Qianyu walked back to Konoha with Uzumaki Kushina fast asleep in his arms, her head nestled against his chest.
He could feel the steady rhythm of her breathing. Right now, he felt pumped full of adrenaline, light on his feet, his entire body humming with energy. An indescribable sense of bliss washed over him.
The journey back felt like it had passed in the blink of an eye. Too fast, he thought to himself, almost lamenting how quickly it went.
The moment he stepped past the village gates, his smile vanished. His expression turned icy, a clear 'stay away' sign.
Several gate guards spotted Kushina in his arms and instantly surrounded him.
"Qianyu! What's going on? Why are you returning with Uzumaki Kushina from outside the village?"
Tensions were high. Every Konoha ninja's departure and return now required formal logging.
Qianyu's cold gaze swept over the group. "Kushina was kidnapped from Konoha by Kumogakure shinobi. You're telling me you didn't even notice?"
"What?!"
The guards were stunned. For them, Kushina's kidnapping wasn't the issue. That it happened inside Konoha—that was the issue.
One guard immediately broke away, sprinting towards the Hokage Building to report.
Qianyu ignored the others' questions and kept walking.
One guard, irritated by the dismissal, snapped, "Hey, Qianyu! We're asking you a question! What do you mean just walking off without answering?!"
Qianyu didn't bother turning his head. His voice was flat. "What good would my answer do you? You're the guards responsible for this village's security, yet you knew nothing. I don't know if you're incompetent or just negligent. Either way, I have no obligation to report to you. You're not my superiors."
He left them behind, their faces flushing with anger and shame, and headed straight for Uzumaki Mito's residence.
Mito had already returned home. After realizing Kushina, who should have finished her mission long ago, hadn't come back, she had immediately gone to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen had sent ANBU to question Kushina's two teammates. Learning she had left alone much earlier, he knew something was wrong. He'd deployed almost every available ANBU to search for her.
Mito had been waiting at home, sick with worry.
At the first sound from the entrance, she flung the door open.
Seeing Kushina sound asleep in Qianyu's arms, Mito let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. The weight crushing her chest lifted.
"Lady Mito," Qianyu said, his face expressionless. "I've brought Kushina back. She's exhausted. Please, take her to her room to rest."
Mito carefully took the sleeping girl. Her focus had been entirely on Kushina; only now did she notice Qianyu's state. His clothes were torn and scorched in multiple places, clear signs of a fierce battle.
"Qianyu, are you injured?" Mito asked, concerned.
"I'm not hurt. I must report to the Hokage immediately. Please excuse me."
He bowed slightly and left.
Mito watched his retreating back, her expression thoughtful.
Qianyu hadn't gone far when an ANBU agent appeared before him. "Qianyu. The Hokage demands your presence. Now."
He followed the agent.
In the Hokage's office, both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Orochimaru were waiting.
Qianyu bowed. "Lord Hokage. Orochimaru-sensei."
Hiruzen strode over, his expression grave. "Qianyu. Report. What exactly happened?"
Qianyu recounted the events.
Hiruzen's face darkened considerably. Orochimaru's features grew serious as well.
Hiruzen turned to his student. "Orochimaru. Your assessment?"
Orochimaru paused briefly. "Regardless of specifics, one thing is certain. Enemy shinobi have already infiltrated Konoha. Otherwise, they couldn't have taken Kushina so effortlessly."
Hiruzen's expression turned stormy. "It seems they're losing their patience."
"Lord Hokage," Qianyu continued. "I retrieved the heads of the three Kumo-nin."
He produced a scroll and handed it to Hiruzen.
Hiruzen's eyes sharpened. "Excellent work, Qianyu! With these, our sensory ninja can extract memories and gather intelligence."
He immediately summoned an ANBU agent and ordered the scroll delivered for analysis.
"Lord Hokage, there is one more matter to report," Qianyu said. "During a mission to eliminate pirates, I discovered three shinobi hiding among them. Their identities were unclear, but their objective seemed to be infiltration into the Land of Fire. I took them alive."
He performed the Summoning Technique. A large white snake appeared in a puff of smoke.
"White Snake. Spit them out."
"As you command, Qianyu-sama."
The snake opened its maw, its body convulsing, and disgorged the three shinobi onto the floor.
Unfortunately, the one whose spine Qianyu had shattered with the flat of his blade had not survived the cramped confines of the snake's stomach. The other two, however, were alive—and now awake.
Seeing Qianyu, Hiruzen, and Orochimaru staring down at them—especially Qianyu—they scrambled backward in terror.
Hiruzen called for another ANBU. The dead shinobi was taken for memory extraction. The two living ones were dragged off to the Interrogation Unit.
Hiruzen walked over to a large map spread on his desk. "Qianyu. Where did you encounter these pirates?"
Qianyu pointed to a location on the coast.
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed to slits.
Orochimaru's raspy voice cut through the silence. "It seems… Kirigakure also intends to join the fray."
The location Qianyu indicated was right next to the Land of Waves. To the right of the Land of Waves lay the Land of Water.
Currently, the Land of Fire had little interaction with the Land of Waves. The Land of Waves, however, maintained very close ties with the Land of Water.
For shinobi from Kirigakure in the Land of Water to reach the Land of Fire's coastline, they would almost certainly pass through the Land of Waves.
Hiruzen's face grew grimmer. Kirigakure's involvement meant that four of the Five Great Shinobi Villages were now hostile to Konoha.
If war broke out, Konoha would face the combined forces of Kumo, Iwa, Suna, and Kiri.
This would be a war that engulfed the entire Land of Fire, threatening Konoha's very existence.