been feeling moved by his first step toward reconciliation, thinking himself truly noble, when a vein throbbed at his temple.

"Hey, you lousy fox, could you at least watch your mouth? You're seriously getting on my nerves."

[You're the last person who has any right to say that to me!]

"Hmph." Naruto pursed his lips. "So? Do you believe what I told you?"

[...]

Those were such embarrassing words for a fox to say!

Kurama ground his teeth a few times and grumbled for a while, but still couldn't bring himself to say it. He could only change the subject.

[Turn toward eleven o'clock. That Kalifa has changed direction again.]

"Tch."

Naruto understood that Kurama saying "Kalifa" was his awkward way of saying he believed him. Naruto still wanted to tease the fox a little, but since Kurama was helping him track her, he let it go.

He pushed off with his feet and changed direction, then created a Shadow Clone to wait there for the main force from Konoha behind him.

By now, Naruto had left Konoha and been racing along for about half an hour. According to the memories relayed by his Shadow Clone behind him, Konoha was in utter chaos.

[Naruto.]

After digesting the information, Kurama asked, [Even if you catch up to her, what are you going to do? You've been training for less than two months. Can you beat her?]

[Didn't you say that the people from that world are far stronger physically than Ninja, and might have Devil Fruit abilities, Haki, Rokushiki, and other skills? And that woman is a seasoned, high-ranking intelligence agent...]

"Oh? Worried about me?"

[As if! You little brat!] Kurama bristled. [I just think you're more agreeable than the Jinchuriki I had before. I don't want you to die too soon and leave me with nothing to watch... That's right! That's all!]

"Yeah, yeah." Naruto's lips curved upward. "You're right. As I am now, Kalifa is definitely a powerful enemy."

"But don't forget, Kurama. I'm a Ninja."

Naruto took his Forehead Protector from his tool pouch and tied it around his forehead for the first time in a long while.

"Fighting head-on is their world's style. We Ninja have our own way of fighting."

"Don't pick a fight with a Ninja," Naruto said with a smile. "And whatever you do, don't give a Ninja the chance to gather information about you... So she's the one who should be afraid."

[Wouldn't it be safer to wait for the Ninja from Konoha to catch up before you act?] Kurama asked, confused.

"You're right, but if they take over, they probably won't tell me what they learn."

Naruto spoke calmly. "I know this is a bit risky, but... I'd rather take control of the situation than passively accept whatever information other people choose to give me."

"Besides, this information might be important to both worlds... I absolutely can't leave it in someone else's hands."

...Is that so?

Inside Naruto, Kurama was, in a sense, like a worm in his stomach. For some reason, he felt that Naruto's explanation wasn't the whole reason he was acting this way.

He could sense that Naruto subconsciously felt a vague distrust toward Konoha. That was why Naruto didn't want to hand over control so easily—even if it meant taking a risk.

Thinking about it, that wasn't surprising. After all, no normal person would feel much affection for a group that saw him only as a [vessel] to be monitored...

Eight hours later.

Dusk was drawing near, and the orange-red sunset cast an uneasy golden glow over Konoha.

But in stark contrast to the deepening twilight, the entire village was under an unprecedented state of emergency, brightly lit from end to end.

Under the Third Hokage's personal orders, elite Anbu units were out in force, darting across rooftops and through alleys as they carried out the highest level of security checks.

Every entrance and exit to the village had been strictly sealed off. The Barrier Team stood ready, while Sensor Ninja searched in uninterrupted shifts, missing not a single suspicious trace.

At the same time, the Hyuga and Inuzuka clans, led by Hyuga Hiashi and Inuzuka Tsume, were conducting a thorough search.

The Byakugan no longer spared a thought for privacy. Their gaze pierced through walls and trees, leaving no corner unchecked.

Inuzuka Tsume led the Ninja Dog Squad through the path where Naruto had first been ambushed and the Forest of Death, where the battle had taken place, searching for clues.

The Ninja Dogs lowered their heads to sniff the unfamiliar scents left behind, trying to trace Kalifa's movements before she had been discovered.

In the Hokage's office, two elderly voices grew louder and louder.

"The Jinchuriki is getting more and more unruly! He actually dares to defy our orders! Not only has he refused to stop, he even left the village without permission!" Mitokado Homura slammed his hand on the table. "Does he have any respect for us at all?"

