YAMANAKA CLAN COMPOUND
The atmosphere inside the central Yamanaka communications hub was heavy, humming with the low, constant murmur of sensory shinobi monitoring chakra networks across Konoha.
FLASH!
A bright yellow spark flickered in the center of the command room, and Minato arrived smoothly beside the main desk.
"Ah, Minato—" Shikaku muttered without even flinching, rubbing the back of his neck with a long, exhausted sigh. He leaned against the strategic map table, a piece of shogi strategy paper was lying under his elbow.
"You know... normal Hokage usually use the door. It saves the sensory team from having a heart attack every time you decide to pop in out of thin air."
Inoichi didn't even look up from his main telepathic headset, his fingers dancing across the sealing signs on his desk as he adjusted the village-wide barrier frequency.
"Don't waste your breath, Shikaku. You know he's never going to use a door when he can just flash everywhere."
Minato gave a small, sheepish laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Come on, guys. It's just faster this way! Besides, doors are in the way when you're running late."
"Yeah, yeah..." Shikaku sighed, crossing his arms with a small chuckle. "Just try not to break the floorboards next time, Yondaime."
Minato's smile softened, but his eyes quickly turned serious. "Alright, jokes aside... what's the status over there?"
Before Shikaku could hand over the map, Inoichi's eyes suddenly went wide behind his sensory visor. He gasped out loud.
"WHAT THE...?!"
Minato and Shikaku both snapped their heads toward him instantly.
"What happened, Inoichi-san?" Minato asked, his voice dropping all its humor.
"Inoichi, talk to us—" Shikaku added, his brows knitting together. "What did you sense?"
Inoichi swallowed hard, his hand pressing tighter against his headset. "Jiraiya-sama's chakra... it just dropped drastically! It's like... it's like he's completely out of the fight! His Sage Mode chakra is even gone too!"
Minato's heart skipped a beat, his blue eyes widening in pure shock. "What the...?"
"Explain carefully, Inoichi!" Shikaku commanded sharply, taking a step forward. "What do you mean 'out of the fight'? Was he defeated, or did someone just seal his chakra?"
"I—I'm not entirely sure!" Inoichi stammered, sweat breaking out on his forehead. "The barrier chakra vanished, and his chakra levels dropped in a split second!"
Just as the tension in the room reached a boiling point, the door to the communications hub burst open.
"Inoichi-sama! We just got the latest report from the outer perimeter—!"
A young Yamanaka sensory member ran into the room holding a massive stack of official report papers. But the moment his eyes landed on the white haori standing right in front of the desk, his legs completely froze.
"Y-Yondaime-sama?!"
The poor ninja panicked so hard that he tried to bow immediately while still running. His foot caught the edge of the rug, and the entire stack of papers flew into the air, showering the floor in white sheets.
SWISH! FLUFF! CLATTER!
"Ah! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" the young ninja squeaked out, his face turning bright red as he dropped straight to his knees, frantically scrambling to gather the scattered papers off the floor.
"Take it easy..." Minato said gently, a warm, reassuring smile spreading across his face.
Before the terrified young shinobi could scramble any further, Minato smoothly dropped down onto one knee right beside him.
Without an ounce of hesitation, the Yondaime Hokage began gathering the scattered sheets of paper, neatly stacking them together with practiced ease.
The young Yamanaka member completely froze, his hands trembling as he stared at the golden-haired Hokage picking up papers off the floor right in front of him.
"Y-Yondaime-sama... y-you don't have to—"
"It's alright..." Minato cut in softly, his voice calm and comforting as he handed the neatly organized stack back into the young man's hands. He gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder.
"Deep breath. You're doing a great job. Now... what do those reports say?"
The young sensory ninja swallowed hard, his posture straightening up instantly as his nerves settled under Minato's warmth.
"R-Right! Thank you, Hokage-sama!"
