Chapter 10 The Uchiha Clan's Mentality is in Problem!
"What did you say?"
Kushina's eyes widened in disbelief. Based on her understanding of Mikoto, the latter was a lively but gentle person with little desire for fighting, and she had a strong sense of belonging to the Uchiha Clan.
Logically speaking...
Mikoto would find it difficult even to commit murder.
Even enemies are no exception.
Not to mention the Uchiha Clan.
"Is there some misunderstanding here?" Kushina asked, frowning in confusion.
"I don't know about that. The Konoha Military Police Force is investigating. But if I had to guess, Uchiha Mikoto is basically doomed this time," the man said, shaking his head.
I want to go see her!
Kushina walked forward without thinking, but she was stopped by the Uchiha Clan members not far away.
"You can't go in," the man said again. " The Konoha Military Police Force has already intervened in the investigation. You'll only get in the way. This has nothing to do with you, don't make trouble for yourself!"
"..."
Kushina fell silent. She was not a reckless person, and she knew very well that if she wanted to go in and take a look, she would have no way to break through the Uchiha Clan's obstruction on her own.
In an instant.
She started thinking quickly.
Araki immediately came to mind.
He turned and quickly ran towards the center of Konoha.
Araki followed Minato into a restaurant. The dishes had just been served and were quite plentiful. The two knelt facing each other, neither of them speaking first.
After remaining silent for a while, Minato couldn't hold back any longer. After all, he wasn't a truly taciturn person; he was just a little quiet, but essentially an extrovert.
" Araki, if we were to spar again, who do you think would win?" Minato suddenly asked. This question had been troubling him for a long time. He had originally thought that there would be many more opportunities to spar in the Ninja Academy, but he never expected that after that spar, they would never fight again.
"You."
Araki blurted out almost without hesitation that he didn't care about winning or losing at all. He considered the so-called sparring to be just a formality and had no desire to compete for such trivial matters.
Even if Minato were to ask, and even if he were to actually challenge Araki to a fight, Araki would still ensure his victory.
"Ah?"
Minato was stunned. He hadn't expected Araki to not even think about it. Upon hearing this answer, he felt no joy, but rather an inexplicable sense of frustration.
Immediately afterwards.
Silence fell once again.
Minato stared quietly at the sushi on the plate in front of him. He didn't touch it, but he felt something was off.
He clearly admires Araki.
Furthermore, the two cooperated very well when they were fighting over the bell.
but...
There's just a feeling that our personalities clash.
He sat in front of Araki, unable to utter a single word, and even felt that he could sit in silence with Araki like this for an entire day.
If it were Kushina, he felt they could talk about it all day!
This feeling was very strange, and even he himself couldn't explain what was going on. Now he was sitting here, thinking about how to liven up the atmosphere, but he found that he couldn't find any topics to talk about at all.
All I could think of were those obviously unfamiliar, stereotypical, and superficial remarks, like the one I just made.
"You're all here!"
Just then, an urgent voice rang out; it was Kushina rushing over.
As soon as Kushina's voice came out, Minato's eyes lit up, and he looked sharply toward the doorway. Even before he looked, he had already recognized Kushina's voice.
At the same time, Araki's attention also fell on Kushina, and a big question mark popped into his mind: Wasn't she supposed to be having dinner with Mikoto? How come she's here so soon? Do girls eat that fast?
" Araki!"
Kushina's gaze immediately focused on Araki. She quickly walked up to Araki, her face looking extremely grim.
" Mikoto's in trouble!"
"Huh?" The question mark in Araki's head grew even bigger.
"What happened?" Minato was very concerned, especially seeing Kushina's anxious look, and felt a pang of heartache for her.
"I'm not entirely sure what happened either. When I arrived at the Uchiha Clan, I saw a large crowd gathered there. After making some inquiries, I learned that Mikoto killed someone, and it was someone from the Uchiha Clan. The Konoha Military Police Force is currently investigating!" Kushina said urgently.
"I see..." Araki said, somewhat bewildered, "Since the Konoha Military Police Force has investigated, we can just wait for the results."
"Yes, the Konoha Military Police Force will definitely find out the truth!" Minato nodded in agreement, reassuring her, "Don't worry, the Konoha Military Police Force won't wrong Mikoto!"
"I feel like something's not right about this!"
Kushina's brows furrowed tightly. Her expression did not improve at all because of Araki and Minato's words; she still looked extremely solemn.
"I sensed from the Uchiha Clan members that they all seem convinced that Mikoto killed someone. Their eyes are filled with intense anger. I feel that if we don't do something, Mikoto may have no way to back down in this matter!" Kushina said in a deep voice.
"It's alright, don't worry," Araki said calmly. He didn't need to know the specifics of what had happened. After all, he had watched the Naruto anime. Even though the Uchiha Clan had already been wiped out at the beginning, Mikoto's fate wasn't something that could be predetermined by something like this.
He was absolutely certain that at that moment, Mikoto was completely innocent. She later became Uchiha Fugaku's wife and gave birth to Uchiha Itachi, who would influence the Uchiha structure.
If we deduce backwards from the result...
Mikoto would never kill anyone at this moment!
Otherwise, there would have been no follow-up...
etc!
What happened next...
