Chapter 95: Artifacts
Minato Namikaze — honorary member of the Mutual Aid Association.
Yes, in truth, Minato was never an official member of the organization. He had never imitated or learned from Aizen's methods. He was simply someone who had always been near him.
Like Hatake Kakashi, Minato served as a symbolic figure for the Mutual Aid Association — a public face used to lend legitimacy to their cause. But when this "mascot" revealed his true power, the entire village began to look at him differently.
With the Hokage missing and Aizen's fate uncertain, none of the great clans dared to seize control of Konoha. The village system wasn't enormous, but it was intricate. Its once seamless operation relied on the cooperation between Aizen and the Hokage. Now, with both leaders gone, the upper echelons had fallen into chaos. And when authority collapses, only those who command the machinery of violence can fill the void.
As one of only two people alive with access to the Chakra Network's Developer Mode, Minato Namikaze had no choice but to act. The other holder of that privilege, Hatake Kakashi, was still a child — far too young to shoulder such a burden.
Minato wasn't particularly old himself, but at his age, Aizen had already begun assisting in Konoha's administration. By comparison, Minato's qualifications mattered little; what mattered now was courage — and the ability to decide.
And courage was something Minato had in abundance.
When faced with the possibility that his elder brother had been murdered, he hadn't hesitated. He joined the Mutual Aid Association at once and led missions against enemy clans without a flicker of doubt.
Right or wrong, it didn't matter. He acted when others hesitated — and in times of crisis, that decisiveness was more valuable than any pedigree.
Now, with the village's future in his hands, Minato issued his first command.
"First, we seal all channels of communication with the major ninja villages. Surround every embassy if you have to. Blind them. Silence them. No one outside Konoha can know what's happening here."
Orders spread quickly. Members of the Mutual Aid Association sprinted into action, coordinating patrols and restricting access to the borders.
In Minato's blue eyes, a faint red flicker — the reflection of chakra monitors — burned with fierce intensity.
Some people collapse under pressure. Others awaken.
Minato Namikaze was the latter — a man whose strength bloomed only when the world fell apart.
Back when he had served under Aizen, he had been just another jonin with extraordinary speed and spatial techniques. He had no ambition beyond following orders.
But now, with Aizen's life or death unknown, the Third Hokage missing, and the great families paralyzed, Minato realized there was no one left to act — except him.
He took the mantle of command without hesitation, leading the Mutual Aid Association in pacifying unrest and enforcing order across Konoha.
After sending a detailed report to the still-wandering elder Danzo, Minato expected the old man to return and take charge. But hours later, the reply came — and it left everyone speechless.
"Danzo-sama refuses to halt the Wandering Operation," Minato repeated aloud, disbelief flickering in his eyes. "He wants me to continue leading? Why?"
A Root operative knelt beside him, relaying the message. "Danzo-sama said he no longer wishes to be bound by the concept of one village, one land. Since a grave crisis has struck Konoha, Root will temporarily assist you. All other matters… can wait."
"This…" Minato muttered, rubbing the back of his head, his golden hair damp with rain.
Hours passed before he could collect his thoughts.
The Root ninjas, newly returned through reverse summoning, knelt in formation before him — silent, awaiting orders. Their expressionless masks glistened faintly under the dim light of the control room.
Minato stared at them, stunned by how quickly things had changed.
Just this morning, he'd been raging over Aizen's disappearance, even going so far as to strike his own master in his fury to uncover the truth.
Now, the same man who had once rebelled against the system stood at its center — commanding it.
Danzo's approval made it official: the clans were subdued, the elders absent, and all remaining authority within Konoha had converged in one man's hands — Minato Namikaze's.
Danzo had willingly stepped aside, delegating full operational control to him. It was a responsibility Minato had never sought… but one he could not refuse.
He closed his eyes briefly, steadying his breath.
When he opened them again, resolve burned there — quiet but unyielding.
If this was the path fate had laid before him, then he would walk it without hesitation.
Standing before the kneeling Root operatives, Minato's voice cut through the silence with firm command.
"Select three people to search for members of the Hokage's Anbu," Minato ordered sharply. "In Elder Danzo's name, find out who the Hokage had recent contact with — and who among them would dare disobey village orders to act independently outside Konoha. Also, identify anyone who displayed significant water-nature chakra fluctuations during this period."
