The revelation hit Akihiko like a tidal wave. The Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails had been brought back? Regardless of the means, the absence of the Nine-Tails would undoubtedly throw Konoha into chaos. The Nine-Tails was, after all, Konoha's closely guarded secret weapon—an entity even feared by the First Hokage.
The departure of the Jinchuriki would significantly weaken Konoha's overall strength, especially during this delicate time of post-war recovery. As one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Konoha couldn't afford such a loss.
Particularly now, right after the war, as the village was in the midst of reconstruction. Hence, regardless of any circumstance, Konoha would never permit the Nine-Tails to leave. Even if it meant sacrificing the Jinchuriki, the Nine-Tails must remain within the village.
As the leader of Grass Village, Akihiko had indeed strategized the Uzumaki recovery plan, but he never entertained the notion of bringing the child back at this time.
And yet, the shocking result was Elder Yoshinori allegedly abducting the child straight to Grass Village. Was it during the peace talks with Konoha, Iwa, and Kumo that he seized the opportunity to take the child?
At that moment, Akihiko, accompanied by his daughter, the excited yet apprehensive Kushina, Fuso, and Rin, entered the expansive conference room.
Gazing at Yoshinori and Mubuki, who had just returned from Konoha, Akihiko remained silent. His attention focused particularly on the small figure cowering behind Elder Yoshinori—scared and bewildered, tightly gripping onto the elder's pants. For a moment, he found himself at a loss for words. They had indeed brought him back.
Seemingly aware of the leader's confusion, Mubuki sported a proud smile. As if boasting about a successful multi-billion business deal, he approached with a triumphant expression and declared, "Leader, how about that? We managed to bring the child back. Isn't that impressive?"
"...Impressive," Akihiko responded, still taken aback, and his mouth twitched at Mubuki's self-satisfied expression. 'Truly impressive'.
Then, Akihiko fell into silence. Glancing at the somewhat frightened Naruto and then impassively at Mubuki, he finally spoke, "Thank you."
"No need to thank me. This is what every Grass Shinobi should do," Mubuki responded with a nonchalant tone.
"Tell me, how did you manage to bring him back? Weren't you confronted by Konoha?" Akihiko asked curiously, brushing off Mubuki's apparent pride.
"Confronted? Grass Shinobi don't fear confrontation. We would rather face death than retreat. Though this mission was immensely important, attempting to abduct someone from the mightiest Shinobi village, the odds of success were one in a thousand, or even less," Mubuki declared in a tone of righteousness.
There was a faint sense of 'I can overcome any obstacle' in his demeanor. Standing tall with hands behind his back, his gaze focused ahead, he exuded an air of unwavering determination.
"As an experienced Grass Shinobi, I consistently uphold the Leader's teachings. During my visits to Konoha, amidst countless temptations, I unwaveringly adhered to my mission—the Talent Recruitment plan, a duty ingrained in every Grass Shinobi," Mubuki continued.
However, before he could conclude his statement, Akihiko promptly disregarded him. He turned his head, directing his attention to the somewhat helpless Yoshinori, and demanded, "Forget him, you tell me!"
If Mubuki persisted in speaking, by the time he comprehended the situation, they might have already faced an attack.
"Hahaha, Advisor Mubuki has a point, actually. We Grass Shinobi always uphold the Spirit of Grass," Yoshinori chuckled heartily, patting the head of the somewhat frightened Naruto. However, it wasn't the appropriate moment to explain the current situation to the child.
With a hint of cloudiness in his eyes, Yoshinori continued, "Leader is aware that I visit this child every year during these days. This time it coincided with the planned peace treaty signing between Kumo and Konoha. However, something unexpected occurred in Konoha yesterday."
Pausing briefly, adopting a serious tone, he added, "Kumogakure infiltrated the Hyūga clan compound during the talks, nearly abducting the Hyūga clan's young princess."
As Yoshinori's words settled, Akihiko paused for a moment, he almost forgot about this matter. His eyes narrowed slightly, as if a realization dawned on him, "So, you seized the opportunity amidst the chaos?"
"Ah, not exactly. It's just that on that day... it was obviously the pre-arranged time," Yoshinori sighed. Despite using the guise of visiting his clan member to dissuade Konoha from overtly obstructing them, their visits were still periodically restricted by Konoha. This was done to prevent Grass Village from establishing too close a bond with Konoha's Jinchuriki or influencing them.
While understanding the rationale behind this restriction, Yoshinori had to accept it. Otherwise, Konoha could simply refuse the visit, citing concerns about the Jinchuriki's young age and the potential for accidents.
"But, given the incident, perhaps they worried we would interfere, and they hastened our departure. You know how Konoha harbors some misconceptions about us from Grass Village," Yoshinori explained, expressing a sense of helplessness. "Moreover, with the war seemingly coming to an end, and the pamphlets already distributed, I didn't want to risk disrupting the Leader's plans. So, without further ado, I cheerfully prepared to leave."
At this juncture, a hushed silence enveloped everyone, captivated by the unfolding story. Even Kushina, who was emotional witnessing her son, listened attentively. Each person present was likely consumed by curiosity, pondering how Naruto found himself in Grass Village.
"That night, after bidding farewell to Naruto, I intended to depart the following morning," Yoshinori sighed, affectionately patting Naruto's head. "But..."
