Midnight. The Hokage Tower blazed with light.
The doors to the Hokage's office swung open. Yako followed behind Yellow Dog and Black Ape and entered the room.
Behind the desk, the Third Hokage was smoking.
On one sofa sat Danzo and Mitokado Homura. On the opposite side sat Senju Rinmu, clan head of the Senju.
Standing behind him was Kato Dan.
With his long silver-white hair and cold, sharp features, Kato Dan radiated intensity.
Three more Anbu stood behind Danzo—expressionless.
Yako glanced around. Every face looked sour. Judging from the atmosphere, they'd just finished a heated argument.
Danzo turned. "Yellow Dog. Report on tonight's situation."
"Yes, Lord Danzo," said Yellow Dog.
"Tonight, all of Kumogakure's embedded spies activated. Some created diversions in other areas to distract Anbu, while others directly targeted the Uzumaki Princess.
Anbu responded immediately. The squad assigned to her was intercepted by Kumo-nin, but Black Ape's team arrived in time and trailed her from that point on."
Yako frowned inwardly. That wasn't right.
Their squad had only gone out because he had discovered a Kumo spy.
But the way Yellow Dog phrased it, it sounded like Anbu had been fully prepared from the start.
This version of the story greatly minimized Anbu's responsibility.
Yellow Dog continued:
"The Kumo-nin escaped through a concealed tunnel beneath Konoha's outer wall. One kilometer outside the village, they were intercepted by Black Ape's team.
All enemy spies were eliminated. The Uzumaki Princess was safely recovered."
The Third Hokage nodded repeatedly. From his view, Anbu had acted quickly and effectively to minimize damage.
Yellow Dog pressed on:
"There are two reasons the Princess was abducted.
First, at 11PM, she was loitering outside the Senju compound. No one came to bring her back.
Second, the Kumo spies had hidden themselves very deeply—at least five of them. No prior clues were detected."
Yellow Dog wasn't just strong—he was a master of blame-shifting.
He didn't say Anbu had no fault—just that they hadn't identified the spies beforehand.
And really, that wasn't such a crime. With so many clients and visitors entering the village daily, it was impossible to eliminate every infiltrator.
Anbu might have slipped, but not egregiously. No need for punishment.
But his first point… that carried weight.
The implication was clear:
Why didn't the Senju ensure she went home?
Why was the Princess left to wander?
As for why she didn't want to return—well, Anbu wasn't responsible for that.
The Third Hokage looked to Senju Rinmu.
Rinmu replied:
"Kushina hasn't yet adapted to life in Konoha. I told the clan to let her do as she pleased—no pressure.
She's still grieving her clan's destruction. She has nightmares every night and refuses to sleep indoors.
I only wanted her to acclimate on her own terms—to prepare her to soon bear the Nine-Tails."
There was no need to hide the Jinchūriki transition from anyone in this room.
The elders were already informed, and the three Anbu standing here had proven themselves—trustworthy enough to be involved in top-secret village operations.
Kato Dan, standing quietly, was a core Senju figure. With his mastery of forbidden jutsu, he could unleash Kage-level combat ability under special conditions.
His signature technique, the Spirit Transformation Technique, was a long-range assassination jutsu of immense deterrent power.
Danzo then spoke:
"Clan Head Rinmu! If you can't control the Uzumaki Princess, then hand her over to the village!
We have better methods to manage her!
Letting her act freely? What kind of disastrous logic is that?
Lady Mito, for decades, carried the Nine-Tails with diligence. Has the village ever once worried under her stewardship?
But now? With the Senju elders aging and passing, this clan grows more disappointing by the year.
You've handled this Jinchūriki transfer terribly.
Had Anbu not responded swiftly tonight, the Princess would be in Kumo by now!
And the intel from the border says Kumo's strike force is already within 60 kilometers of the village.
Half an hour's delay, and Konoha would have lost the next Nine-Tails Jinchūriki forever!
I propose stripping the Senju of guardianship over the Princess and placing her directly under village care.
My recommendation? Sarutobi Biwako.
She's a powerful medical-nin, has raised multiple children, and is fully qualified to care for the Princess."
Rinmu turned to look at Danzo. Then at Mitokado Homura. And finally, he locked eyes with Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Hiruzen's hand paused mid-air, pipe hovering before his lips.
Why was Rinmu staring at him like that?
Rinmu slowly spoke:
"Big Brother Hiruzen, I still remember that day, when I stood at the gates of our compound and took your hand, bringing you to meet my father.
You were the big brother who patiently taught me ninjutsu.
I admired you deeply. Even when my father and Uncle Tobirama showed more favor to you than to me or my cousins, I never once felt resentment.
So when did things start to sour between us? When did the friction grow so unbearable?
When you became Hokage, our clan supported you fully.
But why have you grown so cold to the Senju?
Big Brother Hiruzen… how long has it been since you last stepped into the Senju compound?
How long since you've visited your old teacher's wife—my mother?"
Hiruzen fell silent.
Yes. How long had it been since he visited Lady Mito?
His wife, Biwako, went often. She served as Mito's personal physician, monitoring her condition closely.
It was like… everyone was just waiting for Mito to die.
The greatest tragedy of old age was not death itself—but seeing that others were waiting for it.
That once you were gone, all the complications would be gone too.
Hiruzen realized: of all people, only Mito could bear such pressure with grace.
When news of the Uzumaki Clan's destruction reached Konoha, Mito's heart must've shattered.
Just like Kushina—haunted, sleepless, tormented.
The transition of the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki was now a crisis looming close.
Mitokado Homura spoke next:
"Clan Head Rinmu, I assure you—the village has not targeted the Senju, nor any other clan.
The issue now is this:
As a Jinchūriki, the Uzumaki Princess must serve the village first.
Let me be blunt—we're concerned.
Raised by the Senju, she's been instilled with ideas that place the Senju above all.
That cannot happen.
The Nine-Tails is too important.
If her development goes astray, the consequences could be catastrophic.
Look at Iwagakure's Jinchūriki. Kumogakure's.
Their hatred toward their own villages led to tailed beast rampages.
A Jinchūriki is a seed of hatred by nature.
There cannot be even a sliver of error in their training."
Yako stood at the back, thoroughly entertained.
These high-level arguments were a spectacle.
Everyone's mouth overflowed with righteousness, yet no one could truly convince the others.
Senju Rinmu's face was grim.
Mitokado Homura had struck the sorest, most irreconcilable nerve.
Was the Nine-Tails Konoha's beast… or the Senju's legacy?