After more than a day, Ao from Kirigakure arrived with Kakashi and the others to take Yukimaru and others back. Afterward, Kiyosuke brought Hinata and the rest to Kirigakure for a short stay.
Before long, they returned to Konoha.
Peaceful days came once again—until one day, Tsunade suddenly summoned Kiyosuke to her office.
The atmosphere inside was heavy. Tsunade sat at her desk and said,
"Kiyosuke, there's a problem."
"What happened?" Kiyosuke asked.
"Naruto attempted to assassinate the Fourth Raikage. And not just that—there have been reports from other villages claiming Naruto attacked them as well."
That news left Kiyosuke stunned.
"You've got to be kidding me. That brat wouldn't stand a chance against the Fourth Raikage—he'd be obliterated before he even blinked."
Without entering his Nine-Tails Mode, Naruto had absolutely no chance. The Raikage's speed could overwhelm nearly every ninja alive. There was no way Naruto could even react.
Tsunade nodded.
"I agree. I don't believe Naruto would do such a thing either. But the Fourth Raikage sent this."
She handed Kiyosuke a scroll.
Kiyosuke took it, unrolled it, and after a moment of reading, looked up at her with a complicated expression.
"You sure about this? That place isn't exactly easy to get into. One wrong move and he's done for. It's not a very friendly environment for Naruto."
The scroll contained a plan.
Lately, "Naruto's" actions had drawn attention and caused severe unrest. However, the Fourth Raikage had seen through the plot behind it all and wanted to use Naruto to investigate the recent strange behavior of Kusagakure.
The Grass Village had been acting suspiciously—seeming to harbor ambitions of expansion. That kind of move from such a fence-sitting village wouldn't be tolerated by either Kumogakure or Konoha.
After some thought, Tsunade decided to approve the plan—but only with Kiyosuke's consent. After all, in Konoha, no one could quietly take Naruto anywhere without Kiyosuke's approval. If he were to get angry, no one would be able to stop him.
That's why Tsunade had called him to explain in private.
"Why not tell Naruto about this?" Kiyosuke asked.
"With his personality? If he knew it was a mission, he'd definitely overreact. His acting skills are terrible. I need this to look natural," Tsunade said.
"I see."
Kiyosuke nodded.
"In that case, I'll go with him to Kusagakure. I want to see for myself what they're really planning."
"You're going too? That's fine."
Tsunade agreed. Having Kiyosuke along would make things safer. Those guys from Kusagakure were always troublesome, and with Naruto's personality, things could easily go wrong.
"Then it's settled. Have someone bring Naruto here."
"Understood."
...
Soon after, Kiyosuke called Kakashi, Yamato, and the others to the office to announce that Naruto was being accused of attempting to assassinate the Fourth Raikage, and that he was to be immediately escorted to Kusagakure's Hōzuki Castle.
Hōzuki Castle was a prison commissioned by several nations and run by Kusagakure to imprison criminal shinobi.
It was located on a small island surrounded by sea near Kusagakure. Once a prisoner entered the castle, the warden, Mui, would brand them with a sealing jutsu known as Fire Release: Heavenly Prison, a technique that suppressed chakra and prevented the use of ninjutsu.
If anyone tried to leave the castle's perimeter, the seal would activate, igniting their body and burning them to ash—unless they jumped into the sea.
But the waters around the island were fierce and filled with sharp reefs. Anyone who tried to swim through would be swept away and smashed against the rocks. For ninja who couldn't use chakra, it was suicide.
That was why Hōzuki Castle had never had a successful escape.
Anyone who tried to flee ended up dead.
Once you set foot on that island, you had no choice but to behave.
...
Everyone was shocked by Tsunade's decision. Sakura and Sasuke both thought there must have been some mistake.
Kiyosuke, however, said calmly,
"Anything's possible. Don't get involved in this. It's the village's decision."
"But—"
"No buts."
"Stop arguing."
Hearing that tone from Kiyosuke made Kakashi and Sasuke frown. Something didn't feel right. Kiyosuke was famous for protecting his own. There was no way he'd just let Tsunade send Naruto to Hōzuki Castle like this. His attitude felt off...
They fell silent.
A moment later, Fugaku Uchiha entered with several shinobi and reported,
"Tsunade-sama, we've brought Uzumaki Naruto."
Tsunade nodded.
"Thank you, Fugaku."
Naruto looked around curiously.
"Uh, why's everyone gathered here?" he asked, not noticing the tension in the room.
Tsunade said,
"Kumogakure has identified you as the perpetrator."
"Wait, what? I didn't do anything! Granny Tsunade, you're kidding, right?"
Naruto laughed awkwardly, assuming it was a joke. But Tsunade's expression didn't change.
"Three Jōnin from Kumogakure are dead. Two from Iwagakure as well—all supposedly by your hand. These are their sketches. The resemblance is undeniable. The evidence is solid. There's nothing I can do."
She took the sketches from Shizune. The drawings from the "expert artists" of Kumogakure and Iwagakure did look somewhat like Naruto—mainly the hair and whisker marks. The rest... was debatable.
"Tsunade-sama, Naruto would never do something like this!" Sakura protested.
"Silence!" Tsunade snapped.
"I don't want to believe it either, but this has become a matter of international diplomacy. We can't afford to treat it lightly!"
Sakura fell silent.
Naruto immediately turned to the others, desperate.
"Kiyosuke-san! Kakashi-sensei! You've got to believe me! I just came back from Mount Myōboku! I was playing shogi with Shikamaru last night—how could I have done any of this?"
Kiyosuke sighed.
"Naruto, until the truth is revealed, you'll have to be confined in Hōzuki Castle."
"Hōzuki Castle? What kind of place is that?"
"It's a place anyone can enter," Kiyosuke said, "but not everyone comes out. In short—it's a prison for criminal shinobi. I'm sorry, Naruto. This is for the sake of the village. Yamato!"
"But I didn't do anything! No way! I'm going to find out who set me up!"
Naruto was about to use Shadow Clone Jutsu—but Yamato was faster.
"Wood Release: Four-Pillar Prison!"
Wood surged from beneath Naruto's feet, binding him tightly in a wooden cage.
"Wait!"
Tsunade placed sealing tags across the wooden bars, suppressing Naruto's chakra. Then she removed his forehead protector.
"Escort Naruto to Hōzuki Castle immediately."
"Yes, ma'am!"