On the other side, after Hiruzen had seen Hayato and the other children off, a wave of emotion welled up inside him. His brows furrowed as he let out a long sigh.
"Today has certainly been one thing after another. Before one problem is settled, another comes along." His voice carried a hint of weariness and helplessness.
"Stay here for now. As soon as Asuma wakes up, send someone to notify me." Hiruzen gave the two Anbu members their orders, his tone leaving no room for argument.
The two Anbu members acknowledged the order. Once he had finished, Hiruzen turned and left Konoha Hospital, his steps heavy.
Back at the Hokage Building, he picked up his familiar pipe, packed it with tobacco, and lit it. He took a deep drag, and as smoke curled through the air, his eyes grew somber and distant.
As he puffed away, he replayed the day's events in his mind: first, the suspected kidnapping and disappearance of Kushina, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki; then, his son Asuma accidentally eating a poisonous mushroom.
It was enough to give him a splitting headache.
"Who was behind this? And what were their goals?" Hiruzen muttered, his brow furrowed. Determination shone in his eyes. "Whatever it takes, I'll uncover the truth!"
Before long, hurried footsteps sounded in the Hokage's office, and a ninja rushed inside.
He dropped to one knee, clasped his hands, and said respectfully, "Lord Hokage, a report from the front: Kushina's whereabouts have been found. The other squads are on their way to provide support."
At the good news, Hiruzen's spirits lifted. He stopped smoking, narrowed his eyes, and calmly asked, "Who did it?"
"Sorry, Lord Hokage. We only saw the signal flare and haven't met up with the others yet, so we don't know the details." The ninja answered truthfully.
Hiruzen gave a slight nod to show he understood. Then he issued an immediate order: "Send every Chunin-level ninja and above who has no mission in the village to provide support. Make absolutely sure Kushina is safe!"
The messenger nodded and hurried out of the Hokage's office.
Even so, Hiruzen's brow remained furrowed. He knew that a much larger conspiracy and danger might be lurking behind this.
"Which village was responsible? What are they after?" Hiruzen fell into thought again, resolve and vigilance in his eyes. "Whatever happens, I won't let Konoha be put in danger!"
Night fell. The Konoha Ninja moved quickly, and since the enemy had not yet left the Land of Fire's borders, the two sides soon met up.
Late that night, word finally came that Kushina had been rescued. Minato arrived at the Hokage's office with several ninja and reported what had happened to Hiruzen.
"Minato, we have you to thank for finding Kushina in time. You've done a great service!" Hiruzen said, his pipe in his mouth, his voice filled with approval and relief.
Minato replied modestly, "It was my duty, Lord Hokage."
"Then who were the enemy?" Hiruzen asked at once.
After a moment's thought, Minato spoke softly, calm light shining in his deep eyes. "Kumogakure."
Hiruzen's brow creased, and anger and concern showed in his eyes. "Kumogakure certainly has big ambitions!"
Hiruzen turned and paced back and forth across the office as he considered what to do. After a moment, he stopped, turned around, and ordered, "Invite the three Konoha advisors here. Tell them there's an important matter we need to discuss."
This could spark another major war, so they had to treat it with the utmost care.
Before long, the other three members of the Konoha F4 arrived at the Hokage Building.
Danzo pushed open the Hokage's office door and spoke, his voice edged with impatience.
"Hiruzen, what did you call us here for?"
He had already learned from his subordinates that the Jinchuriki had been kidnapped and had secretly sent people to track the kidnappers.
Unfortunately, Minato had beaten him to it. At the thought, he cast a meaningful glance at Minato, who was standing behind Hiruzen.
You little brat, you've ruined my plans! Danzo cursed silently.
"Yes, what could have happened to bring us here so late?" Koharu asked, looking puzzled.
She truly had no idea what had happened. She only held the title of advisor and had little real authority.
Put simply, she and Homura were advisors in name only; all they could do was offer their opinions.
Once everyone had arrived, Hiruzen gestured for the three of them to sit, then went straight to the point. "Kushina was kidnapped today."
At once, Homura and Koharu sprang to their feet, their faces full of shock. "What? What did you say? Something this serious happened?"
They had expected something serious to have happened when they were summoned so late, but they hadn't imagined it would be this serious.
Who was Kushina? She was Konoha's Jinchuriki! She was practically a nuclear weapon!
Now they were being told that someone had set their sights on Konoha's nuclear weapon and had even kidnapped her. How could they not panic?
Danzo, on the other hand, showed little surprise, since he had known about it already.
His composure caught Hiruzen's attention. Hiruzen gave Danzo a meaningful look, then pressed his right hand down to signal the other two to sit.
"Fortunately, our people found Kushina and brought her back safely," Hiruzen said, trying to reassure them.
Koharu and Homura both breathed a sigh of relief. Danzo, however, merely asked calmly, "Who did it?" He had gone straight to the heart of the matter.
Hiruzen turned to Minato and nodded for him to answer. Minato repeated what he had told Hiruzen earlier. "Honorable advisors, the people who kidnapped Kushina were ninja from Kumogakure."
"Damn Cloud Hidden! Are they trying to declare war on Konoha?" Homura shouted angrily, slamming his hand on the table as he stood.
"Hiruzen, what do you think? Should we go to war, or what?" Danzo went straight to the point as usual. Everyone turned their eyes toward Hiruzen.
The latter raised his pipe, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke. "I haven't decided yet. That's why I wanted to hear your opinions."
Now it was time for everyone to decide.
Minato tactfully left the Hokage's office. He had no business hearing what came next.
The Konoha F4 fell into a tacit silence.
After a brief pause, Homura was the first to speak, his reason returning to him.
"Although I'm furious about what Kumogakure did, Hiruzen, we've only just come through a war. This really isn't the time to start another one. If we do, I'm afraid the other villages will take advantage of the situation."
Koharu nodded in agreement. "Konoha really needs to recover its strength. We lost a lot of fighting forces in the war that just ended."
Hiruzen nodded in agreement, then turned his gaze to Danzo. "What do you think, Danzo?"
Danzo crossed his arms over his chest and replied calmly and firmly, "Even if we go to war, it won't solve this problem at its source."
Hearing that, Hiruzen's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
At last, Danzo revealed his true intentions.
"Give me the Jinchuriki, Hiruzen. I'll train her into a powerful weapon for the village, and make sure this never happens again. I'll keep her hidden and protected."
"You've crossed the line, Danzo." Hiruzen's voice grew noticeably firmer. "Kushina isn't a weapon of Konoha. She's a ninja of Konoha, a member of our village, and one of our family."
"You're too naive, Hiruzen," Danzo retorted without backing down. "If things continue this way, sooner or later the Jinchuriki will become uncontrollable. One day, she may even do something to harm Konoha."
"I won't let that happen," Hiruzen said, his voice resolute.
Danzo stood up and turned away, speaking coldly.
"You'll regret this, old monkey."
"I'm the Hokage, Danzo!"
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