"But this Senju Homelander… he's no longer the same man. We still don't know how he's become so powerful—and so mysterious. How are we supposed to deal with him?"
Sarutobi frowned deeply.
At this point, he didn't care to pursue the matter of Danzo's Hashirama cell transplant any further.
They had grown up together. Sarutobi knew full well that Danzo would use any means necessary to achieve his goals.
Though he personally despised Danzo's ruthless methods, he had to admit—
throughout his own time in office, he had often relied on Danzo's brutal efficiency to keep the village stable.
Now, with Homelander possibly under Shisui's Kotoamatsukami, and chaos looming over Konoha's political future, pursuing Danzo's illegal experiments was no longer a priority.
If there was any way to stop Homelander from dragging Konoha into ruin…
He would take it.
Danzo noted Sarutobi's lack of opposition and smiled with satisfaction.
Now that his objective was in reach, he began unfastening his robe, revealing an arm covered in dense, arcane sealing scripts. His lips cracked into a grin.
"Sealing."
"Sealing?" Sarutobi's eyes widened. "You mean…"
"We'll station a few ANBU in advance and ambush Homelander when the time is right—seal him on the spot.
And if that fails…"
Danzo began redressing himself.
"I still have this: the Reverse Tetragram Sealing Jutsu. You know its power."
Cold sweat ran down Sarutobi's back.
He did indeed.
A true S-rank forbidden jutsu, the Reverse Tetragram Sealing Jutsu could rival the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style used to contain the Nine-Tails.
Once activated, it was nearly inescapable.
Its only flaw was its situational utility—it wasn't as absolute as the Reaper Death Seal, but the effects were nearly as deadly.
"I understand," Sarutobi nodded grimly.
"In a few days, I'll lure him to the Hokage's Office. When the time comes, we'll explain it all to the people afterward."
"Excellent."
Danzo straightened his clothing, leaned on his cane, and headed for the door.
But just before stepping out, he paused—
as if remembering something.
"You should consider bringing Namikaze Minato into the fold."
"Minato?" Sarutobi blinked.
"Yes. With his war record and heroism during the Nine-Tails attack, his popularity among the villagers is quite high."
"If you decide to name him Hokage again, I won't object—but only if you confirm where he really stands."
"Of course." Sarutobi nodded.
He didn't need Danzo to remind him of that.
The two exchanged a silent look.
Then parted.
---
That night, Minato Namikaze was caring for his wife Kushina and newborn son Naruto.
Thanks to Shisui's Kotoamatsukami, they had managed to re-seal the Nine-Tails smoothly.
But Minato still hadn't uncovered the masked man's true identity.
He suspected the name "Uchiha Madara" based on their encounter…
But whether that was the truth—remained uncertain.
Now, Kushina was burning with a high fever, unconscious after exhausting all her chakra during the sealing.
And little Naruto—was crying his lungs out.
As a first-time father, Minato had no idea how to take care of a baby.
When Naruto started wailing from hunger, all he could do was panic.
"WAAAHHHHHH—!!"
The cries only grew louder.
Minato was sweating bullets, holding his son over his head like a football.
Naruto was starving.
And Minato had no clue that babies needed formula or breast milk.
"Ahhh—what do I do?! Why is this harder than sealing the Nine-Tails?!"
Minato was nearly in tears himself, completely overwhelmed.
"Please, Naruto! Naruto-chan, stop crying, okay?! Please!!"
His attempts to rock the baby were completely wrong—awkward, flailing, desperate.
Naruto's screams echoed through the street, setting off dogs and waking neighbors.
And then…
"Oh—oh my, this won't do!"
Homelander appeared at the door out of nowhere, his expression feigning exaggerated concern as he approached.
"?!"
Minato jolted, momentarily alarmed—
then breathed a sigh of relief upon recognizing the Fourth Hokage.
"Lord Hokage, what brings you here?" he asked sheepishly, still cradling Naruto all wrong.
"If I hadn't come, Naruto-chan would've cried himself into a coma!"
Homelander scolded playfully, then smoothly took the child from Minato's arms, holding him with perfect technique.
Naruto quieted a little, but was still fussy.
Then Homelander reached out.
From behind him, Shisui handed over a baby bottle—which he gently eased into Naruto's mouth while humming a soft lullaby.
With food at last, Naruto gulped it down eagerly.
He was quiet and content in seconds.
"W-Whoa!" Minato was astonished.
"That's incredible! How did you…?"
"Just a bit of love and attention," Homelander said, offering a vague, saintly smile.
Minato nodded solemnly, completely buying it.
"This was fresh milk from Uchiha Mikoto," Shisui added with a smile.
"She just gave birth too, and had plenty. Lord Fourth figured you might be overwhelmed, so he asked her in advance."
The two met each other's eyes.
Shisui, though still a teenager, stood tall—nearly shoulder to shoulder with Minato.
Already a rising genius of the village, his strength rivaled even Minato's own.
Minato felt a wave of emotion.
In the chaos of Konoha's politics, he didn't want to be involved.
But kindness like this?
Support like this?
He never forgot it.
And he always repaid it.
"Thank you… Thank you both so much…"
Minato's voice trembled.
In the cold of night, his heart was full and warm.
"That said, we came here for more than just baby duty," Shisui added, turning toward Homelander.
"We wanted to ask you something. About… the Nine-Tails."
"Ah, I see."
Minato's expression grew serious.
"Ask anything. If I know the answer, I'll tell you."
He looked from Shisui to Homelander—
but the latter had his back turned.
And seemed… busy.
"Lord Fourth?"
Shisui tilted his head and called out—
Only to catch Homelander, ever so casually,
sneaking a sip from the baby bottle.
Stealing milk.