Within just a few days, the news that Senju Karin had killed an Anbu member began to spread throughout the village. Although Uzumaki Raiden had already issued a gag order, the news still leaked.
Even Killer Bee and Yugito who were temporarily residing in the village heard some rumors.
"Bee, did you hear that Konoha's Jinchūriki went berserk and even killed a fellow Konoha ninja?"
"This rumor's already going around Konoha. It seems the village is starting to turn on itself."
In a residential house in Konoha, Yugito who had heard the rumors rushed to Killer Bee's room and spoke with him.
Upon hearing the news, Killer Bee became more serious and asked solemnly, "Is what you said true? Konoha's Jinchūriki went on a rampage? And killed a fellow ninja?"
"Isn't Uzumaki Raiden supposed to be a perfect Jinchūriki? Konoha should already know how to train perfect Jinchūriki. How could something like this happen?"
Killer Bee's tone was laced with disbelief. He knew that in the early days, the Cloud Village also experienced tailed beast rampages. Each time a Jinchūriki lost control, it brought enormous losses—until the Third Raikage came to power. That mighty Raikage could suppress a Tailed Beast by himself, and only then did Jinchūriki rampages become less disastrous.
Moreover, since the Cloud discovered Paradise Island and mastered the Fountain of Truth, their training methods for Jinchūriki became standardized and systematic. Even if there was an accident during training, it wouldn't destabilize the Cloud.
Both Killer Bee and Yugito had trained on Paradise Island. Now that Killer Bee had become a perfect Jinchūriki, he had more freedom and lived alone in Thundercloud Gorge. Yugito, like other Cloud jōnin, carried out missions as usual.
For so many years, there had been no incidents of tailed beast rampages in the Cloud Village.
But Killer Bee and Yugito didn't expect such a thing to happen in Konoha, which also possessed perfect Jinchūriki. Did this mean Konoha was incapable of replicating Raiden Uzumaki's success in cultivating perfect Jinchūriki?
After all, Konoha possessed the highest number of Tailed Beasts among the nations. If they couldn't control them, it was like holding onto ticking time bombs—whether they exploded depended solely on luck.
To the Cloud, this was good news.
"It really did happen. The abnormal chakra fluctuations outside Konoha at the time were probably from a Jinchūriki rampage."
"In that case, our Cloud ninja might actually have the upper hand when dealing with Konoha!"
Yugito sat cross-legged in front of Killer Bee, smiling with schadenfreude. As captives, they were delighted to see Konoha in turmoil.
"Where did you hear all this? Konoha should've suppressed such major news!"
"How did this leak? Is the source even reliable?"
Killer Bee sensed something unusual and asked. Yugito were momentarily stunned by his question, then pointed out the window and replied, "There's no need to ask around. Everyone in Konoha is talking about it. I even saw a huge crowd protesting at the Hokage Building!"
"Don't worry, the source is absolutely reliable!"
They smiled and poured themselves herbal tea, sipping contentedly. "There were quite a few people protesting. It was entertaining to watch."
"What were Konoha's ninja protesting?" Killer Bee asked, arms folded.
"Mainly saying that the Jinchūriki killed an Anbu and must be punished. They claim a rampaging Jinchūriki can't be trusted, and Hokage should replace them and reseal the Tailed Beast."
"Some people are even calling for Uzumaki Raiden to take over. I heard he was involved in Jinchūriki training."
"Konoha really seems to be in trouble!"
After they finished speaking, they chuckled, evidently pleased. Hearing this, Killer Bee got up and walked to the window, peering out at the street.
Crowds of Konoha ninjas were protesting. Many civilians, fearing for their safety, joined the protests of their own accord. The streets were empty—not as a compliment, but in a literal sense.
"Seems like someone's stirring the pot. Who could it be? The big brother? Iwa Shinobi? Or… Konoha's own people?"
"Hope this doesn't affect us," Killer Bee murmured as he gazed at the deserted street.
At that same moment, Minato Namikaze stood by his office window, half-covered, watching the protestors gathered in front of the Hokage Building, his expression tense. Beside him, Shikaku Nara said nothing, eyes narrowed as he listened to the crowd.
"Uphold justice—no cover-ups!"
"Replace the Jinchūriki—restore Konoha's peace!"
The protesters' slogans were uniform and powerful. Even newcomers could instantly join in. The courtyard was filled with their cries. The members of the Shadow Guard sensed the brewing tension and noted the protest's growing momentum.
"Shikaku, what should I do?" Minato asked, knowing the situation couldn't continue like this.
"The simplest way is to execute Karin and replace the Jinchūriki."
"That would silence public outrage."
Shikaku massaged his forehead and shook his head.
"What are you saying? Execute Karin? I'd never do that!"
"Training Jinchūriki is inherently dangerous. That Anbu was sent on my orders to deliver a message to Raiden. This wasn't Karin's fault—how could I punish her for it?"
"And Karin…" Minato tried to continue, but Shikaku interrupted:
"I understand. Karin's from a renowned clan. She's not fully at fault, even if she were, we can't deal with her like that."
"I know how important she is."
