[Read up to 60+ Chapters in advance on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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Inside the Konoha Police Force's prison, Uchiha Shin, acting under Kanzou's orders after receiving the message from Kaede of the zodiacs, released Namikaze Minato.
"Well, well… aren't you lucky, Namikaze Minato? You've been cleared of all charges. You're free to go," Shin said playfully as he unlocked the cell door.
"I… I can leave?" Minato was stunned. He hadn't expected to be released so easily, not without paying some kind of price. Yet, suddenly, here he was being set free, and for a moment, he didn't know how to react.
'Could it be… someone paid compensation for my release? Hokage-sama? Maybe Kushina?' he wondered, trying to guess who might have intervened. And indeed, someone had, Kushina.
When Minato still didn't move, Shin raised an eyebrow. "What? Don't tell me you'd rather stay here for the rest of your life."
"N-no…" Minato replied quickly. Whatever the reason for his release, he decided he could figure it out later. For now, he just needed to get out.
Seeing Minato come out, Shin pointed at a tray on which Minato's stuff was kept, and said, "Here's your stuff… be sure to take it with you…"
"Yes, thank you…" nodded Minato out of politeness and began to put them in his pockets. As he did that, he asked Shin about Jiraiya, Naoki, and Dekai with concern flickering in his eyes, "My sensei and squadmates… what about them?"
"You can forget about P. Jiraiya-sama… he is a criminal with proper evidence so he won't be released so easily… As for your squadmates? For the time being… they are still imprisoned…" shrugged Shin, and said, "Investigation for them hasn't been finished, yet…"
"Investigation?" Minato murmured, uncertainty flickering across his face. He doubted the Uchiha Police Force was conducting any real investigation; it was far more likely they simply had no intention of releasing Jiraiya or his two squadmates without proper compensation.
'I'll have to figure out how to get Jiraiya-sensei, Dekai, and Naoki out myself,' Minato thought, scratching his head as he stepped outside.
When he finally walked out of the prison, he couldn't help but think of Kushina, 'I hope she is safe…' and decided to first check up on Kushina to ensure her safety, then think about other things.
As Minato left the prison and headed toward Kushina's home, an uneasy feeling crept over him.
For a brief moment, it felt as though someone was watching him from the shadows, but the sensation vanished as quickly as it came.
"Strange… was that just my imagination? Or someone from the Uchiha Clan?" he muttered, shaking his head to dismiss the thought. The feeling had come from the direction of the Police Station, so he reasoned it was probably just one of the Uchiha police keeping an eye on him as he left.
Right now, his only priority was ensuring Kushina's safety, and after that, finding a way to free Jiraiya and his two squadmates.
"After checking on Kushina, I'll have to speak with Hokage-sama. Maybe he can help," Minato resolved. Without even stopping by his own home, he hurried straight to Kushina's house.
…
Once Minato had gone, a figure emerged from the shadows, it was Kushina.
"That bastard actually kept his word this time…" she muttered under her breath.
She had been watching Minato all along, and when she noticed that he might have sensed her presence, she quickly suppressed her chakra, afraid he'd recognize her.
'Thankfully, he didn't,' Kushina thought, exhaling a shaky sigh of relief.
Right now, she didn't dare reveal herself. She didn't know how to face Minato, not after everything that had happened.
But beyond the guilt and fear, another thought gnawed at her: the promise she had made to Kanzou.
'…Am I really going to hand over my clan's Fūinjutsu to that damn bastard?'
The thought alone made her chest ache.
After everything Kanzou had done to her, how could she possibly be willing to give him something so precious?
Although Kushina wasn't the kind of person to break her word after making a promise, when it came to someone like Kanzou, she felt he didn't deserve her honesty.
But her honest nature still made her unable to not follow through on her promise…
And beneath that anger was fear, deep, gnawing fear. Fear that if she didn't keep her promise, he'd come for her again…
In the end, she made up her mind.
'I'll give it to him… but I'll alter a few things, just enough to make sure he can't truly learn it. Then, I'll blame it on his lack of talent in Fūinjutsu.'
After all, Fūinjutsu was one of the most complex ninja arts in existence; not everyone was capable of mastering it. If Kanzou failed to learn it, he would have no one to blame but himself.
With that thought, Kushina left the police station. But instead of heading home, she went straight to the Barrier Division Office, where she normally worked.
Although she had been promoted to Jōnin just the previous night, and was slated for another promotion within the division, the news hadn't yet reached anyone. She wasn't wearing her new vest, and with Hiruzen's condition worsening the previous night, he hadn't had the time to officially assign her new duties.
None of that mattered to her right now. Taking her usual seat at a corner desk, Kushina unrolled an empty scroll and began writing, her clan's Fūinjutsu flowing from memory onto the parchment.
Of course, she deliberately altered several key sections, just enough to make the seals appear faulty due to the user's supposed lack of talent in the art.
What she created was incomplete, but cleverly disguised to look genuine.
A faint glint of satisfaction flickered in her eyes. 'Let's see how that bastard handles this.' It wasn't much, but for once, she would have the upper hand, and even that small victory filled her with quiet delight.
'I'd love to watch you struggle every day, trying to learn these and failing miserably… bastard,' she thought with bitter satisfaction.
…
While Kushina was busy writing the scrolls meant to be given to Kanzou, Minato had arrived outside her house.
He knocked on the door and rang the bell several times, but no one answered.
"Hmm… is she not home?" he murmured, a flicker of worry crossing his face.
Still, he forced himself not to jump to conclusions.
Just because she wasn't there didn't mean something had happened to her. "Maybe she's at work," he said quietly, deciding to check the Barrier Division next.