He took a brief breath before continuing. "The remaining operatives will spread the message to the major clans — inform them that the Hokage is missing and that I am temporarily assuming control under Elder Danzo's direct command. They are to remain in their current positions and await inspection. As for unaffiliated shinobi — notify those you can. If they cannot be contacted, disregard them. Anyone found threatening the containment perimeter is to be executed immediately. No mercy — not during an emergency of this scale."
He paused, his voice lowering. "All orders will be issued under my name. I alone will bear responsibility. If Elder Danzo returns and demands accountability, I will take it. For now, this must remain secret."
Root's numbers were not vast — not everyone desired a life buried in the shadows — but those who belonged to that organization had one defining trait: perfect obedience.
Unlike members of the Mutual Aid Association, who often acted with emotion or personal bias, Root shinobi carried out orders with mechanical precision. Within moments of Minato's command, their pale, expressionless figures dispersed in all directions like a silent tide.
Before Minato could even catch his breath, a surge of powerful chakra approached from behind. A tall, blonde woman stepped into view, surrounded by faint ripples of chakra that pulsed like a heartbeat. She crossed her arms and grinned.
"Hey, Namikaze-chan, I'm still here."
"Tsunade-sama?" Minato blinked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"You're not strong enough on your own," she said bluntly, patting her chest. "I'm here to back you up."
Her tone left no room for debate. Looking at Minato's weary face, Tsunade continued, her voice resolute.
"No matter how urgent the situation is, you're still too young and lack the authority to silence certain people. I'll support you. If anyone questions your orders, tell them it came from me — Tsunade, granddaughter of the First Hokage."
Minato bowed slightly. "Thank you. That's a great help. In that case, please take charge of personnel management at the Ninja Academy. Gather the clan-affiliated shinobi there and distribute them by clan territory. And please — avoid any unnecessary conflict."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "That's fine, but what exactly are you planning?"
"In recent days, several ninjas with no chakra response — and no registered signature in the network — have been identified as members of major clans," Minato said quietly. "Their death records are… inconsistent. I wanted to ask you about that. Why would so many Konoha ninjas have errors in their death reports? Theoretically, that's impossible."
"I don't know," Tsunade replied immediately, folding her arms again. "I'm not responsible for administrative documentation."
After a pause, her tone softened slightly. "Before this, Aizen Sosuke personally handled all death records. He managed both Konoha Hospital and the Orphanage. You'll have to ask him if you want answers."
"…"
So Brother Aizen was in charge?
Minato stared at her, trying to determine whether she was evading responsibility — but realized she was probably telling the truth. Even during his time on the frontlines, he'd heard that both the hospital and the orphanage had fallen under Aizen's direct oversight.
But the records themselves… births, deaths, and reassignments? That was a far deeper level of control.
And therein lay the danger.
Why did so many documents contain inconsistencies? According to recent reports from the clans, nearly all of the problematic entries traced back to Konoha Hospital. Some were orphanage residents listed as deceased but later reported as "rescued." Others were ninja supposedly killed in battle, only to have been seen alive weeks later.
And the strangest part — many of these individuals exhibited no chakra signatures.
It was as if something within them had changed.
Minato clenched his fists. He recalled the recent incidents — shinobi who returned from missions acting strangely, some even dissolving into shadow-like residue upon mental collapse. The pattern matched descriptions found in the ancient myths — whispers of living beings consumed by the darkness itself.
But could he really suspect Brother Aizen?
No. He couldn't.
Aizen had built this village's prosperity with his own hands. Every advancement in Konoha — the Chakra Network, the medical system, even the cooperation between clans — all carried his mark.
If Aizen truly hid something… then no one in Konoha could claim innocence.
Even Minato's current authority came from the system Aizen created — the Developer Mode of the Chakra Network. Without it, his voice would hold no weight.
In that sense… he, too, was a product of Aizen's influence.
Then who isn't?
"Never mind," Minato murmured, shaking his head and forcing the thoughts away.
There was still too much to do. Now wasn't the time to chase suspicions or unravel conspiracies.
If Aizen truly bore some hidden sin, that judgment could wait until after the village survived this crisis.
For now, what mattered most was keeping Konoha from tearing itself apart.
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