In Konoha: Choose One of Three at the Start

"Kushina, we're heading out!"

"Ah! You're leaving?" Kushina looked a little downcast.

"Yeah! Why don't you come back with us?" Liuyun suggested, mischief glinting in his eyes.

"I can't! I can't!"

Kushina shook her head, sadness on her little face.

"Grandma Mito said she'd teach me Sealing Jutsu whenever I have free time. And she kept coughing last night!"

"I need to look after Grandma Mito today!"

"Cheer up, Kushina. We'll see each other again tomorrow!"

Mikoto stepped forward, took Kushina's hand, and comforted her.

"Mm-hmm! Don't worry, Mikoto. I'm not as fragile as you think! I'm going to be the first woman Hokage!" Kushina clenched her fist to encourage herself.

"We know, we know!" Liuyun stepped forward, ruffled both girls' hair, and smiled.

"Well then, future Lady Hokage, Mikoto and I are off. Call us if anything happens!"

"Bye!" Kushina waved, then turned and jogged back inside.

"Let's go too!"

Liuyun and Mikoto exchanged smiles. He took her soft hand, and they headed home.

What's this?

Liuyun frowned as he sensed four faint gazes on them.

The four presences were unfamiliar. A thought crossed his mind, and he had his answer.

Shinobi from Kumogakure?

"Uchiha Liuyun! Lord Hokage wants to see you!"

An Anbu operative suddenly appeared before Liuyun.

"Fine. But I'm taking Mikoto home first," Liuyun said flatly.

"No. Lord Hokage wants you there now. Please don't make this difficult for us."

The Anbu operative's voice was cold, his eyes devoid of emotion.

"And if I insist on taking Mikoto home first?"

Liuyun narrowed his eyes, his voice just as cold.

If he hadn't spotted the Cloud Ninja, he would have gone with the Anbu operative to see Hiruzen Sarutobi.

But he had spotted them, and they had watched him and Mikoto leave the Senju Clan Compound.

He was genuinely worried about Mikoto's safety.

"Uchiha Liuyun, please don't make this difficult for me," the Anbu operative repeated, a warning in his voice.

The tension sharpened in an instant.

"Liuyun, it's all right. Go see Lord Hokage. I can get home on my own."

Mikoto tugged at Liuyun's arm and spoke softly.

"I wouldn't feel safe leaving you." Liuyun shook his head. Then he spotted a familiar figure.

"Uchiha Jitu!" he shouted.

Uchiha Jitu was patrolling Konoha's streets. At the shout, he turned and saw a figure he knew—and feared.

"Come here!"

Uchiha Jitu was reluctant, but he had no choice. He was one of the few who knew Liuyun's true strength.

"Lord Liuyun! What can I do for you?"

Uchiha Jitu approached with an ingratiating smile.

The Uchiha behind him stared in astonishment.

Jitu was the clan leader's personal guard. His standing was far above theirs.

"Take Mikoto home safely."

"Of course! Rest assured, Lord Liuyun. I'll see it done!"

Uchiha Jitu immediately thumped his chest in assurance.

"Mikoto, go with him. He'll take you home," Liuyun said gently, looking down at her.

"Oh!"

Uchiha Mikoto nodded without thinking. She didn't know why Liuyun was making such a fuss, but she trusted that he had a reason.

"Let's go too." Liuyun watched Mikoto and the others leave, his voice icy.

He also glanced toward the four unfamiliar presences and committed each of them to memory.

He had no intention of exposing them. After all, this was an excellent shortcut to winning Kushina's affection.

If things went well, he might even get to reenact a certain classic scene tonight.

"Lord Hokage, what did you want to see me about?"

Liuyun knocked on the Hokage Office door and went in.

"Liuyun, I called you here to ask what you think of the teacher I arranged for you."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled warmly, like a neighbor making small talk. He hardly looked like the Hokage.

"You mean Tsunade?" Liuyun's mouth twitched, and displeasure spread across his face. "She's still asleep at home!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked taken aback. Given Tsunade's temperament, he could believe it.

"That can't be right. I spoke to her about it myself!"

