"Tetsuka, go tell those witnesses outside—especially Danzō's son—that we will absolutely enforce the law impartially and never let any criminal escape justice. Then send them home." Summoning his trusted subordinate Uchiha Tetsuka, Fugaku gave his instructions, urging him to quickly dismiss Feng Bai and the others.
"Understood."
Although Uchiha Tetsuka didn't know exactly what Fugaku was planning, his loyalty to Fugaku was unwavering, and he accepted the order without hesitation.
"Well then, let's go."
Never fond of the Military Police Force's atmosphere, Feng Bai was eager to leave upon hearing he could go. He impatiently grabbed Kakashi and Obito and headed for the exit.
Wait, Obito?
Wasn't the whole point of climbing that mountain to do something about Obito?
Forget it, no point overthinking it. Whatever happens, happens.
Too lazy to dwell on it further, Feng Bai hummed a little tune as he left the Military Police Force.
...
"Minato, it's been so long."
Entering a lounge, Fugaku immediately spotted that familiar bright yellow flash.
Usually stern with others, he broke into a genuine smile upon seeing Minato.
"Brother Fugaku, sorry to trouble you."
Seeing Fugaku arrive, Minato immediately stood up, offering an apologetic smile: "I've been so busy lately, that's why I..."
"Haha, I understand, I understand. Please, sit down." Pulling Minato to sit, Fugaku tidied up the table and, despite Minato's protests, poured him a glass of water and placed it in front of him.
After some brief pleasantries, seeing the timing was right, Minato finally revealed his true purpose—he wanted to bail Jiraiya out.
Knowing this also reflected the Third Hokage's intentions, Fugaku naturally didn't refuse and readily agreed.
With his objective achieved and the weight finally lifted from his heart, Minato relaxed and chatted with Fugaku about everyday matters.
"Speaking of which, you're not getting any younger. Mikoto often says you and Kushina should hurry up and get married. What are your thoughts?" Fugaku suddenly inquired about Minato's love life.
"This..." The usually sunny and cheerful Minato always became tongue-tied when faced with questions about Kushina.
Seeing Minato rarely blush, Fugaku didn't press further, chuckling twice before speaking in a casual tone: "Of course, I'm not rushing you. Just remember to let me know when the time comes."
"Absolutely, Brother Fugaku." Minato smiled as he made his promise.
Using Jiraiya's money to pay the bail, as night fell and everyone headed home for dinner, Jiraiya was quietly released by the Military Police Force.
"Sorry for the trouble, Minato." Never expecting that Minato would be the one to ultimately rescue him, Jiraiya felt genuinely embarrassed.
"Sigh, sensei, really... if Lady Tsunade finds out about this..." Minato sighed, about to remind his teacher, but was hastily interrupted by Jiraiya.
"Don't say it, Minato! That's exactly what I'm afraid of!" Frantically waving his hands to signal Minato to stop, Jiraiya instinctively looked around, and only relaxed after confirming no one was paying attention to them.
"Anyway, let's just let this matter pass. After all, it's not exactly something to be proud of."
"But sensei, how did you get caught by a group of children?" Minato asked with some curiosity.
After all, with Jiraiya's abilities, even with an ANBU among the witnesses, he should have been able to escape easily.
"Don't mention it. Konoha's younger generation is getting more and more impressive. At such young ages, they can already use various jutsu, and one of them even has a Kekkei Genkai..." Jiraiya scratched his head, making a small excuse for his carelessness.
"Speaking of which, Minato, do you know where those children are from?" Suddenly remembering that his student had been staying in Konoha year-round and should know their identities, Jiraiya asked curiously.
Having obtained the witnesses' identities from Fugaku, Minato nodded. He knew his teacher would never stoop to something as low as revenge, so he felt comfortable sharing their identities with Jiraiya:
"One is Might Guy, one is Lord Sakumo's son Hatake Kakashi, one is Uchiha Obito, and one is Lord Danzō's son, Shimura Feng Bai."
Danzō's son?
Hearing that one of the witnesses was actually Danzō's son, Jiraiya immediately perked up.
Which one could it be?
Of course, this was easy to deduce.
Obito wore clothes with the Uchiha clan crest, obviously the very reckless child.
The white-haired boy was naturally Hatake Kakashi.
So Danzō's son was easy to identify—without a doubt, it had to be that oddly-dressed brat in the green bodysuit who kicked him!
Look, Danzō has black hair, and that kid also has black hair—absolutely can't be wrong!
...As if.
"Hmph, I knew there was something off about that kid. No wonder—as Danzō's son, being skilled in Wind Release is only natural, but Ice Release..."
Danzō certainly couldn't use Ice Release. No matter how talented, a child of that age couldn't possibly develop a Kekkei Genkai through their own efforts. This meant the child inherited Ice Release from his mother's lineage.
Legend had it that the Yuki Clan all possessed refined features, and this was perfectly demonstrated in that brat.
"Damn it, what did Danzō ever do to deserve marrying a great beauty from the Yuki Clan?! He must have used some underhanded methods, he must have!" Jiraiya, gnashing his teeth over Danzō's "romantic fortune," was destined to lose sleep tonight.
While mentally criticizing Danzō, Jiraiya didn't forget the important matters. He informed Minato of Hiruzen's decision to form a squad with Jiraiya as captain and Minato as a team member, along with two other teammates, and told him to gather at the training ground tomorrow morning.
Minato was genuinely delighted to be able to team up with his teacher again. After all, since Jiraiya had decided to search for the Child of Prophecy, he had been wandering outside the village, preventing Minato from seeing him regularly.
Jiraiya wasn't just Minato's teacher—he was also the benefactor who had brought him back to Konoha from the battlefield.
"This is truly wonderful, sensei." Minato said sincerely.
"Anyway, go back and prepare." Feeling somewhat embarrassed under Minato's gaze, Jiraiya touched his nose.
If it were any other time, it would be fine, but the way they had met today was rather awkward.
Watching Minato leave and seeing the sky had completely darkened, Jiraiya stretched: "Hmm, what should I do next? Well, first let me get something to eat..."
Jiraiya, who hadn't eaten all day, touched his stomach. Just as he was about to find a small restaurant to enjoy himself, he saw several women chatting and laughing as they walked toward a nearby bathhouse.
"Uh... actually, eating isn't that important..." Throwing all of today's experiences to the back of his mind, Jiraiya put on a lecherous smile and stealthily advanced toward the rear of the bathhouse.
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