Hikaru slowly leaned back, a dark, dangerous energy vibrating around him as he waited for the rest of the puzzle to drop.
"Hyuga Kozuki was completely stripped of his title today..." Arata continued, his voice heavy with the sheer weight of the political shift.
The moment the words left Arata's mouth, Hikaru burst into a sudden, genuine laugh.
"Aha... Hahaha! Haha!" The sharp, mocking sound echoed loudly off the dim walls of the tea room. He actually raised his hands and started clapping. "Wait, really? That loudmouth Kozuki?" Hikaru said, his shoulders shaking with dark amusement.
"God damn it... I wish I could have seen that show."
Arata watched him with a mix of fear and disgust, waiting for the laughter to die down. But as the echoes faded, a cold realization suddenly hit Arata like a splash of freezing water.
'Wait...' Arata's mind stuttered, his heart dropping into his stomach. 'He didn't know. He didn't know any of this! Damn it... I was really wrong. This man was just guessing everything from the very start, and I just confirmed it for him like a fool!'
Before Arata could panic over his massive slip-up, Hikaru wiped a stray speck of mirth from his eye, leaning forward again. "Then what were the others' reactions?"
Arata swallowed his rising panic, forced to keep going. "Your clan head was the one who was adding fuel to the fire—" Arata said, his voice dropping as he tried to regain his footing.
"Mine...?" Hikaru murmured softly, his eyes narrowing.
Arata was so overwhelmed by his own stress that he did not even realize Hikaru had spoken. He rushed right past the interruption, continuing in a hurried voice.
"Fugaku played it ruthlessly. He took the Hokage's side completely and degraded the reputation of the Hyugas as much as he possibly could in front of everyone."
'Ah, that bastard Fugaku...' Hikaru thought, his mind darkening as he pictured the Uchiha leader playing his political games. 'Still trying so hard to please the Hokage.'
"But Fugaku's victory is a lie!" Arata continued, leaning forward. "He is hiding something major. He currently has an important young child of five or six years old locked up right inside the Uchiha Police Headquarters."
Hikaru's brow furrowed. "A child? Is he that Rock Lee kid you mentioned?"
"No, no, not him!" Arata waved his hand quickly. "That Lee boy was around the age of a Genin. This one is much smaller. And he looks exactly like an Uchiha."
Hikaru's casual posture instantly vanished. "An Uchiha? How did he look?"
"Like you!" Arata said, his voice rising as a sudden, nervous excitement took over. He actually started shouting, his eyes wide. "YES! EXACTLY LIKE YOU!"
SLAM!
Hikaru banged his palm heavily against the dark wooden table, the force of the strike rattling the three teacups. "WHAT?!" he shouted, his sharingan flashing dangerously in the dim room.
Arata sat back, terrified, but nodded frantically. "I'm not lying, Uchiha! My wife also confirmed it! She saw the boy. That child is just like you!"
Hikaru's heart hammered against his ribs as he stared at the wood of the table.
'Impossible...' he thought, his mind spinning into absolute chaos. 'Is it because the timeline is messing up that these changes are happening? Is my younger...?'
Arata watched him shake, misinterpreting the rogue's shock as guilt. "Yes... I was... ah, I just wanted to ask. Were you also the cause of that Uzumaki Kushina's seal leak yesterday evening?"
Hikaru's thoughts instantly halted. 'Just like Sakura's...?'
"What did you say?" Hikaru asked aloud, his voice dropping into a deadly whisper.
Arata nervously shifted on his mat. "I said, the seal incident with Uzumaki Kushina yesterday evening. Were you also the cause of it?"
"Hey, bastard—" Hikaru hissed, his eyes locked onto Arata with pure irritation. "Don't say 'also', ok? I already told you I did nothing in the Hyuga compound. And by Kushina, you mean the Kyuubi Jinchuriki?"
"Yeah..." Arata muttered, sweating under the glare.
"A seal leak—" Hikaru murmured, leaning back slowly as he digested the news. "Nah. I was not the one who did it. In fact, it's been ages since I last saw her face."
