Chapter 8 (Patreon)

Everyone in the chamber was caught off guard by Hiruzen’s announcement.

Everyone except Roy, whom none of them could see.

The Third Hokage had already stepped down once. No one had expected him to take up the position again so soon.

For a moment, quiet whispers spread through the room.

However, once everyone considered the situation, they realised there was no other suitable choice.

Konoha had once possessed no shortage of exceptional shinobi.

There had been Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of Konoha, whose name alone had been feared across the shinobi world.

There had been the Legendary Sannin, who survived their battle against Hanzō of the Salamander and earned his recognition.

Then there was Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash, who had faced A and Killer B of Kumogakure and emerged as one of the most feared shinobi of his generation.

How had Konoha fallen so far that it could no longer find even one suitable candidate for Hokage?

Several people quietly glanced toward Danzo.

Sakumo Hatake had taken his own life after being condemned for abandoning a mission to save his comrades.

Orochimaru had secretly carried out forbidden experiments on human subjects before fleeing the village.

Danzo’s involvement could be found behind both incidents.

Some people even suspected that he had leaked the time and location of Kushina’s delivery, allowing the masked attacker to strike while she was at her weakest.

Only a handful of people in Konoha had known the details of the birth.

The ANBU had also begun quietly watching Danzo and the members of Root, which suggested that even Hiruzen suspected him of being connected to the Nine-Tails’ attack.

However, no matter what the clan heads thought of Danzo, none of them dared voice those suspicions openly.

Kushina, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke.

“I support the Third Hokage serving as Hokage until a successor is chosen.”

The chamber immediately fell silent.

Only then did many of those present remember that Kushina was also attending the meeting.

Her support was not an impulsive decision.

She and Roy had already discussed what she should do.

Kushina wanted to remove Danzo and the other elders from power, but she was not ready to move against them yet. She needed time to gather allies and learn which clans could be trusted.

The other hidden villages would not ignore Konoha’s current weakness either.

The village had lost the Fourth Hokage, suffered heavy casualties and been left without a clear leader. If Konoha delayed naming a Hokage for too long, one of the other villages might take advantage of the situation.

Allowing Hiruzen to return also had another benefit.

Hiruzen might continue overlooking many of Danzo’s actions, but he would never allow Danzo to act completely unchecked.

As long as Hiruzen remained Hokage, Danzo would be forced to keep a lower profile and wait for another opportunity instead of openly making trouble.

That would give Kushina and Roy the time they needed.

Of course, they had no intention of simply standing by while Hiruzen and Danzo buried the truth of the Nine-Tails’ attack.

In a few days, Roy intended to see whether the two old men could still remain so calm.

Once Kushina gave her support, the clan heads who had always stood close to Hiruzen followed her lead.

Seeing that the decision had already been made, the others soon agreed as well.

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s return as Hokage was settled.

The meeting then moved on to informing the Fire Daimyō and arranging compensation for the families of the shinobi who had died during the attack.

Kushina had no interest in listening any further.

She rose from her seat and left the chamber.

Once outside, she stopped and looked back at the Hokage Rock towering above the village.

Her gaze remained on Minato’s face for a long moment.

Then she turned and headed directly toward the Uchiha compound.

“Lady Kushina!”

The two Uchiha shinobi guarding the entrance stared at her in shock.

During the Nine-Tails’ attack, witnesses had seen the pattern of the Sharingan reflected in the beast’s eyes.

That meant someone possessing the Sharingan had controlled the Nine-Tails and forced it free from Kushina’s seal.

It was not only outsiders who suspected the Uchiha Clan.

Even many Uchiha believed that someone from within their own clan might have been responsible.

ANBU and Root shinobi had been watching the compound ever since the attack.

Although the Uchiha were furious at being treated like criminals, they had no choice but to endure it.

Fugaku had already ordered the entire clan to remain calm and avoid giving the village any reason to move against them.

Yet Kushina, the Nine-Tails’ jinchūriki, had now appeared at their gate alone.

