Hearing the only good news so far, Hiruzen finally let out a slow breath.
He picked up the pipe lying beside the documents and set it back at the corner of his mouth. After a brief silence, he asked again, "Did you confirm the details with Naruto and the others?"
Iruka nodded, his face turning grave. "We've got the broad strokes. From their account, it seems ANBU from the Leaf killed Kinoshita Jiro of the Mist."
"After that, Kakashi's squad was attacked by Mist shinobi. Kakashi-sensei held them off and created a chance for Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to escape…" He paused, then added, "Then, somehow, Naruto had a leak of Kyūbi (Nine-Tails) chakra. After that, the three of them don't remember."
ANBU?
Hiruzen's eyelid twitched. He knew that couldn't be ANBU—which left only one answer.
Back then, his words to Danzo had been to make contact with Kinoshita Jiro, not to kill him.
Danzo, you were reckless.
An ugly look flickered across Hiruzen's face. If the deed had been done cleanly with no witnesses, it might have passed—but the Mist already seemed to know who did it.
He drew on his pipe. The information was thin, yet a faint wrongness lingered in his gut.
If only Kakashi were awake—then they could lay the whole sequence bare.
"Hokage-sama, Naruto absolutely didn't mean for that to happen," Iruka blurted, anxious at Hiruzen's silence.
After all, even if Naruto had lost consciousness in Bijū-ka (Tailed-Beast Transformation), he had harmed comrades. Iruka feared Hiruzen might punish him.
Seeing the tension on Iruka's face, Hiruzen smiled and eased his tone. "Don't worry, Iruka. This wasn't Naruto's fault. I won't punish him."
"By the way, how are Sasuke and the others holding up?"
Iruka shook his head, voice low. "They're shaken by all this—especially Naruto."
Hiruzen nodded, unsurprised. Anyone would be after skirting death.
But he'd watched Naruto grow up. He knew the boy's temperament—he'd bounce back soon enough.
"So long as Kakashi won't be waking, I'm putting those three in your care. You're their teacher; you know them well." He added, "Help Naruto steady himself. And for now—don't tell him about Kakashi's injuries."
"No problem, Sandaime-sama," Iruka said quickly. He would have done so even without the order.
When Iruka left the office, Hiruzen's smile slowly vanished.
He tapped a knuckle against the desk, thinking—
The door burst open. Danzo strode in wearing a storm for a face.
"I've said it before—the jinchūriki is an unstable factor. He must be placed under Root's supervision. And the Uchiha orphan—you know what Sasuke's existence means to the Leaf. If anything happens to him, you know the consequences!"
He got straight to the point, voice booming.
Sasuke was one thing; he had a certain monster backing him. But the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki—Danzo had always wanted him under Root. This leak of Kyūbi chakra was, to Danzo, a golden chance.
Hiruzen watched him without expression, waited for him to finish, then said coldly, "Kinoshita Jiro is dead."
Danzo froze, not following for a moment.
Outside of Kakashi's team, no one knew the full story of what happened in the Wave. When the team returned, ANBU took over at once. Aside from the Kyūbi incident, Danzo's information was limited.
"Kinoshita Jiro was killed by men of Root—in front of Kakashi's squad. They even clashed with Mist shinobi. You didn't know?" Hiruzen's gaze was ice.
Danzo's face shifted. He had, in secret, given the order: if Kinoshita Jiro was found, bring back the head.
But that was under the premise of perfect secrecy. Root should never make such a rookie mistake. And the operatives he'd sent hadn't reported back at all.
Don't tell me—
He looked up and met Hiruzen's eyes. "If I say I don't know the specifics, will you believe me?"
Hiruzen frowned and said nothing.
Danzo's methods were often filthy, but he wouldn't usually blunder this obviously. It was possible he'd done it on purpose—but unlikely.
One thing Hiruzen was sure of: Naruto and the others weren't lying.
Bang!
The door—barely closed—swung open again.
Both men turned toward the sound with matching frowns.
Two elderly figures walked straight in.
There were very few in Konoha who could come and go from the Hokage's office without ceremony.
These two were the top officials of Konoha's Administrative Department—de facto elders overseeing the village's governance: Homura and Koharu.
The Administrative Department was a special organ in Konoha; it rarely meddled in internal affairs. But when it did, it meant something that could sway the entire village.
They stopped, taking in the tense air between Hiruzen and Danzo.
"Since you're both here—so much the better," Homura said with a faint smile, though his voice carried a heavy undertone.
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