"Have you checked the supplies of bandages again?"
"Yes, Natsuki-san. Thrice today."
"And all the beds have clean sheets?"
"Had them washed this morning."
"And the medicine cabinet is locked down tight? Oh, and also make sure to request more painkillers and burn salves-"
"You locked that cabinet yourself five minutes ago, the supply request was sent out yesterday. Natsuki-san…"
"Hmm, yes?"
"You're stalling."
Natsuki let out an explosive sigh as she shot her assistant an annoyed glare, all the more irritated because she couldn't deny the truth.
"I'd like to see you not dragging your feet a little when you have to meet the Hokage after he requests a meeting out of the blue."
"To be honest, if I did get summoned by the Hokage I'd be running fast enough people would mistake me for Sishui of the Body Flicker born again." Her assistant rebutted and shot her a significant look.
"Fine. Fine, I'm off!" Natsuki gave up as she picked up her bag filled with some basic medical supplies, several standard incident reports and what she suspected she had been really summoned over, the medical files of one Oniyuri Mizuki.
'I should've just ignored it. I really should've just ignored it. What do I care about one more prisoner losing his mind? He's just another traitor after all…' she thought to herself as she sprinted across the drawbridge, the caldera churning away underneath her.
Unbidden, almost accusing, those confused eyes, that hurt look crossed her mind's eye again and Natsuki shook her head, shooting a glance over her shoulder at the massive prison island now at her back. She had long since, if not accepted, then at least tolerated her assigned position at the facility, her station at times making her feel as much of a prisoner as the inmates confined there.
But she could never forget her first months there, the ever-shifting groaning and growling of the lava like the breathing of some large unseen monster, the ever-present heat its hot breath weighing down on her skin. The bag with Mizuki's medical files suddenly felt far heavier than it had any right to and Natsuki raised her chin a little as she picked up speed.
Yes, perhaps it had been a dumb decision, to stick her head out like that for a traitor… but it wasn't a decision she'd regret.
'Well… depending on how angry Lord Hokage is…'
The trip back to Konoha itself thankfully wasn't too long. It wasn't exactly next door (hard to find an active volcano in the midst of Konoha's vibrant forests after all), but it was at least kept close by enough to remain practical. With long-distance communication made difficult if not outright impossible due to thermal interference (though they were careful not to let the prisoners know that), it was easier the prison at least be reachable should Konoha decide it had need of its prisoners or staff, for whatever reason.
To her hidden disappointment, Izumo and Kotetsu weren't on guard duty today, just a pair of chūnin she didn't recognize. Thankfully, they didn't seem to recognize her either when she handed them her ID-badge (she always hated how dead her eyes looked in the small picture). One of them checked it against a list, before handing it back to her with a nod.
"The Hokage is expecting you. Please head there straight away."
Not quite an order, but more than a suggestion, she knew. She simply accepted her card with a small bow and a muttered thanks, picked up her bag and set a straight course towards the Hokage tower, the tall cylindrical building visible from nearly every point in Konoha.
She made good time, but as she expected, wasn't waved through immediately. Instead she was told to take a seat in the hallway outside the Third's office, where she allowed herself to be distracted by the rhythmic sounds of the Hokage's secretary working away at her desk nearby. It was only once she lost all track of time that the door opened and a wizened old voice came out.
"Natsuki-san. Please, enter."
The voice was calm, made thinner and smokier by age and a bad tobacco habit, and yet, for a split second, it was enough to nail her feet to the floor, before she forced her body to move and enter the relatively small office.
Somewhat to her surprise, the Hokage wasn't alone, a young well-built man stood next to his desk, clearly still fuming and clearly trying (and failing) to not let that show. A large scar ran over the bridge of his nose and Natsuki realized that this must be the colleague that Mizuki had attempted to murder in his pursuit of the Forbidden Scroll. The man was staring straight ahead, so likewise Natsuki didn't spare him more than a passing glance, her attention dragged back by an invisible weight to the most powerful man in the room (and indeed, the entire country).
