c95: Coping
"First… we investigate who leaked this secret."
A sharp glint flashed in Namikaze Minato's eyes. The usual warmth and sunshine in his expression were gone replaced with a Hokage's ruthless resolve. His voice carried an unmistakable edge of killing intent.
Kushina's expected delivery was one of the highest-classified secrets in Konoha. Only a small circle limited to trusted high-ranking individuals—had access to that knowledge. If someone outside the circle had learned of it, there could be only two explanations: a spy had penetrated their inner circle… or there was a traitor among them.
"It's time for a full sweep," Minato said coldly. "An overnight investigation. Interrogate everyone connected. Fast enough, and we may still catch the source.or at least bait the ones behind it."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded gravely. "Indeed. The longer we delay, the colder the trail gets. We'll start with anyone exposed to the birthing details. Interrogation, psychological profiling everything."
"I've already deployed a squad of ANBU to lock down the records and locate the inner personnel who might have had contact."
"ANBU alone may not be enough," Hiruzen said darkly. "Bring in the Torture and Interrogation Division. Ibiki's department."
Minato paused, hesitating for only a breath.
"That's… extreme."
"This situation is extreme," Hiruzen countered. "The Jinchūriki is compromised. The Fourth Hokage's wife is at risk. The future of the village is hanging in the balance. Be decisive, Minato."
"…Understood."
With the Torture Division involved, the investigation would go beyond standard interviews. They would utilize genjutsu-based interrogation, chakra-based lie detection, and even pain-based memory recall triggers, though in a measured form.
"Begin with those who conducted Kushina's prenatal chakra monitoring," Minato ordered. "Then expand to her immediate contacts."
"She doesn't talk about the birth date with anyone, though," he added.
"True," Hiruzen agreed. "But discretion is never perfect. A single overheard sentence, a loose slip from a nurse…"
"Still, we'll avoid the Torture Department for low-probability individuals," Minato decided. "Let ANBU handle the softer targets."
Hiruzen nodded.
"I also plan to increase the ANBU detail guarding Kushina," Minato continued, "and relocate the birthing site. We can't stop time… but we can control space."
"Agreed. Do you have a site in mind?"
"Yes. An auxiliary sealing facility east of the Naka River. I've already marked it with my Flying Thunder God seal."
"And you want me to be there personally?"
"I do."
Hiruzen looked slightly surprised.
"Your presence outside the frontline is unorthodox."
"You're an elder, a former Hokage, and a master of battlefield judgment," Minato said flatly. "With you there, Kushina and Lady Biwako can be guarded directly. And if that scroll is correct, we're facing a space-time ninjutsu user someone who may even surpass mine. I'll need backup."
"…Very well."
Hiruzen understood. This wasn't just a precaution it was war preparation.
"I'll inform Lady Biwako," he said. "We'll be ready."
Minato gave a respectful nod and vanished in a golden flash his Flying Thunder God mark returning him directly to his home.
Back in their living room, Kushina was waiting.
She stood up nervously as Minato reappeared. "How did it go?"
Minato sat beside her and gently took her hand, carefully explaining the steps being taken—the increased guard, the new location, the sealed perimeter. Kushina, for the sake of their unborn child, cooperated fully and provided the names of everyone she'd interacted with over the past few weeks.
Some names stood out: Kakashi Hatake. Uchiha Mikoto.
"Kakashi?" Minato murmured. "I'll talk to him myself."
He knew Kakashi was clean. The young Jonin had once spoken at the Memorial Stone, recalling Kushina's upcoming birth while Obito's presence loomed from the shadows. But the anime showed Kakashi standing alone, with Obito hidden behind him far out of earshot.
Even if Obito had some distant-auditory jutsu like Shunshin's Whisper Technique, there was no line of sight for lip-reading. From his angle, Obito couldn't even see Kakashi's mouth properly just a side profile. The odds of him deciphering something so sensitive through pure luck were impossibly low.
That left one possibility: White Zetsu.
Zetsu's infiltration skills were legendary. Possessing stealth, mimicry, and underground mobility akin to moles fused with Hashirama's cells, White Zetsu could impersonate Konoha personnel and bypass security measures. He could listen undetected, even enter rooms through walls the perfect spy.
For Uchiha Mikoto, the situation was more delicate. She was not just the clan leader's wife she was Kushina's closest friend.
Minato sent Uchiha Shisui personally.
Any other Anbu might offend the Uchiha clan. Mikoto didn't know the specific date or place of birth, only that it was near. But caution came first.
That night, when Shisui arrived at the Uchiha compound, the household was already asleep. His presence at the gates startled the guards, and Fugaku was forced awake.
Sasuke, disturbed by the noise, began crying. Fugaku fumbled awkwardly to calm him, but it was Itachi still just a toddler who managed to soothe his brother to sleep. Even then, his natural composure and empathy were visible.
Shisui kept the interrogation brief. Mikoto answered calmly, showing no nervousness. Her statements aligned perfectly with Kushina's.
It was a formality.
Despite old tensions, no Uchiha had followed Madara during his exile. The clan had prospered under Konoha's system. With Fugaku rising in prominence, Itachi's brilliance, and Shisui's Hokage mentorship, the Uchiha's future looked bright. Why jeopardize it?
After the interview, Fugaku merely frowned but said nothing. He understood that some truths weren't for them to know yet.
The next morning, Minato personally reviewed the interrogation results.
Nothing.
The medical-nin staff had passed all lie detection. The ANBU had uncovered no inconsistencies. Mikoto and Kakashi were ruled out.
Which meant… there was no leak inside.
Minato sat in his office, hands steepled under his chin. His mind raced.
If the intel didn't come from inside the village, then the enemy had outside means.
He considered the implications.
Zetsu… or worse, someone who could bypass all conventional security.
His jaw clenched. They had to be ready.
That night October 10th, the night Naruto would be born the moon hung low over the Konoha Memorial Forest.
A tall figure in a black cloak, face concealed behind a swirling-patterned mask of white and charcoal, sat calmly on a tree branch.
Uchiha Obito.
He dangled one leg off the edge, watching the sky.
Then, from the trunk behind him, White Zetsu emerged halfway.
"Obito. We have a problem."
"Oh?"
Zetsu's tone was cautious. "Clones report that last night, the Fourth Hokage visited the Third Hokage. This triggered a lockdown. ANBU detained several medical staff. Anyone close to the Jinchūriki was investigated."
"We spent all day probing and… the birthing site's been changed. Guard levels have tripled. The Third Hokage himself is now stationed there."
Obito's posture didn't change. But his voice turned sharp.
"…So the plan's been exposed?"
"No one could have known. Other than you, me, and Black Zetsu, no one was aware."
Obito was silent. Then he slowly tilted his head.
"Did one of your clones talk too much? Slip somewhere?"
Zetsu frowned. "Impossible. I never shared the plan specifics. All clones are intact. None have been detected."
Obito exhaled slowly, voice taut with suspicion. "Then how…?"
The forest was quiet.
Obito's gloved hand clenched over his knee.
Who could've predicted it?
Who had eyes sharp enough to anticipate this?
"…Or is there someone else…?" he muttered.
Someone with insight beyond their time.
And unknowingly, he thought of a shadow he had yet to notice:
Uchiha Gen.
The one who had quietly sown the seeds of war, even as he appeared nowhere near the battlefield.
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