The Hokage's office was now empty except for Hiruzen Sarutobi. He felt puzzled by Anya's words. He knew well enough that among the Uchiha Clan's powerful experts, only a few individuals were capable of controlling the Nine-Tails and triggering the rampage.
Could the Uchiha Clan have hidden even stronger ninja within their ranks? It wasn't impossible—wasn't Anya herself an Uchiha?
Suddenly, a figure appeared before Sarutobi.
"You're here," Sarutobi said, calm and warm, as if unsurprised by the visitor's arrival. "What are your thoughts on this recent Nine-Tails' rampage?"
Kneeling halfway forward, the man responded directly, "Third Hokage, I swear upon my life—it was no one from the Uchiha Clan."
"Hehe, Shisui, don't rush to defend them. I'm not suspecting the Uchiha Clan. I just want to hear what you think."
Hiruzen truly didn't suspect them—he was certain of their innocence, and Anya's words only strengthened his belief.
The kneeling figure was none other than the Uchiha Clan's most gifted prodigy, Shisui.
His eyes filled with hesitation. He thought carefully before speaking, his voice dejected. "I dare not make wild assumptions."
In Shisui's mind, there were only three known ways to control the Nine-Tails: the Wood Release, the Uzumaki Sealing Technique, and finally, the Sharingan.
Since the death of the First Hokage, no one had possessed the Wood Release. Though the Uzumaki Sealing Technique could restrict the Nine-Tails' movements, it couldn't prevent it from attacking Konoha. Therefore, the Sharingan remained the prime suspect.
Truthfully, when the Nine-Tails' rampage first occurred, Sarutobi had immediately suspected the Uchiha Clan. During the battle, he even ordered the Anbu to isolate the Uchiha Clan and prevent them from joining the fight—a silent but clear implication.
Shisui saw this and grew anxious. Fortunately, the crisis ended successfully, and there were no signs of Konoha taking action against the Uchiha Clan, which eased his worries slightly.
If the Uchiha Clan had been allowed to fight, Minato might not have died—but there were no second chances. Once planted, suspicion would grow roots, eventually bearing irreversible consequences.
Hiruzen looked deeply at Shisui, smiling gently as if lost in memory. "Shisui, do you know something? Seeing you reminds me of your ancestor, Kagami Uchiha. You two are very similar—you both stand among the rare few not bound by narrow clan loyalty. I deeply admire you."
Grateful, Shisui replied excitedly, "Thank you, Third Hokage."
"That being said, I hope you will think carefully about what I'm about to say next."
After leaving the Hokage's office, Shisui walked blankly through the streets, completely dazed. The Hokage's final words echoed in his mind—who should he choose, his family or Konoha?
If only all of this were just Genjutsu, something that could simply vanish…
Blood-streaked tears rolled down both of Shisui's eyes. In an unnoticed corner, his eyes' triple tomoe swirled and fused together. The Mangekyo Sharingan had awakened.
Anya arrived at the Konoha Hospital's newborn nursery, where baby Naruto was resting. Several medical ninja were dozing off nearby. Minato, whose soul had become one with Hornet, couldn't wait to emerge and hover closely around Naruto, inspecting him carefully.
"Minato, my shadow clone will always remain in Konoha. If you run into any difficulty, feel free to seek me out directly. As for myself, I won't be appearing much in Konoha anymore. Sarutobi has hidden this child's origins. There will be many rumors about him within the village—you should mentally prepare yourself."
Anya, having seen the early events, clearly understood that Naruto's childhood hadn't been a happy one. That was why he constantly played pranks to gain attention. In truth, how many orphans truly have happy childhoods? In every village, jinchūriki tend to be ostracized by villagers. Comparatively speaking, Naruto's childhood had already been much better than Gaara's.
Minato understood perfectly well: "Thank you, Anya. Just being able to watch him grow up already makes me very happy."
"Between us, you owe me, and I owe you. No need for thanks. Goodbye."
Using a Wood Release Clone, Anya headed toward the Uchiha compound, suppressing his chakra signature to an absolute minimum as he silently entered Mikoto's room.
It was late at night, but she hadn't fallen asleep yet, gently rocking her baby in her arms while occasionally humming soft lullabies, radiating maternal warmth.
"Miss Mikoto," Anya called out as he stepped forward.
"So late—what brings you here?" Mikoto asked in surprise.
Anya spoke quickly, "I came here just to say one thing: if one day you lose everything, I'll come and take you away."
Hearing this abrupt and cryptic statement, Mikoto grew tense and questioned anxiously, "Has anything happened?"
"I don't know whether the future will unfold exactly as I know it, but I do know one thing: you're the first person I saw after coming into this world. I want you to live on, and live well."
"Silly," she gently scolded. "The first person you saw in life must've naturally been your parents. Did you argue with Kurenai Yuhi? Are you upset? Tell me about it." Mikoto found tonight's behavior from Anya strange, probably affected by some shock.
Anya let out a faint smile. "Heh... Miss Mikoto, I've said what I needed to say. Goodbye."
Anya's figure vanished silently from the room, as though he'd never been there at all.
Leaving there, Anya proceeded to his final destination—the residence of Kurenai Yuhi. He found it cold and lifeless, without the slightest trace of daily living, as if no one had lived there.
Employing his Spirit Transformation Technique to sense the surroundings, Anya pushed the door open and walked to Kurenai Yuhi's bedside. She had fallen asleep, but fitfully so, her beautiful eyebrows tightly furrowed, tears visible at the corners of her eyes. Could it be that something happened…?
Where was Red? Something must have happened—definitely. Given his personality, when facing the Nine-Tails, he must have charged ahead as the commander-in-chief. However, his genjutsu would prove ineffective against the Nine-Tails, and thus his fate could be imagined. Feeling sympathy, Anya reached out to wipe away Red's tears.
Already in a light sleep, Kurenai Yuhi startled awake immediately, instinctively grabbing Anya's hand and opening her eyes wide.
Upon seeing her beloved standing right before her, Kurenai Yuhi joyfully lunged forward, her voice trembling from sobs as she cried, "Father... he's gone. I'll never see him again."
Anya pulled Kurenai close and gently patted her back without saying a word. In Red's heart, Konoha always came first. To her, the young children were the living flames of Konoha—a selfless soul, one could say, a near-flawless person. Even when she eventually found herself at odds with Anya, not once did she speak a word of blame. Now that she was gone forever, Anya's lingering resentment toward Red vanished completely.
Kurenai Yuhi finally let out all the emotions she had been bottling up lately as she lay in Anya's arms. Her tears soaked his clothes. After a long while, exhausted from crying, she fell asleep again.
After what felt like an endless night, Kurenai slowly opened her eyes and remembered the events of the night before. She quickly looked around, but there was no one in sight.
"Was it… just a dream?" Kurenai murmured to herself. Suddenly, her eyes fell upon a line of writing by the bedside: "Red, I love you. Wait for me."
Her fingers traced the letters as if still warm from his touch, and for a moment, Kurenai lost herself in them...
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