Chapter 238 — I Will Always Support You
Lately, Namikaze Minato felt the crushing weight of the Hokage's seat.
Assigning Uchiha members into ANBU had been his first real act of authority that bypassed the Third Hokage and the elders. It was a bold move, but the counterstrike came quickly.
Reports began piling up on Minato's desk. ANBU captains had dismissed many of their men, and replacements—cold, silent operatives with chilling efficiency—were filtering in.
Kakashi's latest update confirmed what Minato suspected: these were Root shinobi.
The Third Hokage's grasp on ANBU was frighteningly strong. Normally, the ANBU Commander wouldn't approve dismissals without consulting the Hokage. Yet Minato had received no consultation—only results handed to him after the fact.
He leaned back in his chair with a sigh. I expected pushback… but not this fast. And the Commander's ties with Lord Third…
Though Minato didn't know the exact relationship, he did know one thing: the ANBU Commander was Sarutobi's man through and through.
Now Kakashi's squad was being isolated—cut off from others and assigned only the most dangerous missions. Risk was always part of ANBU life, but combined with their isolation, their situation had grown perilous.
Minato exhaled heavily, lowered his head, and returned to his paperwork. He had chosen this path knowingly, and he still had his own trump cards.
According to intel from Uchiha Kei, Orochimaru was hiding dangerous secrets—secrets that implicated even the Third himself. Minato hadn't fully accepted Kei's claims, but he had gone to inspect the battlefield himself. There, traces of Orochimaru's chakra lingered. That alone was enough to keep his suspicions alive.
---
Dusk fell swiftly. After finishing another stack of documents, Minato gathered them neatly for his assistant and finally stood. By nature, he should have stayed to work longer—especially in such turbulent times—but lately he couldn't bring himself to.
Kushina's belly was growing larger by the day. If all went well, she would give birth in October—two or three months away. He was about to become a father.
For the past month, he had stopped working late, choosing instead to spend his evenings with the woman he loved most.
Minato often thought of himself as blessed. A teacher like Jiraiya. A disciple like Kakashi. The title of Hokage while still young. A brilliant ally in Uchiha Kei.
And above all, Kushina—the greatest gift heaven had given him. From the first moment he saw her, the vibrant red of her hair had burned itself into his heart.
---
"I'm home," Minato called softly as he stepped inside. Night had fully fallen, the house warmly lit. The scent of cooking drifted from the kitchen. Smiling, he bent to remove his shoes.
But as he stepped into the living room, he froze.
A tall, broad man lounged casually on the sofa, waving with a grin.
"Yo, Minato—you're back."
"Jiraiya-sensei?!" Minato exclaimed, eyes wide. "When did you return to the village?"
The white-haired sage laughed heartily. "Just today. Last year in Grass you hinted at your ambitions, and this year in Hot Water I heard the news—you'd become Hokage! Naturally, I had to come back and congratulate you. What's the matter, don't tell me I'm unwelcome?"
"Of course not, sensei. We're honored."
Kushina appeared then, apron tied around her waist, carrying a steaming plate. "Sensei, you're always welcome here," she said warmly.
Jiraiya chuckled. "Kushina, you've become more gracious than ever. Marriage suits you."
She smiled, setting the dish down. But as she bent forward, Jiraiya's expression shifted mischievously. Leaning toward Minato, he whispered, "Well, well. You tamed the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero into such a gentle wife? Impressive, kid."
"Jiraiya-sensei…" Minato forced an awkward laugh, unsure how to respond.
"I heard that!" Kushina's voice rang out sweetly, though her smile gleamed with danger.
Jiraiya stiffened instantly, snapping upright. Kushina still had her old fire, and he suddenly remembered why she had terrified him in the past.
She huffed softly, retreating to the kitchen. Jiraiya let out a relieved sigh.
"I take it back," he muttered, shaking his head. "You've got it rough, Minato. Even pregnant, she's still as fiery as ever."
Minato could only laugh weakly.
---
Dinner passed peacefully, conversation light. Jiraiya was careful not to provoke a pregnant woman, and Minato held back the matters weighing on his mind.
Afterward, as Jiraiya sipped tea, he sighed contentedly. "Konoha… it always feels like home. And Kushina's cooking? I could eat it forever."
Kushina chuckled, seated opposite him, while Minato busied himself at the sink. "Then come more often, sensei. But we've heard you've been through quite a lot recently. Kakashi and his team mentioned you once saved them on a mission."
"Just small stuff," Jiraiya said with a wave. "Nothing worth mentioning compared to your husband becoming Hokage."
"That humility doesn't sound like the Sensei I know," Minato teased as he returned from the kitchen.
Snorting, Jiraiya rummaged in his bag and pulled out a book. "Don't slander your teacher. Here—since you're Hokage now, you deserve a gift. My latest work, The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja. Signed, no less. Treat it well."
Minato accepted it with both hands, smiling. "Thank you, sensei. Will you be staying long in Konoha this time?"
"Not sure," Jiraiya admitted. "Probably about a month. After that, I'll be back on the road—so many stories still waiting to be written."
His words brought a flicker of disappointment to Minato and Kushina's faces. Jiraiya blinked. "What's this? You two look like you've lost something."
Minato sat beside him. "It's just… Kushina's due around October. If you're gone, you'll miss it."
"I see." Jiraiya's gaze dropped briefly to Kushina's belly. "I'll try to stay longer then. Have you thought of a name?"
Kushina smiled gently. "We have. We'll call him Naruto—after the hero in your book." She lowered her gaze lovingly to her stomach.
---
Later that night, after Kushina had gone to rest, Minato and Jiraiya stood together on the balcony. She had left them deliberately; she could sense Minato needed this talk.
Minato hesitated, then sighed. "There are things I need to say, sensei. You've always supported me, and… right now, I'm tired."
The Hokage's seat was heavier than he had imagined. The web of power and politics suffocated him.
If not for the conviction he still carried—the belief that he could make things better—and the unwavering support of Jiraiya, Minato might have already collapsed under the pressure.
He took a deep breath and shared much of what he had endured over the past weeks. Yet instinctively, he held certain things back: Uchiha Kei, and the truths Kei had revealed.
That darkness was too vile, too nauseating to speak aloud.
Jiraiya listened quietly. None of it seemed to surprise him much. After all, he too had once been considered a candidate for Hokage.
And despite his outwardly carefree, clownish manner, Jiraiya was no fool. Anyone who mistook him for one wouldn't even know how they died.
His self-imposed wanderings, ostensibly for "research," were, in truth, a way to avoid being consumed by Konoha's endless political strife. Orochimaru's defection only gave him the perfect excuse to stay away longer.
Perhaps Jiraiya too had lost faith in his teacher. Why else would he, during Orochimaru's invasion years later, spend his time fighting summoned snakes and soldiers instead of confronting his old comrade directly?
---
"Minato," Jiraiya finally sighed, patting his student's shoulder. "I hear you. I understand everything you've said."
He fixed Minato with a firm, steady gaze. "Konoha needs your strength right now. You're a man with your own convictions—don't lose them. Remember: you are my disciple, trained on Mount Myōboku by the Toad Sennin himself!"
"Jiraiya-sensei…" Minato inhaled deeply, then hesitated. "If one day, in the future, I—"
"Don't finish that sentence, Minato." Jiraiya cut him off with a small smile. "I'll look into Orochimaru myself, as a Konoha shinobi. Honestly, I doubt what you've heard… but if it is true, then there may be layers to the story we don't yet understand. Still—there's one thing you must never forget."
His eyes hardened, but his voice softened with warmth.
"Keep going. Whatever happens, Minato—I'll always support you."