Three Desks in the Hokage's Office
Hidden Leaf, 9:17 AM.
The corridor of the Hokage Tower.
Naruto walked ahead, with Konan half a step behind him.
The dark blue ninja sandals were two sizes too big for her feet, making a soft "click" sound with each step.
The office ninja in the corridor looked up and saw the unfamiliar woman with short blue hair. His gaze lingered on her face for less than a second before quickly shifting away—probably because he sensed the oppressive aura emanating from the blond boy that forbade him to look at him directly.
The office door was open.
Tsunade sat behind her desk, holding neither a wine glass nor any files.
He interlaced his fingers, supporting his chin, his knuckles red from gripping them so tightly.
Shizune stood to her right, holding Tonton in her arms, her expression as stiff as a board.
Kakashi leaned against the window frame.
The orange comic book was tucked into my fanny pack; I didn't take it out.
When this person stops reading, it means the matter is serious enough.
All three people's eyes fell on the doorway at the same time.
Naruto stepped inside.
Konan followed behind.
The air in the office felt suffocating, as if someone had choked it.
"Sit."
Tsunade's voice was forced out through clenched teeth.
One word.
Naruto didn't sit in the spot Tsunade to.
He reached out and dragged an empty chair next to him to Konan's side—the wooden leg scraped a white mark on the floor—and then plopped down on it.
Crossing your legs.
Hands in pockets.
Lean back against the chair back.
Konan stood for two seconds, then sat down under everyone's gaze.
Keep your back straight, knees together, and hands on your lap.
Her Chakra has not fully recovered.
Sitting in this room, she was the weakest of all.
But her eyes didn't look away.
Tsunade's lips moved.
"A member of Akatsuki, an S-rank missing-nin, has appeared in the core area of Hidden Leaf."
Every word slammed onto the floor.
"Naruto, according to the rules—she must be controlled."
"I understand the rules."
Naruto's tone was even more casual than Tsunade's.
"How to control it is something we can discuss."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a fourth set of footsteps came from the doorway.
Not the Anbu.
The person who arrived was wearing a gray-black short-sleeved shirt, and his face was so ordinary that he would be easily lost in a crowd.
He wore a bronze badge on his waist that only the Hokage and the leaders of the Anbu could recognize.
Root's messenger ninja.
He didn't go inside.
Standing outside the threshold, hands hanging at his sides, his voice sounded like it was scraped from his throat, "Danzo proposes—to seal the target's entire Chakra, transfer him to an underground interrogation facility, and have the Yamanaka Clan assist with mental reading to extract all the Akatsuki's intelligence."
He paused for a moment.
"The target itself can be preserved as leverage in subsequent negotiations with Amegakure."
Chips.
Save.
These two words were like two nails, simultaneously piercing the spine of someone in the office.
Konan's fingers curled slightly.
Scraps of paper drifted out from her sleeve.
Silent.
Extremely fine.
The white fragments hovered half an inch in the air, like her body's instinctive defensive reaction—thirty years of combat muscle memory, faster than consciousness.
Her lips were pulled into a tight line.
Naruto turned his head and glanced at Konan.
Her profile was serene.
But he was sitting close enough to see the vein behind her ear throb twice.
Thirty years.
She shielded Nagato from knives for thirty years in Hidden Rain.
Even after arriving in Hidden Leaf, some people still wanted to treat her like an object.
"Smack."
It wasn't slamming the table.
It was Naruto's palm that slammed into the edge of Tsunade's desk.
The entire tabletop cracked outwards from the point of contact, creating a half-inch-long fissure. Wood chips bounced up and landed on Tsunade's hand.
The office fell silent.
The pupils of the Root ninja who was giving the order contracted.
Naruto didn't stand up.
He didn't even lift his buttocks off the chair.
He simply withdrew his hand after slamming the table and put it back in his pocket.
"If she wants to cooperate, then we'll discuss it based on the people she wants to cooperate with."
The sound wasn't loud.
It even carried a hint of laziness.
"She's leaving, and I'll keep an eye on her myself."
