The atmosphere was dark and oppressive.
A terrifying aura permeated the air.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in his chair, his face shadowed and sinister, his eyes fixed on the uneasy girl before him. A wicked smile crept across his lips.
"Old Man Third, your smile is so creepy," Uzumaki Kushina said, glaring at him with undisguised disgust.
Hiruzen's smile froze.
"You didn't even turn on the lights. Aren't you afraid of going blind?"
Kushina didn't care about his reaction. She strode to the door and flipped on all the lights in the office.
Who did he think he was scaring with this gloomy act?
"Just like Grandma Mito said—I need to be careful around you, you old pervert!"
Hiruzen nearly lost control of his expression.
P-pervert!?
He touched the beard on his chin. He wasn't old enough to be called an old man yet, was he?
He was still in his prime!
Even his wife, Biwako, said he looked younger these days.
But what exactly had Mito told Kushina!?
His reputation was taking a serious hit.
He was known as a good Hokage!
"Ahem." Hiruzen cleared his throat, masking his embarrassment with a forced, grandfatherly smile.
Well, maybe he was getting a little older.
"Kushina, can you control the Nine-Tails now?"
He had been at home, enjoying sukiyaki and singing, when suddenly he sensed the overwhelming chakra of the Nine-Tails. He'd rushed out in such a panic that he hadn't even finished his meal.
He hoped Biwako wouldn't make him sleep on the couch tonight.
"That damn fox is so infuriating!" Kushina scowled, her face twisted in anger.
Hiruzen's interest was piqued.
"Oh? What happened?"
Once she started, Kushina couldn't stop complaining.
"Just because I poked him in the backside with the Adamantine Sealing Chains last time, he's been ignoring me! And now he's being stingy with his chakra too!"
"Oof!" Hiruzen winced, instinctively feeling a phantom pain in his own backside. He sucked in a sharp breath.
The Nine-Tails... was surprisingly patient.
Kushina continued her rant.
"And today was even worse! I just borrowed a little chakra to fire off a Tailed Beast Ball, and he went and sealed himself off! Now I can't even reach him, and the chakra he gives me is pitiful. That stingy, rotten fox!"
Before, the Nine-Tails had been generous with its chakra. Now, it refused to give any.
Hiruzen clicked his tongue. Weren't jinchūriki supposed to borrow chakra from their tailed beasts? Since when had it become outright theft?
He couldn't help but feel sorry for the Nine-Tails.
Even under Mito's care, it had never suffered like this.
Still, he had confirmed one thing—Kushina could indeed control the Nine-Tails.
That was a pleasant surprise.
When Mito was alive, the Nine-Tails had barely cooperated, and given Mito's status, Hiruzen hadn't dared to use her as a weapon.
But Kushina? She was a ready-made, on-demand powerhouse.
Though her own abilities still needed work.
He could discuss that with Jiraiya later.
For now, the priority was—
"Alright, Kushina."
Hiruzen cut off her tirade. From what he could gather, Kushina was painting herself as the victim while the Nine-Tails was the unreasonable one.
All he saw was a thief complaining about the person they'd robbed.
His expression turned stern.
"From now on, the use of Tailed Beast Balls within the village is strictly prohibited."
That single attack earlier had wiped out half a forest.
Thankfully, Jiraiya and the others had acted quickly, or the damage could have been worse. If any enemies had escaped, it would have been disastrous.
The news of Kushina being the jinchūriki couldn't reach the other villages.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Kushina waved him off impatiently. She hadn't planned on using it again anyway.
As if she needed this old pervert to tell her that.
"So annoying."
Hiruzen's eye twitched. This brat really needed to be taught a lesson.
But he was a magnanimous man.
He sighed deeply.
"Fine. You can take your teammates and go."
Kushina muttered under her breath as she turned away, "Dirty old man."
"I heard that!!"
Hiruzen's roar followed her as she hurried out of the office.
Outside, she found Uchiha Kin and Namikaze Minato—one leaning against the wall, staring at the ceiling, the other pacing nervously by the door.
Minato rushed forward the moment he saw her, his face full of concern.
"Kushina, are you okay?"
After all, a bunch of ninjas had suddenly appeared and dragged them to the Hokage's office.
It definitely looked like something serious had happened.
"It's nothing big."
Kushina turned her head away, unsure if the two had seen her using the Nine-Tails' power.
She had kept it hidden mainly for Minato's sake. Despite his gentle demeanor, he had a competitive streak and had been trying hard to catch up to Kin.
She'd seen him training alone countless times.
She didn't want to discourage him.
