"Heh."
Looking at the two scrambling to their feet in a sorry state, Furina could not help but let out a light laugh in her heart. Although there were quite a few people who could go toe-to-toe with her now, the two opposite her definitely were not among them.
"You will regret this."
After realizing it was impossible to take Karin away with Furina present, the two Root ninja exchanged a glance and then swiftly retreated. The mission had failed; they needed to hurry back and report to Lord Danzō.
"Regret? I may not be the Hokage, but I won't regret it either."
Hearing the harsh words the two left behind as they fled, Furina felt even more amused. How had they ended up trading lines with her? Were they trying to prove who the legitimate Hokage was?
"Alright, don't be afraid. It's over now."
The commotion earlier had naturally woken Karin as well. She was now standing by the bed, looking at Furina with surprise and uncertainty, her face full of worry. Clearly, she had been quite frightened just now.
"Who were those two people just now?"
Fortunately, since Furina had saved her in the Forest of Death, Karin still trusted her. After calming her emotions a bit, she asked the question that had been weighing on her mind.
Because the two Root ninja earlier had given her the exact same feeling as those people from Kusagakure no trace of emotion, treating her purely as a tool.
"I don't know either. But anyone who has designs on you at a time like this can't be a good person."
Seeing Karin's expectant gaze, Furina ultimately chose a kind white lie. After all, if she told the other girl that the current highest authority in Konoha had designs on her, it would undoubtedly be very painful no need to think twice.
"Alright, from what just happened, it's clear that staying here probably won't be safe for you. Let me take you to find someone. He has some connection to the Uzumaki clan as well,
and his strength is very great. Aside from his somewhat improper personality at times, being by his side is currently the safest place."
"Wouldn't that cause him trouble?"
"How could it? Let me tell you one more thing: Naruto is actually training with that person right now. If you go over, I'm sure Naruto will be really happy too."
Upon hearing that her friend Naruto was also there, Karin's mood visibly improved a lot. Seeing this change, Furina gave a gentle nod.
This was fine. A young girl like her should not get too involved with Danzō. Danzō would be dealt with by someone yes, that's right, you, Hashirama's cell.
"So there are other people there too. That's good. By the way, can I ask who that powerful person is?"
"Of course. You've probably heard his name before one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya."
...
"I see. Leave this Uzumaki girl to me. Until a new Hokage is chosen, I'll keep her by my side and protect her well."
Although Furina had not revealed the identities of those two, after hearing the general situation, Jiraiya instantly guessed who was pulling the strings behind the scenes. He knew his own house best aside from the old man's advisor, no one else would do something like this.
However, Danzō was not the only reason he agreed. After seeing Karin's head of red hair, Jiraiya thought of many people such as one of his disciples, and another disciple's wife.
If he had been in the village during the Nine-Tails attack, Minato and Kushina probably would not have died. Thinking of his most outstanding disciple, Jiraiya could not help feeling immense emotion in his heart.
If Minato had not died, that guy Orochimaru probably would not have dared to come here and cause trouble...
"Then Karin is in your hands now~ Lord Jiraiya. I know you have a habit of writing, but please be mindful."
Seeing Jiraiya lost in memories, Furina walked up to him, waved her hand in front of his face, and reminded Naruto beside her at the same time. Her words were not directed only at Jiraiya.
"Don't worry, Furina. With me here, I absolutely won't let the Pervy Sage do anything bad. I'll keep a close eye on him."
Hearing Furina's concern, Naruto did not disappoint her. Before Jiraiya could even speak, he patted his chest and stepped forward with a guarantee.
"Damn it, you brat! Didn't I tell you not to call me that nickname in front of outsiders? It makes people misunderstand me!"
"Tch, Pervy Sage is Pervy Sage. And what do you mean 'misunderstand'? You've clearly done things like peeking at women's bathhouses and stuff."
Hearing Jiraiya's dissatisfied defense, Naruto casually revealed even more explosive details, making Jiraiya scratch his head in frustration. He really should not have brought Naruto along this time.
His reputation as the Toad Sage Jiraiya was completely ruined right in front of such a cute young girl, no less.
"Aaaah!" Unable to hold back his anger, Jiraiya raised his hand and punched Naruto, who was bouncing around beside him. How could Minato's son have such a different personality from him?
"Konoha can't remain without a Hokage forever. Tomorrow I'll prepare to take these two out of the village to find someone to take the position. With me watching, you can rest assured about her safety."
After lecturing Naruto for a bit, Jiraiya immediately brought up the upcoming plans. Seeing that the other had gotten to serious matters, Furina stopped watching the show and asked instead.
"Are you going to find the one who shares your name? In the current Konoha, if you don't want to be Hokage, she really is the best candidate."
"That's right, Tsunade. She's the princess of the Senju clan. No one is more suitable than her."
"Hey hey, who is this Tsunade you two are talking about? Why should she get to be Hokage!"
Seeing Furina and Jiraiya start discussing something he did not know about again, Naruto could not help feeling annoyed. From what they said, Tsunade was not even in the village right now. Why should someone not in the village get to be Hokage?
"You brat, it's obvious you didn't study properly back at the academy. You don't even know who Tsunade is? Can't you learn a bit more from Furina?"
"I usually just read a few more books, that's all no big deal. Let me explain it to Naruto..."
...
The next day
"Kakashi-sensei, how did it end up like this?"
Looking at Kakashi lying unconscious on the bed despite showing no visible injuries, even though Furina knew it was definitely Itachi's doing, she still asked knowingly.
"We ran into the legendary Uchiha Itachi, the one who massacred his clan, an S-rank missing-nin from Konoha. Kakashi ended up like this because he took Itachi's eye technique while protecting us."
After hearing Furina's question, Asuma, who was also sitting in the hospital room, immediately explained. The unwillingness in his tone was clear even to Furina, who was not very familiar with him.