The tailed-beast rampage had been a disaster in every sense, yet Shinichi Hyūga and Shisui chatted and laughed as if nothing serious had happened. Their calm spread even to Yamato, who had almost died under Kushina's claws; the tension in his shoulders eased.
When Jiraiya and Kushina finished talking and returned, the brief debriefing ended, and casual conversation took over. Shinichi glanced at Kushina — now lucid again — and asked with a half-smile:
"Are you clear-headed now, Kushina-sensei? Do you want to try controlling the four-tailed state again?"
Kushina and Jiraiya exchanged looks. Kushina felt uncertain: when four tails fully unleashed, murder and hatred filled her mind. That level of power didn't feel safely controllable yet.
As leader of the operation, Jiraiya had been managing Kushina's training schedule at Minato's request. He was pragmatic: they'd already hit a dangerous limit. After a moment's thought, he spoke.
"Pause for now. Training can't be rushed. I've already contacted the Toads on Mount Myōboku — next we'll start the next phase of sage training. For the Nine-Tails, we'll hold off."
Jiraiya proposed shifting focus: if the jinchūriki had hit a bottleneck, move on to sage arts. Kushina, as an Uzumaki, had vast chakra and strong sealing lineage — she was a natural candidate for learning sage techniques. If she could master senjutsu, her power would grow in a safer, more controlled way. It was a different route, but a sound one.
Shinichi's ears pricked at the word "sage." One reason he'd joined the mission had been the hope of encountering senjutsu. He didn't press; his relationship with Jiraiya wasn't close enough to ask directly for instruction. Besides, Kushina was the more natural bridge to Mount Myōboku — she had ties and rapport with the Toads.
Shinichi almost relaxed; his ties to Kushina and Minato ran deep. Kushina had taught him seal work when he learned the Flying Thunder God technique, and she'd been a teacher and an ally. It felt right to follow her lead.
"Will you go to Mount Myōboku to train?" Shinichi asked. "If we're heading for the Toads, do we need to follow? Or should we stay here?"
His thought was practical: sage training at Mount Myōboku was safer from tailed-beast backlash — and the toads there could handle any emergency. If Kushina trained on the mountain, Jiraiya could leave the heavy guard to the toads; they wouldn't need the whole support team tagging along.
Before Jiraiya answered, Kushina finished him off: she strode to Shinichi, wrapped her arms around his neck and protested loudly.
"No way — I'm not going alone. That would be boring."
She pressed close and whispered teasingly into his ear, "You're my favorite pupil. You're not going to desert your master, right?"
Shinichi blinked and protested that Mount Myōboku wasn't difficult; given Kushina's skill, she should be safe. But Kushina insisted — having Shinichi nearby made her feel safer. If the Nine-Tails spun out, a Flying Thunder God user at hand was a useful failsafe. She also dangled a lure: time with her on the mountain, and she might teach him some new seals and a technique she'd heard from Tsunade.
That settled it. Jiraiya relented: if Kushina wanted company, she could have it. He contacted Mount Myōboku, set up the reverse summoning chain, and with a rustle of white smoke, the group vanished.
Back in the village, Minato sat at his desk when a messenger toad arrived. A scroll unrolled on the Hokage's table — bad news: the investigation into the missing and dead shinobi had turned up an underground laboratory. The evidence pointed to Orochimaru. Minato's face darkened.
An ANBU walked in and delivered the field report in person. Minato listened, voice low and steady.
"Are you sure? Orochimaru?"
"Yes. We lost four operatives getting this intelligence out. They died trying to send it."
The ANBU's tone was grim. Minato asked whether the Third Hokage had been informed. The reply: not yet. Minato handed the report back to the ANBU.
"Deliver this to the Third," Minato said. "Orochimaru was his pupil — let Hiruzen decide how to proceed. Tell him this is my view as well."
The ANBU bowed and left.
Hiruzen Sarutobi read the same dossier later that day. At first, he doubted the claim — could this be a frame-up? But the report came from men he trusted. Rage and hurt flickered across Hiruzen's face; this was the betrayal of a disciple, or the deed of a man who had gone beyond redemption.
Hiruzen's solution came quickly and sharply: summon Orochimaru back to the village and make him answer. He ordered the ANBU to carry the message.
Meanwhile, at Mount Myōboku, Shinichi and the group had been allowed to stay with the Toads so Kushina could start sage training. Jiraiya, unable to sit still, slipped away to "gather material," leaving two senior toads — Fukusaku and Shima — to oversee the initial training.
Jiraiya did not know that the underground laboratory scandal had already spread in a small circle. Minato had decided not to leak everything publicly; he'd shared the dossier with the Third and a few advisors, thinking it wiser to expose the crime quietly and force Orochimaru's hand. He hoped to remove potential escape routes before informing Orochimaru directly.
When politics turned, Minato's maneuvering was clinical: let the matter be known to those who needed to act, and then compel the culprit to choose his next move.
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