Hokage's Office.
The confrontation between the Daimyo and the Hokage had reached its conclusion.
"This..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned. He found himself overwhelmed by the sharp tongue and confidence of the young man in front of him.
Just like during the Third Great Ninja War, Sarutobi hadn't demanded reparations from Iwagakure after their defeat. His overly kind and indecisive nature once again led him to accept the demands of the Land of Demons' Daimyo.
—To allow him to meet and speak with his wife and daughter.
If the priestess wanted to return home, Konoha would have to let her go.
Even the Daimyo of the Land of Fire had agreed to this young man's proposal.
In short, it now all came down to the priestess's own will...
"Excellent. As expected, Lord Hokage is a man of understanding,"
The aggressive Daimyo of the Land of Demons suddenly smiled, putting on an affable face.
Yet the arrogance in his tone remained unchanged.
"Well then, I shall go see my wife now..."
As the Daimyo rose to his feet, Sarutobi could only signal his subordinates with a glance.
An Anbu ninja stepped forward and led the Daimyo toward the place where the priestess was staying—Sarutobi's old residence.
---
Uchiha Clan Compound.
Uchiha Hazuki stood in front of her daughter's bedroom door, arms tightly crossed, her fingers clenched in worry.
She stared at the sliding paper door.
From inside came painful sobs that had been repeating for days.
Unable to hold back anymore, she slid open the door to her daughter's room.
"Izumi~! What's wrong!?"
Truthfully, it had been like this for several nights.
Every night, her daughter couldn't sleep.
Tonight seemed even worse.
"Hah... hah..."
Gasping for breath, her daughter had already kicked off her blanket.
She had even pulled open her clothes.
Her whole body radiated heat—yet she wasn't sweating.
Hazuki walked over and touched her daughter's forehead.
It was frighteningly cold.
She checked her hands and feet—they were just as icy.
The realization terrified her.
"Mom..."
Izumi looked up at her with tearful eyes.
"I... I'm so hot..."
Her cries shattered Hazuki's heart.
After her husband's death, she had raised her daughter alone, cherishing her like the most precious treasure.
Now, with her daughter suffering like this, how could she not be anxious?
"Izumi... we're going to the hospital..."
"No, I'm not going..."
Izumi shook her head.
"I'm not going!"
Suddenly, her tone turned cold.
Her trembling stopped completely.
Then, Izumi suddenly sat upright from her bedding, looking perfectly fine.
But the darkness on her face and the blackness in her eyes made it clear: something was very wrong.
"I just need some fresh air..."
With that, she stood up, fixed her clothes, and walked out.
"Izumi... Izumi..." Hazuki's calls didn't stop her.
With a blur, her daughter vanished into the courtyard...
---
Before long, Uchiha Izumi arrived at the Sarutobi Clan's compound.
She scanned the area, counting the guards.
Finding Naruto's location wouldn't be difficult.
She just needed to stop a Hyuga and have them scan Konoha with their Byakugan.
There was no way Naruto could have escaped the village.
"I killed the Nine-Tails last night... I wonder how Naruto's doing..."
Losing a tailed beast so abruptly could have serious consequences.
Even if he didn't die, he was surely gravely weakened.
With that thought in mind, Izumi infiltrated the compound.
Among the guards, only Uchiha Shisui was Kage-level.
The rest were no stronger than elite jonin.
Having awakened her Mangekyō Sharingan and absorbed the Nine-Tails' blood, Izumi's strength had skyrocketed.
With the added "blackened" buff boosting her tenfold, slipping past Shisui was child's play.
Hiding in the shadows, Izumi surveyed the Third Hokage's courtyard.
Soon, someone arrived.
A young man in noble robes, wearing a traditional heian-era hat.
He carried himself with arrogant grandeur—clearly someone important.
Led by the Anbu, he entered the courtyard.
With a wave of his hand, he dismissed everyone.
He wanted to reconnect with his wife and daughter in private.
After all... the secret of the power of Moryo had to remain hidden...
With ten minutes of private time granted, the Daimyo stepped forward and opened the door.
As the door shut behind him...
Things began to change.
---
Inside the residence.
The Daimyo walked through several rooms.
He finally arrived at the most spacious one in the back.
There, his wife—the priestess—sat in formal seiza posture.
She wore a golden crown on her head, and her long chestnut hair flowed down to her waist.
A wide white ceremonial robe with golden embroidery covered her noble form.
He hadn't seen her in days.
He had longed for this moment.
Seeing his beautiful wife again brought a lump to his throat.
But something felt... off.
Though dressed as a priestess, she wore a strange, sorrowful expression.
What was wrong?
The next moment—
From behind the motionless priestess, a blonde boy stepped forward.
Naruto, hands in pockets, strode up next to her with a defiant swagger.
Before the Daimyo could even register who this blonde kid was—
Swish!
Naruto suddenly reached out and yanked.
The priestess's divine robe split open on its own, like water being parted.
Beneath the white ceremonial robe...
She wore a dark teal home kimono—conservative, covering about 90% of her body.
Only her pale neck, hands, and feet were visible.
Yet beneath that was something else—a blinding red "garment" that caught the eye.
Because of that "red outfit," her hands were bound behind her back.
The sleeves of the ceremonial robe hung empty.
When the Daimyo saw his wife's true state, his eyes nearly burst with rage.
Furious, he roared: "What is the meaning of this?!"
"Hm?" Naruto tilted his head.
Then, he grabbed the priestess's chin and turned her face toward him.
And called out to the Daimyo:
"Watch closely, Daimyo of the Land of Demons... a priestess is..."
As a terrible sense of dread filled the Daimyo's heart...
Naruto, holding her chin, suddenly yanked her toward him—
And the priestess, wide-eyed and unprepared, cried out, "Mmm~!"
***********************************************
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