The office was dark. Eerie. Heavy.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk with a grim face, the corners of his mouth curling into what he clearly thought was a smile of authority. To Kushina, it just looked creepy.
"Old man Third, that smile makes you look like a total pervert." She scrunched up her nose in disgust.
The Hokage's smile froze mid-smirk.
"Don't you ever turn on the lights at night? What, you trying to scare people into heart attacks?" Kushina stomped over and flicked on every lamp in the office.
Seriously, who was he trying to impress with the whole "brooding in the shadows" act?
"Grandma Mito was right. Gotta be careful around pervy old men like you!"
Hiruzen's expression twitched.
Sexy… old man? Me?! He stroked his beard in denial. He wasn't that old—he was still in his prime. Biwako always said he looked younger every year. But what exactly had Mito been telling this girl? To think his reputation as the "good Hokage" could be damaged so badly…
"Ahem." Hiruzen coughed twice and tried to regain his dignity. He forced a kindly smile. "Kushina… can you control the Nine-Tails now?"
The truth was, he'd been at home eating sukiyaki when he felt that burst of Nine-Tails chakra. He had panicked so hard he'd bolted straight here without even finishing his meal. Biwako was definitely going to make him sleep on the couch tonight.
"That stinky fox? He's such a pain in the ass," Kushina growled.
Hiruzen's interest sharpened. "How so?"
He probably shouldn't have asked.
"Last time, I jabbed him in the back with the Adamantine Sealing Chains, and now he's sulking. Won't even talk to me. Barely gives me any chakra, stingy bastard."
Hiruzen winced, imagining the scene. Just hearing it made his spine hurt. Honestly, the Nine-Tails was holding back a lot.
"And today? Even worse!" Kushina ranted, throwing her hands up. "I tried pulling some chakra to make a Tailed Beast Bomb. He—get this—he tightened his own seal to hide from me! Now I can't even find him. Won't share anything. Total cheapskate."
Hiruzen smacked his lips. Since when was a jinchūriki supposed to rob the tailed beast like a highway bandit? Poor fox. Even Mito had never tormented him like this. Still… if Kushina could wrangle the Nine-Tails this way, it meant she truly had control. That was… actually impressive.
Mito had kept the Nine-Tails locked down, too lofty to wield him freely. But Kushina? She was like a live weapon waiting to be deployed—provided her own skills didn't lag behind. That was something he'd need to discuss with Jiraiya.
For now, he raised a hand. "Enough, Kushina."
She pouted but fell quiet. From his perspective, she was the robber complaining about her victim being rude.
His expression hardened. "From today onward, using the Tailed Beast Bomb inside the village is strictly forbidden."
One shot, and half the forest was gone. If Jiraiya and the others hadn't reacted in time, they'd have been caught in the blast. If word got out that Konoha's jinchūriki was a red-haired girl losing her temper? Disaster.
"I knooow." Kushina waved him off. "I wasn't planning on using it anyway. So naggy, old man."
His face stiffened. Naggy? This girl was impossible. He sighed and finally relented. "Fine. Go rejoin your teammates."
"Pervert." She muttered under her breath.
"I heard that!!" Hiruzen roared as she dashed out the door.
Outside, Minato was pacing nervously while Jinzō leaned against the wall, staring at the ceiling like none of this concerned him.
The second Kushina emerged, Minato rushed forward. "Kushina, are you okay? What happened in there?"
"It's nothing." She turned her head away quickly. She wasn't sure if they'd noticed her Nine-Tails chakra earlier, but either way, she especially didn't want Minato to know. He worked himself to the bone training every day, trying to keep up with her and Jinzō. If he found out she had the Nine-Tails on top of that, it'd crush him.
As for Jinzō? To hell with him.
She felt his stare and snapped her gaze to him.
"I can tell you're cursing me in your head," he said flatly.
"Hmph!" She tossed her head and stomped past him. If Minato weren't here, she'd have shown him exactly what "red hair means war" looks like. Their feud was far from over.
Jinzō cleaned his ear with a pinky, then glanced at Minato. "You're too weak."
Kushina nearly choked. That was the whole reason I kept my mouth shut—to spare his feelings—and you just say it to his face?! Her hair practically bristled, glowing with barely contained fury.
Jinzō only smirked back at her, daring her to blow.
Minato lowered his head, shoulders tense. It stung, but he knew it was true. His teammates were monsters, and he had a long way to go.
Jinzō's voice softened just a little. "Tomorrow. Our secret base. I'll teach you something useful."
Minato's eyes flickered. Jinzō might've been blunt, but he wasn't wrong. If the Hokage was scheming something, their team needed to get stronger fast. And Minato still had room to grow.
Back inside the office, the noise faded. A puff of smoke rose, and Jiraiya appeared kneeling before the Hokage's desk.
"Hokage-sama, their minds are gone. Memories destroyed. We couldn't extract anything useful."
Hiruzen frowned. Brain-wiped corpses? That wasn't small-village work. "Which of the Great Villages do you think it was? Rock? Sand? Cloud? Mist?"
Jiraiya shook his head. "No signature techniques. Hard to tell. But… it probably wasn't the Mist."
That fit Hiruzen's thinking. Kirigakure specialized in assassins and Water Release, not suicide missions. They wouldn't waste men chasing Kushina unless it was to frame someone else. Which left Rock, Sand, and Cloud as prime suspects.
"Prepare for the front lines," Hiruzen said at last. "Things are escalating."
Konoha's White Fang was already clashing with Sand again and again. Iwagakure had been restless, and someone needed to guard against them. As for the Mist? That was the Uchiha clan's concern.
Jiraiya hesitated. "And… my students?"
"You'll take them with you."
"To the battlefield? Already?" Jiraiya frowned. War wasn't a playground for fresh genin. Even he couldn't guarantee his own survival out there—let alone theirs.
"They'll face it sooner or later," Hiruzen said firmly. "But not this winter. Use the coming months well. Let them grow. Tsunade should be free. Orochimaru's been teaching Jinzō. You should focus on Minato."
"…Yes." Jiraiya bowed his head, voice heavy. Then he vanished in smoke.
Hiruzen lit his pipe, exhaling a slow curl of smoke into the dim room.
From the shadows, a bandaged figure stepped forward. Danzo Shimura.
"Hiruzen. Give me the Nine-Tails. I'll make her the village's ultimate weapon."
Hiruzen didn't turn. He looked out the window at the village lights. "You know that's impossible."
"You'll regret it," Danzo hissed. "A jinchūriki ruled by emotions is a liability, not a weapon."
Hiruzen's gaze sharpened. "I am the Hokage."
Danzo's fists clenched under his cloak, veins bulging. If not for his hesitation years ago, he might've been the one in that chair.
He forced his voice steady. "…Then give me Uchiha Jinzō. I'll forge him into a sword against the Uchiha."
Hiruzen hesitated. Jinzō's talent was undeniable, and Jiraiya would never allow it. "If he agrees…"
Danzo's eyes gleamed. "Then I'll make sure he kneels."