Shikaku stepped over, taking the top report from the stack while looking at the young man with an amused smirk. "See? He doesn't bite. Now spill it—what came through from the outer perimeter?"
The young man adjusted his grip on the remaining papers, his expression quickly turning urgent. "The visual barrier around the Uchiha Police Headquarters... it just completely shattered! Our perimeter guards saw a massive flash of black fire, and then... absolute silence!"
The young Yamanaka member shook his head, his throat dry as he looked back and forth between Minato and Shikaku. "Sir... there's more to it than just the barrier breaking."
He stepped over to the table and placed a stack of old papers right in front of Shikaku.
"I brought the past records of Uchiha Hikaru from around eight years ago!" the young man said quickly.
"I checked them against the chakra we are tracking right now near the cells."
Shikaku looked down at the old folders, his eyebrows pulling together. "Hikaru's old records? What is the problem?"
"THE PROBLEM IS... THE PERSON WE ARE TRYING TO TRACK RIGHT NOW, WHO WE THINK IS HIKARU... IS NOT HIM—!!" the Yamanaka member said nervously.
"The truth is, we don't even have this strange chakra recorded in our system. If it was truly Uchiha Hikaru, our system would recognize it instantly."
Minato's blue eyes widened in total shock. "What nonsense...!" He leaned over the table, his jaw tight. "If that isn't Hikaru... then who is it? And where is Hikaru?!"
The young Yamanaka member opened his mouth to explain, but Inoichi suddenly interrupted, raising his hand.
"Hear me out..." Inoichi said, his voice completely serious as he pressed his fingers to his headset. "My clan member is absolutely correct."
Minato and Shikaku both turned to look at Inoichi.
"I can sense it clearly now—" Inoichi explained in simple terms. "One chakra over there belongs to Hikaru, but it is almost faint. But there is another chakra right beside him that was never recorded with us... and that second chakra is even more faint than Hikaru's."
Inoichi paused, sweating slightly as he focused deeper. "I also sensed Jiraiya-sama's chakra nearby. And... next to Hikaru, I can sense two other chakras. They are not faint, but they are not very big either."
Shikaku turned to Inoichi without wasting a second. "Inoichi, please connect me to one of the medical heads right now."
Inoichi nodded quickly, tapping his headset. "Connecting you to Medical Command..."
"Listen carefully—" Shikaku spoke directly into the channel, his voice sharp and authoritative. "This is Shikaku. Prepare an elite medical squad immediately and send them toward the Uchiha Police Headquarters at full speed. We have multiple high-priority casualties."
There was a slight pause on the line as the medical head started asking about official protocol and whether this order had the Yondaime Hokage's direct stamp of approval.
Shikaku's forehead twitched, a heavy vein popping on his temple as he practically yelled straight into the mic. "Yes! Yes! This is directly from the Hokage! Stop asking for paperwork and move your legs right now before I come down there myself!"
He slammed the link shut with a long, exhausted groan, rubbing his temples. "Unbelievable... always asking for permission when lives are on the line."
Minato gave a sympathetic, nervous smile, but his expression turned serious as he stepped closer to Inoichi. "Inoichi-san, switch my line now. Connect me directly to Hiruzen-sama. Also, check which clan heads are currently free in the village—tell them to rush to the Uchiha Police Headquarters right away!"
Inoichi quickly adjusted the seals on his desk. "Line connected to the Sandaime Hokage's residence, Minato."
"Hiruzen-sama!" Minato said into the link, his voice calm but heavy. "We have a critical situation at the Uchiha Police Headquarters."
On the other end, Hiruzen's deep, raspy voice came through, sounding confused. "Minato? What is going on over there? Also isn't that where Jiraiya went? Did something happen with the barrier?"
"Yes, Hiruzen-sama?" Minato replied, his blue eyes casting a shadow. "Jiraiya-sensei was fighting there... but his chakra just completely vanished. It seems he has been knocked unconscious."
A total, dead silence fell over the line for three whole seconds.