Sarutobi Hiruzen stamped a stack of documents before setting the papers to one side as she saluted sharply at his desk. For a moment, he let her stand there holding the crisp salute as he calmly fished out his pipe and tobacco pouch. With movements born from experience, he smoothly filled the pipe before lighting a small flame from his thumb without the need of words or even a single handsign, taking a long drag and letting the smoke curl up around the wide brim of his iconic hat.
In all that time, Natsuki dared not move a muscle.
"Yesterday I got a most disconcerting call from the prison director. I assume you know what Toji-kun had to relay, yes?" Lord Third began in an easy conversational tone, as if discussing an old friend he ran into at the store.
Natsuki tried her hardest to suppress a scoff at hearing the 82-year-old prison warden being addressed with 'kun', giving a sharp nod instead.
"Yes, my Lord. The director told me he'd likely contact you once I'd made my report concerning prisoner 99's apparent amnesia." She answered crisply.
Hiruzen's hat tilted slightly backwards, allowing her a glimpse of his eyes shining in the shadows.
"Apparent? So, you do not believe his claim then?"
For a moment, Natsuki's breath hitched, unsure yet painfully aware of Iruka's glare boring into the side of her head, before burying her emotions, trying to retreat into protocol.
"It's not my duty to 'believe', Hokage-sama, merely make assessments."
"And what is your assessment?"
"The physical damage makes his claim possible. That is not accounting for the psychological damage he likely suffered following his defeat."
"Psychological damage!? You must be joking! If not, then surely he must be lying!" Iruka, patience apparently at an end, exploded, before visibly forcing his jaw shut with an audible 'click!', settling back into a painfully straight parade stance.
Natsuki remained unmoved, her own gaze firmly fixed on a distant point about a foot and a half above the Hokage's head.
"Possibly. As far as the psychological trauma is concerned, at least. I couldn't say, I'm not that kind of doctor and we haven't had a Yamanaka on staff since we downsized. But, physically speaking, you can't fake bruises, or a skull that's cracked in three places." She responded, her voice calm and clinical, but her motions were filled with fire as she dug into her back and withdrew Mizuki's medical files, setting them down on the busy desk with an accusatory 'slap!' of paper meeting wood.
For just a moment, the room was silent and Natsuki worried she had overstepped her bounds, but Iruka's eyebrows just rose in surprise as the Hokage tilted his hat slightly forwards, shadowing his eyes, letting the smoke from his pipe trail up in thin wispy fingers. Hesitantly, Iruka took the files off the desk, leafing through the manilla folder after an encouraging nod from his aged leader.
"Hmm… 'possible'… a word laden with ambiguity, that could mean anything from 'likely' to 'improbable'. If there's even the slightest chance that Mizuki is indeed lying, as young Iruka suspects, then it would mean failing Konoha, failing the comrades that he has hurt so deeply, if we were to set him free now. He has shown to be adept at deception after all." The old leader hummed, clearly thinking aloud instead of really asking for Natsuki's input, so she didn't offer any.
At first.
"The hatred he displayed that night, it's not a spur of the moment thing. This was a darkness that had been allowed to grow and fester for years at least, kept hidden and then savagely unleashed. He didn't just try to kill me: he enjoyed the attempt. Since that night, I've been going over every interaction we've ever had since we were kids. How many smiles did he show to my face, while secretly delighting in the idea that he'd sink a kunai in my back? How many times before would've he acted on it, if given the chance? It never did sit right with me, how the investigation into that disastrous mission was suddenly dropped…"
As the Hokage seemed to mull Iruka's pain-filled words over, she couldn't help but remember the sheer shock and confusion in Mizuki's eyes. The way he seemed hesitant to respond to anything, his surroundings, her instructions, even the guard's goading, as if he was afraid the world would shatter if he dared touch anything. Then there was his reaction to the news of his fiancée…
"My Lord…" the words were out before she had a chance to bite them back and the Hokage stilled, a slight tilt of his hat the only sign giving her permission to speak.
She almost wished he didn't grant it.
"If he's not lying… then any second spent in that prison would be failing Konoha as well. That man there hasn't hurt a fly and Konoha claims it does not throw innocents in jail." She said, surprising herself with her quiet vehemence, clenching her hands behind her back, forcing herself to back down.
