"Naruto: Ice God"Chapter 172: The Focus Shifts to Konoha
While Feng Bai was muttering to himself, Obito quietly climbed up to take over the watch.
"Hey, Feng Bai, I'm here for my shift."
Obito called softly to Feng Bai, who seemed lost in thought.
"What are you staring at so intently?"
Obito glanced curiously toward the house, only to see Jiraiya sitting inside with a flushed face, mumbling incoherently.
"Nothing much—just that Kushina's baby's name has been decided."
Glancing back at Obito, Feng Bai didn't keep him in suspense and explained that Minato had decided to use the protagonist's name from Jiraiya's novel for his child.
"The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi? If I remember correctly, the main character's name is..."
Obito recalled the days he'd helped Jiraiya organize his manuscripts. This particular book was rare in that it contained no inappropriate content, so Jiraiya had felt comfortable letting Obito assist him.
"I think it's Naruto, right? Wait, isn't that a ramen topping?!"
Obito couldn't fathom why Minato would choose such a name.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you're so naive."
Feng Bai wagged a finger in front of Obito, his expression full of gossip: "Think about it—you know Minato's naming skills. If he named the child himself..."
Obito imagined it as Feng Bai suggested and shuddered: "That kid would probably end up with an incredibly tongue-twisting name."
"Exactly. So Naruto it is—at least it rolls off the tongue nicely."
As the two hid in the shadows, critiquing Minato's naming abilities, Fugaku, head of the Uchiha clan, was also contemplating a name for his yet-unborn second son.
In Feng Bai's opinion, Fugaku's naming skills were on par with Minato's.
After all, what normal person would name their son "Weasel"?
Of course, compared to something like "Flash Spiral Chaos Dance Technique, Style Number Whatever," "Weasel" wasn't entirely unacceptable.
Walking through Konoha's nighttime streets, Fugaku moved like a thief, constantly monitoring his surroundings to avoid being spotted.
Eventually, he arrived at a particular house.
After composing his thoughts and organizing his words, Fugaku knocked on the door.
"Coming."
A young man's voice responded, and when the door opened, Fugaku saw a man who bore a striking resemblance to a young Hiruzen.
"Clan Leader Fugaku?"
Before Fugaku could speak, the man called out his name.
"Jinsuke, right? It's been a long time."
Fugaku recognized him as well—Sarutobi Jinsuke, Hiruzen's eldest son who served in ANBU and rarely appeared in public.
"Is the Third Hokage here?" Once invited inside, Fugaku quickly got to the point.
In the study, Hiruzen cheerfully served Fugaku hot tea, gesturing for him not to be nervous when he saw Fugaku's flattered expression.
"How is Mikoto's health? The due date must be approaching, right?"
Smiling and making small talk like a caring elder, Hiruzen didn't rush to ask about Fugaku's purpose, instead showing genuine concern for his family matters.
"Thanks to your kindness, Mikoto is doing very well. If all goes smoothly, the baby should be born next month."
When mentioning his wife and child, Fugaku's face lit up with genuine happiness.
"Is that so? About the same time as Kushina..." Hiruzen murmured softly, instinctively reaching for his pipe.
"Actually, the reason I came here..." As a member of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku didn't engage in lengthy pleasantries and soon couldn't contain himself, revealing his purpose.
"I would like to name my child after your father."
Using Sarutobi Hiruzen's father's name for his child was a decision Fugaku had made after careful consideration.
Since Sakumo became Hokage, relations between the Uchiha clan and the village had indeed been slowly healing.
After his conversation with Sakumo, Fugaku himself had begun suppressing the radicals within his clan.
However, he could also see that in current Konoha, Tobirama's faction still held considerable influence.
Hiruzen, Danzō, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane still served as advisors, participating in every major village decision.
So now, Fugaku needed to maintain good relations with Sakumo while also constantly currying favor with elders like Hiruzen.
...
"Konoha's Jinchūriki is about to give birth."
In a mountain cave somewhere, White Zetsu brought the latest intelligence to Setsuna.
"Oh? The Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki? That's quite significant news indeed."
Setsuna, who had been using his dōjutsu to create new puppets, released his grip and casually tossed aside the lifeless body of some unfortunate victim.
Shortly after hitting the ground, the corpse stiffly climbed back to its feet and obediently followed behind Setsuna.
"Are we making our move? But we haven't found a host for the Rinnegan yet, and the order for sealing the Tailed Beasts..." Black Zetsu, sensing Setsuna's intentions, spoke cautiously.
"Don't interrupt, you worthless thing. I have my own arrangements."
Setsuna had no interest in advice from artificial beings, instead directing his gaze toward Uchiha Yowan nearby.
"Konoha's strength is too formidable. If we allow it to continue developing, it will interfere with our Tailed Beast collection plan."
Yowan guessed Setsuna's thoughts and jumped down from the boulder he'd been standing on.
"You're not completely useless after all." Setsuna didn't deny it, tacitly agreeing with Yowan's assessment.
"Moreover, we can use this opportunity to bring Nagato under the control of my dōjutsu."
Stroking his eye, Setsuna's gaze revealed a hint of cruelty: "And I'd like to have a proper reunion with a certain brat."
"Is that so..."
Seeing Setsuna in this state, Yowan said nothing more and turned away.
"Then I'll handle the Jinchūriki."
Yowan's dōjutsu was indeed suited for launching surprise attacks at moments like these.
But Setsuna's group wasn't the only one stirring with ambition.
In a Konoha inn, a red-haired youth was staring intently through his window toward the Hokage Rock.
Sasori of the Red Sand.
After assassinating the Third Kazekage and turning him into a human puppet, Sasori had been searching for an opportunity to kill Sakumo.
He'd originally planned to eliminate him at the Kikyō Mountain stronghold, but Sakumo had been recalled to the village by Hiruzen and appointed as the Fourth Hokage, causing Sasori's original plan to fall through. He'd been forced to infiltrate Konoha through other means, seeking a new opportunity.
"Sakumo Hatake, I'll make you my new ace."
Playing with the scroll containing the Third Kazekage, Sasori's beautiful face was filled with cold malice.
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