Beneath the Waterfall of Mount Myoboku.
Minato washed his body in the rushing waters, while Jiraiya sat on a nearby rock.
The current was swift, reaching up to their knees.
Beside them, the giant toad Gamabunta puffed on his pipe, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke.
"Jiraiya, Minato, have you thought about what you'll do next?"
Jiraiya scratched his head and said, "I'll think about the future when it comes."
Minato stepped out of the water, his upper body bare.
He looked much better than before, but compared to his past self, his demeanor had become noticeably colder and harder.
"Jiraiya-sensei, I've dragged you into this."
Jiraiya chuckled. "Since you still call me 'sensei,' how could I just stand by and watch you die?"
Minato asked, "Can you still return to Konoha?"
Jiraiya slowly shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Hyuga Hakumen is from the Hyuga clan—he definitely recognized me last night."
"Then… will you go to Amegakure?"
"Amegakure and Konoha are closely allied now. Yahiko is working hard to govern and stabilize the village. It'd be best if my presence didn't jeopardize that relationship. I plan to wander for a while—just like before—continuing to write my novels. Staying in one place for too long would only bore me."
Jiraiya spoke with a carefree attitude, showing no concern for their current predicament.
Then, he turned to Minato. "As for you, I went through a lot of trouble to get you out. Don't go doing anything reckless again."
Minato remained silent for a moment before finally responding, "I understand."
He gazed at the waterfall beside him, his expression deep and unreadable.
Jiraiya sighed inwardly, and his thoughts drifted to Tsunade.
With the Second Hokage in the village, even if they traced things back to Tsunade, nothing serious should happen…
Beside them, Gamabunta exhaled another dense puff of smoke, which lingered in the air, refusing to dissipate.
........
Konoha Village.
The interrogation room door slowly opened, and Hakumen stepped inside, finding a visibly weary Kakashi.
"Namikaze Minato has escaped."
At the words, Kakashi lifted his head to glance at Hakumen, then let out a low chuckle.
"I see…"
Hakumen leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. "You've repaid your debt, haven't you? From now on, remember your place. Lord Hokage is still willing to give you another chance."
Back during the Ten Elders' Council, it was ultimately Kakashi's decision to side with Makoto, which led to Minato's imprisonment.
Hakumen could understand that he had probably harbored guilt over it all this time.
Being grateful wasn't necessarily a bad thing, and Kakashi had willingly accepted his punishment.
Kakashi lowered his head. "Lord Hokage is truly merciful."
Hakumen replied calmly, "Lord Hokage has invested a lot in you. I hope you won't disappoint him again—because if you do, I will kill you."
"..."
"Oh, and I fought Namikaze Minato. He was weaker than I expected… maybe because he's been locked up for too long. But this battle made one thing clear to me."
Kakashi lifted his gaze slightly. "And what's that?"
Hakumen's voice remained steady. "We are already at the forefront of this world."
The power granted by the Sage Seal had allowed him to defeat the legendary Yellow Flash.
The Crown had a total of four members, each of them possessing the Sage Seal, and this number would only continue to grow in the future.
"The future belongs to Lord Hokage, and he has given us the opportunity to stand by his side. We should hold onto it tightly."
Kakashi remained silent.
He slowly got up, weakly walked to the door, then stopped and lightly patted Hakumen on the shoulder.
"You sure are loyal."
With that, he stepped out of the room, making his way out of the Interrogation Division.
After enduring a night of torture inside, the sudden sunlight outside felt almost blinding.
Sensei escaped...
Kakashi took a deep breath of the fresh morning air before exhaling slowly.
Hakumen wasn't wrong—the future belonged to them.
Hopefully, Minato-sensei won't be foolish enough to oppose Lord Hokage again.
........
Tsunade got scolded by Tobirama last night.
The reason? She had concealed the truth and used him as a pawn.
But since she was his own granddaughter, Tobirama took all the blame upon himself.
He knew the consequences of letting a high-profile criminal escape, but he also understood that the Fifth Hokage wouldn't hold him accountable.
Still, that morning, Tsunade received a summons from the Anbu sent by the Hokage and headed to the Hokage Tower.
On the way, she kept thinking—could it be that the Hokage had already figured it out and was now coming after her?
With both Jiraiya and Minato escaping, and her having returned to the village at nearly the same time as Jiraiya, it wouldn't be surprising if people became suspicious.
"What do you want from me?" She feigned a calm expression, crossing her arms beneath her chest.
This action made Makoto glance at her for a moment longer than usual, causing Tsunade to frown instantly.
Makoto spoke, "Is this how you present yourself before the Hokage?"
Tsunade scoffed, "Did you summon me just to posture?"
Makoto replied, "The village intends to assign you a job."
Tsunade's expression stiffened slightly, but before Makoto could continue, she flatly rejected, "I'm not doing it."
Makoto remained composed, "You're still an active-duty ninja, aren't you?"
Tsunade furrowed her brows, "So what if I am?"
Makoto said evenly, "The village is in a period of restoration, manpower is scarce, and we have no idle Jonin. Everyone is doing twice, even three times the work they used to. It is your duty to contribute."
Tsunade stood there, her gaze locked onto the Hokage behind the desk.
She enunciated each word clearly, "I—am—not—doing—it!"
Just then, a knock came at the office door.
A ninja entered, holding two documents in hand.
"Lord Hokage, the wanted posters have been printed."
Makoto took the documents, carefully examined them, then pressed his official seal onto each.
The ninja retrieved the stamped bounty notices and exited the office.
Makoto turned back to Tsunade and asked, "What did you just say? Say it again."
But Tsunade, frowning deeply, asked instead, "What wanted posters?"
Makoto replied calmly, "Nothing much. Two ninja have defected from the village, so we're issuing bounty notices to the outside world."
Two ninja—one of them was undoubtedly Minato.
That didn't surprise her.
But the other one… it had to be Jiraiya!
Her expression darkened with anger as she demanded, "You classified Jiraiya as a rogue ninja?!"
Makoto's voice remained indifferent. "Last night, he infiltrated the prison and freed Namikaze Minato. He also covered Minato's escape and injured three Anbu members in the process. If that isn't an act of treason, then what is?"
Then, his tone subtly shifted. "But I have a feeling he wasn't working alone. You and he have a close relationship—do you know anything about this?"
"..."
Tsunade stared at him, her fists unconsciously clenching at her sides.
Makoto continued, "Everything Tobirama has in this village right now is because I allow it. I respect him as a former Hokage, so I won't hold him accountable for last night's events."
Then, his gaze sharpened. "Tsunade, I'll ask you one more time. The village intends to assign you a job—what do you think?"
Makoto sat there, speaking as if it were an insignificant matter, yet in his hands, he held the fate of many lives.
In the end, Tsunade slowly released her fists in quiet resignation.
"...I understand."
--------------
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