Konoha: The Man Who Became the Fourth Hokage

"Can… this child… be kept from being born…?"

Seeing the troubled look on Kushina's face, Tsunade frowned.

Could it be…

Her expression cooled slightly. Kyūsei immediately realized Tsunade had misunderstood, so he quickly pulled her aside and explained Kushina's situation.

"I see."

Tsunade's brows knitted together.

Sakura's team would arrive soon. Kushina, the Nine-Tails jinchūriki from the other world, wanted to stay here. Putting Kushina aside for the moment—

Minato would almost certainly never be leaving prison.

And this time, Kushina had slipped away from Sakura's team and arrived in Konoha first.

If she returned pregnant at a moment like this, people would inevitably gossip.

Worse still, Minato had released Uzumaki Menma. That made him a criminal in Konoha's eyes.

The child would face criticism from the moment it was born.

And Kushina would have to raise it alone.

"This…"

Tsunade frowned deeply and glanced helplessly at Kyūsei.

"Let her think about it carefully. After all… it's her child."

—

"Sister Kushina, don't think too much about it."

"You should think carefully about this child."

"This isn't a small matter."

Back at home, Kyūsei looked at the red-haired woman with a conflicted expression.

The child in her womb had never appeared in the original story.

Which meant that if Minato and Kushina had not died, Naruto would most likely have had a younger brother or sister.

"Alright. No matter what the result is this time, consider it a debt I owe you."

Kushina spoke with complicated emotions as she looked at the young man before her.

"Do we really need to talk like that?"

Kyūsei smiled brightly.

"What kind of relationship do we have?"

"Kyūsei… meeting you was my good fortune."

Kushina nodded slightly.

Her hand instinctively reached toward Kyūsei's forehead, just like she used to.

But things were different now.

In the past, she could casually touch his forehead.

Now she had to lift her hand to reach him.

Kyūsei lowered his head slightly, making it easier for her to touch him.

Looking at the boy who once jumped around recklessly but had now grown into someone considerate and dependable, the tension that had long weighed on Kushina's brow finally softened.

"Sister Kushina, go rest with Kaoru ."

"I'll accompany you to see the old man tomorrow."

Kyūsei still felt uneasy. Even though Tsunade already knew the situation, Kushina was now a pregnant woman.

"No need. If you come with me, the Third Hokage might think I abducted you."

Kushina joked lightly, something she rarely did these days.

After Kaoru led Kushina to her room, Kyūsei returned to his own place with a sigh.

Kushina's situation was incredibly complicated.

"Misfortune never comes singly" didn't even begin to describe it.

If he rescued Minato from that Konoha, then based on Kushina's understanding of him, Minato would most likely take his own life immediately.

Meanwhile, Uzumaki Menma had become a prized target.

The power of the Nine-Tails had been witnessed across the entire shinobi world during the last war.

Hiruzen had already made it clear that he had no intention of letting him go.

But the Konoha from the other world obviously wouldn't let go either.

Which meant there was no way relations would remain peaceful.

They would never simply sit back and watch their jinchūriki remain in someone else's hands.

They would take action.

And once friction began—

If either side failed to achieve its goal—

Kyūsei looked toward Menma's room.

His eyes narrowed.

A war between dimensions.

He sighed.

He still couldn't understand how things had spiraled this far.

And there was also Akatsuki on this side.

They would definitely interfere.

After all, the Dragon Vein was within Akatsuki's sphere of influence.

And who knew whether the other world's Madara had left behind any contingency plans.

Wait…

That world was the Infinite Tsukuyomi world.

Or rather—

Did that world's Hashirama leave behind something instead?

This was getting ridiculous.

—

The next morning.

Haruno Sakura stood before the familiar gates of Konoha, breathing lightly.

After Kushina suddenly disappeared in front of them, Sakura immediately rushed toward the Land of Fire with Karin and Sasuke.

They had traveled nonstop through the night and reached their destination in just one night.

"Karin."

"Got it."

As long-time teammates, Karin understood Sakura's intention with just a glance.

She immediately activated the Kagura Mind's Eye, her sensing ability covering the entire village.

"Found her. Senior Kushina is inside Konoha."

Karin frowned slightly.

At the same time, she sensed a chakra signature that felt strangely familiar.

That chakra was…

She froze for a moment.

Last time she had come here, she hadn't noticed it. She had only sensed Menma's chakra before shutting down Kagura Mind's Eye.

"Karin, what's wrong?"

Sasuke noticed her strange reaction and instinctively leaned closer.

Before she could react, he grabbed her hand and spoke with exaggerated sincerity.

"No matter what happens, I'll always stand by your side."

"Get lost, you damn womanizer."

Karin shook his hand off violently.

She stared at the hand he had grabbed, seriously considering whether to cut it off.