"What...?! What did you just say?!" Hiruzen's voice exploded with pure shock and disbelief, the sound of his pipe dropping onto a wooden desk echoing through the link.
"Jiraiya knocked out?! In the middle of Konoha?! Minato, that's impossible! Who could do something like that to a Sannin?!"
"We don't have visual confirmation yet—" Minato explained steadily, letting Hiruzen process the shock. "There are multiple unknown chakras at the site, and someone is near Hikaru's underground cell. I need you to mobilize any available clan heads to secure the perimeter."
"I... I understand!" Hiruzen choked out, his old military mindset forcefully kicking back in despite his utter shock. "I will personally send word to the clan heads right now. Be extremely careful, Minato!"
Minato cut the connection and took a slow breath.
Just as the tense silence returned to the room, the door to the communications hub creaked open.
A fresh, young messenger stepped into the room holding a small scroll. He took one step inside, looked around at the serious faces,
"Inoichi-sama..."
Then he spotted the bright yellow hairs standing in the center, and immediately bowed with immaculate, polite manners.
"...Ah! Good day to you, Hokage-sama!"
Shikaku blinked slowly, staring at the young messenger like he couldn't believe what he just heard. He let out a long, heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Good day...?" Shikaku repeated, his voice full of disbelief. "Kid, the whole village is practically on high alert, and you're out here giving us formal morning greetings?"
Minato couldn't help a small, amused smile from slipping onto his face, though his eyes stayed sharp. "It's fine, Shikaku. Good day to you as well. What report do you have for us?"
The young messenger swallowed hard, realizing how ridiculous his greeting sounded, his face flushing light red. But he quickly stood straight, his expression turning completely pale and serious as he looked at Minato and Inoichi.
"S-Sir! I have an urgent report directly from our outer barrier squad!" the messenger stammered, holding up the small scroll in his shaking hands. "We have a critical situation at our compound!"
Inoichi raised an eyebrow, stepping closer. "What is it?"
"We just detected two completely new and unknown chakra signatures!" the young man blurted out, his voice trembling. "They are roaming right around our compound... coming directly from the outside!"
BANG!
Shikaku's hands slammed onto the table, his dark eyes widening in total shock. "What did you say?! Two unknown chakras... roaming around the compound?!"
Minato's warm smile vanished instantly. His blue eyes turned razor-sharp as his hand gripped his Hirashin kunai tightly.
"Two completely unknown signatures..." Minato muttered quietly, his brain working at top speed. "At a time like this...?"
"He's right again..." Inoichi whispered, his hands shaking slightly as he pressed deeper into his sensory headset. His eyes grew wide with sudden realization. "And... I think I actually recognize this chakra."
While Inoichi was analyzing the signal, Shikaku pulled the log papers closer under the desk lamp. His sharp eyes scanned down the formal entry list, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.
"What is this for?" Shikaku asked, pointing his thumb at a strange, handwritten ledger attached to the back of Hikaru's file.
The young Yamanaka member leaned in quickly, pointing at the middle of the page.
"Shikaku-sama, those are the official gate records from yesterday. Uchiha Hikaru's chakra signature was recognized yesterday evening right beside Hatake Kakashi, near the A-Un Gate."
Shikaku's eyes narrowed as he traced his finger up the page. There were several other strange entries logged right above it, listed with exact timestamps from early that morning:
06:44 am = ?
06:44 am = ?
06:44 am = ?
06:44 am = ?
Shikaku starred at those four unknown entries, then looked further down the page where another set was written:
09:04 am = ?
09:04 am = ?
09:04 am = ?
09:04 am = ?
09:04 am = ?
09:04 am = ?
A heavy silence filled the command room. Shikaku's finger stopped right on the bottom line, where the evening entry was written in dark ink:
06:18 pm = Hatake Kakashi
06:18 pm = ? Uchiha Hikaru
The question mark had been hastily crossed out with a single line, and Hikaru's name had been written right beside it in fresh red ink.
