All the giant children froze.
They didn't know if the collars would really blow them into pieces, but… that they'd die? That part they could believe.
None of them dared to cry out anymore. Their mouths were tightly sealed, but the tears fell silently, in large trembling drops.
"That's more like it."
"Good. Starve these little brats for three days. Once they learn to obey, we'll start their proper training. Giant children like these—top-tier slaves."
"Yes, sir!"
With that, the black-robed man turned and left the dungeon.
Only after he was gone did the children begin sobbing again—quiet, broken sobs. They were just kids. None of them had ever faced anything like this.
Then, one child stepped forward bravely.
"My mom will come save us. I know she will," Brie said.
A slightly older child scoffed, eyes dim.
"Save us? Do you even know where we are? This is the underground prison beneath the Troll Capital. Even after hundreds of years, the Giant Kingdom hasn't taken this city. We're finished."
He had been among the first to be kidnapped. At first, he too believed his parents would rescue him. But months had passed. No one had come. And with every day of silence, the brainwashing worked deeper.
"My mom will come!" Brie insisted.
"My dad's a captain! He's super strong!"
"My dad's a general!" another piped up.
Then someone asked the question no one wanted to voice:
"This is the Troll Capital, right? I heard… I heard trolls like to eat giant children. Are they gonna eat us?"
"No, I don't think so," another kid said. "But it's not much better. Didn't you hear what they said? We're gonna be slaves. I heard that in the outside world, slaves work day and night, get beaten when they disobey… and also when they don't. Sometimes they don't even get food."
"Really?!" gasped another. "The outside world sounds awful."
A chubby boy grunted, "Beatings are fine. But not being fed? That's not okay!"
"And I don't wanna work! I like to play!"
"Will they at least give us good clothes if we work hard…?"
From the shadows of Brie's pocket, Kaien's eyebrow twitched.
'These kids... Really? You're already imagining your lives as slaves?'
But no. Big Brother Kaien had no intention of letting that happen.
"Brie."
A whisper. Calm, quiet—but unmistakable.
Brie blinked.
"Kaien...?"
"Don't speak. It's me—your brother Kaien. I'm in your pocket."
Eyes wide, Brie looked down into the cloth pouch on his stomach—and sure enough, there he was.
"Shhh!" Kaien pressed a finger to his lips.
Brie immediately stopped himself from squealing with excitement. He stood up and walked quietly to a corner, pretending to need space.
"Brother Kaien, how'd you get in my pocket?"
"I slipped in while you were being lured away. I'm here to rescue all of you."
Brie's eyes lit up. He knew Kaien was amazing. He'd seen it with his own eyes.
"Do you need me to do anything?"
"Yes. In a bit, I need you to tell the others to stay quiet. No noise. No panic. If they get loud and the enemy hears us—we won't be able to escape."
"Got it!"
Brie nodded eagerly.
"Full Take Over: Minato Namikaze!"
Kaien began his transformation.
His black hair turned golden blonde. His eyes turned blue. A forehead protector bearing the Leaf Village symbol appeared. Blue ninja clothes, a green flak jacket, blue pants—and finally, a white cloak with red flames along the hem. The back bore the kanji: Fourth Hokage.
Brie stared in awe.
He had seen Kaien transform into Ace and unleash massive fire fists. That was cool. But this? This was next level.
He barely stopped himself from shouting in excitement. He quickly covered his mouth, eyes darting to make sure no one noticed.
"Brie, once I'm gone, tell the others. Stay calm, stay silent. If they hear us, we lose everything."
"Yes, sir!"
Kaien glanced toward a nearby guard in a black cloak—one of the Black Magic Order's men.
"You'll do."
Shing—!
Kaien threw a marked kunai.
It zipped through the air, spinning toward the guard—just centimeters from his neck when—
WHOOSH!
Kaien vanished and reappeared instantly behind the guard, hand on his shoulder.
The next moment—both were gone.
Only the kunai remained, embedded in the wall.
"SO COOL—!!"
Brie's eyes sparkled like twin suns. He'd seen a lot of awesome things lately, but this—this was on a whole new level. Tossing a blade, teleporting in and out like lightning… it was magic, but it felt like something more.
Flying Thunder God Technique.
Created by the Second Hokage. Perfected by the Fourth.
It was, without question, one of the coolest techniques in all of Naruto—and arguably in all of anime.
Kaien had fallen in love with the move the moment he saw it.
Cool, kind, dependable, powerful—Minato Namikaze was the ideal ninja. In Kaien's eyes, he was practically his soul twin.
Some people said Minato had doomed Naruto to a life of suffering, but Kaien always thought: that wasn't his fault. That was on the Third.
WHOOSH—!
Kaien reappeared outside the Troll Capital, dragging the Black Magic Order guard with him.
"Who—?!"
The man barely had time to register what had happened.
THUD!
A kunai plunged into his thigh.
"Aaaghhhh!!"
He screamed—but then, another voice sliced through the night like ice.
"Shut up."
He froze. The pain was real—but that voice…
He looked up to see a tall, golden-haired man with piercing blue eyes, calm and terrifying.
"I'll ask questions. You answer. And if I catch you lying, I'll stab you again. Don't worry—I know the anatomy very well."
"I'll miss your vitals. But not your pain centers."
"You'll live. You just won't like it."
"Understand?"