The moment he thought about Minato Namikaze dying and having another chance to compete for the position of Fifth Hokage, Danzō's body began trembling uncontrollably.
"If Kokushibo and the others really intend to do this, I can cooperate with them when the time comes—get the location of Kushina Uzumaki's delivery, and even clear out the surrounding area in advance."
Akashō glanced at Danzō, whose eyes burned with excitement. He didn't show much expression, only giving a slight nod.
"Just send me the intel when the time comes."
Hearing this, Danzō suddenly raised a brow and narrowed his eyes.
"Akashō Uzumaki, if this plan succeeds, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki will definitely die. Do you really have that kind of resolve?"
"What else would I do?"
"You didn't even consult the people from the Dark Council, yet you're asking me to hand the information directly to you. That's a bit too careless, don't you think?"
Akashō paused for a moment, then couldn't help curling his lips into a faint smile, which made Danzō frown.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing."
Akashō shook his head. "My stance is the Dark Council's stance. Do you understand now?"
Danzō's expression froze. "Aren't you Kokushibo's disciple?"
"I've never said that."
Akashō smiled lightly as he turned and opened the door, no longer paying Danzō any attention.
Only after the door slammed shut with a bang did Danzō come back to his senses.
Akashō Uzumaki… is also a member of the Dark Council!
A chilling cold crept up his spine. Based on the current situation, the assumption that Akashō was Kokushibo's disciple had already been overturned. The truth could only be that the two held equal status—or that Akashō's position was even higher.
Thinking back to Akashō's manipulation at the Hidden Leaf Village orphanage two years ago, and his indifference toward the lives of the Namikaze couple just now, perhaps… Akashō Uzumaki wasn't even a member of the Uzumaki clan at all.
He might not even truly be a child.
Just imagine it: some terrifying being secretly gathering information about you, disguising themselves as your clansman to quietly gain your trust—and the worst part is, you trust them completely.
Danzō didn't doubt that even if he told Minato Namikaze about Akashō's true intentions, it would only earn him anger and disdain.
Still, at least for now, their positions weren't opposed. In fact, they were allies on the same side.
But for safety's sake, he would have to stay wary of Akashō Uzumaki in the future. Someone like that could stab you in the back at any moment.
...
"Come to think of it, the timing should be getting close, right?"
At Minato Namikaze's home, Akashō poured a cup of tea and handed it to Kushina, whose movements had already become somewhat difficult.
"Yeah. The due date is next month—just over twenty days away."
Kushina smiled and nodded, then suddenly turned toward the kitchen and called out:
"Biwako-san, could you cook a bit less for lunch? I haven't had much of an appetite lately."
"That won't do!"
An elderly voice rang out. "You're about to give birth—you need proper nutrition!"
Kushina opened her mouth, but in the end only gave an awkward smile and turned back without arguing.
Akashō knew the person in the kitchen was the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's wife, specifically here to take care of Kushina. This old woman was also the only person in the entire Hidden Leaf Village who could keep Kushina's temper in check.
"By the way, Jiraiya already left?"
"Yeah."
Kushina sighed. "He didn't come back just to visit me. More importantly, he still can't believe Orochimaru defected."
"So he went out to find Orochimaru?"
"More or less. He said it's just on the side—his main goal is to gather material for a new type of novel."
"I see."
Akashō nodded. "Have you decided on a name for the child?"
"Yeah—Naruto."
"Minato Naruto, huh…"
"Hey, Kushina, you already married Minato. Why didn't you change your surname?"
Lost in thought, Akashō suddenly noticed the odd detail.
"Ah…"
Kushina thought for a moment, then reached out and gently rubbed Akashō's head.
"Because I'm not just Minato's wife—I'm also your clan member."
"No matter what happens in the future, just remember this: I will always be your family."
Looking at Kushina, who seemed to radiate strong maternal warmth because of her pregnancy, Akashō nodded without saying anything more.
"Akashō!!"
The front door was suddenly kicked open as Might Guy, dressed head to toe in green, dragged a helpless-looking Kakashi into the house.
"Let's go train together!!"
Seeing Guy's wide grin and thumbs-up, Akashō glanced at Kakashi.
"Don't look at me—I couldn't stop him at all."
"Keep it down!"
Kushina glared at Guy. "You'll scare the baby in my belly!"
"Ah—sorry…"
Akashō slightly tilted his head and, through the gap between Guy and Kakashi, noticed Itachi peeking in from outside.
"What are you doing here?"
Itachi scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Didn't you tell me to come find you today so we could go to the dango shop?"
"Oh, right. That did happen."
Akashō blinked. "In that case, let's go. I'll treat everyone to dango."
"Alright!!"
"Kushina, you should stay home and drink your chicken soup."
"What?! That's not fair!"
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