At a hot spring inn in Konoha Village, Uzumaki Raiden soaked comfortably in the hot spring, leaning against the rock wall with his back and narrowing his eyes slightly. Although his physique made him resistant to the cold, strolling through the chilly wind in thin clothing was far from pleasant.
Not far from him, Jiraiya sipped his sake with a look of satisfaction.
"Who would have thought you'd actually pull it off?"
"Not long after the seal was completed, Kushina was begging us to break it. She thought if you hadn't broken the seal for so long, you must have died."
"If it weren't for Orochimaru's persuasion..."
"Have you seen Kushina and Sensei Hiruzen since you returned?"
Uzumaki Raiden and Uchiha Shisui had come to this hot spring inn, where they found Jiraiya, who was gathering "research material." After reuniting after many years, they decided to enjoy a soak and catch up.
"No, but Shisui confirmed my identity in front of his subordinates at the village gate. By now, the news should have reached Minato and the others," Raiden said indifferently.
"It's so cold~"
Jiraiya teased, taking another sip of sake happily. Uzumaki Raiden wasn't particularly fond of this low-alcohol sake and disliked drinking it while soaking in hot springs. However, according to Jiraiya, drinking while bathing was the only proper way to enjoy a hot spring experience.
Hokage's Office.
Namikaze Minato, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and others had just finished their meeting with the Cloud ninja delegation and hurried back to the office. As soon as they entered, Mitokadu Homura, no longer restrained by the formalities of the meeting, spoke angrily:
"These guys dare to push us further!"
"Those bastards never came here for peace talks! Peace negotiations? Nonsense!"
"They came to threaten us! Pure threats!"
"Konoha must not compromise! Absolutely not!"
Mitokadu Homura vented his frustrations in the office. Despite his advanced age, his fiery temper remained intact. In contrast, Minato walked calmly to his desk and sat down without showing any emotion.
"Fifth Hokage, we absolutely cannot agree to these conditions proposed by the Cloud nin!"
"Not a single one!"
Homura said to Minato, his face filled with fury.
"Homura, calm down. You're an elder, after all."
"Do you want to embarrass yourself in front of the younger generation?"
Koharu gently tugged Homura's sleeve and whispered.
In the office were Konoha's top brass, who had just concluded the meeting with the Cloud ninja delegation. Besides Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokadu Homura, and Koharu, there was the Fifth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and his advisor, Nara Shikaku. Homura was indeed losing his composure.
"The Cloud nin actually demanded that we hand over the Six-Tails and the Seven-Tails, and also insisted that we abandon all missions outside the Land of Fire."
"We can't accept even one of these conditions."
"However, aside from these outrageous demands, we need to consider why they made them in the first place."
"During the meeting, the Cloud ninja envoy indirectly hinted at war. Could it be that they're preparing for one?"
"Cloud might have allied with other villages; otherwise, they wouldn't dare to make such unreasonable demands relying solely on their own strength."
Hiruzen stroked his mustache as he analyzed the situation. Compared to Homura's emotional outburst, Hiruzen considered various possibilities.
Minato, listening to Hiruzen, nodded slightly. This thought had crossed his mind as well. The Cloud nin must have something backing them, or they wouldn't be acting so boldly.
Leaving aside the demand for the tailed beasts, forcing Konoha to give up all missions outside the mainland would severely damage Konoha's position in the ninja world. Shrinking the mission system would deal a major blow to Konoha's economy, possibly even greater than the loss of a tailed beast.
Hiruzen's words calmed Homura down, and silence fell upon the office.
"Report!"
A sudden knock on the door broke the silence.
"Come in!" Minato called from his desk.
The door opened, revealing a ninja from the Konoha Police Force who had previously accompanied Uchiha Shisui.
"Third Hokage? Both advisors?" The ninja glanced around the room and seemed momentarily surprised before focusing on Minato without reporting immediately.
Compared to the original timeline, Minato's path to becoming Hokage had been smooth. Uzumaki Raiden's tenure as Hokage had solidified Konoha's unity. Shimura Danzo's influence had been eradicated, and even the advisors' power had been tactfully diminished.
After Uzumaki Raiden was gravely injured, both the Hyuga and Uchiha clans firmly supported Minato. Hiruzen also believed Minato was the right choice, paving the way for an uncontested transition of power.
As a result, Raiden's loyal supporters held Minato in high regard, and Minato's reputation in the village was unparalleled.
"You may speak; we're all allies here," Minato reassured.
"Yes!"
"The Fourth Hokage has returned to the village!"
"Captain Uchiha Shisui has confirmed his identity. It is indeed the Fourth Hokage, Uzumaki Raiden-sama!"
The words hit like a bomb. Everyone was momentarily stunned, but Minato's expression, initially blank, soon showed shock and joy.
Even Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't hide his delight after a moment of surprise.
"What did you say?! Uzumaki Raiden?! Is he really back?!"
"He's alive?!"
Mitokadu Homura rushed forward, grabbing the ninja's shoulder in excitement.
"Yes, Captain Shisui has confirmed it!" the ninja replied, prying Homura's hand away.
"Hahahaha!"
"He's back! It's great to have him back!"
"With him here, would Cloud dare to act so arrogantly?!"
Homura burst into laughter. While Minato was undoubtedly a renowned shinobi, Uzumaki Raiden's terrifying feats overshadowed even Konoha's "Yellow Flash."
"Where is he? Where did he go?" Minato asked eagerly, already imagining how thrilled Kushina would be to see her long-lost brother.
"I don't know, but Captain Shisui is tailing him."
Minato pressed his hand to the ground, trying to sense Raiden's chakra, but after a while, he looked up in disbelief.
"I can't sense him! I can't detect Raiden's chakra at all!"
Hiruzen reassured him. "Don't worry. He has his own matters to attend to; he'll come to see you soon."
As the night deepened, Uzumaki Raiden, Jiraiya, and Shisui left a tavern. Jiraiya, drunk, stumbled along the streets, his voice louder than usual.
"Shisui, take Jiraiya-sensei back."
"I'm heading home to rest," Raiden said, patting Shisui on the shoulder and waving goodbye.
As Raiden walked through the village, a shadow swiftly passed overhead.
"Hmm?"
"Who's there?"
The sudden gust of wind cleared his mind. Activating Kagura's Mind Eye, he locked onto the figure instantly.
"This direction... the Hyuga compound?"
"Is their target the Hyuga clan? I was planning to deal with them later, but it seems I won't have to wait."
Raiden adjusted his course, heading toward the shadow.
(End of this chapter)