The battlefield was still smoking, the acrid scent of burnt metal and scorched earth hanging heavy in the air. Hundreds of destroyed puppets lay scattered across the perimeter, their mechanical forms inert, their purpose extinguished. Barrier Division shinobi moved methodically through the debris, their seals flaring as they reinforced the damaged sections of the defensive network. The immediate threat was over, but the weight of the attack lingered; someone had deliberately tested Konoha's defences while its leadership was divided.
Minato remained silent for several seconds after Hiruzen's question, his blue eyes fixed on the distant horizon. His first instinct was to return to the border; his thoughts remained focused on Renjiro and the delegation. He knew Renjiro was still somewhere in Lightning Country, and he also knew that every minute mattered. The delegation was vulnerable, and Renjiro was alone against an unknown enemy.
"This isn't the time," Minato said, his voice carrying the weight of his authority. "The immediate priority is reinforcing the border, re-establishing communication with Renjiro, and ensuring the delegation reaches safety. Renjiro is currently alone against an unknown enemy force. Whatever happened with Orochimaru can be discussed later."
Hiruzen didn't accept this. His aged eyes hardened, his voice carrying the particular edge of someone who had seen too many secrets become disasters.
"Later is precisely how dangerous secrets become disasters," he said. "Orochimaru isn't someone who casually allows opponents to walk away. He's ruthless, calculating, and paranoid. If Renjiro confronted him and survived, either Renjiro possessed overwhelming power, Orochimaru deliberately allowed him to escape, or there was some form of cooperation between them."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle.
"If Renjiro truly defeated Orochimaru, why wasn't Orochimaru killed? Is Renjiro hiding something from Konoha?"
Hiruzen laid out the possibility he didn't want to believe; Renjiro could possess abilities or knowledge that made him a threat to Konoha, or Renjiro could have reached an understanding with Orochimaru. He acknowledged that accusing Renjiro of treason was serious, but Orochimaru made the matter unavoidable. His reasoning was cold and logical; Orochimaru didn't compromise without reason, didn't spare enemies without reason, and didn't reveal his research without reason. Therefore, something had happened during that confrontation that Konoha's leadership didn't fully understand.
Minato's internal assessment was a storm of conflicting thoughts. He considered how much of Renjiro's actual strength he should reveal. He remembered Renjiro's progression; the frightening realisation that Renjiro had grown beyond what he had expected. His Hiraishin mastery was approaching absurd levels, his EMS had completely changed his battlefield capabilities, his sealing knowledge continued to evolve, and his combat instincts had become increasingly sophisticated.
He privately considered something he had never wanted to admit; if Renjiro fought him seriously, he wasn't completely certain he would win. This didn't mean he thought Renjiro was stronger overall; rather, Renjiro's combination of EMS prediction, Hiraishin, sealing, and raw power made him an exceptionally difficult opponent. He realised that revealing this would only intensify Hiruzen's suspicion.
Rather than revealing Renjiro's full combat capability, Minato decided to reveal something else. He told Hiruzen that Renjiro's encounter with Orochimaru had uncovered something far more disturbing than a simple confrontation. Hiruzen immediately became attentive as Minato began explaining the classified intelligence.
"Renjiro discovered that Orochimaru was involved in child trafficking," Minato said, his voice low, controlled. "Children were being acquired for experimentation. Genetic experimentation was being conducted. Orochimaru was attempting to manipulate bloodlines and biological traits. The experiments went far beyond conventional medical research."
Hiruzen's expression changed; the news was particularly uncomfortable because Orochimaru was once his student. Minato made clear that Renjiro hadn't simply encountered Orochimaru; he had uncovered evidence of what Orochimaru had been doing. This gave Renjiro a legitimate reason to conceal some details; protecting victims, protecting informants, preventing Orochimaru from destroying evidence, and avoiding premature political fallout.
But Hiruzen's reaction wasn't relief. His expression became more troubled as he asked his questions; how had Renjiro discovered this? How much evidence had he actually obtained? Why hadn't Orochimaru killed him? How had Renjiro escaped? What exactly had Renjiro done to Orochimaru?
Minato realised he had accidentally opened more questions than he had answered.
Hiruzen pointed out the uncomfortable contradiction; if Renjiro had discovered evidence of Orochimaru's crimes, Orochimaru had every reason to silence him. Yet Renjiro had survived. Therefore, either Renjiro was vastly stronger than expected, Orochimaru had deliberately allowed him to leave, or something had happened between them that Konoha hadn't been told. He asked Minato directly: "What did Renjiro do to him?"
Minato hesitated. His buried doubts resurfaced as he internally revisited his own questions. He remembered moments when Renjiro's capabilities seemed almost impossible. He began connecting Renjiro's knowledge of sealing, his unusual ocular abilities, his rapid growth, his ability to analyse techniques, and his knowledge of things he shouldn't necessarily know.
He realised Hiruzen's suspicion wasn't entirely irrational.
However, he reached an important distinction; not understanding Renjiro did not mean Renjiro was an enemy. He remained unwilling to treat Renjiro as a suspect without evidence.
The ideological clash between them was sharp. Hiruzen argued from institutional responsibility; the Hokage couldn't allow one shinobi to operate outside oversight. Power without accountability eventually became dangerous, and Orochimaru himself was once trusted by Konoha. Minato countered from personal experience; Renjiro had repeatedly risked his life for Konoha, protected civilians, protected other shinobi, and placed himself between danger and everyone else.
Hiruzen responded with a single, devastating point: "Orochimaru also once served Konoha."
The words landed heavily on Minato. He couldn't dismiss the parallel; Orochimaru had been trusted, had been celebrated, and had ultimately betrayed everything the village stood for. Hiruzen revealed the deeper reason behind his suspicion; this wasn't merely about Renjiro, but about Orochimaru. He had trusted Orochimaru, had watched that trust turn into betrayal, and he refused to make the same mistake twice. His fear was clear; if Renjiro was hiding something dangerous, Hiruzen wanted to discover it before Konoha paid the price.
Minato understood the emotion even if he disagreed with the conclusion.
Before either man could resolve the argument, a distant chakra disturbance suddenly appeared. Barrier sensors activated, and several shinobi turned toward the staging area. Minato immediately recognised the sensation. Hiraishin. Yellow-red light began illuminating the clearing as a massive Hiraishin formula activated across the staging ground. Spatial chakra flooded through the prepared network.
One by one, the members of the delegation materialized; Kakashi, Guy, Asuma, Kurenai, Shisui and the ANBU, the exhausted genin, medical personnel, and the remaining members of the contingent. The arrival was chaotic; several genin collapsed, some were dizzy from the mass teleportation, and others immediately looked around for their commander. Konoha shinobi rushed forward to stabilise them.
Minato's eyes swept through the group, his expression changing as he realised Renjiro wasn't among them. He asked, his voice sharp: "Where is Renjiro?"
Nobody answered immediately. The tension spiked.
Kakashi immediately broke away from the group, his clothing damaged, his exhaustion evident, his expression unusually serious. He ran toward Minato, his visible eye carrying the weight of his report. Minato recognised that something had gone terribly wrong.
"Renjiro stayed behind," Kakashi said, his voice tight. "The delegation was extracted, but he deliberately remained on the battlefield."
He delivered the critical information; Renjiro was alone, the enemy wasn't Kumo, they had encountered five unknown combatants, and Renjiro had stayed behind specifically so the delegation could escape. Minato immediately asked whether Kakashi knew their identities. Kakashi said no, explaining that their abilities were abnormal and the battle was still ongoing when the extraction completed.
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