He seriously doubted whether Yagura was taking revenge on him because of his earlier sarcastic remarks.
"Um, Lord Mizukage, about this matter…"
"Kisame is an excellent ninja. Only with the guidance of a senior like you can his talent not be wasted. Or do you have a problem with my decision as Mizukage, Jonin Juzo?"
Yagura's piercing gaze shot over, forcing Juzo to swallow the rest of his words.
Watching/logging Kisame snickering behind him, Juzo couldn't help but feel a chill run down his back.
"Yes, understood, Lord Mizukage. However, if he does anything, can I just cut him down right there?"
Juzo understood there was no way out, so he had no choice but to accept the decision. Still, he followed up with this question.
Yagura's voice came from up ahead:
"Up to you. If you have the ability to pull it off."
Yagura's words left Juzo dissatisfied. He wouldn't dare talk big if it were Suikazan Fuguki, but this snot-nosed brat? Even if he wielded Shark Skin, there was nothing to be afraid of.
◎
In Konoha, inside an inconspicuous civilian house, a woman was nursing a blond-haired baby.
This baby had six whisker-like marks unlike ordinary people, and his eyes were a vivid blue, looking particularly lively.
He drank his milk while his eyes darted around, actively taking in everything in the room.
The woman didn't mind the baby's behavior, only expressionless as she went through the motions of feeding him.
Even though she didn't know who this baby was, nor why the Third Hokage had asked her to nurse him, the fact that the Hokage would personally request it meant the child's status was anything but ordinary.
After nursing was done, the woman gently picked the baby up and placed him into the cradle, letting him rest peacefully for a while.
Having finished everything, the woman turned around—and suddenly, a dark shadow flashed in front of her eyes. Her consciousness faded, and she collapsed helplessly onto the floor.
In broad daylight, a figure dressed entirely in black, with a black hood covering his head and a ferocious demon mask on his face, appeared.
The baby in the cradle stared with wide eyes, looking at the whole scene with clear displeasure. He reached out, giggling, seemingly finding the mask on the mysterious person's face very amusing.
The mysterious figure reached towards the baby in the cradle, intending to pick him up.
Pa!
His wrist was suddenly gripped by another hand.
The mysterious person turned his head and found, standing there, a white-haired man who put a stop to his plot.
"Sorry, but there's no way I'm letting you have this child. If possible, can you tell me who sent you to do this?"
The white-haired man spoke.
It was none other than one of the Sannin, Jiraiya.
His face was ice-cold, and his eyes toward the intruder brimmed with killing intent.
The mysterious figure didn't utter a word; he yanked his wrist out of Jiraiya's grip with force, retreating a step back.
Jiraiya's body flickered, and before the intruder could react, he struck his face with a punch, shattering the mask.
The assailant spat blood and was sent flying, but still tried his best to cover his face.
Jiraiya was about to press the attack when he suddenly noticed a few small spheres rolling out from the mysterious person's sleeve cuff.
Jiraiya's expression changed. Without thinking, he dashed to the cradle, scooped up the baby, and leapt out the window.
Boom!
With a thunderous explosion, the entire house was flattened.
A massive fireball erupted outward, sending debris flying and injuring several unlucky passersby on the streets below.
Standing atop a building across the street, Jiraiya held the baby and looked down at wounded citizens crying in pain on the street. The mysterious assailant was nowhere to be found, and Jiraiya's face darkened with anger.
◎
The terrorist bombing on the street naturally brought the utmost attention from the village leadership.
The civilians affected by the explosion began to accuse the Uchiha Clan of inaction. As the Security Team of the village, they should have stopped the terrorist threat in time—no matter how you looked at it, this was their dereliction of duty.
With no other outlet for their anger, the crowd naturally turned their frustrations on the Uchiha Security Team.
Even with high-level members of the Security Team offering various explanations, the people were not satisfied. They believed the Uchiha ninja were taking the village budget yet not fulfilling their responsibilities, and demanded a public apology.
The uproar in the Security Team was chaotic enough, and on the leadership side, everyone was equally troubled.
Because this terrorist attack involved not only one of the Sannin, but also targeted the Nine-tailed Jinchuriki. There was no way to take it lightly.
"Teacher Sarutobi, what do you plan to do next about this?"
Jiraiya exhaled and asked his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
To run into something like this as soon as PE returned had put him in an extremely foul mood.
"Allowing Naruto to be exposed to such danger was our mistake. Based on the emergency meeting we just held, we'll double the personnel assigned to ensure Naruto's safety. No one will be allowed to succeed again."
"Is that all?"
Jiraiya clearly wasn't satisfied with Hiruzen's decision and felt he was underestimating the consequences behind all this.
"The rest of the Anbu are already assigned other missions…"
"I'm not talking about Anbu's protection detail. Sure, their protection may not be enough, but the real priority now should be tracking down the culprit."
There's no such thing as a thousand days being a thief, nor a thousand days guarding against one.
If we don't dig out the forces targeting Naruto from the shadows, such abduction incidents will keep happening in the future.
"We still don't know whether the culprit is from Konoha or an outside enemy, so following up will be tricky… Regardless, I will treat this matter with all due seriousness and make sure there are no more opportunities for anyone to take advantage."