"Innocent-?!" Iruka chocked out, but this time he was cut off by the Hokage.
The old man didn't even have to raise his voice, he was simply thinking out loud, yet the teacher's teeth clicked shut so fast Natsuki briefly worried the man took 'biting your tongue' a bit too literal.
"Well now, that is an interesting question, isn't it? If a man has no memory of committing a crime, is he still guilty of one? The damage remains done regardless, though thankfully it's far less than it could've been. The Scroll remains safely in the Village and Umino Iruka here is projected to make a full recovery in time. Just this morning, he introduced his students to their prospective jonin in fact. But will the scars of that night ever fade? Of the betrayal, both physical and emotional? It's for this reason that I've only invited Iruka-kun here, to speak of that night, of the pain that Mizuki has caused. Naruto-kun is too young, too… emotional. He will learn of this only when the time is right, once we ourselves have an answer for this situation."
"Mizuki has no memory of ever dealing those wounds. I understand Konoha's position in this, and Iruka-san is fully within his right to hold a grudge. But his grudge is with a man who, for all intents and purposes, does not exist anymore." Natuski rebutted, firmly, as respectfully as she could force her voice to be and she saw Iruka blink in surprise.
"But he could again, one day. The betrayal is in the past, but the motives for it? The current Mizuki may no longer be shaped by the same experiences, but what if he has the same drive as the Mizuki from the past? Instead or releasing an innocent, are we setting free a traitor-to-be, perhaps?"
Natsuki opened her mouth, but found she had nothing left to say. Even Iruka was now silent, face contemplative, as if not sure how to process this new angle himself. He wasn't out for revenge, per se, he was more worried what it'd mean for Naruto if Mizuki got out, considering the words the traitor had used on the young child had cut far deeper than the shuriken he had launched in Iruka's own back. Those wounds were healing and the scars would fade in time. But wounds of the heart? How long until Naruto overcame those?
For his sake (mostly) Iruka felt it his duty to ensure the dangerous traitor remained locked up, far away from where he might try to harm Naruto. But if that traitor no longer existed, if this new Mizuki didn't wish harm on Naruto, hell, didn't even know who Naruto was…
"All I can say, Hokage-sama, is that Mizuki right now is a blank slate. You said that the Mizuki of the past was shaped by his experiences, which the current Mizuki no longer shares. How do you think he's being shaped by us right now, locked away with the worst villains that Konoha hasn't seen fit to execute, for no reason that he can understand?" Natsuki firmly rebutted.
With that, she fell silent, gaze explicitly not focused on either man in the small office, instead looking out over the village through the windows at the Hokage's back. Faced with her silence Hiruzen merely sighed, expelling a large gust of smoke.
"You make fair points, the both of you." He admitted and Natsuki couldn't help but raise her eyebrows in surprise, causing the old man to let out a rasping chuckle.
"I did not summon you all the way over here just to try and 'outsmart' you, Natsuki-san. In truth, I had hoped your insights could provide me with an answer I have not yet seen. There is no precedent for such a case and the question of Mizuki's possible innocence weighs heavily on me. I have tried to imagine how my senseis would've acted in my stead, but it doesn't help that Lord First and Lord Second could not be more opposed on such an issue." The Hokage groused.
The casual reference to such legendary figures made Natsuki feel very small and young all of a sudden, realizing she stood across a man who wasn't just part of history, but had actively shaped it, for better or worse. For a moment, neither she nor Iruka dared say a word as the Third Hokage thrummed his fingers against the top of his desk. Ultimately though, he shook his head and Natsuki could feel her heart sink.
"We just know too little. There's no precedent, and currently there's doubt whether the amnesia is physical or psychologically based, or even if it's true at all. Until we have more insights into Mizuki's current state of mind, he shall remain confined for the safety of Konoha. Should he prove to remain his former self, we will have risked nothing. Should he indeed be seen as an entirely new persona, then he shall be released and be compensated." The judgement came, surprisingly swift in the end considering how meandering the old man's thought process had been and both she and Iruka bowed at their Hokage's words.
