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Chapter 14 - Hiruzen, You Messed Up!

Konoha Village.

Under the power of Kamui, Yuzuru Uchiha quietly returned to the village, carrying the unconscious Kushina Uzumaki in his arms.

Arriving at the Senju compound, Yuzuru gently set Kushina down. "Kushina, wake up."

Kushina slowly opened her eyes. She blinked in confusion, looking around before a blush crept across her cheeks.

Holding the corner of her clothes nervously, she murmured, "Yuzuru, thank you for rescuing me. If not for you, I…"

Seeing her still shaken, Yuzuru reached out and patted her head with a gentle smile. "I'm used to things like this. When you first came to Konoha, I got into more than a few fights for your sake."

"This time is different!" Kushina said loudly.

As a member of the Uzumaki clan, she knew how unique her body was. If she had truly been taken by the ninja from the Hidden Cloud, what awaited her would have been endless darkness.

Over the years, she had heard many tragic stories of her scattered clansmen.

After calming herself, she asked curiously, "Yuzuru, how did you know I'd been kidnapped?"

At her words, Yuzuru pulled a strand of bright red hair from his pocket. "I found this while I was on patrol."

"There's only one person in all of Konoha with such beautiful hair."

Kushina froze, her heartbeat suddenly quickening.

She sneaked a glance at him and pouted, "Beautiful? I don't believe that. Everyone says my hair is strange…"

"I don't think so."

Under her astonished gaze, Yuzuru said seriously, "I think it's beautiful."

Kushina's heart felt like it was about to leap out of her chest.

'I–is this a confession?'

'No, no, maybe he's just saying what he thinks… Haha, I can't get ahead of myself…'

'But still… should I say something back? What about Mikoto though?'

'Speaking of which...'

'Does Yuzuru prefer boys or girls?' (T/N: is this how you think of someone who just saved you…)

Seeing Kushina's flustered expression, Yuzuru tactfully changed the subject. "Kushina, today's incident was strange. You must be extra careful from now on."

"Strange?"

Kushina blinked. "What do you mean?"

Yuzuru shook his head, frowning. "You should get some good rest first. I need to think this over carefully. Wait for me at the dessert shop this afternoon."

Kushina nodded obediently. "Okay, I got it."

Watching her leave, Yuzuru's lips curved into a faint smile.

'Hmph! Hiruzen Sarutobi, it's my turn to make a move now.'

———

Hokage Building.

Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat alone, puffing clouds of smoke into the air.

Just as dawn broke, a knock sounded at the door.

Hiruzen straightened. "Come in."

The door opened, and Minato Namikaze stepped inside.

Hiruzen's brow twitched slightly, but he smiled kindly. "Ah, Minato. Here so early—what brings you?"

Minato bowed respectfully. "Lord Hokage, last night Kushina was kidnapped by Cloud ninja."

"I've already handed over the three Cloud corpses to the Anbu downstairs."

Hiruzen froze.

The matter's already resolved?

Then why haven't the Anbu I sent returned to report?

A bad premonition rose in his heart, though he kept his tone calm. "Minato, was it you who saved Kushina? Is she unharmed?"

Minato shook his head. "No, it was Yuzuru Uchiha."

Hiruzen quickly searched his memory. "Yuzuru Uchiha?"

Seeing Hiruzen's puzzled look, Minato explained, "When I found Kushina, she had already been rescued by Yuzuru. He left carrying her when I arrived. I stayed behind to deal with the Cloud ninja bodies…"

The image of Yuzuru carrying Kushina flashed in Minato's mind, making his chest tighten slightly.

If only he had arrived a little sooner…

As Minato's thoughts wandered, Hiruzen's expression darkened.

He hadn't expected his carefully arranged "hero saves the maiden" plan to fall apart—ruined by a Uchiha, no less!

Yuzuru Uchiha…

How had he even realized Kushina was missing?

Was it a coincidence—or had he noticed something?

Why had an Uchiha been allowed to leave the village without his knowledge? What was the Barrier Corps doing?

And why hadn't the Anbu assigned to Kushina returned yet?

Too many things had gone wrong. Hiruzen felt irritation twist in his chest.

He hated this feeling—when events slipped out of his control.

"Lord Hokage?"

Minato's cautious voice brought him back. Hiruzen exhaled a cloud of smoke. "I understand. You can go now, Minato."

"Yes."

Once Minato had left, another figure stepped from the shadows.

"Danzo—you heard everything," Hiruzen said coldly, glaring at Shimura Danzo. "Did you have anything to do with this?"

Danzo tilted his head back with a snort. "Hiruzen, you know me. If it were my doing, the one rescuing Kushina would never have been a Uchiha."

Hiruzen nodded silently.

As troublesome as his old teammate was, this wasn't his style.

Seeing Hiruzen's furrowed brow, Danzo couldn't resist a smirk. "Hiruzen, I heard Kushina and Yuzuru are quite close. If the future Nine-Tails jinchūriki were to fall for an Uchiha—that would be amusing, wouldn't it?"

"Danzo!" Hiruzen snapped, waving irritably. "I'm not in the mood. Get out!"

A surge of killing intent burst from him, forcing Danzo two steps back.

"Fine, fine—no need to be so angry."

"You're the one who messed this up, yet you're venting on me. 'Use love to guide the jinchūriki,' you said… Bah! Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting!"

Bang!

Before the cup on the desk hit the floor, Danzo had already slammed the door shut behind him.

Clutching his chest, Hiruzen felt dizzy.

It took him a long time to calm down.

"Seems I'll have to find a chance to meet this new Uchiha prodigy myself…"

———

Tsukimi Confectionery.

Konoha's largest and most popular dessert shop.

Even in the afternoon, it was packed with people—most of them couples laughing and chatting, filling the air with the sweet, cloying scent of love.

Standing at the entrance, Kushina took out a small mirror and checked her reflection, brushing a few wind-blown strands of red hair behind her ear before stepping inside.

In one glance, she spotted Yuzuru sitting quietly by the window.

T/n:

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