Once Shimura Danzo had been rushed off for medical treatment, peace settled over the Hokage's Office once more.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood by the office window, watching the setting sun while refilling his charred pipe with fresh tobacco.
Smoke curled upward, veiling his face in shadow.
What Danzo had just said truly reminded him of something important.
The Land of Whirlpools had long since fallen.
Konoha had also lost its most reliable line of jinchuriki.
If Kushina Uzumaki ever encountered any incident, it would be difficult to quickly find a suitable replacement jinchuriki.
The words of Lady Mito Uzumaki still echoed in his ears.
Overly suppressing a jinchuriki's emotional needs only breeds instability—it does far more harm than good.
Moreover, childbirth for female jinchuriki was indeed a dangerous milestone.
This inheritance method—mother dies, child inherits—often leads to unpredictable consequences.
If Konoha still had more Uzumaki clan members skilled in sealing techniques to assist during a jinchuriki's childbirth, the seal's stability could be ensured, keeping the Nine-Tails contained.
And if something went wrong, Konoha wouldn't be left without a next-in-line jinchuriki either.
Besides…
"War, huh…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a long sigh.
These days, tensions between the ninja villages were growing ever fiercer. Perhaps not too long from now, war would erupt.
The Land of Fire, possessing the richest resources, fertile lands, and thriving economy, had always been the prime target for attacks among all the hidden villages.
Even now, Konoha had not fully emerged from the shadow of the Second Great Ninja War.
If things ever reached a desperate point,
the power of the jinchuriki might become indispensable.
——————
Under normal circumstances, a ninja squad traveling from Konoha to the southern coastline of the Land of Fire would require about two days.
Then, taking a sea route from the southern coast to their mission destination would take another two days or so.
However, this mission's intelligence carried high time sensitivity.
Therefore, the highly responsible Minato Namikaze instinctively picked up speed the moment they exited Konoha's gates.
Even though Yamanaka Kei knew that Sunagakure was unlikely to stop searching for their 'missing' Third Kazekage,
he couldn't really explain such matters to Minato.
So he could only follow along silently, filled with reluctant resignation as they rushed forward.
Both were genuine Konoha jonin.
While maintaining enough stamina to handle potential sudden battles, they skipped resting at night altogether to move faster.
Thirsty? They simply drank water.
Hungry? They took Military Rations Pills.
By just after nine on the second night, they had already reached the southern coastal port of the Land of Fire.
They boarded a small sailboat designated specifically for Konoha ninjas at the harbor.
After confirming the captain and two sailors posed no issues, Kei laid down several warning traps inside and out of their cabin.
Minato, in turn, summoned two small frogs from Mount Myoboku—one stationed inside, the other outside—to stand guard through the night.
Assured at last, the utterly exhausted pair finally drifted into sleep, letting their bodies recover.
Gentle winds kept the sea steady, the ship barely swaying.
A slight swaying motion, far from being unpleasant, was actually quite soothing, almost lulling.
Kei Yamanaka slept well past sunrise, waking only to the cacophony of seabird calls.
After a quick morning routine,
Minato Namikaze, whose presence radiated warm, domestic charm like that of an ideal housewife, brought over two giant bowls of seafood congee.
Freshly caught and painstakingly cleaned, the seafood carried no trace of fishy odor—only a faint sweetness lingered instead.
The rice, soaked in rich broth, released a rich, lingering savor with every bite.
Such delicious food naturally earned Kei's enthusiastic praise.
Blushing at the excessive praise, Minato smiled shyly, his gentle, doting demeanor deepening further.
After finishing their meal, the two lazily sat cross-legged on the deck of the sailboat,
savoring the rare moment of peace amid their mission.
"Kei, I heard you and Kushina are getting married?"
Leaning back with a hand shielding his eyes, Minato gazed out at the boundless ocean.
The sudden question left Kei completely bewildered.
He couldn't begin to imagine where such a rumor had come from.
They hadn't even started dating yet, so how did others already think they were getting married?
"Where did you hear that from?"
"Huh? Yesterday morning at the temporary Jonin Dispatch Office, Big Bro Choza said that Kushina used the one million yen wedding gift money you gave her to cover the damages at the Jonin Dispatch Office. Uhh... isn't that right?"
"How did Choza even know I gave Kushina a million yen?"
"Cough cough~ Senior Nara Suzaku, who's in charge of the Dispatch Office affairs, mentioned that the deposit slip was under your name."
"But that doesn't prove it's wedding money."
"Ah… Senior Hayato said you two are already living together and sleeping in the same room at night."
"!!! You guys seriously gossip all day long? Is that even appropriate?"
At this moment, Kei suddenly felt that Danzō's hostility didn't seem entirely unwarranted anymore.
Just look at what Konoha has turned into?
And more importantly, why did it feel like all the Konoha Jonin were just meddling busybodies?
Wasn't there anything else they did all day besides spread rumors?
It wouldn't have been so bad coming from someone else, but even that bastard Hayato Yamanaka would dare gossip about them?
Was this really suitable conversation material?
Did he not realize how sensitive the topic might be for the upper ranks?
Wait a minute?
Thinking about Nara Shikaku—who had an IQ through the roof—Kei immediately realized something.
That guy must have already predicted the elders' suspicions and deliberately encouraged the Ino–Shika–Cho clans to let the rumors spread.
It was also a quiet signal to Hiruzen Sarutobi: "We don't have any other intentions."
Those guys were quietly smoothing the path between him and Kushina...
Seriously, they were all a bunch of meddlesome busybodies.
"Aha… Well, everyone at the Jonin Dispatch Office usually doesn't have much to do, so we just chat around."
Minato gave an awkward laugh while scratching his head, clearly embarrassed.
"Have you really never felt Kushina's wrath before?"
Sighing helplessly, Kei shot Minato a resigned look.
Though he knew Hayato and the others meant well, if Kushina ever found out...
With her outwardly carefree and indifferent demeanor that actually hid a very shy personality, being teased like this... Let's just hope Hayato and the others don't end up getting beaten up too badly.
"That one doesn't even exist."
Minato Namikaze spoke about this with a particularly bright smile. His relationship with Kushina was also quite good. Although there was a time when the girl, after listening to Kei Yamanaka's instigation, kept calling him "Konoha's Little Lady Boy," which really got under his skin.
But maybe due to his generally gentle nature, Kushina had never once raised a fist at him.
Kei Yamanaka, however...
Provoking Kushina from time to time, he always ended up being chased and beaten.
"Hey, you guys ever think—" someone suddenly cut in, "—what if, just hypothetically, Kushina thinks if she punches you once, you'd bawl your eyes out? She might even have to come back and console you afterward. That's why she hasn't laid a hand on you yet?"
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