'Well, Mizuki… at least I tried. That's more than anyone would've done for the old you…'
Wait, but that wasn't true was it?
"Ah, Hokage, one more thing, please…"
"Natsuki-san, my decision is final."
She didn't need to straighten from her bow to hear the disapproval (and the warning) in the old man's voice and a shiver ran like lightning down her spine. Still, she found herself pressing on.
"It's not that, my Lord. But I was just reminded that Mizuki has a fiancée in the Village. Regardless of the truth of his amnesia, she should be informed. While admittedly, psychological trauma and treatment aren't my specialty, hence why I'm unable to offer further insight into the truth of Mizuki's words, I do know that being confronted with such a significant figure from his past could spark some form of recognition. By contrast, any lack of reaction or stimulus would give additional weight to his claims." Natsuki spoke hurriedly, pausing briefly before daring to glance slightly up.
Bowed as she stood, she was on eye-level with the Hokage, the man's glinting eyes hard as steel as he stared her down and she briefly swallowed.
"You said yourself that we don't have enough insight into his mental state, my Lord." She dared to point out and Hiruzen merely grunted at her words, before waving her away with a sigh.
"A fair point. And yes, barring all else, Tsubaki-san should be informed. I leave this task to you. Visitation hours shall be arranged. I will contact ANBU, they will be along shortly for their own interrogation. It shouldn't take long for our combined efforts to get to the bottom of this." The aged man eventually decided and Natsuki gratefully rose from her bow, thankful even if she was laden with yet another task.
"Thank you, my Lord. I shall depart at once."
"I'll join you." Iruka spoke up to her surprise.
"Ah, that won't be necessary-" she tried, but he just shot her a look, one brow arched.
"Do you know the location of the house Mizuki built?" he challenged and Natsuki internally cursed.
It must've been mentioned somewhere on his file, but all that she remembered was the titbit that it was located outside the village walls, which was only noteworthy when taken the man's status as a traitor into account. It would make it more difficult to find however.
"Very well. Thank you." She acquiesced and with a final bow, she and Iruka departed the Hokage's office, leaving the old man with more worries than answers.
//
Some time later
'Another day, another stack of paperwork. Sometimes I wonder which I prefer, the battlefield or this cursed desk…' Hiruzen thought to himself as his secretary walked in with a pile of papers taller than her torso.
But no, a Kage on the battlefield means a nation at war, and after all that Konoha had lost, all that Hiruzen had sacrificed for peace, he'd gladly allow himself to be buried by an avalanche of paperwork if it kept the horrors of war at bay.
Though he reserved the right to complain loudly the entire time.
Just as he steeled himself to tackle this new stack of administrative red tape, a presence made itself known on the edge of his senses and the aged Hokage leaned back in his seat.
'Hmm… what would he- ah, right, the Mizuki case.'
"Tiger, report." He spoke aloud to seemingly empty air.
A shadow inside the empty office shifted and as if parting a curtain of air, the silhouette of a tall man in a porcelain mask revealed itself. The ANBU captain approached the desk and took a knee.
"Hokage-sama, I have returned. Mission… successful, but not yet complete."
Hiruzen blinked at the hesitation in the stoic man's words.
"Well, that does sound a bit contradictory, doesn't it?"
"Our mission was to interrogate Oniyuri Mizuki to determine the truth of the night of the theft and attempted murder of Umino Iruka and Uzumaki Naruto and assess his current state of mind. In this, we were successful. Prisoner 99 proved cooperative."
"Then why is the mission not complete?"
"Because Hokage-sama… Mizuki's amnesia appears to be genuine."
'Ah… crap.'
"So he himself does not know the motives behind his betrayal?"
"No, Hokage-sama. Related to this, it seems that prisoner 99 has dissociated himself from Mizuki, viewing him as another person entirely. Whether this is due to the amnesia, or the reverse, we are unable to assess. Therefore the mission is not complete: I wish to request a Yamanaka to place Mizuki under hypnosis, both to see whether those memories remain somewhere in there, even if buried, and to ascertain how the current Mizuki will react to his former persona."
