"You're saying… everyone in the land of Whirlpool is gone?"
"Right!"
Akira, hair tousled and lips curved into his usual sly grin, had Kushina in one hand as he stood before Sarutobi Hiruzen. "And not just the people. Half the territory blew up in the final explosion."
"So…"
"With the chakra I had at the time, I only had enough to save Kushina. I don't know what happened after that."
"I see…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his temples. "How the hell did I forget about that brat…"
His eyes narrowed as he remembered the face identical to Akira Senju's. If he hadn't watched Akira since birth, he would've assumed the boy before him was the same person. The resemblance wasn't just visual same temperament too. That shut-in attitude hadn't changed one bit, and even with the full scope of the Anbu network, they barely knew anything about him.
Initially, Hiruzen had dismissed the idea of Akira intervening. believing he'd stay uninvolved, just as always. Clearly, that had been wrong.
Watching Akira's relaxed posture, the amusement playing on his lips, Hiruzen doubted he'd gone to the Uzumaki for any blind date bullshit. More likely-he'd known about the Water Country's move in advance. And if that was true, then it also opened up the possibility that some internal dealings had already been exposed. The very idea made Hiruzen shift in his seat.
He couldn't risk detaining Akira though. First, Akira wasn't officially registered as a ninja. Second, his ties were too valuable to burn right before Mito handed down the Nine-Tails. Piss off Mito now and it could spiral out of control.
More than Uzumaki survival... it was that explosion that had him worried.
"You said half of the Whirlpool Country blew up?"
"Yes," Akira replied lightly. "You know how they are over there, they live and die by sealing techniques. Making explosive tags? Easy for 'em."
"Half of AN ISLAND blew up and you call that easy? What are you talking about?"
Though Hiruzen wanted to shout it outright, he held himself together, exhaling slowly as he shifted his attention toward Kushina-who stood behind Akira, peeking out cautiously from behind his robes.
"This is Yusuke's great-granddaughter?"
Kushina hesitated and hung back further behind Akira. She peeked at Hiruzen with big eyes, then ducked again quickly when she realized he was staring right at her.
Akira dropped to her level and brushed her head with his hand once-gentle, but firm enough to ease her tension. "It's okay," he said with a low chuckle. "Hokage-sama's actually pretty nice."
After another hesitant moment of silence, her head popped out again and she spoke in barely-there volume.
"Hokage-sama…"
Hiruzen didn't respond to her right away-instead shifting focus straight back to Akira.
"How do you plan on placing her?"
"I'm keeping her," Akira answered plainly. "Our house doesn't eat anyway."
"…Right."
It sounded casual, but Hiruzen knew that tone well enough to recognize the finality in it. There was no talking Akira out of this-not without dealing with Mito directly-and there was no fucking way he wanted that old recluse banging on his door anytime soon.
Which left only one option: Plan B. And they'd have to move quickly so Mito wouldn't catch wind of what was happening behind the scenes.
"In that case," Hiruzen said carefully, "she won't be returning to the Land of Whirlpools anymore. We'll keep her here in Konoha… she's about old enough-I'll make arrangements for her to be enrolled soon."
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
"I'll have our people continue investigating what's left of the Whirlpool Country." He waved his hand lightly toward the door. "You're dismissed."
"Yes!"
As Akira and Kushina stepped out into the corridor, Danzo appeared from the shadows-hands behind her back as if she'd been waiting forever.
"Hiruzen… do you actually believe what that brat said?"
"I don't buy any of it."
Danzo narrowed her eyes. "They just happened to go on their little 'date' right when land of Water launched their strike? And what-you're telling me they only brought back the one girl they wanted most?" She sneered. "Even pushed both Senju and Uchiha units into our territory without anyone noticing? It's too perfect."
"I think he used Flying Thunder God," Hiruzen said flatly.
Danzo stiffened, that single phrase darkening her entire expression. The legendary technique Tobirama had guarded so closely… everyone on their level had read about it in secret. Escape, mobility, assassination-it was flawless if mastered properly.
"Impossible skillset for our standards," Danzo admitted slowly. "We both tried messing with it back in the day-but those entry requirements…"
"If Akira has it," Hiruzen added evenly, "then I guarantee you, she sent Uchiha Chen and company to help the Uzumaki using that technique."
Danzo clicked his tongue. "Half the country's leveled now and no doubt Water Country took heavy damage too." He took one step closer to Hiruzen's desk and leaned down slightly. "You realize what this means?"
"We could lose our leverage," Hiruzen said grimly.
"The promised loot's gone-the Water Daimyo might even claim we're responsible for their losses now."
"We were supposed to stay neutral," Danzo followed up immediately. "Senju and Uchiha weren't even supposed to be seen protecting Whirlpool territory."
"But now?" Hiruzen sighed and lit his pipe with slow fingers. "Now they've played defense for another nation amid full-blown war-whether we intended it or not doesn't matter anymore."
"If their losses are too high…"
"They'll use it to squeeze us for compensation," Hiruzen confirmed.
Danzo fell silent for only two seconds before snapping upright again with intent glowing behind her eyes.
"I'll take some money-negotiate directly with Water Country," she said tightly. "Gather their version of events while I'm at it-there's no way this whole thing was just coincidence."
Hiruzen nodded. "Yes… wait for their next move first before we send anything official."
"And Kushina?" Danzo asked over her shoulder while pulling out gloves from inside her cloak.
"She's staying." Hiruzen puffed again. "Akira's using Flying Thunder God-even if we wanted to 'handle' him… it wouldn't be easy."
"That complicates things."
Danzo brushed back strands of hair from beside her ears before continuing calmly, "Nothing we do matters unless we finish what we started anyway. Stick to the original plan-ship him off with Ropetree once war breaks out again..."
"He's green," Hiruzen agreed flatly. "No matter how good he is with Flying Thunder God-first-time soldiers always slip up eventually."
"Exactly…"
Hiruzen drew one last breath from his pipe-thin smoke curling out from between his lips before he exhaled and relaxed slightly into the chair again.
"Everything's set then… And for bonding Kushina to Konoha… were you able to find someone appropriate?"
Danzo pulled out a sealed scroll and handed it across without hesitation.
"Minato Namikaze," she stated simply. "Civilian background-no clan name or family power behind him-and third overall in the initial academy tests."
Hiruzen's brows lifted slightly over the rim of his pipe.
"Third? With clan members included?"
Danzo nodded once-expression neutral.
"Strong talent… no inherited burden… won't ever betray us for some hidden bloodline feud." Hiruzen looked pleased now. "Very well chosen-keep him close."
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