"Karin-chan, no matter how much you hate me now…"

"One day my sincerity will move you."

"After all, as they say—true devotion can move even mountains."

Sasuke gently lifted a strand of Karin's red hair and brought it to his nose.

Before he could finish—

A flash of steel.

The strand of red hair in his hand was cut cleanly in half.

"You creep! Get lost!"

Karin thrust a kunai straight at him.

But two slender fingers caught the blade effortlessly.

"That's enough. Don't embarrass yourselves in public."

"Let's go."

Sakura felt utterly exhausted sometimes.

Being stuck with teammates like these.

But there was no helping it.

Among those her age in the village who could keep up with her strength, only Menma, Karin, and Sasuke qualified.

As for Kakashi, that hot-blooded idiot, and Might Guy, that strange enthusiast…

Better not even think about it.

When the three of them arrived at the Hokage Building, they saw a red-haired figure already waiting.

Uzumaki Kushina.

Seeing the senior who had abandoned the team, Sakura frowned slightly but said nothing.

"Aunt Kushina, why did you leave alone earlier?"

"Do you know how worried we were?"

Karin asked.

As fellow members of the Uzumaki clan, and because Kushina often took care of her, Karin held great respect for her.

"I had some personal matters to deal with."

Kushina didn't elaborate.

In her view, what she was about to do might as well be considered betrayal of Konoha.

But she had no choice.

If Menma were brought back, he would certainly die.

Minato had already made his decision.

And deep down, Kushina herself wasn't willing to let Menma return either.

What mother could watch her child walk to his death?

"Then let's go inside."

Sakura nodded slightly.

But the unease in her heart grew stronger.

She had a bad feeling.

Something unexpected would happen regarding Uzumaki Menma.

Soon after entering the Hokage Building, staff members guided them back to the same reception room as before.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tsunade were already waiting.

But the man who had insisted on meeting Kushina—Uzumaki Kyūsei—was nowhere to be seen.

Sakura looked at them calmly.

"Lord Third, our side has arrived in full."

"When will Uzumaki Kyūsei arrive?"

Hiruzen had already learned Kushina's decision from Tsunade.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

"Unfortunately, Kyūsei cannot attend today due to personal reasons."

"So Tsunade will handle the negotiations on our side."

Hearing that, the unease in Sakura's heart intensified.

Yesterday Kyūsei had insisted he would only talk once Kushina arrived.

Now Kushina was here.

But Kyūsei was absent.

Something had definitely happened last night.

Sakura glanced briefly at Kushina.

She sighed internally.

She didn't want to doubt Kushina.

But the situation was too strange.

And Kushina wasn't foolish.

She knew exactly what would happen if Menma returned to Konoha.

She was a mother.

Menma's mother.

Tsunade watched them take their seats and turned her gaze to Sakura.

She knew very well that this young woman was the true leader of the team.

And just yesterday, Kushina had told her that Sakura was the daughter of the Fourth Hokage in their world.

Genjutsu, swordsmanship, medical ninjutsu—

All at the highest level.

An extremely troublesome opponent.

"Our side invested tremendous manpower and resources to capture Uzumaki Menma."

"And before that, he destroyed the Hidden Sand Village."

"We can set the Sand Village matter aside for now."

"But I want to know—"

"What price are you offering to redeem a perfect Nine-Tails jinchūriki?"

Tsunade deliberately emphasized the final words.

Sakura replied calmly.

"Uzumaki Menma is a criminal guilty of grave crimes."

"He once launched a Tailed Beast Bomb at Konoha. I'm sure everyone here understands the destructive power of the Nine-Tails' attack."

"When he escaped this time, our intention was to capture the Nine-Tails directly."

"However, you captured him first."

"If you are willing to return Uzumaki Menma to us…"

"Our Konoha will stand alongside your Konoha."

"We will watch over each other and face future crises together."

Sakura's words sounded impressive.

But if one listened carefully—

She never mentioned a single concrete price.

She was trying to take Menma back for free.

"Girl… aren't you overestimating yourself?"

Tsunade's tone suddenly turned sharp.

Her golden eyes were full of ridicule.

"The Konoha I stand in is one of the two poles of the shinobi world."

"We are the Afterglow, the force that can confront the Akatsuki Alliance head-on and still hold the advantage."

"The Land of Fire and the Land of Water—two of the richest nations—are both under Afterglow's control."

"You want to stand alongside us?"

"Then first show us the capital to do so."

"You think a few pretty words will make me spit out the meat already in my mouth?"

"Don't you think that's a bit naive?"

Looking at this Tsunade—completely different from the Fifth Hokage she knew—Sakura's expression darkened.

The other side's calm confidence made one thing clear.

They had no intention of returning the Nine-Tails so easily.

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