Hiruzen Sarutobi now had a massive headache.
Miyuki Uzumaki had unexpectedly defected, and among the three individuals who escorted her out was someone wielding Water Release Ninjutsu—a technique unique to Tobirama Senju that no one outside the Senju Clan should possess.
The frequency at which Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe increased rapidly.
Miyuki Uzumaki must have been in contact with foreign shinobi long before tonight. Then, using [Mind's Eye of the Kagura], she quietly slipped out of Konoha.
The only possible reason for Miyuki Uzumaki defecting that Sarutobi Hiruzen could think of was the recent rumors spreading around Konoha.
At first, Hiruzen believed those rumors weren't serious enough to warrant much concern. Since he couldn't fully suppress them anyway, he simply decided not to act so long as they didn't run rampant in public.
If Hiruzen had realized earlier that those rumors could lead Miyuki Uzumaki to defect, he would have crushed them with full authority.
But now that things had already gone this far, he needed to figure out how to handle the situation.
Hiruzen spoke solemnly, "Issue orders immediately. Dispatch an Anbu squad to Miyuki Uzumaki's residence and bring Naruto Uzumaki to the Anbu Base for strict protection. Furthermore, news of Miyuki Uzumaki's defection must not be allowed to spread!"
Originally, Hiruzen wanted to assemble a team to pursue Miyuki Uzumaki again, but upon further thought, he decided to give it up—for now.
The last ten-man pursuit team barely returned, with only three surviving members. According to their report, the enemy possessed terrifying strength.
Trying to chase after them now would likely prove ineffective, plus numerous enemy spies lurked around Konoha's periphery. Under no circumstances could they allow those spies to discover that the Jinchuriki of Konoha had defected.
Once word got out about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki defecting, other villages wouldn't hesitate to hunt down Miyuki Uzumaki. They'd try to capture her and take the beast's power for themselves.
Therefore, the matter of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki defecting absolutely must never be leaked.
Hiruzen issued another command, ordering someone to summon Danzo, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado.
Outside the window of the Hokage's office, a pair of snake-like eyes observed everything happening inside.
Chinya, sharing senses with the serpent, slightly curved his lips into a smirk upon hearing of Hiruzen's response.
Exactly as he had predicted, Hiruzen dared not let news of Miyuki Uzumaki's defection become widely known.
With Konoha still recovering from the Nine-Tails' attack and Minato Namikaze dead, if news spread that his wife—the Fourth Hokage—and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had also defected, chaos would surely follow.
Moreover, now that Hiruzen had resumed the position of Hokage, both villagers and shinobi within Konoha would surely begin questioning his leadership ability.
Whether it was for the sake of Konoha or for himself, Hiruzen had no choice but to keep Miyuki Uzumaki's defection hidden—it was unavoidable.
Now the real question was how Hiruzen intended to deal with Naruto.
With Minato Namikaze unconscious and his mother Miyuki Uzumaki gone from Konoha, Naruto's situation was precarious.
Based on what Chinya knew of Danzo—the old fox—he would definitely seize this opportunity to gain control over the Jinchuriki.
What followed next would depend entirely on Hiruzen's decision. If Hiruzen still harbored any feelings for Minato Namikaze, then he wouldn't hand Naruto over to Danzo.
However, what lay ahead for Hiruzen was sure to include Danzo's underhanded schemes and relentless maneuvering.
If Hiruzen Sarutobi's main concern was minimizing the impact of this incident and preventing Naruto from leaving Konoha like Uzumaki Miyuki, *he himself* had already placed Naruto under Danzo's care.
Then Chinya would have to intervene.
...
Danzo, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado arrived at the Hokage's office.
Koharu asked, "Hiruzen, why did you summon us here so late at night?"
Hiruzen said gravely, "Uzumaki Miyuki has defected!"
The moment Koharu, Homura, and Danzo—who had just sat down—heard that, they shot back to their feet, staring at Hiruzen in shock.
"A Jinchuriki has defected? How could this happen?!"
Hiruzen spoke with a serious expression, "It happened not long ago. The Anbu guarding Uzumaki Miyuki were knocked unconscious, and she disappeared. As soon as I learned of it, I dispatched a tracking team. They followed her trail outside Konoha Village.
But there were three individuals supporting Uzumaki Miyuki during her escape. These three were overwhelmingly powerful—the tracking squad didn't stand a fighting chance. Ten went out, only three returned.
Among them, one is a rogue ninja from Kirigakure. Another might be Pakura—the former hero of Sunagakure who's now a missing-nin—and the third remains unidentified. However... his technique was Water Release Ninjutsu passed down by Master Tobirama."
Danzo and the others' faces darkened instantly.
Danzo denied it immediately, "This can't be right! Master Tobirama's Water Release Ninjutsu shouldn't have been taught to anyone outside the Senju clan. Could it be… the scroll containing Master Tobirama's techniques was lost?"
Hiruzen shook his head, "Before you all arrived, I personally checked it myself. The scroll containing Master Tobirama's Water Release Ninjutsu was still there, sealed properly without any sign of tampering. I'm also puzzled how that person obtained the Water Release technique."
Hiruzen continued solemnly, "Now, even if we send another pursuit team, it'll probably be too late. We don't know whether there are other accomplices. Plus, many rival villages' ninjas are monitoring our borders. To prevent word of this Jinchuriki defection from leaking out, I've ordered everyone involved to keep silent about this."
Homura cautiously questioned further, "Hiruzen, you mentioned only Uzumaki Miyuki. What about… Uzumaki Naruto?"
Hiruzen answered, "Fortunately, Uzumaki Miyuki didn't take Naruto with her. He is currently being guarded at an Anbu base."
Koharu and Homura both exhaled in relief.
As long as one Jinchuriki remains, Konoha's strength wouldn't collapse entirely. If they lost both, everything really would fall apart.
Still puzzled, Koharu asked, "Why would Uzumaki Miyuki defect? She was the wife of the Fourth, Namikaze Minato!"
Hiruzen sighed, "Maybe it's related to the rumors spreading in the village recently. Now villagers are spreading hateful rumors, even saying things like 'kill the cursed child.' That 'cursed child' refers to Naruto. This may well be the reason why Miyuki left."
Frowning, Homura questioned again, "Even so, why wouldn't Miyuki have taken Naruto with her?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head. "I'm not too sure myself," he said. "Perhaps it's because of Minato. Minato deeply loved Konoha. If both Jinchuriki left Konoha, it would cause immeasurable damage to the village, and might even lead to another war capable of destroying Konoha completely. That's probably why they decided to keep Naruto here."
Hiruzen continued, "We need to figure out a plan for what to do before we locate Uzumaki Miyuki."
As Hiruzen spoke, a sharp gleam flickered in Danzo's eyes.
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