Hinata was enlightened.
"I see!"
Others might not catch Sasuke's subtle hints, but as Naruto's wife, how could she not understand?
Hinata had heard Naruto recount the events of the Fourth Great Ninja War countless times, and she had also seen the soul of Hamura, the Sage of the Six Paths' younger brother, on the Moon. So, she knew plenty about the legends of sages and gods.
She simply assumed the Sage of the Six Paths had helped Sasuke again. Thus, she didn't pry further.
Of course, her greater concern was Naruto.
"Then, what about Naruto?"
"He's still sealed by the enemy…"
"What?!?!"
Hinata was shocked. Since the Fourth Great Ninja War, Naruto had never been captured by anyone!
"Naruto will be fine for now, don't worry." Sasuke looked at Hinata, giving her a reassuring glance.
Hinata calmed slightly.
As Naruto's closest friend and comrade, Hinata trusted Sasuke wouldn't lie to her. If Sasuke said Naruto wasn't in mortal danger, it must be true. Otherwise, Sasuke would be more frantic to save Naruto than anyone!
"Then where is Naruto? Can we rescue him now?"
"Naruto is likely secretly sealed by the enemy. I'll find a way to save him—you don't need to rush."
"Alright!"
The Six Paths chakra cloak and floating Gudōdama made Six Paths Sasuke so convincing that they temporarily eased Hinata's and others' worries. If even Sasuke couldn't save Naruto, they were utterly powerless.
"By the way, Kawaki?"
"This kid is fine too. The Kama on his body is gone, so the enemy shouldn't be able to track him anymore."
"That's good. If something happened to him, Naruto would be heartbroken."
Hinata held no prejudice against Kawaki, seeing a bit of Naruto's shadow in him.
This child, like young Naruto, was lonely, pitiful, and desperately lacking affection… which is why he cherished the rare care he received and was willing to sacrifice everything to protect it!
But while Naruto had Sasuke, teachers, and friends to guide him, Kawaki had nothing. Without guidance, he wouldn't hold firm to convictions like Naruto and might even stray completely…
"I'll keep an eye on this kid for now, just in case anything changes."
"Hinata, you and Himawari go to the hospital to check on Boruto and help me look after Sarada and Sakura."
"Huh? Is Sakura hurt too?"
"Not hurt, just exhausted and asleep. Sorry for the trouble!"
"No problem. I was going to check on Boruto anyway. Aren't you coming, Sasuke-kun?"
"I need to handle the enemy's side and discuss things with Shikamaru and the others…"
Sasuke was rational. Though he cared deeply for his wife and daughter, he knew resolving all issues was the best way to protect his family.
After watching several Anbu ninjas escort Hinata and the others to the hospital, Sasuke turned his attention to Konohamaru.
"Where's Shikamaru?"
"Sasuke-senpai, I was just about to tell you—Shikamaru-sama ran into a bit of trouble."
"Hm?"
"Not long after you left, two people claiming to be from the Kara Organization came to the village."
"What?"
"I don't know the details, but Shikamaru-sama said if we found you, to ask you to head to the interrogation room immediately. The two suspected enemies should be there."
"Got it!"
Sasuke, carrying Kawaki, floated into the air. With Six Paths flight, he swiftly flew toward Konoha's Interrogation Department building on the other side of the village.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
In Konoha's secret interrogation room, Amado, Kara's chief scientist, and Kashin Koji were being interrogated by Konoha.
Earlier, due to losing Juubi, Jigen didn't stay at headquarters to meet Koji.
Koji naturally lost the chance to use his pre-set trap to ambush and kill Jigen. Through modified summoning toads, he monitored Konoha's situation and learned Jigen had reinvaded Konoha, chasing Sasuke and Kawaki.
Amado quickly decided to change strategy, opting to seek refuge in Konoha with Koji. He realized Jigen must have discovered his and Koji's betrayal—otherwise, Jigen wouldn't have personally come to reclaim Kawaki.
If he and Koji stayed with Kara, Jigen would kill them first upon returning. Rather than wait for death, they'd try their luck in Konoha.
In Amado's eyes, Konoha was the only force in the world capable of somewhat countering Kara.
Sasuke escaping Jigen alive proved he had enough strength to confront Otsutsuki Isshiki. With Amado's information, they might trap and kill Isshiki!
Thus, he hurriedly brought Koji to Konoha.
Protected by Koji, Amado didn't use a fake explosive collar to hold Shikamaru's son, Shikadai, hostage this time. Instead, he directly met Shikamaru, openly expressing his intent to seek refuge in Konoha.
