The Last Record

The iron door at the end of the passage buckled under the Gray-Clad Ninja's impact.

Mitokado Homura knelt on the stone floor, Naruto's hand pressing down on his shoulder. Fine cracks spread beneath his knees. He tried to stand, but a layer of golden seals trapped the Chakra in his meridians, locking it down like cold iron.

By the time Jiraiya and Kakashi arrived, the fight was over.

It had ended before either of them could even make a move.

Jiraiya looked at the Scroll in Naruto's hand, his expression darkening.

"Is that the last record?"

Naruto did not answer. He tore off the seal.

Homura jerked his head up.

"You can't read it here!"

Naruto looked at him.

"You don't get to decide."

The Scroll unfurled.

Inside was not one ordinary record, but three documents stacked together.

The first detailed how the delivery-room route had been leaked.

The second was an appendix to the Uchiha Lockdown Order.

The third was a draft of the Jinchūriki Isolation Plan.

At the top was a handwritten note:

"These three matters are linked by cause and effect. If made public, the village will fall into chaos."

There was no name beneath it.

Only the internal seal of the Advisors' Office.

Naruto read the first document.

Biwako Sarutobi had originally confirmed the delivery-room route, but the final relocation route had been copied again two days before that night. Ryosuke Sarutobi had made the copy, and Mitokado Homura had reviewed it.

After the review, a duplicate entered the Advisors' Office.

Then came an unusual access record.

Root.

Danzo.

Uchiha Tekka's eyes deepened to a darker red.

"So the route went from the Advisors' Office to Root, then leaked out?"

Homura gritted his teeth and said nothing.

The Third Hokage stepped forward and put a finger on the review field.

His voice sounded older than before.

"Why?"

Homura knelt on the floor, his glasses crooked and his eyes bloodshot.

"I didn't leak it to the Masked Man."

Naruto looked at him.

"But you gave Root access to the route."

Homura raised his voice. "We had to make absolutely sure the delivery room was secure! Danzo controlled Root's intelligence. What was wrong with involving him in the outer defenses?"

Tekka sneered. "The outer defenses needed the complete route?"

Homura had no answer.

Naruto turned to the second document.

The appendix to the Uchiha Lockdown Order.

Its wording was even more direct.

"If the Nine-Tails shows signs of Sharingan control, the Uchiha Clan may be treated as a high-risk source. To prevent its members from reaching the Nine-Tails battlefield, the clan compound must be sealed off in advance. If the Uchiha attempt to leave by force, handle them according to the rebellion contingency plan."

Tekka drew his sword half an inch.

"In advance?"

He stared at Homura.

"You were preparing to lock down the Uchiha before the Nine-Tails went berserk?"

Homura fell silent.

That silence was clearer than any answer.

Jiraiya's expression turned grim.

He had known the village suspected the Uchiha. He had known tensions between the leadership and the clan ran deep. But "locking them down in advance" was nothing like "suspecting them afterward."

It meant they had already planned to exclude the Uchiha from the rescue effort.

They had even prepared to cast them as suspects.

Naruto kept reading.

The third document was the draft of the Jinchūriki Isolation Plan.

Beneath the title, it read:

"Objective: Ensure the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki becomes dependent on the Hokage system."

"Method: Conceal his identity as the Fourth Hokage's son, control whom he meets, restrict his financial independence, and preserve a small number of sources of kindness."

"Risk: Excessive provocation may cause Nine-Tails Chakra to leak. Long-term ANBU surveillance is required."

"Additional measure: Prohibit the Uchiha, Hyuga, and Sannin from maintaining long-term contact with the subject."

Jiraiya's face finally changed.

Prohibit the Sannin from maintaining long-term contact with the subject.

He whipped around to face the Third Hokage.

"Teacher, what does this mean?"

All color had drained from the Third Hokage's face.

He remembered fragments.

Back then, he had received advice from the Advisor. Jiraiya's investigations outside the village were more valuable. Naruto's identity had to remain secret, so too many people should not have contact with him. The Hyuga and Uchiha possessed dōjutsu, making it risky for them to approach a Jinchūriki.

Taken separately, those reasons had seemed sensible.

But assembled into a single plan, the answer was painfully clear.

They had not been protecting Naruto.

They had been cutting off everyone Naruto might have relied on.

Homura raised his head. His voice was hoarse but still defiant.

"A Jinchūriki must be controllable. You think it's cruel now because Naruto has grown strong enough to stand here and question us. If he'd gone berserk six years ago, the entire village would have died!"

Naruto rolled up the Scroll.

"But I didn't go berserk."

He walked up to Homura.

"I survived."

"People cursed me for six years."

"You locked away my parents' letters."

"You withheld my inheritance."

"You wrote me into a surveillance plan."

"And you still expect me to thank you?"

Homura's lips trembled.

He could not bring himself to say the words.

Naruto handed the three records to Tekka.

"Take them out."

Homura's face changed sharply.

"You can't make them public!"

Naruto looked at him.

"Everything you hid tonight will be made public."

Homura struggled violently.

"You'll destroy the village Minato died protecting!"

Naruto's gaze turned cold.

"Don't use my father against me."

He punched Homura in the face.

Homura flew backward and slammed into the iron door. His glasses shattered, and blood sprayed from his nose.

The Third Hokage opened his mouth, but did not try to stop Naruto.

Neither did Jiraiya.

A faint noise came from behind the iron door.

Kakashi immediately gripped his Kunai.

"There's someone behind the door."

Naruto walked over and pressed his hand against it.

Homura had already activated the seals on the door. If anyone forced it open, every Scroll box inside would burn.

Golden seals spread in rings from Naruto's palm.

The red runes on the door receded.

Click.

The iron door opened.

There was no enemy behind it.

Only a cramped secret room.

A table stood in the middle, holding twelve Scroll cases. Each bore a name.

Minato Namikaze.

Kushina Uzumaki.

Uchiha Fugaku.

Shisui Uchiha.

Kakashi Hatake.

Jiraiya.

Hiruzen Sarutobi.

And on one Scroll case:

"Naruto Uzumaki: Follow-up Growth Intervention Contingency Plan."

Naruto stepped inside and picked up the Scroll case.

Before he could open the case, the system's voice sounded in his mind.

[Main-Plot Suppression Plan detected.]

[Mission updated: Publicize the Growth Intervention Contingency Plan and shatter the Third Hokage's authority completely.]

Outside the passage, a commotion suddenly broke out above the Memorial Stone.

An Inuzuka Ninja shouted from the entrance.

"Trouble! A group of ninja is heading for Central Street!"

"They're after the Root archives!"