Shikaku tapped his nail against the two strange groups above—the four question marks at dawn, and the six question marks at mid-morning.
"Whose are these?" Shikaku demanded, his voice dropping into a deadly whisper. "Who are these four... and these six?"
"Those are the kids from Tetsu no Kuni, Shikaku-sama—" the Yamanaka member answered quickly, his chest heaving. "They arrived at Konoha in two separate groups..."
Minato crossed his arms, his blue eyes staring down at the timestamps with a thoughtful expression. "Right... the Tetsu no Kuni kids. They're still wandering somewhere inside Konoha." He let out a quiet sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.
"It really feels like trouble just won't leave us alone today..."
Suddenly, Inoichi's eyes flew wide open. He gasped, slamming his hands onto his desk.
"MINATO! YOU HAVE YOUR HIRAISHIN MARK RIGHT OUTSIDE THE COMPOUND, DON'T YOU?!"
Minato blinked, caught completely off guard by Inoichi's sudden outburst. "Huh? You mean that mark? I mean... yeah, of course I do."
"Hear me carefully, Minato! Shikaku!" Inoichi yelled, his voice echoing through the entire command room. "Look at the chakra signatures of those kids... number three and four on that report!"
Shikaku quickly leaned over the paper, his dark eyes scanning line three and four. "What about them, Inoichi? What did you find?"
"THOSE TWO CHAKRA SIGNATURES... THEY ARE STANDING RIGHT OUTSIDE THE COMPOUND WALLS RIGHT NOW!" Inoichi shouted, sweat dripping down his face as he locked eyes with the Hokage. "MINATO, CATCH THEM! THEY ARE THE TETSU NO KU—"
SWOOSH—!
BZ-ZZZT!
Before Inoichi could even finish the word, a bright, golden spark flashed in the middle of the room. The air snapped with a sharp vacuum pop, and the space where Minato was standing went completely empty.
A tiny gust of wind blew across the desk, fluttering the loose paper logs.
Shikaku slowly turned his head to the empty spot, a sharp, knowing smirk spreading across his face.
"He really doesn't wait around, does he?"
OUTSIDE YAMANAKA COMPOUND
The quiet night air felt noticeably heavier as Sakura and Karin crouched behind the thick wooden fence opposite the Yamanaka clan estate.
Lantern light flickered along the main wall, casting long, moving shadows across the quiet pavement. Shinobis were positioned every few meters, their sharp eyes scanning the trees and alleyways.
Karin leaned in close to Sakura, keeping her red eyes locked on the heavily guarded gates.
"Sakura-san..." Karin whispered, her voice barely a breath. "We were supposed to look for Ino-san, and she has already escaped from the compound... Shouldn't we go somewhere else instead of hanging around here? The security is way too tight!"
Sakura didn't turn her head, her emerald eyes fixed on the shift rotation of the guards near the side exit.
"Karin-san, that is the point—" Sakura whispered back calmly. "We'll follow the road that leads directly away from the high-security area. If Ino slipped past a guard force this strict, that's the only path she could have taken."
Karin's eyes widened slightly in realization. "Right..."
She closed her eyes, extending her chakra sensory perimeter just a few yards out to clear their path. But the moment her mind expanded into the surrounding dark, her heart violently slammed against her ribs.
Karin's eyes snapped open in absolute terror.
"Someone is on the move!" Karin gasped out loud.
Sakura turned to her instantly, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "What do you mean, Karin-sa—?"
Before Sakura could even finish her sentence, Karin grabbed Sakura's hand with a frantic grip, her face turning completely pale under the moonlight.
"THEY FOUND US!" Karin shouted, pulling Sakura backward into the shadow of the wall. "They know we are here! We need to—!"
SWOOSH—!
A single golden flash flickered under the yellow light of the hanging street lantern.
