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Qianyu and Kushina Uzumaki followed Jiraiya and Tsunade towards the Hokage Building.
Jiraiya didn't even bother to knock. He shoved the door open and strode in, his voice booming. "Old man! Tsunade and I are back!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face crinkled into a kindly smile. He took a slow draw from his pipe. "It's good you're back. Truly good."
His gaze shifted past them to Qianyu and Kushina, and a flicker of surprise crossed his features. "Qianyu? Kushina? What brings you two here?"
Qianyu's eyes darted to the crystal ball resting on Hiruzen's desk.
It hadn't been there last time. Its presence now was a confession. Hiruzen had been watching. Observing the village. Which meant he already knew. He'd seen everything.
Playing dumb, huh.
"I've been brought here for judgment, Lord Hokage," Qianyu stated plainly.
At the word 'judgment,' Kushina's temper flared. "Lord Hokage, it wasn't Qianyu's fault! He was just trying to help me!"
Hiruzen raised a placating hand. "Slow down. First, tell me what happened."
Qianyu, Jiraiya, and Tsunade laid out the sequence of events.
Hiruzen slowly set his pipe down. The grandfatherly warmth evaporated, replaced by a stern, unreadable mask. He fixed his eyes on Qianyu.
Kushina opened her mouth to leap to his defense again, but Qianyu's hand found hers. A slight squeeze. A silent shake of his head.
Her face twisted with frustration. She bit her lip, the protest dying unspoken.
Just as Qianyu prepared to speak, Tsunade beat him to it. "Old man, the kid knows he stepped over the line. But those brats started it. No real harm was done. Let's just end it here."
Hiruzen's gaze remained locked on Qianyu, a silent pressure. "Qianyu. Do you understand your mistake?"
Qianyu took a single, deliberate step forward. His voice held no waver. "Lord Hokage. I do not believe I made one."
Jiraiya and Tsunade stared, stunned. They'd handed him a ladder. He'd just kicked it away. This kid's got guts.
Kushina's heart sank. He could have just apologized! It would have been over!
The air in the office grew heavy. Hiruzen's presence seemed to fill the room, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous register. "You see no fault in your actions?"
Qianyu met the pressure head-on, stubborn as stone. "None. I told you before, Lord Hokage. I wish to protect Konoha—"
"But your methods have strayed from that path!" Hiruzen cut in, his tone sharp. "You acted as an executioner, not a shield!"
"I protect Konoha by protecting the people and things worth protecting!" Qianyu shot back, his words precise, forceful. "Not those who raise a hand against their comrades! Village law is clear: we do not attack our own. That boy broke that law. Therefore, my actions were justified."
He took a breath, his eyes burning. "A Genin who bullies the weak, who draws a real kunai on a student—Kushina, who just started at the Academy—what is there to protect in him? In my eyes, he's a cancer. Today it was Kushina. Tomorrow, someone else. Who would ever trust their back to someone like that?"
He gestured sharply, the motion cutting through the tense air. "They all call me a traitor. A spy. They've mocked me. Harassed me. For years. And never—never—have I lifted a finger against them. Because they are my comrades. I will not raise my hand against a comrade."
His voice softened, but the conviction rang louder. "I will earn their trust. Their recognition. Through my actions. My way of protecting Konoha has not strayed. It is those who betray that trust, who turn on their own, who are the true enemy. They are the ones who poison everything we stand for."
Jiraiya and Tsunade exchanged a look. Surprise, then grudging respect. This level of conviction… from a nine-year-old?
The oppressive aura around Hiruzen dissipated like morning mist. Qianyu's words had landed with the weight of truth.
The boy's record was clean. Years of taunts, of isolation. Never a violent retaliation. Hiruzen knew. He'd watched.
More importantly, he'd seen it through the crystal ball. The flash of crimson. The tomoe spinning to life.
The Sharingan.
Not just talent in taijutsu. The Sharingan, awakened. At nine. No Uchiha in living memory had achieved that so young. A self-developed A-rank taijutsu style. The bloodline of the Uchiha, manifesting with terrifying potency. This talent… it was monstrous. A future pillar of the Leaf was standing before him.
And his character? So far, seemingly impeccable. Loyalty that bordered on fanatical.
Hiruzen was silent for a long moment, the only sound the faint crackle of tobacco in his pipe. Finally, he spoke. "Even if they were in the wrong, discipline is the purview of the Leaf Village Defense Force. You do not have the right to enact private punishment."
He paused, weighing his words. "However… they were at fault. And your intent was to aid a comrade in distress. Therefore…" He let out a slow breath of smoke. "You are confined to your home for three days. Reflect on the proper channels. Consider this matter closed."
Kushina's face lit up with relief. "Thank you, Lord Hokage!"
Qianyu bowed. "Thank you, Lord Hokage."
In his mind, a simple apology would have been a surrender. A last resort. This? Turning the incident into a demonstration of unwavering loyalty was the superior move. Let the Hokage suspect a sliver of personal motive. Everyone had them. As long as he didn't cross Hiruzen's unspoken lines, it was a calculated win.
Hiruzen waved them away. "Go on. You're dismissed."
Hand in hand, Qianyu and Kushina left the Hokage's office.
Jiraiya watched them go, shaking his head with a low whistle. "Kids these days. Monsters, every one of 'em. That speed… and the Sharingan to boot."
Tsunade nodded, her arms crossed. "I hear the Uchiha awaken their eyes through intense emotional trauma. He opened them because Kushina was threatened. Seems she means a great deal to him."
Hiruzen took a long, contemplative drag from his pipe, a cloud of smoke obscuring his faintly troubled expression. He'd hoped Minato Namikaze, Jiraiya's future student, would become Kushina's tether to the village. Seeing how close she and Qianyu were… he had a sinking feeling Minato's chances were looking slim.
Outside the Hokage Building, Qianyu led Kushina back to his apartment.
Kushina finally let out the breath she'd been holding. "That was too close, Qianyu! Just three days at home, that's nothing!"
Qianyu guided her to the couch. He sat across from her, his expression turning serious. "Kushina. I don't want to lie to you…"
Kushina tilted her head, confused. "Lie? About what?"
Jiraiya and Tsunade were back after years away. Right now, Hiruzen would be catching up with them. The crystal ball would be idle. This was the moment.
Qianyu met her gaze, his own utterly frank. "Everything I said in the Hokage's office. Every single word. It was all a lie."
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