If the person who had controlled the Nine-Tails attacked her again, the Uchiha Clan would never be able to clear its name.

“I’m here to see Mikoto,” Kushina said. “Please ask her to come out.”

The two guards exchanged uneasy glances.

One remained with Kushina while the other rushed toward the clan head’s residence.

Not long afterward, Uchiha Mikoto came running toward the gate, breathing heavily.

She had clearly been alarmed by Kushina’s sudden visit.

A jōnin would not normally lose her composure so easily.

Mikoto followed Kushina away from the compound, only to notice several unconscious ANBU hidden nearby.

Her legs nearly gave way beneath her.

“Kushina, what did you...?”

She had wondered why none of the ANBU watching the Uchiha compound had stepped forward to stop Kushina.

Now she understood.

They had tried.

Kushina had simply knocked them unconscious.

Mikoto had no idea what her friend intended to do.

Had Kushina merely wanted to speak with her, she could have sent a message. There had been no need to force her way past the ANBU surrounding the compound.

“Don’t worry,” Kushina said. “I’m in a bad mood, so I wanted someone to go shopping with me.”

In truth, Roy had told her to act this way.

As long as Kushina did not openly turn against Konoha, there was little anyone in the village could do to stop her.

Uzumaki Mito and Kushina had both served as the Nine-Tails’ jinchūriki and married a Hokage, but their personalities were completely different.

Mito had always carried herself with calm dignity.

Kushina, on the other hand, had become famous as the Red-Hot Habanero because of her fierce temper.

Minato had only just died.

If Kushina calmly obeyed every order and behaved as though nothing had happened, the people who knew her best would become suspicious.

Knocking out the ANBU and ignoring the long-standing rule that the Nine-Tails’ jinchūriki should avoid close contact with the Uchiha Clan was far more believable for her.

It was exactly the kind of reckless behaviour everyone expected from Kushina while she was grieving.

Roy’s judgement proved correct.

When Hiruzen received the ANBU’s report, he used the Telescope Technique to observe Kushina and Mikoto shopping together.

After confirming that they were doing nothing dangerous, he dismissed the ANBU who had brought the report.

He could not interfere with Kushina’s normal friendships right now.

More importantly, he did not dare to.

“The jinchūriki is acting far too recklessly,” Danzo said. “She should be confined and placed under guard. If she continues approaching the Uchiha and someone takes control of the Nine-Tails again, the damage could be far worse than before.”

“I will decide how to handle Kushina,” Hiruzen replied. “You should concern yourself with controlling your own men.”

Danzo’s eye narrowed.

“You still suspect that I was involved in the Nine-Tails’ attack?”

“I am willing to believe you.”

The darkness in Danzo’s expression deepened.

Hiruzen had said that he was willing to believe him.

He had not said that he actually did.

The most infuriating part was that Danzo truly had nothing to do with the attack.

He had not leaked the location or time of Kushina’s delivery.

For the first time, Danzo understood how it felt to be blamed for something he had not done.

“You will regret allowing the jinchūriki to behave however she pleases.”

“Danzo!”

Hiruzen glared at him.

“I am the Hokage. I do not need you telling me how to run the village.”

Danzo turned and slammed the door behind him as he left the office.

The more he considered Kushina’s actions, the more uneasy he became.

She had openly supported Hiruzen’s return as Hokage, but immediately afterward, she had ignored one of the village leadership’s most important precautions by approaching the Uchiha Clan.

Why would she contact them during such a tense period?

Was she planning something?

Danzo had also received reports that Kushina had recently brought a former Root operative into her home.

Yakushi Nonō.

He began to suspect that Kushina also believed he had leaked the information about her delivery and was preparing to take revenge.

Danzo considered himself a powerful shinobi, but the thought of facing the Nine-Tails’ jinchūriki directly still made him uneasy.

As soon as he returned to Root’s underground headquarters, he ordered more shinobi to patrol the surrounding tunnels.

No matter what Kushina was planning, he would not allow her to catch him unprepared.