Araki suddenly remembered the way Mikoto looked at him. Based on his experience, he knew it was definitely not a simple look of admiration.
After some events, their paths have crossed to some extent. It's like a butterfly flapping its wings; the future has quietly changed after the present has evolved.
Who knows what might happen!
At least from the outcome perspective, Mikoto is definitely innocent, and her personality wouldn't allow her to commit murder. But whether this injustice can be redressed, to be honest, Araki isn't very sure. After dealing with the Konoha Military Police Force several times, he found that the Konoha Military Police Force wasn't as powerful as he had imagined, and was more like a bunch of people who were just using the power of others to bully others.
They're not much different from some people in the real world who abuse their power.
" Araki, I'm serious. I really think something might be wrong. I don't trust the Konoha Military Police Force. Mikoto is my best friend. You have to help her!" Kushina's voice became more anxious, and her eyes pleaded.
"Should we go take a look?" Minato felt even more distressed.
"Alright, let's go take a look then." Araki nodded and said, "However, we're just going to observe. If the Konoha Military Police Force can handle it properly, it's best if we don't meddle."
"If it were just the three of us, we wouldn't be able to get in at all. The Uchiha Clan won't let me in, otherwise I would have just asked about Mikoto's whereabouts," Kushina said, shaking her head helplessly.
"This is indeed a problem!" Minato clearly recognized the issue as well, nodding slowly before turning to Araki and saying, "Based on the information we have so far, this incident occurred within the Uchiha Clan, and the Konoha Military Police Force has already intervened. Even the higher-ups of Konoha can't easily handle this, let alone us."
"Just call Jiraiya-sensei," Araki said with a slight smile.
"Oh, this..."
Minato was stunned. He hadn't expected this outcome at all. However, after Araki brought it up, he realized that it was a very good idea.
Jiraiya-sensei's identity is not simple. He does not hold an official position in Konoha, but he is renowned as one of the legendary Konoha Sannin and a disciple of the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi. It is not impossible for the Uchiha Clan to give him face.
only...
Here's the problem.
"How are we supposed to find Jiraiya-sensei?" Minato asked, voicing his biggest question.
Since they parted ways, Jiraiya-sensei has been gone and can't be found anywhere. Uchiha Mikoto's situation seems urgent again, and there are clearly some problems that can't be solved so quickly.
"That's not difficult..."
Araki smiled enigmatically and said, "Before Jiraiya-sensei left, he said he was going to gather materials. There's only one place he could go: a hot spring resort. There's only one hot spring resort in Konoha, that Mountain Lodge. So Jiraiya-sensei must be there."
"How did you know?" Minato's lips twitched slightly, and his gaze toward Araki changed slightly. In fact, he had always regarded Araki as a rival and had been secretly competing with him. However, as he learned more and more about Araki, he gradually found that he understood Araki less and less. It was as if this person could always say something that he did not understand.
" Minato, go directly to the Mountain Lodge to find Jiraiya-sensei and take him to the Uchiha Clan. Kushina and I will go first. If I'm not mistaken, the scene where Mikoto supposedly committed the murder is still there. We might be able to find some clues. If we go too late, we'll really have no way to defend ourselves," Araki instructed Minato directly.
"..."
Minato was stunned. He didn't really want to go; he wanted to go with Kushina. But seeing Kushina's anxious look, he knew that the sooner they got there, the better.
"I'll go right away."
Minato got up and left, paying for the uneaten dishes before he left. Judging from this gesture alone, he was still the same gentle and warm-hearted man.
"Let's go."
Araki stood up and gestured to Kushina, then the two walked together towards the Uchiha Clan's territory.
Actually, if it were in the past, Araki definitely wouldn't have cared about this matter; he would have preferred to have fewer and fewer problems.
but...
Some things are beyond our control.
There are a few things about this that Araki couldn't do anything about.
First, Kushina said that Mikoto was her best friend, and he didn't doubt that. Kushina had known Mikoto since Kushina came to Konoha, and the two of them spent a long time together. Just for that reason alone, he had to help her. After all, in his heart, Kushina was already one of his own.
Secondly, the butterfly effect has already begun. If the original historical trajectory had been followed, it would have been Minato who rescued Kushina from the Kumogakure ninjas. But now it has become him. Therefore, the history of the Uchiha Clan may have been rewritten, and many things have changed. This made him realize that things regarding Mikoto may have also changed.
Thirdly, Araki had dealt with the Konoha Military Police Force and found that these people were not very capable and might actually do something wrong, or rather, they had already done quite a few wrong things.
Fourthly, and finally, although Araki sensed Mikoto's many purposeful tests during their time together, wasn't he also using Mikoto? Even regarding the Explosive Tag, Mikoto bought him many blank tags, and he even tricked Mikoto into believing he had nothing to do with the previous case. If Mikoto Mikoto truly wronged, and he helped Mikoto clear her name, then it wouldn't be a bad thing for him.
In a short time, Araki immediately realized the above points and quickly made a decision to go and see the Uchiha Clan.
Not long after.
Araki and Kushina then arrived at the Uchiha Clan's territory.
Just as Kushina had said, many members of the Uchiha Clan had gathered here, which should have been a very lively scene, but now it looked lifeless and cold.