'Bastard!' Arata thought, glaring back silently. 'I know you are the one behind this also. You are just trying to play mind games with me.'
But Hikaru was completely ignoring him now, his mind working through the massive revelation. 'Kyuubi Jinchuriki... a seal leak...'
A slow, sharp smirk gradually stretched across Hikaru's face.
He let out a quiet, dark chuckle, muttering under his breath, "Interesting..."
He paused, letting the new information settle into his grand plan before looking back at the Fuma leader. "Go on. What else did our dear Fugaku do?"
"Fugaku became so visibly loyal to Namikaze Minato because of this..." Arata said, eager to finish his report and get out of the room.
"The Hokage trusted him with everything. Minato trusted him so much that he personally ordered the entire Council out of the room at the end of the meeting, staying behind to talk only to Fugaku, Inoichi, and Hiashi. He had the throne in his palm."
Arata let out a low, mocking breath, shaking his head. "But it all went to vain because of the market disaster."
Hikaru's eyes gleamed as the pieces fell together. "Because of what happened in the commercial district."
Arata nodded slowly. "Yes. Just this one mistake by his woman ruined everything."
Beneath the table, Hikaru's fists clenched so tightly his nails bit into his palms. 'Mikoto...'
NAMIKAZE HOUSEHOLD
"Give your master, along with the entire Council, a clear message—" Minato said, his voice dropping into a low, terrifying tone that shook the very air in the room. "If they want to talk to me, it will only be done under one of two conditions. Either this Root operative standing right in front of me tells me the full details right here, in front of my wife and Biwako-sama... or the Council can personally walk over here to my house themselves."
The words hung heavily in the dim afternoon light.
The Root leader in the center of the room stood completely still, his stiff posture hiding the anger rising inside him. 'To demand the entire Council of Ministers, to walk into the Hokage's home while it is filled with civilians in all corners is completely inappropriate!' the Root ANBU thought, his mind calculating how to handle this insult to Konoha's leadership.
'He is the Hokage, but he cannot treat the elders like servants.'
Near the doorway, the dog-masked ANBU let out a quiet breath of relief behind his mask. His heart was hammering against his ribs.
'Thank goodness Hokage-sama stopped me from speaking....' he thought frantically, his fingers still resting on his weapon pouch.
'If I had blurted out the news about that second Jinchuruki of the Kyuubi... Danzo would find out. The moment that old man learns about a second Kyuubi jinchuruki, he will do whatever it takes to get his hands on him and turn him into a weapon.'
The Root leader adjusted his stance slightly, his voice remaining flat and emotionless. "Hokage-sama, your terms are completely out of order. The Council does not travel to a private residence to hold official business. My instructions are to escort you to the hall immediately."
Minato let out a short, cold laugh that carried absolutely no warmth. He slowly smoothed down the front of his white haori, looking completely unimpressed by the threat.
"Out of order?" Minato asked, his voice dripping with smooth, dangerous sarcasm.
"You know what else is out of order? People wearing silver vests standing outside my window and peeling off my private defensive seals while my wife is trying to rest. That seems very bad for your health, don't you think?"
Outside the open window, the silver-vested Root members froze completely, their hands stopping instantly under the Hokage's intense glare.
"I gave you two very simple choices..." Minato continued, stepping forward just one inch, his presence completely filling the room. "Either you start talking right here, or you go back and tell your master to start walking. Choose carefully. My patience vanished the moment your team's fingers touched my seals."
Behind Minato's back, Biwako looked at the intense exchange with deep worry. She glanced down at Kushina, who was still pale and breathing softly on the bed.
Knowing that the heavy tension would only harm the young mother more, Biwako slowly slid her arm under Kushina's shoulders.
"Come, Kushina—" Biwako whispered gently, trying to help her sit up so they could quietly escape to the back room. "You need proper rest, far away from this noise."
Kushina winced slightly, her hand gripping the bedsheets, but she forced her eyes open, looking straight at the intruders. "I can walk, Biwako-sama..." she murmured, her voice weak but still carrying a trace of her usual fiery spirit.
