"Explain?"
A lazy voice drifted over as Jaxon casually strolled forward, clearly uninterested in the tension that filled the air. The chaos had died down, but the tension among the Konoha shinobi remained as thick as fog.
Looking at the disheveled and visibly strained Ninja, Jaxon offered a nonchalant smile.
"What is there to explain? You all saw it yourselves. What does any of this have to do with us?" he said, voice light and dismissive. "More importantly, Yun Nai helped you. Don't forget to ask the Third Hokage for our reward later."
He stretched his arms with an exaggerated yawn. "Every single day, something new. Can't a man get a little peace?"
"Apologies, but this is a direct order from Hokage-sama."
The ANBU operative in the fox mask stepped forward just as Yun Nai tried to leave. His gloved hand shot out to block her path.
That was the benefit of wearing a mask—besides the glint of cold authority in his eyes, his expression was unreadable.
"Let's go, Yun Nai," Jaxon said casually, moving in front of her. "We have nothing to explain. If the Third Hokage wants answers, he can come ask us himself. We don't belong to Konoha Village."
Without hesitation, he took Yun Nai's hand and turned to leave.
The masked ANBU member didn't move again. He wasn't from the regular divisions—he was part of Root.
Jaxon knew all too well what kind of people Root harbored: silent, obedient, and dangerously loyal to one man—Danzo.
Despite their orders, none of the shinobi stepped forward to stop the trio.
Jaxon's identity alone was enough to deter them. Even the Third Hokage wouldn't dare provoke him lightly.
---
Hokage's Office
"Hokage-sama, I've relayed the complete report. According to our observations, Jaxon and the others visited the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. Then—something triggered her rage. We don't know what."
The room fell into a stifling silence. No one dared speak.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, brow furrowed in deep thought. He clutched his long smoking pipe like a lifeline, its embers glowing faintly as smoke curled into the air.
Were the window not open, the room would have been thick with it—choking and clouded.
His eyes, sharp and full of suppressed fury, swept across the group of kneeling shinobi. These were his trusted subordinates, but in this moment, disappointment and frustration clouded his gaze.
While the incident could be hidden from the common villagers for now, it was almost certain the other Great Nations had already caught wind of it.
Ninjas always left traces—chakra ripples, sensor feedback, distant surveillance. Information traveled faster than fire in dry grass.
"Let this matter rest… for now," Hiruzen finally said, his voice low, almost growling. "Do not assign anyone to monitor the Jinchūriki in the immediate future."
His gaze then turned toward the Root operatives, his expression sharpening.
"This matter will be handled by Root," he said coldly. "Tell Danzo: if this is resolved well, he will get what he's been asking for."
He paused.
"But if it's not… then Root will have no reason to exist."
His words dropped like a hammer, the final threat echoing in the office.
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" the Root shinobi answered in unison, heads bowed.
---
Root Headquarters
The air was cold and damp. A dim light flickered from the overhead bulbs in what looked more like a dungeon than a base of operations.
Danzo stood in the shadows, leaning heavily on his cane. His lone, visible eye was fixed on the man kneeling before him.
"Did the Third Hokage truly say that?" Danzo asked, his voice a low rasp.
"Yes, Danzo-sama," the shinobi answered, reverent and respectful.
Danzo was silent for a moment. Then, slowly, a grin began to form on his face.
So—Hiruzen had finally started delegating real power to him.
He knew exactly what it meant: a shift in trust, or more precisely, a moment of weakness. And moments like these could be seized, leveraged.
Danzo's ambition surged like wildfire. He gave a decisive order, voice steeled with authority.
"Then prepare. Bring those two Uzumaki Clan members who are close to Jaxon—to me."
"Yes, sir!"
The operative vanished in a blur.
Alone, Danzo chuckled darkly, muttering to himself. "Hiruzen… it's only a matter of time before you step down. Only I have the resolve to lead this Village. Anyone who threatens Konoha—will be erased."
---
Jaxon's Villa
"Ahhh, this is the life!"
In a spacious, sunlit villa room, Jaxon lay sprawled on a velvet sofa, stretching comfortably as he relished the aftermath of the day's events.
His expression was one of pure satisfaction.
As for Kushina's fate? He didn't care in the slightest.
Her destiny was not his concern.
What truly excited him was the massive progress he had made from interacting with her.
From the moment he entered Konoha, only four days had passed.
And yet, the replication progress had already skyrocketed to 5.56%!
Even more impressive—Kushina alone had contributed 0.56%.
Normally, that kind of gain would have taken a year or more.
But now?
In just a few days, he had earned the equivalent of twelve months of growth. It was nothing short of miraculous.
"If this keeps up," he muttered, eyes gleaming, "I'll be a god among mortals within a few years."
Just as he was basking in the glow of his triumph, a sudden system alert echoed in his mind.
> Warning! Master, you are on the verge of severely disrupting the main storyline. This may trigger direct intervention from the world's natural laws. Proceed with extreme caution!
The words struck him like an icy downpour.
His entire body froze.
The triumphant smirk vanished from his face, replaced by wide-eyed shock.
"Shit…" he whispered.
He had been so focused on harvesting potential from Kushina that he had completely overlooked the butterfly effect of his actions.
Tampering with a key character—especially the mother of the future protagonist—could destabilize the timeline itself.
What if he'd accidentally altered Naruto's personality?
What if Kushina never fell in love with Minato?
What if—he ended up becoming enemies with Minato himself?
That wouldn't just derail the story—it could erase it altogether.
"No protagonist… no narrative progression," he muttered, cold sweat beading on his back. "And no story means… no system."
He gulped, realizing just how close he had come to sabotaging everything.
He had been reckless. Selfish.
And now, the world itself might be watching him.
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