"Last night, she ordered me to go to the casino and win money for her. Said it was a teacher's order! I won her five million ryo!"

Liuyun didn't need to say more. Hiruzen Sarutobi understood at once.

"Apart from that bad habit, Tsunade is quite capable."

Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a dry cough, sounding rather helpless.

All three of his students had their strengths, but each had a bad habit. He had agonized over that for quite some time.

"Don't worry, Lord Hokage. I know all that!" Liuyun looked thoroughly convinced.

"I heard you visited Lady Mito today."

Here it comes. Time to put on an award-winning performance!

"You mean that old lady? Grandpa Hokage, how did you know?" Liuyun widened his eyes in feigned surprise.

Grandpa? Do I look that old? Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth twitched.

He swallowed his irritation and reminded himself not to argue with a child.

He chuckled, showing his yellowed teeth.

"Grandpa has his ways. What did Lady Mito want with you?"

"It was Kushina's fault! She kept mentioning my name to that old lady!"

"We went to find Tsunade today. When the old lady heard I'd come, she called me over!"

Liuyun put on an indignant look.

"Oh? Was that all? Nothing else?"

"No!" Liuyun pretended to think, then shook his head.

"And how did Lady Mito treat you?"

"She was gentle and kind! Just like you, Lord Hokage. She even told me to call her Grandma Mito!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi understood. He pieced together what had happened and decided he had been too suspicious.

"Liuyun, remember: Grandma Mito is one of Konoha's highest secrets. You mustn't tell anyone about her, or you'll be punished. Understand?"

"Understood, Lord Hokage!"

"Good. Grandpa Hokage still has work to do. You may go."

He got his answers and dismissed me. That scheming old fox lived up to his reputation.

"Okay, Grandpa Hokage!" Liuyun called him that once more, then hurried out.

Lady Mito, please don't get any other ideas at a time like this.

The thought lingered in Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind after Liuyun left.

Once he had left the Hokage building and confirmed that no one could sense him, Liuyun's lips curled in a mocking smile.

That's it? Trying to outact me? All those palace-intrigue dramas weren't for nothing!

After that private jab, Liuyun returned to a street near the Senju Clan Compound. He stole a glance around and found that the four unfamiliar presences were still there.

He headed home. If his guess was right, the four Cloud Ninja would abduct Kushina tonight.

That night, a crescent moon hung high in the sky, bathing the Shinobi World in pale light.

A gentle breeze blew. Liuyun told Mikoto he was going out.

Dressed in a tight black outfit, he climbed a large tree and watched the street below.

This was one of Konoha's main streets. Anyone leaving the village would have to pass through it.

Before long, four furtive figures rushed past. One carried a sack on his back, and they sped in a single direction.

They were heading toward the Konoha Gate.

Liuyun followed at a leisurely distance. With his Chakra sensing, he had no doubt the person in the sack was Kushina.

Ding! Your future wife has been kidnapped. Choose an option!

1. Stop them immediately and defeat all the Cloud Ninja before you. Reward: a twenty-percent increase in physical abilities!

2. Let them go and give Minato the chance to rescue her. Reward: the title of Complete Idiot!

3. Wait until they leave the village, then defeat all the Cloud Ninja. Reward: maximum affection from Kushina and mastery of Hand Seals speed! (Eight seals per second.)

System, I'm not an idiot. Liuyun complained silently and chose the third option.

Even without the Hand Seals speed reward, maximum affection from Kushina made it worth choosing.

The four really were spies who had spent years hiding in Konoha. Near the Konoha Gate, they turned into a courtyard.

Liuyun sensed them moving swiftly toward the outskirts of Konoha.

A secret passage? Liuyun narrowed his eyes. They had prepared well.

As he murmured to himself, the four Cloud Ninja passed beyond the Konoha Gate.

Liuyun hesitated no longer. With a few swift movements, he vanished into the night.

Not long after he left, the old machine that was Konoha seemed to stir to life.

Anbu operatives emerged from hiding and raced through Konoha's streets, urgency on their faces. Several Root shinobi were among them.

Kushina was the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Her sudden disappearance was more than enough to alarm them.