"So, Minato didn't do it on purpose?"
"Of course not!"
Kushina pointed towards the hospital. "Minato was supposed to go out and train with Sister Tsunade today. His Wood Clone already had limited chakra. If those kids hadn't picked a fight, none of this would have happened!"
Umino Ikkaku nodded. "Shinnosuke, please run and tell the Third Hokage about this."
"Right!"
Shinnosuke hurried away.
Konoha Hospital was located beneath the Shadow Rock, not far from the Hokage Building.
Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived shortly after.
"Third Hokage."
Umino Ikkaku looked ashamed. "My deepest apologies. It's all my fault for failing in my duties..."
Hiruzen waved his hand. "Shinnosuke has already told me what happened. It's not your fault. Don't dwell on it."
The incident had occurred after school, off campus. No one could have predicted such a thing.
At most, Ikkaku could be blamed for failing to discipline his student properly, but that had no direct connection to the incident.
"Kota! My Kota!"
Just as Umino Ikkaku stood silently, unsure what to say, the parents of the three children arrived at the hospital.
"Third Hokage, what happened? How are our children?" The plump woman leading the group asked urgently, her eyes red and swollen.
"Please, remain calm. They are not in any immediate danger."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression turned solemn. "However, due to their injuries, they will likely be unable to continue attending the Ninja Academy."
"How could this be...?" The plump woman burst into tears. "Who did this?!"
"The incident began when Kota and two others, involved in a verbal dispute, ambushed and attacked their classmates on their way home from school," Hiruzen said calmly. "You must understand, parent, that regardless of who was responsible, I will not allow you to harass the other child."
"How can you do this? Our child lies severely injured in bed, his future ruined! Third Hokage, how can you show such bias towards the culprit?" The plump woman protested angrily, joined by other agitated parents.
"That's right! Seo has always been such a good boy! I refuse to believe he would harm a classmate!"
"Exactly! No matter what, students shouldn't resort to such violence against each other!"
The commotion in the hallway grew louder until Umino Ikkaku hurried over to intervene. "Please, everyone, quiet down! This is a hospital!"
"Then at least give us some explanation!" the plump woman demanded, her voice shaking with emotion.
"Explanation? What explanation?" A cold, sharp voice cut through the clamor. Tsunade strode purposefully down the corridor, Minato by her side.
Tsunade strode into the hospital room, her golden ponytail swaying with her confident stride. She glared at the group of parents with a stern gaze.
"You're saying your children bullied and ambushed my disciple on their way home from school, and now you want an explanation from me?" Tsunade's voice was icy, her expression menacing.
"Tsunade... Lady Tsunade?" The parents froze, their expressions shifting to panic.
"Minato!"
Kushina, who had been feeling uneasy, immediately found her courage at the sight of them. She rushed forward and clung to Minato's arm.
Seeing her sweet demeanor, Minato couldn't resist gently stroking her hair to soothe her.
"Speak! Didn't you want an explanation?" Tsunade's cold snort echoed through the room, but no one dared respond.
The reason was simple: this was Konoha Hospital, Tsunade's territory. Their children's lives were still in her hands.
Moreover, everyone in Konoha knew Tsunade was the Third Hokage's disciple. Two of the parents were even Chūnin, and they certainly didn't dare speak up now.
Seeming to choke back her frustration, the plump woman whimpered, "It was just a childish quarrel. Why did you have to be so severe?"
As soon as the words left her lips, Tsunade's beautiful eyes flashed dangerously, ready to give her a proper explanation. But Minato gently grasped her hand.
"Hmm?"
Sensing the warmth in her palm, Tsunade instinctively looked down and saw Minato gently holding her hand. A subtle, inexplicable feeling stirred within her.
Minato remained unaware of Tsunade's thoughts. He was grateful for her unconditional support but didn't want her to develop a reputation for arrogance or tyranny over such a trivial matter.
"My apologies, everyone," Minato said calmly. "We arrived hastily and haven't yet grasped the full situation. Although it was a clone, it still carried my will. Given my self-knowledge, I doubt I would have acted in such a way."
"It wasn't Minato's fault in the first place!" Kushina declared, waving her small fist. "Those guys were knocked flat in one blow! Minato was already leaving when they clung to him like parasites, causing this mess!"
Shinnosuke nodded in agreement. "That's right. Besides, your clone had already warned them beforehand, but they ignored it."
"Ah, I see what happened now," Minato said, suddenly understanding. He patiently explained, "When their chakra was nearly depleted, the Wood Clone's defensive instincts must have kicked in, causing it to unconsciously activate its stranglehold ability."
The plump woman seemed to want to say more, but her husband quickly pulled her back.
Seeing her husband's grim expression and the slight shake of his head, she ultimately held her tongue.
She didn't know what a Wood Clone was, but as a ninja, her husband knew all too well!
That was Wood Release!
The Wood Release that founded Konoha!
Who could say anything?
Who dare say anything?
To provoke someone to the point of invoking Wood Release and Kekkei...
It was only the Third Hokage's good temper that saved them. Anyone else might have sent their entire family to the Interrogation Department for a "field trip" to reinforce their understanding of the Will of Fire.
"That must be it," Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. "Alright, everyone, you've heard the details. Any further questions?"
"N-no... no further questions."
The group, already wary of Tsunade, fell silent when they sensed the tension in the air.
"Hmph. Don't worry, I'll do my best to heal those three brats," Tsunade said with a cold snort. Though she disliked these meddlers, her medical ethics remained intact.
She beckoned them inside the hospital room to examine the patients.
Minato turned to Sarutobi Hiruzen and bowed slightly. "My apologies for causing trouble, Lord Hokage."
"Haha, no trouble at all. Just be more careful with your clones in the future," Hiruzen replied cheerfully, openly displaying his fondness for Minato.
Seeing this, Shinnosuke quickly pointed at himself. "Don't forget about me! I testified for you!"
Minato chuckled. "Thank you for your help, Shinnosuke."
"Then why don't we have a match?" Shinnosuke asked eagerly. "I never expected you to have a Kekkei Genkai! Can I see your Wood Release?"
"Another time, definitely."
"..."
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