However, before they could even take a step toward the inner door opposite the window, a sharp thwack-thwack echoed through the room.
Two black kunai flew through the open window, thrown with perfect aim by the silver-vested ROOT members standing outside.
The weapons embedded themselves deeply into the wooden frame of the inner door, right in front of Biwako's feet, blocking the path.
"The Hokage's wife must remain inside this room!" the Root leader stated from the center of the floor, his voice flat and completely devoid of human warmth.
"Until the Yondaime Hokage complies with the collective summons of the Konoha Council, no individual inside this residence is permitted to change their position. This is for the safety of the village."
Biwako's face turned bright red with pure anger. She stood up fully, stepping directly between the bed and the intruders, pointing a sharp finger at the ROOT leader.
"How dare you!" Biwako scolded loudly, her voice echoing off the walls.
"You insolent fools! Do you even know who you are talking to? Kushina just went through a terrible ordeal last night, and you dare stand there like statues, blocking her path in her own home? Have you completely forgotten what respect means? Even Danzo cannot protect you from the shame of treating a recovering mother like a prisoner in broad daylight!"
Minato's knuckles turned white beneath the fabric of his long white haori. 'They are openly restricting Kushina's movements inside my own home!' Minato calculated, a terrifying stillness settling over his face.
'Danzo is no longer operating in the shadows. He is testing my boundaries. If I attack them now, I will give the Council the exact excuse they want to propose that I step down from the position of the Hokage.'
The dog-masked ANBU by the doorway felt his temper rising instantly. He took a sharp step forward, his hand snapping directly onto the hilt of his blade.
"You blind idiots are pushing your luck!" he spat, his voice trembling with rage. "You dare dictate the movements of the Hokage's family? You are nothing but trespassers disrespecting this house!"
"Our actions are perfectly aligned with the rules imposed by the Council of Ministers, to which the Hokage is answerable!" the ROOT leader replied smoothly, his mask turning slightly toward the loyal guard. "We do not accept emotional arguments during a mission."
'Arrogant bastards!' the dog-masked ANBU thought, his mind spinning as he kept his eyes locked on the leader's stance. 'They think because Danzo feeds them rules, they are above the law. They are trying to turn a simple summons into a hostage situation.'
Suddenly, without Minato even needing to utter a single command, the room felt incredibly crowded. Five distinct shadows dropped down from the roof tiles outside and the high ceiling beams above, landing without making a single sound.
With absolute precision, five highly trained shinobi wearing the iconic, flowing gray cloaks of the Hokage's personal guard appeared in the room.
The balance shifted immediately.
One cloaked ANBU stood directly in front of the central ROOT leader, while the other four stood face-to-face with the silver-vested Root members near the window frames. It was a perfect five-against-five standoff.
The lead cloaked ANBU tilted his head slightly, a soft, mocking chuckle escaping from behind his porcelain mask. "Well, well. Look who decided to show up uninvited...." he said, his tone incredibly cheeky and dripping with pure sarcasm.
"I didn't know the underground foundation trained people to sneak into bedrooms. Did you guys forget the way back to your dark holes?"
The ROOT leader did not flinch, keeping his stiff posture perfectly upright. "Step aside, cloaked division. You are interfering with a supreme mandate issued by the Council of Ministers. Your obstruction will be reported as a direct violation of Konoha laws."
"Oh, I am so scared..." the cloaked ANBU replied, casually resting his palm on his sword hilt while his eyes watched the silver haori for any sudden movements.
'They are stiff and standing perfectly still, but they didn't expect us to match their numbers so fast!' the cloaked ANBU calculated, his instincts taking over the silent room.
'They are just waiting for orders. We just need to keep them talking until Hokage-sama decides what to do with them.'
"Let me tell you how this actually works—" the cloaked ANBU continued, leaning forward just a fraction to mock the enemy.