Hiruzen's eyes widened as he stroked his goatee.
"Dissociation? That complicates matters even further. If this new Mizuki could be considered a new person altogether, is it morally just to keep him in what's effectively someone else's cell? By contrast, if he truly is a new person, mentally speaking at least, then would giving him back Mizuki's memories make him guilty again, now that he re-remembers committing the crime?" the Hokage mused aloud, not truly knowing the answer himself.
Clearly, neither did his ANBU Captain, who simply remained in his bowed position.
"I can see why you don't consider the matter settled yet, Tiger. Very well, I approve your request for a Yamanaka. I give you leave to call on any one of them that's currently on active duty, though naturally I request you only search within the ranks of ANBU. Best to keep all this confidential for the time being."
"It shall be done, Hokage-sama!" Tiger said firmly, finally rising from his bow.
"Well, that settles the first part of your mission at least. We'll see what comes of it. As for the second part? What of Mizuki's current state of mind? Do we need to worry about possibly creating our own villain by keeping him locked in there for now?" Hiruzen asked with a light sigh.
'This part should be simpler at least.' He thought to himself as he leaned further back into his chair.
He immediately straightened again when Tiger remained absolutely still, which considering his usual blunt and direct manner meant he might as well be twiddling his thumbs.
"Tiger?" Hiruzen pressed.
"Initial assessment is that Mizuki currently does not pose any significant threat to the people of Konoha, or the Village at large, due to a lack of skill and motivation."
'Ah, that's good-'
"He is however a massive flight risk."
'… what.'
"How do you figure?"
"He told me."
'… what.'
Slowly, Hiruzen pinched the bridge of his nose. This case was becoming more and more of a headache. Amnesia, dissociative personality disorder, flight risks and threat assessments, not to mention needing to inform his fiancée of all this-'
'Oh, right.'
"Tiger, what of Mizuki's fiancée? Did Tsubaki-san offer any insight at all into Mizuki's mental state?"
"Not particularly, though their interactions can support both the amnesia and the dissociative personality disorder. She could possibly be a reason as to why Mizuki exposed himself as a flight risk."
"Ah, even without his memories, he longs to be free and escape to her welcoming embrace huh?" Hiruzen said with a rasping chuckle, eyes closing as he allowed a small smile to set on his face.
'It's almost something straight out of one of Jiraiya-kun's books!'
"Not exactly, Hokage-sama. More to break her out instead, I think."
Hiruzen's smile turned very brittle.
"What?"
"She turned herself in as well. Claims it's only fair, since she knew about the theft but the current Mizuki doesn't anymore."
'… what.'
//
Some time later
"Ah, Tiger, how did the interrogation with Frog go?"
A stack of papers were firmly set down on Hiruzen's desk and the aged Hokage blinked a few times between the documents and his unusually flustered looking ANBU Captain.
"Tiger? What's this?"
"A collection of concerns and complaints that Mizuki has raised about Konoha's security."
'… what.'
"Security concerns… from the flight risk prisoner 99, Oniyuri Mizuki. That Mizuki?"
"Indeed, sir. I took the liberty of sharing parts of this list with some trusted comrades in both the Konohagakure Intelligence Division and the Barrier Team. They were intrigued by the possibility of incorporating chakra signatures as locking mechanisms for seals, something the Fourth Hokage was rumored to have perfected. However, Morino Ibiki especially was particularly interested in the fuinjutsu that Mizuki mentioned which incorporated lethal lightning jutsu within the seals."
"Of course he would be." Hiruzen groaned as he furrowed his brow, eyes squeezed shut.
The sound of a second stack of papers being deposited on his desk came uncomfortably loud to the old man and Hiruzen barely dared to crack open an eye to look at it. It was smaller than the previous stack, but not by much and for some reason it seemed far more… ominous?
"And what list is that?" he asked in a low voice.
"A list of current Konoha traitors, both inside and outside the Village."
"Of course it is."
"Orochimaru is the main one."
"Naturally."
"The original Mizuki apparently was loyal to him after the Sannin covered up the murder of Mizuki's teammate at his own hands. Which we finally have a confession for, by the way."