Minato looked at Shikaku in surprise, confusion on his face. "Then why…?"
"You want to know why I'd still suggest it if I understand Karin's importance?"
"I haven't finished."
"I think something's off."
"After the incident, Uzumaki Raiden immediately issued a gag order and informed you, and you did the same."
"Even if lower-level personnel were loose-lipped, it's impossible for news to spread village-wide in just a few days—especially not enough to spark organized protests."
"Did you notice? These protests are very structured. This isn't spontaneous!"
Shikaku stroked his chin as he watched the protestors. Minato, now calmer, also sensed something wrong. His initial reaction had been to deal with the public outrage and protect Karin. But now, he sensed a deeper conspiracy.
Minato spotted individuals scattered throughout the crowd, each instigating the protest in subtle ways. Though they operated covertly, they hadn't escaped Minato's eye.
"Shikaku, what are you implying?" Minato asked in a low tone, eyes gleaming with killing intent. Whoever organized this was clearly Konoha's enemy.
"Accept their demands—execute Karin."
"Of course, it's just a ruse. Karin goes into hiding, and we make it appear that she's dead."
"That way, whoever's in the shadows will make another move."
"They don't just want Karin dead—they want to fracture the bond between the Senju clan and the village."
"To further destabilize Konoha. But once they realize that killing Karin isn't enough, they'll resort to other methods."
"If we watch the protest leaders closely, we'll uncover the mastermind."
Shikaku smiled faintly, confident they could catch the culprit this way.
Minato nodded, then shook his head. He disagreed.
"Eliminating the person behind the protests won't fix the real problem!"
"Shikaku, even if we catch the instigator, what about Karin?"
"She's bearing responsibility she doesn't deserve. Even if we expose the mastermind, what good will it do if Karin's already been ruined?"
"I won't let that happen."
Minato shook his head and turned to leave.
"Minato?! Where are you going?"
"This is the best solution. Once the mastermind is caught, people will forget. Karin won't suffer!"
Shikaku grabbed Minato's arm anxiously.
"I'm the one responsible. I allowed Raiden to train Jinchūriki. I sent that Anbu. I'll take the blame. I won't let Karin suffer."
"Everyone in Konoha is my family."
Minato turned and flashed a bright smile at Shikaku. That smile left Shikaku momentarily stunned. As Minato disappeared from the office, Shikaku shook his head and muttered with a wry smile, "That's why you're the Hokage."
In front of the Hokage Building, Minato began an impassioned speech. Though he said a lot, it came down to four key points:
First, Karin is important and must not be harmed. Second, he took full responsibility for the incident, including the roles of Uzumaki Raiden and Uchiha Obito in the training. Third, he emphasized how difficult and dangerous it is to be a Jinchūriki. Lastly, he hinted at compensating for the loss of the Anbu.
Minato spoke with sincerity and reason. Combined with the reputation he had built over the years, most protestors were soon pacified. The agitators realized they had failed and began to retreat, vanishing into the dispersing crowd.
The largest protest since Konoha's founding was quelled by Minato's speech.
However, the fallout remained. When Karin walked through the village, people pointed at her. Most villagers now avoided her as if she were diseased. Even Dai Lin faced rejection.
Karin tried to act unaffected and continued her training, but she spent increasingly more time at Uzumaki Raiden's home.
Despite the rumors swirling in Konoha, Uzumaki Raiden—who lived outside the village—remained unaware. He assumed Karin had realized her own shortcomings and was training harder. So, he continued with his teaching.
Minato never contacted Uzumaki Raiden about Karin. Kisame Hoshigaki and the others, being rogue and Kirigakure ninja, had no clue either.
Everyone thought the storm had passed.
As time went on, Senju Karin, Nohara Rin, and Uzumaki Naruto finally made progress in their training.
Mount Myōboku.
In the stone forest, Uzumaki Naruto sat cross-legged atop a rocky peak, shirtless, with a thin stone slab on his back. Three birds perched on his shoulders, chirping playfully.
Below, Uzumaki Raiden and Sage Fukasaku looked up at Naruto with pleased expressions.
"Hiss."
A faint sound escaped Naruto's lips. Orange markings appeared around his eyes. Naruto opened his eyes abruptly, extended his arms, and looked at his hands. His pupils had turned horizontal, like a toad's. He could feel his newfound power clearly!
"This… this is Sage Mode?!"
Naruto whispered, feeling his strength surge. A wide grin spread across his face.
"Sage Mode, I finally did it!"
"Little Naruto completed this faster than Jiraiya or even you. No doubt—he's a genius!"
"Now he just needs to get used to it and learn how to fight using Sage Mode."
Sage Fukasaku nodded with satisfaction, proud of Naruto's progress.
"It's not enough. If he gets cocky now, it'll be dangerous," Uzumaki Raiden muttered.
Just as he said that, Naruto lost balance atop the rock and plummeted from a height of over 20 meters.
He fell fast, slamming into the ground and creating a deep crater.
"Ahhhh! That hurt! That really hurt!" Naruto shouted, then paused and blinked. "Wait… it doesn't hurt at all!"
(End of Chapter)