A full week had gone by, but there was still no word from the team sent to investigate Jaxon. It was as if they'd vanished into thin air—no messages, no clues, no traces.
Tsunade's suspicions of Jaxon deepened.
Everything about him felt wrong.
She was beginning to believe that Kushina's incident—the explosion of Nine-Tails chakra, the injury, the near-death—was no accident. It was too perfectly timed. Too coincidental. It reeked of planning. Of manipulation..
And in Tsunade's eyes, there was only one person cunning enough to orchestrate something like that.
Jaxon.
Still, when she saw Kushina lying weak and bandaged in that hospital bed, Tsunade had no choice but to sigh and give in to her request.
"I'll talk to him," she said, folding her arms. "But whether or not he agrees to meet you… that's out of my hands."
She didn't wait for Kushina's response. With a curt nod, she turned and left.
The door had barely shut when Minato Namikaze reappeared at Kushina's side like a gust of wind. His usually calm face was tight with concern.
"Kushina," he said softly, "are you hungry? I'll make you something to eat!"
Kushina turned her head, eyes dull. Her gaze lingered on Minato's face, filled with mixed emotions. Words hung on her lips—accusations, gratitude, confusion—but none made it out.
Instead, she simply nodded and said, "I want barbecue."
Minato's face lit up like the sun breaking through clouds.
But he shook his head.
"Nope."
Kushina blinked.
"You're still recovering. Light food only for now," he said with mock seriousness, already turning toward the window. "So just rest—I'll go cook something for you myself!"
Before she could respond, Minato vanished in a blur of yellow light, leaving behind only a breeze and a faint afterimage.
Kushina looked at the spot where he had been, and a bitter smile curled her lips.
It was a smile full of helplessness… and sadness.
Tears began to roll down her cheeks, soaking her pillow.
---
Elsewhere, in a quiet tavern in Konoha, Jaxon sat across from Tsunade, blinking in mild surprise.
"What did you say?" he asked, incredulously. "Kushina wants to see me? Why?"
Tsunade snorted and downed another drink.
Her cheeks were tinged pink with alcohol, but her sharpness hadn't dulled.
"How the hell should I know?" she shot back. "She just said she wanted to meet you. I'm just the messenger."
She waved her empty glass toward the bartender for a refill.
Jaxon ignored her mood. He sipped calmly from a glass of juice, unfazed, the straw making soft slurping sounds. The sweetness spread on his tongue, but his mind was elsewhere.
Of course Kushina wanted to see him.
He'd predicted this.
Just… not so soon.
It was inconvenient. Very inconvenient.
He had just finished dealing with Danzo, and the last thing he wanted was another direct interaction with someone as emotionally volatile as Kushina—especially while Third Hokage Hiruzen was still watching from the shadows.
If he wasn't careful, he'd be inviting disaster on himself.
Bang!
Tsunade slammed her palm onto the table, causing the cups to rattle.
"Just tell me yes or no!" she barked. "So I can pass the message along!"
She leaned over the table, her nose nearly touching Jaxon's.
He didn't flinch.
"I've got other matters to handle these next two days," Jaxon said, sipping the last of his juice and setting the empty glass down. "I won't be going."
Truthfully, he had no intention of being pulled into an emotionally charged confrontation right now. Tsunade had practically dragged him here after bumping into him on the street, and he was sure she had ulterior motives.
To her, he was a 13-year-old noble acting decades beyond his age. His words were calculated, his composure flawless. She didn't trust him, and she was trying to rattle him.
Too bad it wouldn't work.
"No more questions?" Jaxon stood, pulled the straw from the glass, and finished the last drops in one gulp. A faint smirk tugged at the corners of his lips.
"Then I'll be going."
As he turned, Tsunade's voice rang out, calm but pointed.
"Why did you come to Konoha, Jaxon?"
He paused mid-step but didn't turn.
"I don't believe for a second that someone like you came here just to sightsee. You've gathered ninja around you—Jonin-level, at that. Even the Daimyo doesn't move like that without informing the Hokage. And yet here you are, collecting elite shinobi in silence."
Her voice dropped slightly.
"Who are you really, Jaxon?"
For a moment, the air in the tavern seemed to still.
Jaxon slowly turned his head, flashing a mischievous smile that actually made him look his age.
"You think too much, Lady Tsunade."
And with that, he left.
Tsunade exhaled sharply, gripping her empty glass. Her eyes narrowed.
"Just try hiding something from me," she muttered under her breath. "If you really have some secret plan…"
But her words trailed off. He was already gone.
Even ten years ago, when he was barely more than a child, Jaxon had seemed unfathomable. And now?
He wasn't just mysterious.
He was dangerous.
---
Back at the villa, the door burst open.
Whirlpool True entered, his breath ragged as if he'd run straight from the intelligence division.
"Young Master Jaxon!"
Jaxon had barely set down his coat when he turned.
"What is it?"
Whirlpool True paused for a moment to catch his breath, then said gravely, "The young patriarch of the Senju Clan is dead!"
The words struck like a thunderclap.
Jaxon's expression didn't change much, but his eyes sharpened.
He had been in Konoha for over a month, staying under the radar. Most days, he lounged around his room, wandered the market, or checked on the construction site he'd purchased for one hundred million ryo. His interactions with Konoha's ninjas had been minimal.
And now this.
The heir to the once-great Senju Clan… dead?
"How?" Jaxon asked, voice cool.
"Poison. From what we've heard, it was fast-acting—likely within minutes. No signs of struggle, no suspects identified yet."
Jaxon folded his arms, lost in thought.
The Senju Clan had long been a declining force, but their legacy still held weight. If the heir was dead… someone was making a move.
A bold one.
And it probably had everything to do with what Jaxon was quietly building behind the scenes.
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