"In this village, the man wearing the white haori makes the final choices. So if Hokage-sama says you talk here or you leave, you pack up your little silver clothes and you get out. Otherwise, we can easily find out whose swords are sharper in broad daylight."
"You are wrong!" the Root operative near the window muttered, his voice just as flat as his leader's. "The orders of the elders come before personal feelings. We will finish our task."
The entire bedroom became completely frozen in time, the bright afternoon sun shining on the sharp edges of ten different blades pulled halfway out of their cases, waiting for someone to make the first move.
The Root leader stood like a statue in the center of the room, facing the Yondaime Hokage. Realizing that Minato was truly not going to speak up, the flat, lifeless tone of the Root ninja changed just a fraction.
He muttered quietly, "Fine. Since you leave me no choice..."
Minato's ears picked up the slight shift in the man's tone. 'What?' the Hokage thought, his eyes narrowing instantly as his tactical instincts warned him. 'What is he planning to do in front of everyone?'
Hearing this threat, the lead cloaked ANBU didn't hesitate for a single second. He moved like a sudden blur through the air. A sharp, metallic sound echoed through the bedroom as the cloaked leader suddenly placed a kunai directly against the Root leader's throat.
The cold steel pressed just hard enough against the skin to draw a drop of blood.
"YOU BASTARD! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE SAYING?!" the cloaked leader shouted, his usual sarcastic tone completely vanishing into raw fury.
In that exact split second, the entire room exploded into motion. Seeing their leader held at knifepoint, the four silver-vested Root guards outside the window instantly drew their blades.
But the remaining four cloaked guards were just as fast, snapping their own weapons out to match them. Instantly, all ten shinobi were locked in a deadly standoff, blades pressed against blades, ready to cut each other down at the slightest movement.
'Then don't blame me...' the Root leader thought, his calm remaining unbroken even with a blade drawing blood from his neck.
'Since you forced me this much far. If this room turns into a graveyard, it is by the Hokage's own stubbornness.'
The room became so quiet that the heavy breathing of the dog-masked ANBU by the door was the only sound left. Everyone was frozen, waiting for blood to spill.
Instead of fighting back, the Root leader slowly opened his mouth, his voice echoing clearly through the tense bedroom.
"Hokage-sama..."
"....there have been five common civilians who have entered forcefully through the gates of Konoha. They belong to the place near the Hi no Kuni borders, and they have been caught. They are currently being questioned by Morino Ibiki of the Torture Department."
'Ibiki-san?' Minato's mind raced, a cold calculation clicking behind his eyes. 'Wasn't he with me in the commercial district to handle the market disaster? Why is he suddenly handling border trespassers at the headquarters?'
Minato snapped aloud, his calm expression completely shattering. "On whose order were they caught?! What is the cause?!"
The cloaked ANBU's hand tightened on the kunai, his heart hammering against his ribs. 'Civilians? From the border?' the guard thought frantically. 'Why would the Torture Department be involved with regular civillians?'
The Root leader kept his eyes locked straight ahead, delivering the final lines that would completely shatter the peace of the village.
"They claim that their community was attacked and led to a deadly massacre—" the Root ninja stated, the words falling like heavy stones into the silence. "They claim the main cause were Hatake Kakashi..."
'Kakashi...?' Kushina thought, her pale face turning completely white as her heart skipped a beat. A cold sweat broke out across her forehead at the mention of the young boy they cared for so deeply. 'No... not him. He would never...'
".....the Legendary Sannin Orochimaru, and four others along with..."
Behind Minato, Biwako-sama gasped, her hands flying to her mouth in sheer horror as she heard the name 'OROCHIMARU.'
Kushina's breath caught in her throat, her violet eyes widening as she stared at her husband's back.
The dog-masked ANBU felt his entire body go completely numb under his armor. 'A massacre? Hatake Kakashi? And Orochimaru-sama?! That makes no sense! Hokage-sama was right here in the village!'
The Root ninja's eyes gleamed coldly behind his mask as he finished the sentence, striking the final blow.
"...along with the Yondaime Hokage..."
"NAMIKAZE MINATO—"
---