In the middle of the night, the Hokage Building was brightly lit.
The door to the Hokage's Office opened. Following behind Yellow Dog and Black Gorilla, Yōkō saw the scene inside.
The Third Hokage was smoking behind his desk.
On one sofa sat Danzo and Mitokado Homura. On the other sofa sat Senju Clan Head Rinoki.
Standing behind Senju Rinoki was Kato Dan.
Kato Dan had silver-white long hair and a cold, severe countenance.
The three Anbu members entered the office and stood behind Danzo.
Yōkō glanced around; the expressions on both sides were grim. It seems they had just finished arguing.
Danzo turned his head and said: "Yellow Dog, report on tonight's situation."
"Yes! Lord Danzo!" Yellow Dog said:
"Tonight, all of Kumogakure's spies made their move. Some created disturbances elsewhere to attract the Anbu's attention, while others directly targeted the Uzumaki Princess."
"The Anbu took immediate action. The Uzumaki Princess's guard squadron was intercepted by the Kumo-nin. The Black Gorilla Squadron appeared in time and followed the Uzumaki Princess."
Yōkō thought, That's not right. Their Black Gorilla Squadron's original intention was to chase the Kumo-nin spy Yōkō had discovered. Described this way by Battalion Commander Yellow Dog, it sounded as if the Anbu had been prepared in advance.
Reporting it this way significantly reduced the Anbu's responsibility.
Yellow Dog continued:
"The Kumo-nin escaped through a hidden hole in Konoha's perimeter wall. They were caught up by the Black Gorilla Squadron about one kilometer away from Konoha."
"All the Kumo-nin spies were eliminated. The Black Gorilla Squadron rescued the Uzumaki Princess."
The Third Hokage nodded repeatedly. The Anbu's performance this time was excellent, minimizing the losses in time.
Yellow Dog said:
"The reasons for the Uzumaki Princess being kidnapped are as follows."
"First, the Uzumaki Princess was lingering outside the Senju Clan District at 11 PM, and no one came out to bring her back into the Senju Clan District."
"Second, the Kumo-nin spies were deeply lurking, at least five of them, and no traces of them had been discovered previously."
Battalion Commander Yellow Dog was not only powerful in strength but also first-rate at shifting blame.
He didn't say the Anbu bore no responsibility, only that the Anbu hadn't discovered the five Kumo-nin spies.
This wasn't much of an offense. Konoha received visitors daily, with so many mission clients and tourists entering the village; of course, it was impossible to screen out all spies.
The Anbu had problems, but they were neither light nor heavy, perhaps not even warranting accountability.
The first reason he mentioned, however, was implicitly pointing fingers.
The Uzumaki Princess was kidnapped because she was out late at night, not returning home, increasing the risk factor.
As for why the Uzumaki Princess wasn't returning home, well, the Anbu didn't know that.
The Third Hokage looked at Senju Rinoki.
Senju Rinoki explained:
"Kushina hasn't adapted to Konoha yet. I told the clan that no matter what Kushina does, let her follow her own heart and don't force her."
"Her mood hasn't recovered from the clan's destruction yet. She has nightmares and insomnia every day, which is why she is unwilling to go back to her room to sleep."
"I did this to help her adapt as soon as possible and complete the Nine-Tails sealing promptly."
The matter of the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki change didn't need to be hidden from anyone in this room.
The higher-ups went without saying. The fact that the three Anbu could appear here proved they were trustworthy, executors of the village's secrets.
Kato Dan was a core figure of the Senju clan. Mastering a forbidden technique, he could exhibit Kage-level combat power under special circumstances.
The Spirit Transformation Technique was a forbidden technique for ultra-long-range assassination, with astonishing deterrent power.
Danzo then said:
"Clan Head Rinoki! If you can't manage the Uzumaki Princess, you can completely hand her over to the village!"
"The village has better methods to manage the Uzumaki Princess!"
"Letting the Uzumaki Princess do as she pleases? How did you come up with such a terrible method?"
"Lady Mito has been diligent and responsible for decades; has the village ever worried about the Nine-Tails for a single day?"
"After the older generation of the Senju passed away, the clan has increasingly disappointed the village."
"The handling of the Jinchūriki change matter by the Senju clan has been too poor."
"If not for the Anbu's quick reaction tonight, the Uzumaki Princess would have been taken to Kumogakure!"
"Intelligence from the border says Kumo-nin infiltration teams have already reached a location 60 kilometers from Konoha Village."
"If we were just half an hour late, Konoha would have lost the Uzumaki Princess forever, lost the next Nine-Tails Jinchūriki!"
"I suggest stripping the Senju clan of their status as the Uzumaki Princess's guardian and having the village supervise her directly."
"I think Sarutobi Biwako is an excellent candidate. She is a powerful medical ninja and has raised several children; she is fully capable of taking care of the Uzumaki Princess!"
Senju Rinoki looked at Danzo, then at Mitokado Homura, and finally fixed his gaze on Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's hand holding the pipe stopped in mid-air, unsure why Senju Rinoki was looking at him like that.
Senju Rinoki said slowly:
"Big Brother Hiruzen, I still remember the scene from when I was a child, meeting you at the clan entrance and taking you to see my father."
"You were the big brother who patiently taught me ninjutsu back then."
"I admired you so much. Even though Father and Uncle Tobirama treated you better than us, their own nephews, I never held any resentment."
"When did it start? The conflicts between us grew larger and larger. Became increasingly hard to bear?"
"You became Hokage, and my Senju clan supported you fully."
"But then, why did you increasingly target my Senju clan?"
"Big Brother Hiruzen, how long has it been since you last visited the Senju District, since you last saw your teacher's wife, my mother?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent.
Yes, how long had it been since he last saw his teacher's wife, Mito?
His wife, Biwako, often visited; Biwako was Uzumaki Mito's personal physician, constantly monitoring Uzumaki Mito's physical condition.
It seemed everyone was waiting for Uzumaki Mito's death.
The greatest tragedy of old age is being able to see the anticipation of your own death in others' eyes.
As if once you died, many problems would simply vanish.
Sarutobi Hiruzen thought carefully; it was only because Uzumaki Mito had a broad-minded disposition. How could an ordinary elderly person endure such a situation?
When the news of the Uzumaki clan's destruction arrived, Uzumaki Mito must have been heartbroken and distraught, restless every day, just like Uzumaki Kushina.
The change of the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki was extremely urgent.
Mitokado Homura then spoke:
"Clan Head Rinoki, the village absolutely does not target the Senju clan, nor any shinobi clan."
"The problem now is that the Uzumaki Princess, as a Jinchūriki, should always prioritize the village."
"Let me be blunt. We are very worried now."
"The Uzumaki Princess is being raised by the Senju clan, instilled with incorrect notions, making her consider the Senju clan in everything."
"The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is too important. If her growth deviates, serious problems will arise."
"The Jinchūriki of Iwagakure, the Jinchūriki of Kumogakure, due to grudges with their villages, had their minds taken over by the Tailed Beasts and created riots within their villages."
"Jinchūriki are too prone to breeding hatred."
"The cultivation of a Jinchūriki cannot have the slightest mistake!"
Yōkō watched with great interest from the back; the arguments among the higher-ups were too entertaining.
Each one's mouth was full of grand principles, and no one could convince the other.
Senju Rinoki's face was grim. Mitokado Homura had pinpointed the most difficult issue to bridge between the two sides.
The Nine-Tails – did it ultimately belong to Konoha Village, or to the Senju clan?
...
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(End of Chapter)