As for Uchiha Kin?
She couldn't care less if he dropped dead!!
Kin suddenly snapped out of his thoughts and glared at her.
"I feel like you're insulting me in your head."
Obviously.
"Hmph!" Kushina lifted her chin haughtily.
If Minato hadn't been there, she would've made sure Kin learned why flowers were red!
Their feud was far from over.
Kin picked at his ear and turned to Minato.
"Minato, you're way too weak."
Kushina's eyes widened. Did he have any idea why she'd been hiding her power!?
It was to spare Minato's feelings, and this jerk just blurted it out!
Her eyes glowed red, and her hair began to rise.
Kin sneered, utterly unimpressed.
As if he cared.
Did they think he'd just sit here and take their sickeningly sweet display?
Did they think he wouldn't retaliate?
Minato's shoulders slumped. It was the truth, after all.
But really, were his teammates just freaks of nature?
"Meet me at the secret base tomorrow. I'll teach you something useful."
Kin added.
Minato was a genius, but he hadn't fully matured yet.
To prevent Hiruzen from pulling any more stunts, the team's overall strength needed to improve.
Minato still had room to grow.
Hokage's Office.
The noisy voices outside faded into the distance.
A puff of smoke appeared in the office.
Jiraiya materialized, kneeling before the Hokage's desk.
"Hokage-sama, the brains of these ninjas have been destroyed. We couldn't extract any useful memories."
When it came to official matters, Jiraiya set aside their master-student relationship and acted as a subordinate.
Hiruzen frowned.
Destroying the brain to prevent intel extraction wasn't something small villages were capable of.
"This must be the work of a major village. Rock, Sand, Cloud, or Mist—which one do you think it is, Jiraiya?"
Jiraiya had already considered this.
"There were no signature techniques, so it's hard to say. But the Mist is unlikely."
Hiruzen nodded. Among the Five Great Nations, Kirigakure specialized in assassination and Water Release. Their other ninjas were rare and wouldn't be sacrificed for a mission to capture the Nine-Tails jinchūriki.
This was a suicide mission, and they had already failed.
That left the other three villages as suspects.
Of course, Kirigakure might have sacrificed operatives to frame another village, but the possibility was slim.
"Jiraiya, prepare for the front lines."
Hiruzen sighed.
It didn't matter who was behind it. The situation was growing increasingly tense.
The White Fang had already clashed multiple times with Sunagakure's forces.
Iwagakure's movements had also become more frequent, and they needed someone to hold the line.
As for Kirigakure—that was the Uchiha's problem. No need to worry.
"Wait, what about my students?"
Jiraiya wasn't afraid of going to the front, but he hadn't been teaching his team for long. The battlefield wasn't the best place for them to grow.
Even he couldn't guarantee his own survival, let alone that of three genin.
Even if these three were exceptional.
Hiruzen saw Jiraiya's hesitation. This was his first time leading a genin team, after all.
"They'll have to face it eventually. But don't worry—you don't have to go until spring."
Winter was approaching.
Even if the other villages had plans, they wouldn't launch large-scale attacks during the coldest season.
Winter—the season when all things froze.
A rare period of calm in these turbulent times.
"Use this time to help them grow. Tsunade should be free now, and Orochimaru is already teaching Kin. Focus on Minato too."
Hiruzen's tone was grave.
"Understood."
Jiraiya's reply was heavy.
With another puff of smoke, he vanished.
Hiruzen picked up his pipe and took a deep drag, exhaling slowly.
In the darkness, a figure flickered into view—a man wrapped in bandages.
He had been there all along.
"Hiruzen, hand the Nine-Tails over to me. I'll turn her into the village's strongest weapon."
Shimura Danzō's voice was low and raspy.
Hiruzen didn't look at him. Instead, he stood and walked to the window, gazing at the village with its sparse lights.
"You know that's impossible."
The Nine-Tails was the village's most important strategic weapon. It had to remain under his control.
"You'll regret this," Danzō said coldly.
A jinchūriki ruled by emotions would never reach their full potential.
Hiruzen glanced at him.
"I am the Hokage."
Danzō's expression didn't change, but his left hand clenched into a fist, veins bulging.
Because of one moment of hesitation, he had lost his chance to become Hokage.
He took a deep breath, steadying himself.
"Then give me Uchiha Kin. I'll forge him into a blade to use against the Uchiha."
Hiruzen hesitated.
He didn't want to see Kin grow stronger, but the boy's talent was undeniable.
Jiraiya wouldn't allow it either.
"Only if he agrees."
"I'll make him submit."
(End of Chapter)