When Minato arrived at the Barrier Division, he ran into a familiar senior ninja who happened to be arriving for work at the same time.
"Oh? Isn't this Namikaze-san? So, you've been released from the Uchiha Prison?" the man asked with a teasing grin.
Minato said a bit awkwardly. "Yeah… they finished their investigation and let me go afterward."
"Oh, I see. So Namikaze-san turned out to be innocent, unlike his sensei, P. Jiraiya-sama," the man said with a snicker.
Minato tried to keep his composure and simply scratched his cheek, forcing a small smile.
Realizing he'd gone too far, the ninja coughed, a bit embarrassed, before hastily changing the subject. "Ahem… anyway, are you here to see Uzumaki Kushina?" he asked, knowing that was probably the reason Namikaze Minato would visit the Barrier Division.
"Y-yeah…" Minato nodded quickly. "Would you mind checking if Kushina's inside?" he asked. After all, he wasn't part of the Barrier Division, so he wasn't allowed to enter without proper permission.
"Sure, I guess," the man replied with a shrug before heading inside while Minato waited outside.
He didn't have to wait for long, though; as the man soon returned and said, "Uzumaki Kushina is indeed inside… but she says she's really busy right now and can't see you."
"She's… busy?" Minato murmured, a flicker of doubt crossing his face. It was strange, Kushina had never refused to see him before. Normally, the moment he arrived, she'd rush out to greet him with that same fiery enthusiasm. And if he didn't greet her or visit for a few days, she would usually be furious with him. Considering that, this was the first time she hadn't come out to meet him at all, something completely unlike her, and it made him feel uneasy.
'Could it be… she thinks I'm just like Jiraiya-sensei?' The thought stung, but if that was truly what she believed, he couldn't blame her. After all, he had been imprisoned under that very suspicion.
Still, he quickly pushed the thought aside. 'That's not important right now.'
What mattered was her safety. "Is she alright?" he asked, just to be sure.
The man tilted his head thoughtfully. "Hm? She might be coming down with a cold or something," he said, recalling that Kushina had been wearing a scarf. "She's probably not in the best mood either; she almost snapped at me when I interrupted her with what she was doing… But aside from that, she seems fine."
"A cold, huh?" Minato muttered. 'If it were just that, then there was nothing to worry about.' As long as she was safe, that was all that mattered.
'Maybe Jiraiya-sensei was really mistaken…' Minato thought to himself. After all, Kushina seemed fine.
As for her not wanting to see him, he tried to convince himself that she was simply busy, that she didn't have time to meet him right now. Still, a trace of doubt lingered. 'Maybe she feels awkward after everything that happened… because of why I was imprisoned.'
'I'll just have to find a way to prove to her that I didn't do any of that,' he resolved, bowing politely to the man before leaving. There were still other matters to deal with, like freeing Jiraiya and his squadmates.
Now that he knew Kushina was safe, he could focus on the rest. With that thought, he turned and headed straight for the Hokage's office.
…
When Minato arrived at the Hokage Building, he was stopped before he could reach the Hokage's office.
"This… I can't meet Hokage-sama? But I'm Jōnin Namikaze Minato," he explained quickly. "I need to speak with Hokage-sama about something urgent, regarding Jiraiya-sama."
The shinobi who stopped him frowned. "Namikaze Minato? Didn't the Uchiha Police imprison you?"
Minato nodded slightly. "I was, but they've released me," he said, his tone firm but polite. "I need to discuss Jiraiya-sensei and my two squadmates who are still being held."
The guard looked apologetic but shook his head. "I understand your intentions, but I'm afraid you can't see Hokage-sama right now. He's occupied with something important."
Seeing that he wasn't being allowed to meet the Hokage at all, Minato felt something wasn't right. This had never happened before; at most, he'd been asked to wait until the Hokage was free, but never outright denied an audience. Still, even as unease settled in his chest, he couldn't push the matter here. He could only accept the answer with a quiet, "I see…" before asking, "Then, can I at least know when Hokage-sama will be free?"
The shinobi guarding the hall shrugged casually. "Hard to say."
But seeing Minato's disappointed look, he added, "Tell you what, why don't you tell me what you wanted to discuss? I'll make sure Hokage-sama hears about it as soon as he's available."
"This… I understand," Minato said, then briefly explained his concern about Jiraiya and his two squadmates still being held in custody.
The ninja gave a helpless sigh. "Ah… well, actually, Hokage-sama is already working on that matter."
This was, of course, a lie. They hadn't even tried to free Jiraiya.
The truth was that Hiruzen's condition had worsened, leaving him unable to handle any official duties, he wasn't even meeting visitors. The Hokage Building was being managed with difficulty in his absence, so matters like Jiraiya's imprisonment were the least of their concerns.
Right now, their top priority was to ensure that no other village received confirmation of the Hokage's current state. Everything else, including Jiraiya, was irrelevant for the time being.
But naturally, they couldn't say any of that to Minato. Admitting it would only raise doubts about the Hokage's authority.
So instead, the shinobi smiled and said, "You were just released, right? You should take a bit of rest and recover first. In the meantime, we'll work on getting Jiraiya-sama and your squadmates released, too. Who knows, just like you, they might be freed before you know it."
Minato thought about it for a moment before nodding. "I understand…"
With that, he left the Hokage Building and made his way home. After spending two days imprisoned at the Police Station, fatigue was finally catching up to him. Some rest was long overdue.
While making his way to his home, he thought, 'Kushina should be free by evening, I'll talk to her then. Until that time, I should freshen up and get some rest.'
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Drop Power Stonessssssssss!
[Read up to 60+ Chapters in advance on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]