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Naruto: IY Ch. 03
🕑 Added 2025-07-19 23:03:01 +0000 UTC"What business does Konoha have in our territory?" Kusao feigned confusion though he understood perfectly well, and asked suspiciously, "Why are your clansmen in our village?"
"You think I'm easily fooled? I'm Minato, you hear me. If you don't want to start a war with Konoha, then let our people go."
"Let me tell you, this operation to retrieve the Uzumaki clan members was personally ordered by Danzō-sama."
Minato picked his ear with his pinky, then tousled his blond hair, eyeing Kusao with a cocky expression.
Beside him, Kushina was so embarrassed she could've dug a hole and disappeared into it.
Nagato swore to himself: If he ever pretends to be a couple with Yahiko again, he'd rather die!
Konan had originally planned to play Kushina, but worried her acting wouldn't cut it, so she didn't. Now, she was very glad she hadn't.
The Minato transformed by Shuzen's nearly perfect Transformation Jutsu showed no flaws in appearance or demeanor.
He was fully immersed in character, and so were the other Yoake ninjas behind him.
"Kusa trying to imprison allies of Konoha?"
"Are you looking for a fight?"
"Damn right!"
Carrying the name of Konoha ninjas, they couldn't afford to lose on momentum alone.
And it worked, even though their acting... well, just bad, still, Kusao was genuinely intimidated.
Yahiko secretly decided: from now on, aggressive missions in the name of Konoha, healing and aid in the name of Yoake.
Except for Nagato and Konan, who was hiding awkwardly at the back of the group out of embarrassment.
Everyone else bared their teeth like a bunch of thugs straight out of a third-rate crime movie.
What "glorious" Konoha!
Shuzen was deeply satisfied. As soon as he was in character, he was fully committed.
They used sheer presence to overwhelm, look, even the opposing leader and his goons were too intimidated to speak.
Kusao's mouth twitched. Konoha is really something, huh? You think you can talk to me like this just because you're from Konoha?
Wait a second... who sent these guys again?
The Darkness of the Shinobi, Danzō!
"This is all a misunderstanding, really, a huge misunderstanding. Let's talk things through. I'm actually good friends with Hiruko-sama from Konoha. Kusa and Konoha were once allies, remember?" Kusao put on a fawning smile, though his heart was heavy.
He knew full well how ruthless Danzō could be with small countries. He didn't doubt that if they refused this time, Danzō might come in person next time. If Kusa happened to show weakness, Danzō might just be using this incident as a pretext to attack. Sending this cocky blond punk to demand the release of the Uzumaki could be bait.
If he got angry and kicked them out without returning the Uzumaki clansmen...
Damn it... so this is the infamous Danzō of Konoha's darkness, huh?
But Kusao wasn't a pushover either. He could see through their scheme at a glance, he wouldn't hand them leverage.
He had to submit, had to!
Speaking of Hiruko, that man who had once asked him to collect bloodline limits was coincidentally conducting research here now.
Fine...
"Go invite Hiruko-sama to mediate," Kusao whispered to his trusted aide.
Just as the aide left, the perceptive genin who had gone ahead to report earlier arrived with the remaining members of the Uzumaki clan.
Facing the Konoha ninjas, the Uzumaki clansmen wore mixed expressions, numbness, hostility, confusion...
Why? Back when enemies attacked, the Uzumaki shed so much blood to help.
Then they spotted the smiling Shuzen, standing among the other side.
A tiny spark called hope rose silently in their hearts.
They didn't know what Kusao had just said to his aide. All they could do was silently mourn their ragged, red-haired kin.
"Yahiko..." Nagato, still holding Yahiko's hand, choked out.
He didn't know his clan well, but they shared the same blood.
If he and Konan hadn't been saved by Yahiko back then, would he be like these clansmen now?
As he looked closer, he realized he might never be able to part from Yahiko.
"Sigh..." Yahiko let out a light sigh, patted Nagato's hand as if to comfort him.
At the back of the group, Konan had no idea what Yahiko was thinking. She pouted and sulked, after all, from her point of view, Nagato was Kushina. And the two of them being affectionate together, what kind of nonsense was this!
Shuzen looked at the two with a smile. Good, good. The Uzumaki clan finally has a successor.
Wait a minute... isn't Nagato a boy?
His expression grew complicated as he stared at the two whispering to each other.
Kusao didn't understand the tangled drama playing out before him. He just hoped Hiruko's reputation carried enough weight to smooth things over.
Unifying Kusa was right within reach, he absolutely didn't want to give Danzō a moral justification and let Konoha exploit their weakness.
Now that Shuzen had identified the clansmen, and Kusao was feeling guilty, all he wanted was to get them gone quickly.
But Kusao wouldn't let them leave just yet.
"Do you want a war?" Yahiko asked.
"You wanna die or what?" Nagato, completely breaking character, snapped, realizing he couldn't keep up his fake persona. Well, Yahiko was not great at impersonating Minato either...
"N-No, wait, just wait a bit longer." Kusao kept smiling on the outside, but inside he was cursing furiously.
He was this close to hating this damned Minato with every fiber of his being.
Still acting? Damn you all!
So Danzō really hasn't given up on screwing me over!
He now looked like a pathetic bootlicker, completely lacking the presence of the greatest "warlord" of Kusa. If Kushina wasn't standing right next to Yahiko, he might've even offered up his own subordinates to appease them.
Small, struggling nations like his had no choice but to abandon dignity to survive.
After a long wait... Yahiko finally ran out of patience, just as the mediator Kusao had summoned arrived.
Hiruko.
He wore long white robes, his silver hair tied in a ponytail, unfortunately, he was a man.
He had developed a forbidden jutsu called Chimera Technique, which allowed him to absorb and integrate the bloodline limit of other ninjas.
His signature was Swift Release, capable of moving at incredible speeds.
"What's going on?" he asked, his tone irritable after being interrupted mid-experiment.
But Kusao didn't need to explain, Hiruko's pupils shrank. Minato and a jinchuriki?
Yahiko was just as shocked.
A fake Konoha team had run into a real Konoha missing-nin.
Why is Hiruko here?
Why is Minato here?
Neither side knew how many curses were racing through the other's mind.
Given the horrifying things Hiruko had done, even Danzō would get cold sweats. Konoha wouldn't openly associate with him.
On top of that, he kept a low profile.
Kusao, oblivious to everything, rubbed his hands together and smiled brightly: "Oh my, what a coincidence, huh? Hiruko-sama happens to be here too! Since we're all from Konoha in a sense, why not sit down, have a chat, and enjoy the hospitality of our Kusa?"
Nagato, Konan, Shuzen, and the rest were on the verge of mentally breaking down.
They knew too well what kind of person Hiruko was, and if he got chatty, they'd all be exposed.
They exchanged heavy, anxious glances.
What now?
Run?
At their level, they could bluff, but escape? Not likely!
Already, dozens of Kusa ninjas had arrived at the scene.
If they were delayed any longer, the 200 or so stationed troops nearby would rush over the moment a fight broke out. And if other Kusa strongholds heard outsiders were meddling in their business, they might all rally against them in fury.
Soon, they might be facing hundreds of Kusa ninjas.
Their team? Mostly kids and misfits...
Shuzen looked peacefully at his clansmen and the brave kids who had followed him.
Well then...
Snake → Boar → Ram →...
Anyone familiar could already tell, it was the start of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.
If he could take Kusao and Hiruko with him, the chaos would give Yahiko the chance to escape with everyone else.
Minato... No, Yahiko. I'll leave them all in your hands.