His azure eyes swept over the gray-clad ninja at the doorway.
Like looking at an ant blocking the way.
"But she is not a spoil of war, nor is she anyone's bargaining chip."
"Go back and tell your master—if you want to take someone from me, bring enough coffins first."
The gray-clad ninja's Adam's apple bobbed once.
He did not answer.
Turning around, the footsteps disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Tsunade stared at the crack on the table.
Her temples throbbed three times.
I want to swear.
I want to throw this table, along with myself, out the window.
But she didn't.
Because half of what Naruto said was on her behalf.
Danzo, that rat, stretched his arms too far.
"You'll act as guarantor."
Tsunade's voice was very low.
"If anything goes wrong, I'll take your head."
"OK."
Naruto smiled.
It wasn't a polite laugh.
It's the kind of smile that says, "You can carry it first, then we'll see."
Tsunade picked up the seal on the table and stamped it onto a blank document with a "smack".
"Konan is temporarily listed as a protected witness in Hidden Leaf. Her activity is restricted to the Uzumaki Estate and a radius of 500 meters. She is not allowed to leave the village."
Konan's eyelashes fluttered.
Protect witnesses.
Not prisoners of war.
Not an experimental subject.
It's not a bargaining chip.
Yes, a witness.
She turned and glanced at Naruto.
The expression on his profile had returned to its usual nonchalant state.
It seems like he wasn't the one who smashed the table with that slap just now.
"I have conditions."
Konan spoke up.
All eyes turned to them.
"I can hand over the Coordinates of some Akatsuki, including three abandoned communication stations and two active supply lines."
Her voice regained its steady tone.
It wasn't the cold, steady kind.
It's the composure of someone who has worked in intelligence for thirty years, finally speaking their mind.
"But I only talk to Naruto and Tsunade."
His amber eyes swept over Kakashi by the window, then glanced towards the doorway.
"No third-party presence allowed. No intervention from any mental Ninjutsu. No memory reading allowed."
Tsunade frowned slightly.
"What gives you the right—"
"Based on what's in my head."
Konan interrupted her.
"You want to know the weaknesses of the Six Paths of Pain, the division of labor within the Akatsuki, and the timeline for the Tailed Beast capture plan."
She paused for a moment.
"I know all that, but I only trust two people."
His gaze lingered on Tsunade's face for a second.
Then turn to Naruto.
There was a three-second pause.
Tsunade leaned back in her chair.
He tapped his fingers twice on the table.
"... OK."
Kakashi, standing by the window, opened the intelligence notebook in his pouch.
It's not a novel.
It's the latest compilation urgently delivered by the Anbu intelligence department last night.
"Speaking of capturing Tailed Beast— " His voice sounded a half-tone deeper than usual.
He turned to a certain page in the intelligence book and held it up to show everyone present.
The names are listed above.
One-Tail Shukaku – Gaara.
It has been marked as "high priority" by the Akatsuki.
Two-Tails Matatabi -- Yugito Nii.
Recent intelligence indicates that Akatsuki members have been spotted around Kumogakure).
Three-Tails to Seven-Tails.
Some sections are marked "Confirmed Locked".
Ninth line.
Nine-Tails – Naruto Uzumaki.
Status: Pending.
Naruto's gaze fell on his own name.
No one spoke in the office.
He tilted his head slightly.
The corners of his mouth slowly curved upwards—not a smile.
It is the reaction of a predator when it smells the scent of its own kind.
"They've got their eyes on me?"
He stood up from his chair.
Hands in pockets.
He turned and walked towards the door.
That's perfect.
The footsteps were so light that it didn't sound like someone who had just seen the kill list.
"It saves me the trouble of searching for them one by one."
The door closed behind him.
There was a five-second silence in the office.
Kakashi closed the intelligence notebook.
"... Is he serious?"
Tsunade rubbed her temples.
When has he ever not been serious?
(Amegakure. Tower. Day 4 of the downpour.)
Deva Path Pain's six bodies had all stood up.
The concentric patterns on the Rinnegan rotated one revolution faster than yesterday.