Gentō was stunned by what he heard.
Minato was famously good-tempered. For him to outright tell someone to leave, he had to be genuinely angry.
But all Gentō had done was ask a question, hadn't he?
Kushina also looked embarrassed as she asked:
"Gentō, why did you ask that?"
Gentō went over his question again and again before finally realizing the problem.
A handsome young stranger had shown so much interest in another man's wife, even asking when his child would be born...
Any other man who didn't beat him to death probably qualified as good-tempered.
Gentō hurried to explain:
"Wait! Minato, you've misunderstood."
"I received intelligence that someone will exploit the weakening of the seal during Kushina's childbirth to seize the Nine-Tails! I asked because I needed to confirm the timing!"
Minato froze.
Kushina froze too.
After a moment, Minato's expression softened, and he nodded apologetically:
"I see. I misunderstood. I'm sorry, Gentō."
Gentō muttered inwardly, Actually, you don't need to apologize. I've already seen your wife naked...
Minato pondered for a moment, then stood up:
"This is too serious. It concerns not only Kushina and our child, but the entire village. I must report it to Lord Hokage immediately."
"I'll be right back!"
Before his words had faded, his figure flickered and vanished.
He had probably left using Flying Thunder God.
Only Gentō and Kushina remained in the room, staring at each other.
Now, whenever Gentō saw Kushina, he couldn't help recalling the images of her bathing that he had seen through the system.
Even though Kushina was fully dressed now, his head was filled with images of her naked and in a bikini...
Minato's abrupt departure had caught Kushina off guard as well.
Things immediately became awkward.
Fortunately, Kushina broke the awkward silence first:
"As for when the baby is due, the hospital said in a month."
A month left?
Then I still have some time to prepare.
Gentō nodded.
The two chatted a little longer.
A moment later, the air rippled slightly, and Minato reappeared.
Minato looked at Gentō solemnly and said:
"The Lord Third takes this very seriously and wants to ask you about it in person."
Gentō immediately nodded.
That was exactly what he wanted.
Getting Konoha High Command to take the matter seriously was undoubtedly the most effective approach.
Gentō followed Minato and Kushina to the Hokage's Office.
When they opened the door, several people were already seated inside.
The Lord Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat at the head, a pipe between his lips.
Beside him were the two advisers, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.
Shimura Danzō sat in a corner, half his face wrapped in bandages, leaning on a cane.
As soon as Gentō entered, Hiruzen spoke:
"Gentō, you received intelligence that someone intends to seize the Nine-Tails?"
Gentō nodded:
"Yes, Lord Third. And this person possesses a Sharingan from the Uchiha that has fallen into outside hands."
Hiruzen's expression shifted slightly.
He knew that the Sharingan could control tailed beasts.
He paused, then asked:
"How many of them are there?"
"One."
"One?"
Hiruzen's brow furrowed deeply.
"Konoha has nearly ten thousand active ninja, with multiple layers of defense provided by the barrier, the Anbu, and the police force. Who could break in single-handedly?"
Utatane Koharu scoffed as well:
"Do you even hear yourself? One person intends to breach Konoha? Do you think we're all just wooden dummies?"
Gentō frowned:
"The Ninja World has had ninja powerful enough to shake an entire village on their own. Madara Uchiha and the First-didn't both of them change the course of battles single-handedly?"
"Those are things of the past."
Mitokado Homura interrupted him unhurriedly.
"Where would you find such a legendary figure in today's Ninja World?"
Hiruzen also spoke:
"As far as I know, there truly is no one like that in the Ninja World today."
"Hmm... do you have any more information?"
Gentō considered for a moment, then decided to reveal more information to make his case more convincing:
"This person comes from a mysterious organization in the Land of Rain. Its name is Akatsuki."
"Akatsuki?"
Danzo spoke up immediately.
His tone was full of disdain:
"That little organization in the Land of Rain was wiped out years ago by Hanzō and me. Its leader is already dead!"
"And as far as I'm concerned, Akatsuki was nothing more than a bunch of naive children clamoring to end war through peaceful dialogue. They are no cause for concern whatsoever."
Gentō looked at him:
"Danzo, that organization hasn't disappeared. Instead, it's been growing in secret..."
"Enough!"
Danzo raised a hand to interrupt him.
"Do I need you to lecture me about something I handled personally?"
Gentō took a deep breath and could only turn to Hiruzen:
"Lord Third, this enemy really is dangerous. We absolutely cannot let our guard down!"
Hiruzen sighed and looked at Gentō:
"Then how do you think we should respond?"
Gentō had already prepared his answer and immediately said:
"First, we need to move Kushina to a secret location outside Konoha to give birth, so the enemy can't find her."
"Second, evacuate Konoha's civilians. Even if the Nine-Tails is released, we'll have room to deal with it without causing mass civilian casualties."
"Third..."
"Enough!"
Danzo interrupted him again.
"Do you have any idea how much manpower and resources evacuating the civilians would take? Do you know what it means for a jinchūriki to leave the village?"
"If the Nine-Tails leaves Konoha and the enemy exploits our vulnerability to invade, can you take responsibility?"
Gentō stared at Danzo, refusing to back down:
"What if the Nine-Tails really is released?"
"Who will take responsibility for the civilian casualties then?"
Danzo's gaze darkened:
"If the Nine-Tails really is released, the Anbu and Root will handle it. Konoha has ways to deal with tailed beasts."
"As I see it, you're simply trying to use the Nine-Tails incident to win the Uchiha more influence in the village!"
Gentō's eyes turned cold.
"Danzo, I'm talking about the Nine-Tails, not fighting you for power!"
"Heh."
Danzo sneered.
"Then tell us, how is one person supposed to breach Konoha? With a pair of Sharingan?"
He made no attempt to hide the contempt in his voice.
"Konoha isn't a village that can be led around by the nose by some unsubstantiated intelligence."
"And we certainly don't need you Uchiha telling us what to do!"
Fury surged through Gentō. His Sharingan activated instantly, its three tomoe turning slowly as a chilling wave of killing intent bore down on Danzo.
"Danzo! Say that again, I dare you!"
Danzo's expression darkened, and he immediately reached for the ninja tool at his waist.
The atmosphere in the office abruptly froze.
"Ahem!"
Hiruzen coughed heavily and slammed a hand on the desk.
"Both of you, stop!"
He looked at Gentō, his tone softening slightly:
"Gentō, I understand how you feel. But evacuating the civilians and moving the jinchūriki involves too much to be settled with a few words."
"How about this? On the day Kushina gives birth, I'll personally arrange for the Barrier Team to put up defenses, and the Anbu will guard the surrounding area. If the enemy truly dares to come, they'll find that Konoha is no pushover!"
Before you continue