One by one, the Nine Masked Beasts emerged from the magma. Hua Yue silently tucked away the scrolls Vermilion Bird and Genbu had been holding in their mouths, then turned his gaze toward the Land of Wind.
"Is that so? They can't even keep an eye on a hostage over in the Land of Wind... Oh well, it has nothing to do with me."
With a flicker, the figures dissolved into clouds of white mist. The Nine Masked Beasts vanished, leaving only the crimson magma flowing quietly through Mount Kikyo.
Meanwhile, the scrutiny and whispers, both open and hushed, left Uchiha Fugaku at a loss for words.
He couldn't claim he didn't know him. As the captain of the Konoha Military Police Force and the head of the Uchiha Clan, who would believe he didn't recognize one of his own clansmen?
But if he got it wrong and that guy came back, wouldn't that be even more embarrassing?
Fortunately, Fugaku's awkward predicament didn't last long. The sound of unapologetic footsteps rang out, followed by a black kunai and a figure that made Yuhi Shinku's face light up with relief.
"Kurenai! Are you all right? Kurenai..."
"Only the shockwave from the Tailed Beast Bomb grazed my leg. The Medical Team can treat it in a bit, and I'll be fine."
"And it was rude of you to say you didn't recognize me. Minato-sensei, we saw each other at the Third Hokage's prewar address, remember? Honestly."
Once the mask was removed, the leaders and heads of Konoha's great clans all stared in surprise. Wasn't this the Uchiha Hanazuki who had graduated from the Ninja Academy only recently, after doing something indecent in front of the Third Hokage?
What was going on? How had he suddenly become so strong? Who had taught him the Flying Thunder God Technique?
"Hanazuki? So it was you. Did Lord Third send you to reinforce us?"
"No. Orochimaru-sensei asked me to accept the Third Hokage's assignment. I was only responsible for the battlefield against the Sand Ninja, and came over to take a look after that fight ended."
His smile was bright and his voice utterly sincere. Those honest words only left everyone speechless, numb and unable to recover for a long while.
"Hanazuki, does that mean you managed to hold off Chiyo, the Kazekage's advisor from the Land of Wind?"
Facing Minato's question, Hanazuki admitted it calmly.
"That's right. One of my summoning beasts is specifically suited to counter puppet users, so the battle went unexpectedly smoothly."
"The Kazekage's advisor? Are you serious? You're not joking, are you?"
One shock after another left Yuhi Kurenai glancing around instinctively, searching for answers in the faces of the Chunin and Jonin, and her own father.
"Have they arrived already?"
She turned her head slightly. A group of Konoha Medical Team members hurried over, led by a petite woman: the current head of the Konoha Medical Team, the "Wandering Miko," Yakushi Nonō.
"Where are the wounded? You, treat the critically injured first. After you've given the others emergency bandages, come help at once. Triage them by red, yellow, and green priority."
"Nonō-nee, this patient's injuries are a little unusual. I'll leave her to you."
A flicker of delight passed behind her Toad Goggles, as though she had finally set down a heavy burden. Nonō nodded firmly and examined Yuhi Kurenai's injuries.
"Thank you so much. If not for you, I wouldn't have known how to explain this to her mother."
The Konoha Jonin Yuhi Shinku, with black hair and red eyes and a face somewhat like Kurenai's, gave a small bow. The worry in his eyes lingered.
"It's all right. Kurenai and I are friends. She only hurt her leg; she'll recover after some rest."
Nonō smiled gently and nodded, confirming the injury wasn't serious. Only then did Shinku relax. He turned to look at Hanazuki.
"You're quite close with Kurenai? You only graduated this year, and you're two years younger than her—not much of an age gap."
Hanazuki frowned at that. This father seemed to be having some dangerous thoughts.
"Sorry to interrupt your conversation. I'm going to borrow this kid for a while, Shinku."
A steady, efficient voice sounded behind them. Uchiha Hanazuki turned around, and the first thing he saw was the Flame Fan on the back of a black cloak.
"Lord Fugaku... Understood."
Yuhi Shinku walked over to Yuhi Kurenai and quietly asked her something.
Lying flat on the ground, Yuhi Kurenai managed to turn her head and look at the Flame Fan on the back of that black cloak. Her whole body felt feverish and weak, as if she had come down with a bad cold.
"Is something the matter, Lord Fugaku?"
"Uchiha Hanazuki, your strength and talent qualify you to join the Konoha Military Police Force and formally take part in the clan council..."
Before Fugaku could continue, Hanazuki raised a hand to stop him, his tone even.
"I refuse. I'm about to begin proper training with Orochimaru-sensei, and I have no plans to serve in the Konoha Military Police Force for now. As for the clan council, we can talk about it after my training is over."
Fugaku's brow furrowed slightly. He fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Orochimaru-sensei, huh? I should congratulate you. To be taken on as a student by Orochimaru of the Sannin is no small thing. With a little experience, you might become a shinobi every bit his equal."
As they talked, Fugaku glanced at Namikaze Minato. Their eyes met; after a slight nod, Fugaku's gaze held a hint of expectation.
"The Uchiha Clan and the village need a bond between them. Your talent and circumstances mean you're destined to become a key link between the village and the clan."
"Whatever you need, ask the clan. But remember, you're one of the Uchiha. Uchiha blood flows through your veins... No, you're destined to be an Uchiha who awakens the Sharingan."
Fugaku kept talking to himself, occasionally glancing at the boy beside him, without noticing the indifference and disdain in Hanazuki's eyes.
"Lord Nonō! Lord Nonō! Please look at this child. His brain seems to have suffered some kind of shock, and he's lost his memory."
Hanazuki heard the quiet words. Turning slightly toward the distance, he saw the white-haired boy brought before Nonō by a medical ninja.
"Hanazuki, there are a few things I'd like to ask you about Mount Kikyo..."
Namikaze Minato and Nara Shikaku came over to Hanazuki, wanting to ask for details about what had happened on Mount Kikyo. Uchiha Fugaku also remained where he was, eager to learn what the mountain was like now.
"Mount Kikyo? There's no Mount Kikyo anymore. That really was the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki's Tailed Beast Bomb. It leveled the entire mountain and left a huge crater. If you'd taken that head-on, there'd have been no saving you."
Hanazuki sounded astonished, with no hint of pretense. Just like that, all the blame landed on Killer B.
"What about the Fourth Raikage? What happened to Rasa and that Scorch Style Ninja?"
"They retreated. When the Tailed Beast Bomb was fired, I turned it in another direction. He got hit by his own attack—it must've hurt. Poor guy. Heh."
Nara Shikamaru's mind stalled for a moment. After his brain had spun furiously for a while, he finally fell silent and murmured,
"So... we won?"