A brief pause, a hint of mischief in his smile, "Something unexpected occurred!"
"Due to the Kumogakure kidnapping incident, the Third Hokage had to leave," he revealed. After all, whenever he visits Naruto, that old guy will consistently follow him until he departs.
Yoshinori continued, recalling the actions of the hypocritical Sarutobi Hiruzen, "Given the gravity of the situation, I heard that Kumo accused Konoha of intentionally killing their shinobi. Konoha was pressured to punish or possibly even hand over the culprit; otherwise, the conflict would persist. Consequently, the atmosphere in Konoha became highly tense. High-ranking officials were engaged in negotiations with Kumo Shinobi. Since we had assured them of our departure, Konoha eased its surveillance on us, even marginally reducing the monitoring on this child."
"The next morning, we kept our promise and prepared to leave. Naruto, however, followed us to bid farewell." Yoshinori shook his head in helplessness.
"But just before departure, this child mentioned having a sizable package at home, intending to gift it to the kind person who consistently arranged birthday presents for him. And with that eager expression of his, I couldn't bring myself to refuse, so I agreed," he explained, glancing at Kushina, the one responsible for Naruto's numerous gifts.
Then, a smile graced Yoshinori's face, "However, it turned out that Naruto used a scientific ninja tool to distract the ANBU watching him, hiding within the luggage. When we reached his house and discovered the large box package, Naruto was nowhere to be seen. We assumed he had been summoned by the Third and proceeded to carry the box away assuming it was the gift he mentioned. It was only during the journey that we uncovered Naruto concealed in the box. Everyone was left dumbfounded. However, by then, we were already a considerable distance from Konoha."
"In the box?" mumbled Akihiko. The scientific ninja tool being referred to must be the gift from Kushina, which she discreetly gave to Yoshinori to gift Naruto for his safety in emergencies. It was engraved with a confusing and mildly anesthetic smoke, acquired from Hanzo, suggesting its potentially formidable effects—enough to render even a Jōnin unconscious with a moment of carelessness.
Surprisingly, Naruto, having drugged the ANBU surveilling him, concealed himself in the box and fled. Fortuitously, the Kumo incident diverted most of Konoha's attention, making this method effective. If the Third Hokage had been present, Naruto's escape plan might not have succeeded, given the Third's adept peeping technique and habits.
Akihiko pursed his lips, seemingly grasping the situation. However, curiosity lingered, prompting him to ask, "Konoha's ninja didn't catch up?"
"They did catch up. But..." Yoshinori and Mubuki exchanged grins, displaying the characteristic smile of Grass Shinobi. "Once it's in our hands, must it return? So, when we noticed Konoha's ninjas closing in, we simply carried Naruto and ran!"
"...And Konoha didn't retaliate or take significant action against you?" Akihiko wondered if Konoha ANBU had realized that a Jinchuriki was being abducted; they would typically respond with serious measures. Even hidden ROOT Ninjas might not hesitate to take overt and direct action.
"Actually, I also found it peculiar. Konoha's ANBU is undeniably formidable. In such a hurried situation, it's implausible for us not to be caught up," Yoshinori commented, frowning slightly upon hearing Akihiko's inquiry. After a moment of contemplation, he added, "Oh, right! I remember someone halted Konoha's ninja from behind at that time." Gazing up at Akihiko, he continued, "We assumed it was the leader's arrangement!"
Akihiko, upon hearing this, was stunned, incredulously wondering to himself, 'I arranged it? When did I arrange it?' It seemed impossible; at that time, he wasn't even aware that these individuals were audacious enough to directly abduct someone.
After a moment of silence, Akihiko shook his head and said, "I didn't arrange that. It's just..." Frowning slightly, he mused, "Who could it be? From Kumo? Intentionally tarnishing Konoha's reputation? Or ninjas from other villages?"
As his words trailed off, a triumphant voice echoed, "Of course, who else but me? I had a hunch this bunch of guys would be in big trouble this time, so I sneaked out quietly." The familiar voice revealed itself. "Isn't this at least an A-rank mission? Let me tell you, if you give me some scrolls again this time, I'll strangle you."
Upon recognizing that voice, Akihiko suddenly felt enlightened, understanding who had intervened. Unexpectedly, it was this kid. 'But... expecting the rewards of an A-rank mission? Don't even dream about it.'
Before Akihiko could utter a word, his attention shifted to another figure beside Obito. In contrast to Obito, this individual was securely bound, his mouth gagged with a wad of cloth. He glared angrily at the scene, emitting a muffled 'wuwuwu~' sound.
Obito saw Akihiko's gaze and promptly clarified, "Right! I also brought this guy. He dared to ambush me. Plus, being a high-ranking member of Konoha, I thought he might serve some purpose, so I brought him..."
However, before Obito could elaborate, he observed both Akihiko and Kakuzu's eyes light up. Bewildered, Obito looked on as the two hurriedly approached him, donning expressions reminiscent of affectionate relatives. They warmly assisted Danzo to his feet, even dusting him off as if welcoming an esteemed guest.
"Hey... Why didn't you mention anything when you brought such an honored guest? We didn't even have time to prepare," Akihiko remarked with a smile, glancing at Danzo. "Rest assured, later, I will definitely reprimand him severely. How could he treat someone of your stature like a hog?"
Danzo however only stared back at Akihiko dumbfoundedly.