"Hiruzen!" Utatane Koharu said sternly to the Third Hokage. "Once the Jinchuriki returns to the village, we must strengthen our means of control!"

"But didn't Naruto do well by discovering the spy?"

Inoichi Yamanaka, who hadn't slept since last night, spoke up. "And could you please stop calling him the Jinchuriki? His name is Uzumaki Naruto. He's also a Ninja of Konoha."

"If he's a Ninja of Konoha, then he should obey orders! Only those who obey orders are Konoha Ninja!" Utatane Koharu replied coldly.

"...In this matter, I think Uzumaki Naruto's merits outweigh his faults. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't even know that a spy from that world had already reached our doorstep," Shikaku replied, clearly siding with his old friend.

"Hasn't it still not been confirmed that she's from that world?" one of the Jonin present interjected.

"According to Naruto's Shadow Clone and Hyuga Shinichi's eyewitness report, that woman had no chakra in any of her meridians, yet her body was absurdly strong. Those are clearly traits of people from that world," Shikaku said gravely. "There's almost no doubt about it. The enemy has already begun testing us."

"Even if that's true, so what?" Mitokado Homura pressed on. "Does that change the fact that the Jinchuriki acted without permission? He's an important weapon for maintaining Konoha's standing. If..."

"Enough!"

An old voice, but one with remarkable force, drowned out Mitokado Homura's rebuke.

Everyone turned toward the speaker, only to find that it wasn't the Third Hokage who had spoken so bluntly to the Hokage Advisor, but Maruboshi Kosuke, who had been sitting silently in a corner.

The small, stooped old man, who always carried a pot on his back and usually kept such a low profile that he seemed almost down on his luck, now stood straight as a pine. Even the lines of his face had hardened with the force of his expression.

"Show a little respect for your comrade! He's a person, not some kind of weapon!"

His metal left leg slammed against the tiled floor, sending cracks through it. "Or do I have to remind you that Uzumaki Naruto isn't just the Jinchuriki—he's also the orphan of the Fourth Hokage?!"

The old man's roar was like a lion's, leaving the two usually overbearing advisors ashen-faced and speechless.

At the same time, he had mercilessly torn away the unspoken cover that the Konoha High Command had drawn over the truth. Everyone was shocked that he had brought Naruto's parentage out into the open.

The decision to conceal Naruto's background had indeed been made to protect him. After all, his powerful father had killed far too many people during the Third Shinobi World War.

If word got out that he had left a child behind, many of his enemies would surely come after Naruto, using every means at their disposal to assassinate him. Even other villages might make a move. They could accept the existence of a Jinchuriki, but they might not accept Konoha producing a second Yellow Flash.

But as time passed, the secrecy surrounding Naruto's parentage took on increasingly complicated and sensitive overtones.

Naruto's poor treatment in the village and the subtle wariness toward those currently in power made it difficult even for those who knew the truth to discuss his background appropriately.

If they brought it up, it might seem as though they were using the "Former Heir" to question the current leadership's decisions.

If they didn't, many of the Fourth Hokage's former subordinates would be left with a knot in their hearts. On top of that, the Hokage had explicitly forbidden them from approaching Naruto. And so the matter became a thorn in the side of many, and gradually a taboo among Konoha's higher-ups.

In the past, everyone had been able to put up with it, more or less. Naruto's personality and talent had been far removed from the Fourth Hokage's, so many people had chosen to wait and endure things for the sake of themselves and their clans.

But lately, Naruto's behavior had changed, and his talent had begun to show. He increasingly reminded people of the leader of the past, drawing many eyes to him and stirring up ambitions in plenty of hearts.

To some extent, the current dispute stemmed from that.

Put bluntly, the Former Heir Faction was beginning to show signs of forming a faction, while the current beneficiaries of power were trying to suppress the trend. Naturally, their struggle came down to whether Naruto's actions were merit or fault, and whether he was first a Jinchuriki or first a Konoha Ninja.

After all, to Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, even if Sarutobi stepped down, as long as they recommended his successor, they could keep their seats on the so-called "Hokage on a revolving door, Council of Elders for life."

But if, a few years from now, the Former Heir Faction really did put Naruto forward as Hokage, would someone as young as him tolerate those two old relics—who had no affection for him, no shared interests with him, and even some old grievances—interfering as his advisors?