Out of thin air, a tall figure appeared right in the center of the road, blocking their path. His long white coat, embroidered with red flames at the hem, billowed gently in the midnight breeze.
Golden spiky hair caught the dim light, casting a sharp shadow across his face.
The moment he appeared, an overwhelming wave of chakra dropped in front of the compound like a ton of iron weights. The sheer density of his presence made the air feel thick, suffocating, and impossible to breathe.
Karin's sensory abilities violently overloaded. Her eyes widened in utter horror behind her glasses, her pupils trembling as cold sweat broke out across her forehead and neck.
'What... what is this guy's chakra?!' Karin thought, her chest heaving as she stumbled back a step, her knees shaking uncontrollably under the weight. 'Is he even human...?! The level of his chakra presence... is way too different!'
Beside her, Sakura froze completely. Her emerald eyes stared at the back of the white coat, then up to those striking blue eyes looking down at them with quiet, calm authority.
Her breath caught violently in her throat as her heart slammed against her ribs.
Y-You..." Sakura managed to gasp out, her voice trembling as she stared at him in absolute shock. "You are..."
A faint, sharp smirk crossed the golden-haired shinobi's face.
"I am... ?" Minato replied smoothly, his hands resting casually near his coat pockets. "I don't think I've seen you two around the village before. Namikaze Minato... the Yondaime Hokage."
Hearing that name, Karin's survival instincts completely shattered her composure.
'No way...' Karin's mind raced frantically, her knees trembling uncontrollably under the crushing weight. 'A Hokage...?! A real-deal Hokage...?! Is he even human...?! The level of his chakra presence... is way too different!'
She grabbed Sakura's arm with a desperate, terrified grip.
"Sakura, RUN!" Karin screamed, pulling her backward. "We can't fight this guy!"
They both turned on their heels, pushing their legs to sprint down the dark street—
A blinding streak of yellow light cut straight through the night.
Before either girl could even complete a single step forward, the air snapped in front of them. Minato was already standing directly in their path, his back to the exit, blocking the moonlight entirely.
He hadn't even drawn a weapon.
"Too fast..." Sakura gasped out, her eyes barely catching his shadow.
Before they could even reach for a kunai, Minato moved like a ghost. With two lightning-fast taps of his fingers to their shoulder chakra points, the world went completely black for both girls.
THUD. THUD.
Sakura and Karin collapsed smoothly into the shadow of the streetlamp, completely unconscious.
Minato stood over them quietly, his cloak settling as he looked down at the two strangers. "Now... let me take a closer look at who you two really are."
Minato adjusted his grip on the two girls, his expression completely guarded as he spoke directly into the telepathic line.
"Inoichi-san..." Minato began, his voice dropping into a heavy, serious register. "I have received intel... that there are three Kyuubi."
A complete, dead silence fell over the comms link. Before Inoichi could even process the absurdity of what he just heard, Minato continued without hesitation.
"I know it sounds impossible... but it's true. So hear me out."
Minato glanced down at the quiet street, his tone cold and sharp. "Those gate records you have of the ten children who entered through the A-Un Gate yesterday... the Kyuubi is one of them. I have already retrieved these two Tetsu no Kuni girls."
He lifted his head slightly, his sharp blue eyes scanning the distant rooftops of the village
"Now, only the Kyuubi, the one in the commercial district, the one who escaped from the Yamanaka compound, and the Uchiha kid... are the only ones left wandering free...."
"My next target is the Kyuubi. Leave everything else aside and give me the exact position of that kid right now."
On the other end of the line, Inoichi's voice trembled slightly as he quickly relayed the exact coordinates.
Holding the two girls securely, he turned his face upward, looking directly at the pale, full moon hanging high in the dark midnight sky.
"Let's see how you got this beast inside you..." Minato muttered softly under his breath.
SWOOSH—!
A blinding golden flash shattered the darkness, and in less than a fraction of a second, the street stood entirely empty, leaving only the quiet swaying of the paper lantern behind.
---