Where did Minato, who upset Kushina, run off to?
Under Sakumo's arrangement, he took Kakashi and headed to Beichū Town.
Although Hiruzen had confidently assured them that he would handle the Fujiwara clan's problem himself, it was obvious that Sakumo had his own ideas.
At this moment, Beichū Town was bustling with activity.
Danzo denied any involvement in the extermination of the Fujiwara clan. Taking his word—for now—Hiruzen sent his eldest son, an Anbu squad leader, to investigate.
Danzo, seemingly aware of certain truths, also dispatched a Root team led by Aburame Tatsuma to verify whether things were as he suspected. If so, Tatsuma would handle the necessary clean-up.
If not...
Whoever dares pin this on Danzo better be ready for the fallout!
And then there was Minato and Kakashi.
Along with Takeshi and his loyal subordinates, Beichū Town was lively enough to host a Beichū Town Tournament.
Which is exactly what Takeshi was doing.
"Careful, this one's huge."
"Sorry, I win. All Simples."
Before Takeshi could brag for more than a moment, Kakuzu's cold voice completely deflated him.
"Have you no ambition, Kakuzu? All Simples again? Is that the only hand you know?!" After being intercepted three times with the exact same hand, Takeshi wanted nothing more than to slam an Ice Release jutsu into Kakuzu's smug face.
"As long as it makes money, the hand doesn't matter," Kakuzu replied matter-of-factly, earning approving nods from both Pakura and the unnamed healer.
"Damn it! You—go get the business side prepped!"
Knowing he couldn't win the argument, Takeshi decided to exercise his leader's privileges.
"Not before you pay what you owe," Kakuzu said casually, extending his hand toward Takeshi.
To Kakuzu, money was more important than anything else.
However...
Feeling the chill in the air and seeing the undisguised killing intent in Takeshi's eyes, even someone like Kakuzu—who valued money more than life—reluctantly gave in.
He had just barely managed to piece his heart back together and had no intention of losing a few more over a game of mahjong.
"I guess... we can put it on credit." He gave in, but not entirely.
A wise man adapts to the times. After spending time with Takeshi, Kakuzu had figured out his temperament.
In daily life, Takeshi came off as a cute, not-so-bright kid. But once he got serious—whether in anger or in battle...
He didn't hold back in the slightest.
He fought viciously, and his chakra reserves were absurdly high.
He'd hit you with some massive area-of-effect jutsu right to the face without blinking. No one could take that and walk away!
Thinking back to the three hearts he'd lost to Takeshi, the nearly ninety-year-old Kakuzu thought of a very fitting description: a sweet-faced demon.
What kind of normal person aims directly for the kidneys every time?!
Wait—
Glancing at Takeshi's height, Kakuzu suddenly realized the reason behind those low blows.
So that's why—he's just short—
"What are you thinking about, Kakuzu?"
Takeshi's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"I just remembered something happy."
"Pfft." Nearby, Pakura saw Kakuzu glance at Takeshi's height and then wear a look of realization. She instantly got it.
As Takeshi turned his gaze toward her, Pakura quickly stood up, waving her hands.
"I just remembered something happy too."
"You two..."
...
Just a moment ago, Takeshi had been dubbed a sweet-faced demon by Kakuzu. Now, he was kneeling properly on the tatami mat, wearing a shy smile.
Yes, shy.
If Kakuzu were here, he'd completely drop his act and burst out laughing.
Of course, anyone who could make Takeshi show that expression was definitely not your average person.
Lowering his gaze to the familiar face in front of him, Takeshi spoke softly.
"Ryōma-sensei..."
Takeshi considered his sensory abilities to be decent—maybe not on the level of a Senju like Tobirama, but certainly above the average jōnin.
But he hadn't even noticed when someone else entered the room—not until Aburame Tatsuma spoke.
Terrifying. As expected of Root's strongest operative.
"Takeshi-sama, your presence here confirms Danzo-sama's suspicions," Tatsuma said coldly, not relaxing at all even in front of Danzo's own son.
"Suspicions? What suspicions?" Takeshi genuinely didn't know which issue Tatsuma meant.
"The woman outside is Pakura of Sunagakure's Scorch Release, isn't she? Sunagakure claimed she was killed by Iwagakure before the Battle of Kikyo Pass. Yet here she is, by your side."
Tatsuma stated Pakura's identity bluntly. He wasn't particularly familiar with Kakuzu, who had long since stopped being active in the ninja world.
"The other man..."
"He's called Kakuzu. He's... uh..." Takeshi didn't really know how to define their relationship.
He'd declared plans to form an organization, but he still hadn't come up with a name for it.
More importantly, he was a Konoha ninja. Wasn't forming a secret organization behind the village's back going to get him in huge trouble?
"I'll handle the clean-up here. The Daimyō has already questioned Konoha about this, and the village's investigation team should be arriving soon."
Tatsuma didn't waste time and prepared to take over the Fujiwara estate.
"Wait, come on..." Takeshi tried to resist a little. He'd fought hard to take this place—handing it over to his dad like this felt a bit...
"Danzo-sama said if this really was your doing, we'd help cover it up. Once the Daimyō's inspection is over, he won't interfere with whatever you want to do here."
"You make it sound like I don't trust you. You're my dad's right-hand man. I did all this for Konoha, for Root. Uh, I'll go explain things to Kakuzu and the others."
By the way, what happened during the Battle of Kikyo Pass? He'd only been gone for less than a year, and Konoha was at war again?
Tatsuma wasn't surprised in the slightest at Takeshi's sudden change in demeanor. He remained cold and composed as ever.
"Danzo-sama also said—if you're found—tell you this…"
"You've been away from the village for nearly a year. It's time to go home."