"Uncle, I'm heading out."
Nono wiped down the shelves, hung her apron neatly in place, then tilted her head slightly as she spoke.
"Wait a moment."
Might Dai, who had been inspecting his weapons, stopped what he was doing. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick stack of money.
"Here, this is your pay for this month."
"Why is there so much?"
Nono froze, instinctively pulling her hand back instead of taking it.
She had lived in Konoha for nearly a year and knew the prices well. All she did was come after school to clean shelves and help sell items. This amount was far more than reasonable.
"Just take it."
Dai laughed and firmly placed the money into her hand.
"The war in the Land of Rivers is getting worse, business has been booming lately. The shop earned more, so your pay went up too. You work hard every day, don't feel awkward about it."
He looked energetic and spirited, nothing like how dispirited he had seemed months ago. Although Dai had never run a shop before, years of training meant he was deeply familiar with weapons and equipment. After months of trial and error, business had steadily improved.
"Hehe, thank you, Uncle."
Nono stuck out her tongue and carefully tucked the money into her pocket.
"Then I'll head out?"
"Go on."
Just as she turned to leave, Dai suddenly slapped his forehead as if remembering something. He quickly went behind the counter.
"I almost forgot."
He handed her a neatly wrapped bundle of clothes.
"This is the newest model I bought just for you. The fabric is soft, breathable, and stretches well. That way, you won't have to worry about tearing your clothes when you exercise in the future."
"..."
Nono stared at Dai's gleaming smile, thick eyebrows, and shining teeth, then accepted the green bodysuit with trembling hands.
The image of herself wearing it to school immediately flashed through her mind, making her shudder.
Uncle Dai was kind in every way, except for this strange obsession. Discount weapons with free bodysuits, was he trying to scare customers away on purpose?
Leaving the shop, Nono walked toward the Senju clan grounds while silently wondering how she could possibly dispose of the outfit.
She had already promised Kushina to go eat barbecue together that evening.
After passing several streets, the crowds thinned noticeably. With the war ongoing, there were fewer people in Konoha, and the Senju compound felt especially quiet.
"Huh, she's not here yet?"
Carrying the clothes, Nono waited at the gate for a while.
Bang, bang, bang.
"Kushina, are you home?"
Receiving no answer, she jumped lightly and flipped over the wall into the courtyard.
Walking straight to Kushina's small house, she found the door open, yet the inside was completely empty.
"Kushina? Where are you?"
Panic surged through her as she called out loudly. She always came at this time, and if anything unusual came up, Kushina would tell her beforehand.
Suddenly, a memory surfaced.
"If Kushina ever goes missing, contact me using the summoning snake, then inform the Third Hokage."
Those were Hayashi's words before he left.
Heart racing, Nono yuu rushed to the large tree in the yard and lifted the stone resting at its base.
"Kushina is missing. Go notify Hayashi immediately."
She spoke urgently to the black-striped snake curled beneath the stone.
The snake hissed softly, then vanished in a puff of smoke.
"And also… the Third Hokage."
Not even caring about the clothes in her arms anymore, Nono yuu sprinted toward the Hokage Building.
....
Inside his office, the Third Hokage took a deep draw from his pipe, his expression heavy with concern.
Because of the intense pressure on the front lines, the Ninja Academy had begun compressing its six-year program into three. Mass-producing genin like this was no different from destroying the future, but after three years of war, there was no other choice.
As he flipped through documents, noise suddenly erupted outside.
"What's going on?"
Moments later, a chunin wearing a light green flak jacket entered.
"A Ninja Academy student attempted to force her way into the Hokage Building and was stopped by the guards."
"..."
The Third Hokage's eyelid twitched.
If academy students were strong enough to storm the Hokage Building, Konoha would not need to fight a war at all. They could conquer the Five Great Nations directly.
These guards always managed to make trouble out of nothing.
"Did she explain why?"
"She said one of her friends is missing."
"Then tell her to report it to the Konoha Military Police Force."
"I did, but she refused and insisted on seeing you," the chunin replied hesitantly.
"What else did she say?"
"She claimed the missing person is your illegitimate daughter."
"Cough, cough."
The Third Hokage nearly choked on his smoke.
"Nonsense!"
He was about to scold her, but a certain rumor suddenly came to mind. Years ago, someone in the Academy had spread a ridiculous story claiming Kushina was his illegitimate daughter, which had even earned him a beating from Biwako.
His expression changed instantly.
"Bring her in, now."
"Yes."
The chunin cast him a strange look, as if realizing something, then turned and left.
Soon after, Nono entered the office alone. Nervous and anxious, she blurted out, "Hokage-sama, Kushina is gone. I can't find her anywhere!"
The Third Hokage nodded and gestured for her to sit. He retrieved a transparent crystal ball from beneath the desk.
Activating the Telescope Technique, he searched.
Kushina's image did not appear.
There were only three explanations. Either the target had blocked the technique, the target was dead, or the target was no longer inside Konoha.
Kushina lacked the ability to block such a jutsu.
That left only one possibility.
She had been abducted and taken out of the village.
But how was that possible? With Danzo's Root overseeing internal security, Anbu guarding Kushina, and Konoha's barrier in place, who could have done this?
Were Danzo and the Anbu completely incompetent?
"Someone!"
"Hokage-sama!"
An Anbu shinobi wearing a fox mask knelt immediately.
"Three orders," the Third Hokage said coldly. "First, seal all village gates at once. Second, locate the Anbu assigned to protect Kushina. Third, notify the acting commander of the Military Police Force, Shimura Danzo, and tell him to come here immediately."
The Anbu did not leave.
Instead, he hesitated and looked up.
"What is it?"
"Elder Danzo… left for the Daimyo's residence early this morning."
Bang.
The corner of the desk was shattered by the Third Hokage's strike.
"Very well. Then he does not need to return."
Suppressing his anger, he continued, "Notify Hyuga Tenku, Inuzuka Iwa, and Aburame Shiyun. Tell them to come see me immediately."
"Yes!"
...