Inside the Hokage's office, Minato Namikaze, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the two advisors Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were discussing what could have caused this latest information leak.
Minato believed there was a traitor within Konoha who had leaked the secrets.
The other three — Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado — agreed that aside from someone within the village leaking the information, there currently seemed no other possibility. But who could it be?
Minato Namikaze spoke with a heavy expression, "Thinking carefully, aside from us, the Anbu we dispatched, the Hokage's personal guard unit, and Shindai and the others who already knew, nobody else should have known about Kushina's childbirth. It shouldn't have been possible for this information to leak."
Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed thoughtfully on his pipe as he analyzed, "Yes. During this Nine-Tails' attack, Shindai contributed greatly. Pakura kept helping evacuate Konoha's villagers while Asu Natsuka fully supported Shindai, so those three definitely wouldn't have leaked anything.
Obito, Kakashi, and Rin are your apprentices, Minato, and would never leak news of Kushina's childbirth either. The Hokage's personal guard unit consists of members you personally recruited — I believe their loyalty goes without saying.
Could the problem lie within the Anbu? But they directly report to the Hokage and undergo multiple layers of screening before joining. They shouldn't have leaked this information either. Then how did this get out?"
For how it had leaked, the four of them racked their brains trying to figure it out but couldn't come up with an answer.
Just then, someone knocked on the office door. After Minato said, "Come in," Jiraiya hurriedly entered.
Jiraiya anxiously asked, "I heard something happened in Konoha and rushed over immediately. How is everything now?"
Minato smiled and replied, "It's already resolved. We're currently rebuilding after the disaster."
Upon hearing that things had settled down, Jiraiya let out a sigh of relief. "You scared me! I wish I'd stayed in Konoha. At least it's all sorted now. What were you talking about just now? I heard you mention 'leak' outside the door."
Suddenly, Minato, Hiruzen, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado simultaneously lit up with realization — in unison they exclaimed, "Right! There's another possibility!"
"What other possibility?" Jiraiya asked confusedly.
Minato Namikaze frowned thoughtfully as he spoke, "Back then, The Third, myself, and these two advisors discussed Kushina's childbirth right here in this office. If someone had eavesdropped on our conversation at that time, then that person could've been absolutely anyone."
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado all nodded in agreement with Minato's theory.
Minato proceeded to explain everything to Jiraiya.
Jiraiya scratched his head anxiously, "If that's the case, then the scope becomes enormous — it'll be really difficult to investigate."
Minato Namikaze nodded. "It's definitely difficult to investigate right now. But I believe that the one hiding in the shadows will act again sooner or later. We'll just have to put this on hold for now and keep an eye on it later. At present, rebuilding Konoha is our top priority."
Just to be safe, Minato checked his surroundings to make sure no one was eavesdropping.
After making sure they weren't being overheard, Minato continued, "Given the critical situation at that time, I sealed the Nine-Tails into both Kushina and Naruto separately. As for Konoha's jinchuriki situation, I think we should stick to our original secrecy plan — keep their identities under wraps so they can live normal lives."
Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed, "Minato, Kushina, and little newborn Naruto made such great sacrifices for Konoha. We absolutely should protect their status as jinchuriki. After all, to nearly everyone in the ninja world, a jinchuriki is seen as nothing more than a living tailed beast. They'd face misunderstanding, fear, and prejudice. For Naruto's sake, secrecy is necessary."
Jiraiya curiously asked, "Have we identified who those four attackers are yet?"
Hiruzen took out four drawings and handed them to Jiraiya. "One of them is Sasori from Sunagakure. You can see by his forehead protector that he has become a rogue ninja. One of them wears a mask and remains unidentified. The other two also remain unknown, but now that we have their faces, we can conduct further investigation."
Jiraiya picked up the drawings and began examining them. When his eyes landed on the portraits of Yahiko and Konan, his body slightly trembled. He murmured under his breath, "How is this possible? This can't really be them?"
Minato looked puzzled and asked, "Master Jiraiya, do you recognize any of them?"
Jiraiya took several deep breaths to calm himself before pulling out the portraits of Yahiko and Konan and placing them separately on the table.
He began explaining, "Back then, during the Second Great Ninja War, I spent three years in Amegakure. After my battle with Sanshouo Hanzo, while I was returning home, I met three orphaned children from Amegakure. I took them as my students and taught them ninjutsu for three years.
Their names were Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan. Although they've grown older, I'm absolutely certain these two are Yahiko and Konan."
Hiruzen expressed shock. "What? Are you saying these are your own disciples?"
Jiraiya nodded with a complex expression and continued, "Yes. I heard that after growing up, those three founded Akatsuki under Yahiko's leadership, determined to create world peace without resorting to extreme violence. Many people later joined the organization, which gradually expanded and gained fame. I even occasionally heard about their battle exploits — I was actually proud of them.
But... Later I received a message from my summoning frogs stating that those three had died in the war. So how could they still be alive today — and worse, attacking Konoha?"
"Akatsuki..." Minato Namikaze murmured, then sprang to his feet. "Wait a moment!"
Minato Namikaze went over to the file cabinet and began flipping through it until he found a document.
Opening the file, Minato Namikaze said, "Hearing Master Jiraiya mention Akatsuki reminds me—this document was recovered from Root headquarters."
"It contains correspondence between Danzo and Sanshouo Hanzo," he continued. "According to these letters, Danzo reached an agreement with Sanshouo Hanzo to destroy Akatsuki because the organization's growing strength threatened Hanzo's dominance."
"Sanshouo Hanzo tricked Akatsuki by feigning the need for their help to broker peace talks with the Fire, Wind, and Earth countries," Minato explained. "During these talks, he laid an ambush at the negotiation site and surrounded the Akatsuki members. Afterward, Danzo convinced Sanshouo Hanzo to support his bid for Hokage."
"In the end," he concluded, "with the combined forces of Sanshouo Hanzo's ninja and Danzo's Root operatives, they wiped out Akatsuki."
Jiraiya took the document from Minato's hands. As he read the contents of the letters, rage boiled within him.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ **4 bonus chapters** this weekend if I get kind comments.
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>