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"Wh...Minato?!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's pipe slipped from his lips as he stammered in shock.
Minato gave a slight nod before speaking quickly, his voice urgent. "The Hyuga clan's girl has been kidnapped. Naruto is pursuing them. Lord Third, send Anbu to the Death Forest immediately the exact location is..."
His words were clipped, his form flickering. His chakra was nearly depleted.
Hiruzen's scalp prickled with dread. He had suspected the Cloud envoys were up to no good, but to target a bloodline limit so brazenly? This was beyond audacious.
"Anbu!" he barked.
A masked operative materialized in the office, only to freeze at the sight of Minato. Cold sweat dripped down his back. Who wouldn't be unnerved by the dead returning?
"Mobilize all available Anbu," Hiruzen ordered. "Search the Forest of Death for Uzumaki Naruto—now!"
"Understood!" The operative vanished in a shunshin.
Seconds later, another Anbu burst in, panic in his voice. "Lord Hokage, it's the Fourth, he's...!"
His words died as he spotted Minato, whose translucent form pulsed weakly, like a dying ember.
"Don't worry," Minato reassured Hiruzen. "Naruto is my son. He'll be fine." A pause. "I leave the rest to you, Lord Third."
Then, he was gone.
Hiruzen's face darkened with guilt. The monitoring Anbu's eyes sharpened behind his mask.
"Hokage-sama," he said slowly, "what exactly have you been hiding?"
Hiruzen sighed. "Minato had too many enemies. This was for Naruto's protection."
The excuse rang hollow.
The Anbu's fists clenched. Swap places with Naruto born the son of a hero, made a jinchūriki for the village's sake, only to be treated like a monster?
His faith in Konoha wavered.
Hiruzen cut in, voice weary. "Enough. Some things… can't be changed."
The Anbu's blood ran cold. "And the Cloud envoys?"
"Leave them for now," Hiruzen said. "Focus on retrieving Naruto."
But to the Anbu, it sounded like Hinata's rescue was an afterthought. And why wasn't Hiruzen demanding the envoy's heads? Since when did Konoha tolerate such treachery?
"Hokage-sama," the Anbu pressed, "spying on Naruto, what if the Nine-Tails' seal fails?"
Hiruzen's gaze hardened. "That's enough. Take a few days' rest."
A dismissal. Perhaps permanent.
The Anbu left, his heart heavy.
In the forest of death, Naruto cradled Hinata as he trekked toward the Hyuga compound. Exhausted from the ordeal, she'd fallen asleep in his arms. He glanced down at her, a faint smile tugging at his lips, gone just as quickly.
Something didn't add up, kidnapping Hinata from the heart of the Hyuga estate? With Byakugan patrols everywhere? It made no sense. He'd sooner believe Cloud ninja could assassinate the Hokage.
Still, at least the outcome wasn't disastrous. The truth would have to come from the captors themselves.
"Hey, Naruto," Kurama's voice rumbled. "Remember our deal."
"I haven't forgotten," Naruto replied. "But not yet. I need a way to separate us without dying."
Kurama's growl vibrated through his mind. "You lied?"
"No," Naruto said firmly. "I value my life. When I find a way, I'll free you. That's a promise."
Kurama didn't push further. Maybe it sensed Naruto's honesty, or the fact that Naruto hadn't reinforced the seal.
Trust, however fragile, lingered between them.
Naruto hadn't even stepped onto the main path before Hyuga clansmen swarmed him.
"You! Why are you carrying our heiress? Explain yourself!"
Naruto smirked. "Good. You spotted us from hundreds of meters away." His tone turned icy. "So tell me, how did Cloud ninja snatch her right under your noses?"
The clansmen exchanged uneasy glances.
"Enough," Naruto snapped. "Take me to Hiashi. Now."
No one argued. The weight of his glare, and the unspoken accusation, left no room for defiance.
One clansman relented. "This way, Uzumaki."
Hiashi's face stiffened the moment he saw Naruto holding Hinata.
Hyuga tradition forbade outside marriages. And here was his daughter, clinging to an outsider—looking disheveled, no less.
"Uzumaki Naruto," Hiashi said coldly. "Explain."
Hinata stirred awake. At the sight of her father's stern expression, she flinched, scrambling out of Naruto's hold to stand meekly aside.
Naruto crossed his arms. "You didn't notice your own daughter was kidnapped?"
Hiashi's brow furrowed. "Hinata. Weren't you resting in your room?"
Hinata hesitated—then began recounting everything.
...