After all, during the Fourth Hokage's time in office, they had lost most of their say and become little more than decorations.

That period had been brief, but they had already had more than enough of losing power! They absolutely couldn't let history repeat itself!

Naruto was only twelve, so thinking this far ahead might seem excessive. But for political creatures, planning for the future was instinct.

Naruto's talent had already shown the potential to threaten them, and their assessment of his personality suggested he was highly unlikely to obey their every word.

If Jiraiya, Kakashi, and the Fourth Hokage's former subordinates really gathered around Naruto, then a few years later, when Naruto had grown up and gained real influence... it would actually be unlikely that he wouldn't become Hokage!

What's more, they knew perfectly well that the faction led by Jiraiya had never liked the two of them.

That was exactly why, at such a critical juncture, they were still relentlessly attacking Naruto over his actions. They wanted to force the indecisive Sarutobi to make a political commitment to punish Naruto and suppress the dangerous rise of these "Former Heir loyalists"...

Of course, if they could go a step further and place a Cursed Seal on Naruto, like the ones used within Root, to tighten their control over the Tailed Beast, they would be even happier.

Unfortunately, their plan wasn't complete when Maruboshi Kosuke jumped in, flipped the table, and threw off their rhythm... And there really wasn't much they could do about the old man!

He had been the Second Hokage's student, the Third Hokage's teammate, and the man who had cooked meals for the Fourth Hokage over the pot on his back. He had even lost his left leg saving the Fourth Hokage... With a record like that, even the two members of the Council of Elders couldn't throw their weight around and say whatever they pleased, as they normally would.

Maruboshi Kosuke might have been a Genin in name... but he had stayed a Genin because he didn't want to be promoted to Jonin. Who would underestimate the old man if they knew anything about him?

Sarutobi had tried to promote him to Jonin several times, only to be refused each time.

So, there was no denying it.

He was the ideal person to say something as sensitive as tearing away the cover.

"..."

The Hokage's office, which had been full of clamor just moments before, fell deathly silent. Everyone's gaze shifted involuntarily toward the old man sitting behind the desk, who had remained silent throughout.

"...We must show respect for our comrades."

Sarutobi spoke slowly. "We'll decide what to do about Naruto once he returns. Right now, the most important thing is to ensure his safety and protect the village!"

—He was smoothing things over again.

Seeing Sarutobi refuse to take a clear stance on any sensitive topic, everyone couldn't help sighing inwardly.

The Third's temperament had made life comfortable for everyone in peacetime, but now they were approaching a state of war... They would rather see their leader take a stronger stance.

The two advisors, however, kept quiet. No one understood better than them when to speak and when to stay silent.

"The search within the village is still underway," an Anbu reported. "But we haven't found any trace of the spy from the other world. We have caught quite a few spies from other villages, though."

"Also, some people from outside the village have already protested against our decision to seal off Konoha."

"We don't need to worry about that for now," Sarutobi said. "What about the squad tracking Naruto?"

"Lord Kakashi and Lord Might Guy haven't sent back any news. They're probably moving at full speed and have no time to report," the Anbu said, hesitating before continuing his report in front of everyone. "But the summoning beast belonging to the Jinchuriki's Surveillance Squad sent back a message ten minutes ago."

"Although Uzumaki Naruto left Shadow Clones along the way to point out his direction, they'll inevitably lose time. Unless the Jinchuriki stops, it'll be difficult for them to catch up for a while."

"...Understood."

Sarutobi waved to show that he had heard, then took a long drag on his pipe.

"Such troubled times..."

He sighed, forced himself to focus, and began issuing orders:

"Shikaku, adjust and strengthen the village's defenses... Notify the Daimyo of the situation... Send more members of the Sealing Squad to the rift... Activate the wartime contingency plan... Handle diplomacy with the other countries... Consider a Five Kage Summit..."

Out in the wilderness.

Kalifa had reached a waterfall far from any settlements. She had closed her eyes and used Observation Haki to sense her surroundings for a full ten minutes. Only after confirming there was no one nearby did she rub her temples and stop.

"So tired..."

Her expression betrayed her exhaustion. The journey itself hadn't cost her much stamina, but maintaining her Observation Haki while traveling had taken a heavy toll.

At least now she had temporarily shaken off her pursuers and could rest for a while...