"I see."
"Added to Orochimaru's file are several of his agents, a number of them currently inside Konoha."
"Indeed."
"The one with the massive stack of other papers stapled to it and covered in post-its is the file of one Yakushi Kabuto. Because he isn't just Orochimaru's man, apparently. Or really any man's, for that matter."
"How fascinating."
"Among others, he was trained within Danzo's ROOT. Which according to what Mizuki saw while working for Orochimaru, is still in operation and actively working with traitors of the Leaf."
"Truly."
"It seems that, in order to establish his own Hidden Village, Orochimaru has been reaching out to our underworld contacts, which brought him in communications with Danzo. Additionally, he has been further trying to undermine us by seeking out our allies as well, most notably Sand."
"Intriguing."
"Mizuki apparently trusts Orochimaru so little he suspects him of seeking to betray the Kazekage however, killing him and even supplanting him. It fits with the psych-profile you yourself created of the man following his defection, Hokage-sama, as the position of Kage is a sore point for Orochimaru and one of his greatest ambitions. Worryingly enough, Mizuki does trust Orochimaru's strength based on their few interactions to the point he believes he can actually pull it off too."
"…"
"…"
"… Hokage-sama?"
"Just a moment, Tiger. I am currently in the biggest moral dilemma of my long life."
"Uhmm… sir?"
"The question of whether or not I should incinerate these fools sequentially or in parallel."
"… if I may say so, my Lord, you are taking this remarkably well."
"Give it a few seconds, Tiger, the rage is so encompassing, it hasn't had a chance to settle in fully yet. Like a dog turning and turning in a too small bed."
"An apt analogy, Hokage-sama."
"Ahh, there it is. Tiger?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Duck."
//
Elsewhere
Danzo was not a man who was prone to idle walks. In fact, he was not a man prone to idle anything. So it was with purpose that he strode down a well-beaten path from one of the forested areas inside the walls of Konoha towards the Hokage building. He cared nothing for the sun shining down brightly from above, beams of light flitting through the shifting canopy, dappling the undergrowth below. He cared nothing for the gentle breeze picking up leaves and sending them hurtling in a playful little dance around his heavy cloak as it tugged mischievously at his spiky hair. He cared nothing for the sound of the children playing in a field nearby.
For all this, all that thrived under the sun was only made possible through the work secretly done in the dark. Yes, that was the sort of man he was, calm, collected, a master of subterfuge and the shadow so that-
In the distance, the top floors of the Hokage tower were nearly blown clean off the rest of the building, a roar shaking the air in a way not matched since the Kyuubi itself attacked the village.
"DANZO!!!"
The old war hawk stilled in his stride, briefly weighing his options, before turning on his heel and purposefully returning the way he came. The shadows sounded particularly alluring right about now.
//
Some time later
"Hokage-sama! I have returned."
"Ah, Tiger, so good to see you. I could really do with some good news right now. Danzo is still pretending he's suddenly gone deaf with old age and Yakushi Kabuto is nowhere to be found. I sent a messenger to Suna to warn them of Orochimaru's intentions, but it will be some time before he arrives. Even then, the chances of Rasa-kun just believing him outright are as slim as finding snow in the Sand Village. So, I could really use something good right now."
"…"
"Oh, that's just great."
"Apologies Hokage-sama. It concerns prisoner 99."
"What has Mizuki done this time? Made true on his flight risk status?"
"No, sir."
"Good. Right now he's our primary source of intel to respond to these sudden enemy agents and considering how compromised our security is right now, it won't be long until they figure that out as well. Better for his safety to remain within the prison for the time being, where he can properly be protected-"
"There was an assassination attempt."
"…"
"Two, in fact."
"…"
"There's clear evidence that at least part of the prison detail were in on the attempts."
"…"
This time, Tiger didn't need his leader's warning, already throwing himself to the floor just before the Hokage's desk was sent flying straight through a door, two walls and straight out the building entirely.
//
Some more time later
"Tiger? Tiger stand up man, I'm not going to throw a desk this time around. I promised my secretary after I clipped her inkpot the last time. Apparently it's been in her family for four generations at this point."
