Justice on Everyone's Lips

Late at night, the Hokage Building was brightly lit.

The door to the Hokage's office opened, and Yagami followed Yellow Dog and Kurozaru inside, seeing the scene within.

The Third Hokage was smoking behind his desk.

On a sofa to one side sat Danzō and Mitokado Homura, and on the other side sat Clan Head Senju Rin.

Behind Senju Rin stood Dan Katō.

Dan Katō had long, silver-white hair and a stern expression.

Three Anbu entered the office and stood behind Danzō.

Yagami glanced around. Both sides looked grim; it seemed they had just finished arguing.

Danzō turned his head and said, "Yellow Dog, report on tonight's situation."

"Yes! Lord Danzō!" Yellow Dog replied.

"All the Cloud Hidden Village spies in the village were active tonight. Some created diversions elsewhere to draw the Anbu's attention, while others directly targeted the Uzumaki Princess. The Anbu responded immediately. The Uzumaki Princess's escort squad was intercepted by Cloud Ninjas, but the Black Gorilla Squad arrived in time and caught up with the Uzumaki Princess."

Yagami thought, This isn't right. Their Black Gorilla Squad was originally meant to pursue the Cloud Ninja spies I discovered. The way Captain Yellow Dog described it makes it sound like the Anbu were prepared.

Reporting it this way greatly reduces the Anbu's responsibility.

Yellow Dog continued:

"The Cloud Ninjas escaped through a hidden breach in Konoha's outer wall. They were caught up by the Black Gorilla Squad about a kilometer away from Konoha. All the Cloud Ninja spies were annihilated, and the Black Gorilla Squad rescued the Uzumaki Princess."

The Third Hokage nodded repeatedly. The Anbu's performance this time was excellent, cutting their losses in time.

Yellow Dog said:

"There are two reasons for the Uzumaki Princess being abducted. First, at 11 PM, the Uzumaki Princess was lingering outside the Senju Clan Compound, and no one came out to escort her back. Second, the Cloud Ninja spies were deeply embedded, with at least five of them, and no trace of them had been discovered beforehand."

Captain Yellow Dog was not only powerful but also a master at shifting blame. He didn't say the Anbu were entirely blameless, only that they hadn't discovered the five Cloud Ninja spies. This wasn't a serious offense. Konoha received so many people daily, with countless clients and tourists entering the village; it was impossible to screen out all spies. The Anbu's issue was minor, not even warranting an inquiry.

His first stated reason, however, was clearly pointing fingers. The Uzumaki Princess was abducted because she was out late at night, increasing the risk. As for why she wasn't going home, the Anbu claimed ignorance.

The Third Hokage looked at Senju Rin.

Senju Rin explained:

"Kushina hasn't fully adapted to Konoha yet. I told the clan that no matter what Kushina does, we should let her do as she pleases and not force her. She hasn't recovered from the clan's destruction and suffers from nightmares and insomnia, so she doesn't want to sleep in her room. I'm doing this to help her adapt faster and complete the Nine-Tails' sealing."

The change in the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was not something anyone in this room needed to hide. Leaving aside the higher-ups, the presence of the three Anbu members proved their trustworthiness as executors of the village's secrets. Dan Katō was a core member of the Senju Clan, and with his mastery of forbidden jutsu, he could display Kage-level combat power under special circumstances. The Spiritualist Technique was a forbidden jutsu for long-range sniping, possessing terrifying deterrent power.

Danzō spoke at this point:

"Clan Head Rin! If you can't manage the Uzumaki Princess, you can hand her over to the village! The village has better ways to manage the Uzumaki Princess! Letting the Uzumaki Princess do as she pleases? How could you come up with such a terrible idea? Lady Mito worked diligently for decades; did she ever make the village worry about the Nine-Tails? After the older generation of Senju passed away, they have increasingly disappointed the village. The Senju Clan's handling of the Jinchuriki replacement has been abysmal. If the Anbu hadn't reacted quickly tonight, the Uzumaki Princess would have been taken to the Cloud Hidden Village! Intelligence from the border indicates that the Cloud Hidden Village's infiltration unit has reached a point 60 kilometers from Konohagakure. Had it been half an hour later, Konoha would have permanently lost the Uzumaki Princess, the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki! I propose stripping the Senju Clan of their guardianship over the Uzumaki Princess and placing her directly under the village's supervision. I believe Sarutobi Biwako would be an excellent candidate; she is a powerful medical ninja and has raised several children, making her fully capable of taking care of the Uzumaki Princess!"

Senju Rin looked at Danzō, then at Mitokado Homura, and finally fixed his gaze on Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's hand, holding his pipe, paused in mid-air, unsure why Senju Rin was looking at him like that.

Senju Rin spoke slowly:

"Brother Hiruzen, I still remember the scene when I met you at the entrance of the clan compound as a child and took you to see my father.

Back then, you were the older brother who patiently guided me in ninjutsu.

I admired you so much that even though Father and Uncle Tobirama treated you far better than they treated us cousins, I never harbored any resentment.

When did the conflicts between us grow so large? So unbearable?

When you became Hokage, my Senju clan fully supported you.

But why did you increasingly target my Senju clan?

Brother Hiruzen, how long has it been since you visited the Senju clan compound, since you saw your godmother, my mother?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent.

Indeed, how long had it been since he last visited Godmother Mito?

His wife, Biwako, went often. Biwako was Uzumaki Mito's personal physician, constantly monitoring her physical condition.

It seemed everyone was waiting for Uzumaki Mito's death.

The greatest tragedy for an old person was to see the expectation of their own death in others' eyes.

It seemed that if they died, many problems would disappear.

Sarutobi Hiruzen thought carefully; only Uzumaki Mito had such a broad and open mind. How could an ordinary old person endure such a situation?

When the news of the Uzumaki clan's destruction arrived, Uzumaki Mito must have been heartbroken, living in turmoil every day like Uzumaki Kushina.

The replacement of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was imminent.

Mitokado Homura spoke at this moment:

"Clan Head Rin, the village is absolutely not targeting the Senju clan, nor is it targeting any ninja clan.

The current issue is that the Uzumaki Princess, as the Jinchuriki, should always prioritize the village.

To put it plainly, we are very worried right now.

The Uzumaki Princess was raised by the Senju clan and instilled with incorrect concepts, making her consider the Senju clan in everything she does.

The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is too important. If her development goes astray, it will lead to severe problems.

The Jinchuriki of Iwagakure and the Jinchuriki of the Cloud Hidden Village, due to their animosity with their respective villages, had their minds controlled by the Tailed Beasts, causing riots within the villages.

Jinchuriki are too susceptible to harboring hatred.

There can be no mistakes in the training of a Jinchuriki!"

Yagami watched with great interest until the end. The disputes among the higher-ups were too amusing.

They all spoke of righteousness, yet none could convince the other.

Senju Rin's expression turned grim. Mitokado Homura had exposed the most irreconcilable point between them.

Was the Nine-Tails the Nine-Tails of Konohagakure, or the Nine-Tails of the Senju clan?