Caught red-handed, Homelander quickly turned around and reluctantly set the bottle down.
"Ah—I was just, uh, checking the temperature for the baby."
He forced an awkward smile, then swiftly handed Naruto back to his father, Minato, and shifted into a much more serious expression.
"The Nine-Tails appearing in the village was far too suspicious.
That's why I came to ask—did you notice anything unusual that night?"
He asked calmly, while Shisui was still reeling from the scene he'd just witnessed.
Minato hadn't quite registered what Homelander had been doing a moment ago—but hearing his question, he gave it some serious thought.
"The Nine-Tails was released by a man claiming to be 'Uchiha Madara,'" Minato answered firmly, gently cradling the now-sleeping Naruto.
"Uchiha?!"
Both Homelander and Shisui feigned surprise—Homelander more theatrically.
"Yes. He had the Sharingan, and not just any—Mangekyō Sharingan," Minato continued.
"He told me his greatest dream was to dominate the entire shinobi world."
"To rule the world, huh? What a despicable ambition…"
Homelander put on a righteously indignant face, but inwardly?
He couldn't care less.
If anything, he thought Obito was a bit of a loser.
Two fights with Minato—one in canon, one in this version—and he still couldn't win?
Weak.
Originally, Homelander had envisioned drawing Obito into some dramatic "Homelander vs. the Evil Masked Man" spectacle to rally support.
But clearly… that was giving the kid too much credit.
"Alright then, no further questions."
His goal was accomplished. Homelander turned, meeting Shisui's eyes.
Shisui gave a small nod.
"If anything comes up, don't hesitate to reach out to me," Homelander added warmly, placing a hand on Minato's shoulder.
"As the Hokage, I'll do everything in my power to support you."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage," Minato bowed deeply.
"I'm truly grateful for your help."
He watched them leave, still holding Naruto, his heart genuinely moved.
"What a selfless Hokage…" he whispered in admiration.
---
As soon as Homelander and Shisui stepped outside and shut the door, they began speaking in hushed tones.
"Is it done?"
Homelander looked around suspiciously, as if he were a thief.
Shisui closed his eyes and quickly formed several hand seals.
When he reopened them—his Mangekyō Sharingan gleamed.
"It's done."
His tone was sharp and serious.
Relieved, Homelander ruffled his hair fondly.
"Well done. C'mon—my treat. What do you want to eat?"
"Dango. Three-color skewers."
"Huh, sweet tooth, huh?"
"Someone in the clan likes them. I'll bring some back."
"Got it. Let's roll."
Homelander grinned, then scooped Shisui up by the waist—and with a boom, took off into the sky.
Shisui was startled. Despite his mastery of Body Flicker, this kind of direct aerial travel was a first.
In just over two seconds, they landed.
Shisui was breathless.
"So this is the power of Lord Fourth… incredible…"
His cheeks flushed red.
He admired Homelander now more than ever.
*(xD)
"Look! It's the Fourth Hokage!"
"Lord Fourth is here?!"
"It's Lord Senju Homelander!!"
Crowds gathering in the streets of Konoha erupted in awe and joy.
But the moment they saw Shisui—an Uchiha—beside him, their tone changed.
"Wait, what's going on? Why is Lord Fourth with one of them?"
"Is that… Shisui? Didn't the Third say he used genjutsu to control the Nine-Tails?"
"My daughter is dead because of those monsters! If they hadn't released the Nine-Tails, she'd still be alive!"
"M-Mommy, I'm scared…"
"Don't be, honey. Lord Fourth is here. He won't let the Uchiha hurt you."
Mutterings, venomous words, suspicion and hate filled the air.
Shisui heard every word.
Who would've thought—the one who risked his life to hypnotize the Nine-Tails into submission…
…was now being labeled the culprit who destroyed the village.
Their words stung worse than any enemy's fists.
Tears welled up in Shisui's eyes.
His beautiful Sharingan faded to normal, powerless black pupils.
Yes—he was a genius of Konoha and the Uchiha.
He had killed on the battlefield since he was a child.
But at the end of the day—he was still only twelve.
His body may have matured early, but his heart hadn't caught up.
He could endure beatings from enemies.
But he couldn't endure being betrayed and vilified by the village he loved.
"Lord Fourth, I… I need to leave for a bit…"
His voice cracked, the tears nearly falling. He was ready to flicker away in shame.
But just then, Homelander grabbed him.
Pulled him close into a wide, strong chest.
"No. That's not right!"
Homelander shouted, raising his voice to the crowd.
Everyone fell silent.
Merchants stopped yelling.
Patrols halted.
Even the night-shift carpenters paused to look toward them.
Shisui, pressed against the warm, broad chest of a man who now felt like a father, could feel the night wind pass by—
and his heart, slowly calm.
"The Uchiha are not our enemies. They are our kin—just as ordinary, just as human, as any of us."
Homelander declared.
"The Nine-Tails' rampage—there's another mastermind behind it."
"And I must apologize, because… that enemy was someone from within our leadership—someone we trusted."
A wave of gasps surged through the crowd.
"Someone from within?! You don't mean—"
"Wait, no way…"
"The Third?!"
"That can't be—right?"
"Is he saying…?"
Just as speculation was about to boil over, Homelander shook his head solemnly.
"His name… is one you all know well."
He paused dramatically, his voice heavy.
"Once a man we all respected—Shimura Danzo."
"But now… he's fallen into darkness.
When the Third told me this, I was so devastated I nearly took my own life…"
As he spoke, Homelander squeezed out two perfectly timed tears, turned his head away, and waved a trembling hand—as if too heartbroken to continue.
The villagers were dumbfounded.
"W-What? Danzo?"
"Is that true…?"
"He always did give me a bad feeling."
"Still, this is hard to believe…"
"What proof do we have?"
…
…
"Nonsense!!"
Suddenly, the crowd split open.
Danzo, flanked by Root operatives, stormed forward.
He was no longer hiding—his transplant had succeeded.
Now wielding Wood Release, Danzo walked with grim confidence.
Even his bandages had been freshly replaced to look neat and authoritative.
"Strange. I don't recall ever telling you any of that, Senju Homelander."
A second voice chimed in—
The Third Hokage, also wearing the Hokage robe, stepped into view with several ANBU and a just-arrived Minato Namikaze, who had just put Naruto to sleep.
"What's going on?"
Young Might Guy, Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, and other elite shinobi arrived in droves.
Veterans like Nara Shikaku and Choza Akimichi followed soon after.
The citizens could feel it—
The air had changed.
The powder keg had been lit.
This wasn't going to end quietly.