"I'll hold you to that, Hokage-sama."
"It should be fine, this time I'm the one informing you of something. Something that I couldn't be happier with, the solution for the constant migraines that have been plaguing me lately." Hiruzen said with a small smile that in polite company could've been considered a cackle.
"Sir?"
"Mizuki has been invaluable in the intel he has provided, as well as his comments on our security systems, yet we've failed to keep him safe in return, despite him being locked away in one of our most secure facilities. So, why not make his aid official while simultaneously getting him out of there? It would make it all seem part of the plan, don't you see? He was never truly traitor, just… very, very deep undercover. It was more top-secret than ANBU, than the damned ROOT even, no paperwork, no official pay-out, nothing to suggest to anyone, even to us, that he was furthering Konoha's interests all along."
"By… siding with the enemy?"
"He got better, didn't he?"
"He got such severe brain damage it gave him amnesia."
"See? Better."
"Of course, Hokage-sama."
"So, with this file, I approve the release of prisoner 99, one Oniyuri Mizuki and then he'll stop being such a nuisance-, I mean, be once again a valued addition to this Village's forces, a prisoner no longer-"
Hiruzen was interrupted in lifting up the stamp that would make Mizuki a free man once more when the (new) door to his office was suddenly thrown open with such force it nearly swung off its hinges completely. A young man, still a kid really, barged inside, clad in the uniform of a prison guard, ninja headband crooked on his head, his face wild and panicked.
"Hokage-sama, the prison-!"
He barely got two steps before he was thrown to the ground, an ANBU keeping each limb pinned in place, two short tanto rammed into the wooden floorboards just beside his neck and crossing underneath his chin, forming a glinting 'x' that forced his head up. In all honestly, it looked like a very dangerous session of Twister gone wrong, less a targeted take-down and more a tangle of limbs.
"… yes, guard-kun?" the Hokage asked, a pit forming in his stomach.
"Ah, Ryoma, Hokage-sama! I'm part of the night crew at the Konoha Strict Correctional Facility!"
Briefly, Hiruzen looked from the prone, sweating youth to the view of the Village outside before turning back with a raised eyebrow.
"It's day out." He felt he needed to point out.
"Agreed, Hokage-sama! But, ah, the day crew of the Konoha Strict Correctional Facility is currently indisposed. Food poisoning, Hokage-sama!"
"Another attack?" Hiruzen immediately pressed, that pit growing ever wider inside his stomach.
"No, my Lord! A break-out!"
Hiruzen's eyes slowly tracked from the pinned down youth to the still unstamped form in his hands.
"… no…"
"It's a mass break-out sir! We've already sent out the Interception Division and even ANBU, most of them were easy to track, they all gravitated to a single location."
"No, no…"
"The cabin Mizuki built for him and his fiancée outside the village walls, they all showed up there and then immediately started fighting each other. Apparently they all wanted to stock up on supplies and then move on, but for some reason all of them had that very same idea at once."
"No, no, no…"
"Made them easy to round up. The smarter ones took other paths, but we'll get them. But, uhh, one is definitely beyond our reach. Mizuki-san made true on his flight-risk status. There's no trace of him or Tsubaki-san. Even the Legendary Stupid Brothers aren't to be found anywhere and we already checked the surrounding restaurants and inns! Don't worry though sir! The guards and I all made sure to reveal nothing of this to the other prisoners, not even that Mizuki killed his original target, the Orochimaru loyalist Genda, all to save one of our own! Can't let the secret mission be exposed after all!"
Hiruzen could only stare blankly as the youth, still pinned down by no less than half a dozen ANBU, gave a wide grin and a conspiratory wink, which was somewhat ruined by his headband sliding down in front of his eyes.
"Hokage-sama?"
All Tiger got in response was the dull 'thump!' of a forehead impacting a wooden desk, the still unsigned release form for one Oniyuri Mizuki trapped in-between, stamp forgotten to the side.
//
Fun Fact: Masashi Kishimoto stated that Konohagakure was modelled after his own hometown.