Shikamaru, of course, wouldn't easily trust them. But Konoha was in dire straits: Naruto captured, Sasuke luring the enemy away; the two remaining quasi-Six Paths masters were "offline." If the enemy launched a large-scale attack now, Konoha would suffer massive losses!
Thus, Konoha and Shikamaru desperately needed information on Kara. Even if these two were feigning surrender, they could extract useful intel.
Even the Sixth Hokage, Kakashi, who arrived later, agreed. So, Shikamaru and the others brought Amado and Koji to Konoha's interrogation room to exchange information.
There was also the intent to detain them to avoid fighting before the village's population was fully evacuated, as that would only harm Konoha more.
Once the villagers were evacuated, if negotiations failed, they could team up to eliminate these two later.
Shikamaru had secretly contacted Ino, asking her to summon more Konoha Jōnin to surround the interrogation building.
Just waiting for the signal to "break the cup," and with one order, they'd storm the building and chop these two Kara enemies into mincemeat!
"Tch tch tch, as Konoha's famed strategist from the Ninja World War, you're so impatient?"
Amado sat leisurely in a chair, hands unbound, smirking at Shikamaru, deliberately taunting him.
Koji stood beside Amado with arms crossed, acting as his guard.
"Trying to provoke me to cloud my judgment?" Shikamaru retorted coldly.
With his son safe, Shikamaru was calm and wouldn't be swayed by Amado's words.
"The ones getting restless aren't me, but the growing number of Konoha ninjas outside."
"Negotiations haven't even started, and Konoha's already preparing to kill and silence us afterward?"
"That's not the Seventh Hokage's style!" Amado mocked calmly.
Relying on Koji's sensory abilities, he naturally noticed the elite Konoha ninjas gathering outside in significant numbers. But with Koji by his side, Amado wasn't too worried about safety.
At worst, he'd use Kuchiyose no Jutsu to summon a toad and escape with Koji.
Without Naruto and Sasuke, others would struggle to defeat Koji instantly. This was Amado's confidence in seeking refuge in Konoha.
"Since you know, cooperate. If you're genuinely seeking refuge in Konoha, we won't harm you!"
"What does 'genuine' mean?"
"Stop talking nonsense! Tell us everything you know about the Kara Organization, and we'll judge your sincerity!"
"Of course, I'm sincerely seeking refuge in Konoha. But I wonder, can you represent Konoha? Are you the Hokage?"
"…"
Shikamaru was furious, his face slightly flushed. He realized he and Amado were polar opposites—this man loved provoking emotions through words, like a devil.
He even saw a hint of Orochimaru in him. Orochimaru could unsettle opponents with just a few words.
"Alright, let me handle this."
Kakashi stepped forward to intervene, addressing Amado:
"I'm Hatake Kakashi, the Sixth Hokage. In the absence of the Seventh Hokage, I can temporarily represent the village."
"You're Amado-san, right?"
"Whatever your intentions, whether you genuinely seek refuge in Konoha, you need to show your sincerity."
"We don't have much time to waste on one person."
"If your information is accurate and truly helps Konoha, I, as the Sixth Hokage, guarantee your safety!"
"But if you refuse to cooperate, we'll have to bring in someone else to interrogate you."
"Trust me, some methods might not be so gentle…"
Kakashi was calmer. As the Sixth Hokage, he could represent much of the village.
Especially with Naruto and Sasuke absent, he had to take responsibility. Fortunately, Orochimaru was outside Konoha and wouldn't return soon. If Orochimaru interrogated, he'd likely kill Amado and Koji outright, then revive them with Edo Tensei to continue questioning.
He wasn't afraid they'd withhold the truth!
"So, the Sixth Hokage, huh?"
"With that guarantee, I'm more at ease."
"Don't worry, I'll tell your village everything I know. After all, Konoha is the only hope to defeat Otsutsuki Isshiki!"
Amado cleaned his glasses, seizing the chance to hide the glint in his eyes.
Whatever his true goals, Isshiki was indeed an obstacle to them. He had to be eliminated quickly!
Unfortunately, he and Koji lacked the power to kill Isshiki completely, so they had to rely on Konoha's strength—this was his true reason for seeking refuge.
Just as Amado began revealing information about Kara and Jigen, a space-time portal suddenly opened in the secret room.
The next second, a figure with shocking chakra pressure swiftly emerged.
"Sasuke!"
"And Kawaki too!"
Everyone seeing Six Paths Sasuke's dominant appearance was utterly stunned.
Especially Amado, whose pupils contracted, his heart shaken.