"Understood!"
Minato straightened up and answered loudly.
Just then, the office door was pushed open again—without a knock.
A man with his right eye and right arm wrapped in bandages, his gaze gloomy and sinister, walked in.
The Hokage advisor—Shimura Danzō.
His eyes first swept over the slightly disheveled Namikaze Minato with a faint, nearly imperceptible scrutiny, then landed directly on Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Hiruzen."
Danzō's voice was low, carrying its usual oppressive force.
"I've already heard about it—Uzumaki Kushina, the Nine-Tails jinchūriki candidate, was abducted by an unknown individual right under the village's nose."
He slowly approached the desk and stared Hiruzen down from across it.
"This is a grave dereliction of duty on your part as Hokage."
Danzō didn't mince words.
"The surveillance and protection of the jinchūriki candidate were so lax that the enemy infiltrated to point-blank range. As Hokage, you cannot escape responsibility."
Hiruzen's expression darkened. He drew on his pipe and exhaled slowly.
"Danzō, this isn't the time to assign blame. The priority is getting Kushina back."
"Hmph. And after you get her back, then what?"
Danzō replied coldly.
"After being captured and coming into contact with an unidentified enemy with bizarre power—can her mental state and loyalty still be guaranteed?"
"Is the seal inside her still secure? Or has the enemy tampered with it?"
He leaned forward slightly. Beneath the bandages, his single eye glinted sharply.
"I recommend that once Uzumaki Kushina is recovered, she be handed over to 'Root' immediately."
His pace was unhurried, but every word carried the weight of an order.
"Root will handle subsequent supervision, interrogation, and any necessary 'adjustments' to ensure the jinchūriki remains absolutely controllable and stable. That is the most responsible course of action for the village."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop to freezing.
Minato stood to the side, his palm starting to sweat.
He'd heard of Root's methods.
It was a unit even darker than Anbu—one that obeyed Danzō's will absolutely.
If Kushina fell into Root's hands…
"I refuse."
Hiruzen's voice was decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
He leaned forward as well, meeting Danzō's stare head-on.
"Kushina is a child cherished by Lady Mito, and the future the Uzumaki clan entrusted to Konoha. She is not a weapon or a container without feelings!"
Hiruzen's voice trembled with suppressed anger.
Of course, those words sounded noble on the surface.
What truly angered him was Danzō's blatant disrespect toward him as Hokage.
"She is a living person—a shinobi of Konoha. Her safety and her future should be jointly safeguarded by the Hokage and the village, not turned over to your 'Root' for those unspeakable 'procedures'!"
"Naïve!"
Danzō barked.
"Hiruzen, your weakness and your so-called mercy will ruin Konoha sooner or later!"
"A jinchūriki is the village's strategic weapon. We must ensure absolute control. Letting emotions rule only leaves hidden dangers!"
"Wasn't the price of indulgence back then already high enough?"
"Lady Mito devoted her entire life to Konoha—her choice earned everyone's respect!"
Hiruzen didn't give an inch.
"Kushina will walk that same path, but it must be on the basis of understanding and willingness—not coercion and darkness!"
He stared at Danzō and repeated each word slowly and clearly.
"I am the Hokage, Danzō."
"How the jinchūriki is handled is my decision."
"Withdraw your proposal and do what's within your remit. Finding Kushina requires Anbu's intelligence network—I don't want to see any obstruction."
"You…!"
Danzō's face twisted, the muscles under his bandages twitching slightly.
He glared at Hiruzen, his eyes cold as a venomous snake.
They locked in silence for several seconds.
"You'll regret this, Hiruzen."
In the end, Danzō snorted, the words squeezed out through clenched teeth.
"When that jinchūriki loses control—or becomes the blade our enemies use against Konoha—today's decision will be the beginning of Konoha's disaster."
With that, he didn't linger. He turned and swept out.
The wooden door slammed behind him with a heavy thud.
The office fell quiet again, but the oppressive atmosphere didn't lift.
Hiruzen slowly sank back into his chair, as if he'd aged a little in an instant.
He rubbed his brow and looked at Minato, who was still standing where he was.
"Minato."
"Yes, Third Hokage!"
"You will also join the search team."
Hiruzen's voice was grave.
"Your Flying Thunder God Technique gives you an advantage in mobility and in responding to sudden developments."
"Remember—your top priority is confirming Kushina's safety and location. Don't rush into a confrontation with that mysterious man."
"If you find her, notify support immediately with a summoning technique or a signal flare. Understood?"
"Understood!"
Minato nodded hard, determination reigniting in his eyes.
No matter what, he would bring Kushina back!
"Go."
Hiruzen waved him off.
Minato bowed and quickly left the office.
The door closed again.
Hiruzen sat alone in the wide chair.
Moonlight spilled across half his face, leaving the other half in shadow.
His pipe had long gone out, but he didn't relight it.
He replayed Minato's description.
Appearing out of thin air. Immobilizing from a distance.
One glance that stripped Minato of his ability to fight—then vanishing into nothing with Kushina…
That wasn't ordinary space-time ninjutsu.
The target was clearly Kushina.
Was it the Uzumaki clan's constitution?
Or her status as a potential Nine-Tails jinchūriki?
If it was the latter… then the situation was far worse.
And what worried him even more was Danzō's attitude.
Danzō's desire to use Root to control the jinchūriki had never faded.
This incident had handed him a perfect excuse.
If Kushina really was recovered,
there would inevitably be another fierce political battle over what to do with her afterward.
And that mysterious man—what was his true purpose in taking Kushina?
Konoha had only recently suffered the wounds of a great war and still hadn't fully recovered.
Now a jinchūriki candidate had vanished, a powerful enemy had surfaced, and undercurrents inside the village were churning…
"Troubled times…"
Staring out at the silent village, Hiruzen let out a low, weary sigh.
A storm was coming.
He had to keep the ship called Konoha steady.