darknovel Chapter 299 The Angry Mother
Chapter 299 The Angry Mother
"I told you! Get out of my way! I'm only looking for that old man!"
Inside the Hokage Building, chaos reigned. The Anbu and Konoha ninja stared in horror at the menacing red-haired woman. While she appeared to be there to harm the Hokage, she truly intended to do so.
A young ANBU ninja reached into his ninja tool pouch, ready to subdue the madman who dared to openly cause trouble in the Hokage Building. However, the ANBU captain beside him suddenly moved and firmly restrained his movement.
"Stop! Don't attack!" the captain hissed sharply. "Until the Hokage arrives! We just need to stop her, we absolutely cannot hurt her!"
"Huh? Captain? Why?" The young ANBU asked in confusion. Just as they were talking, two muffled thuds came from ahead. Two Konoha ninjas who tried to stop Kushina were sent flying by her two punches and fell to the ground, falling into a deep sleep like babies.
"That person...you may not have seen her before...but! She is...?!" The Dark Squad leader's voice was filled with undisguised horror; he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
As a veteran who had served in the Anbu since the time of the Fourth Hokage, he clearly remembered this face—the red-haired woman who often barged into the Hokage's office with a bright smile or a rage to see the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze… It was the Fourth Hokage's wife, Kushina Uzumaki!
But... on that catastrophic night more than ten years ago, didn't she sacrifice herself along with the Fourth Hokage?! How could someone already confirmed dead...
"Alright! Stop it! No one is allowed to lay a hand on him! This person is not an enemy!"
Finally, the Third Hokage's calm voice came from the end of the corridor. Hiruzen Sarutobi strode in, followed closely by Jiraiya, whose expression was complex. The Third Hokage looked at Kushina, who was bursting with rage. Her bright red hair was moving wildly in the air, floating in the wind, because of her anger.
This scene has truly been a long time coming… The Third Hokage couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion. Behind him, Jiraiya’s eyes flickered, unable to meet Kushina’s gaze directly.
"You old geezer, you're finally out..." Kushina's voice carried a storm, "Don't you have anything to say to me?"
The Third Hokage knew Kushina's temper all too well; he had witnessed the "Red Hot Chili Pepper's" rage countless times. But to see her anger mixed with sadness like today was truly rare.
"Kushina... how... did you get out? Did an intruder help you...?"
"That's none of your concern," Kushina interrupted him bluntly. "I broke free myself. As for the method I used, I don't think I need to explain the principles of sealing techniques to you, do I?"
The Third Hokage remained silent for a moment, his aged gaze meeting Kushina's. "...Is it because of Naruto?"
Kushina nodded. At this moment, no matter how the Third Hokage explained or comforted her, she had already made up her mind that she would not let him leave the Hokage Building unharmed today!
"I understand." The Third Hokage took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Let's talk in my office."
Then, he turned around and faced all the Konoha ninjas and Anbu members who were on high alert but full of doubts, and issued an order with the unquestionable authority of the Hokage.
"Listen carefully! She is neither an intruder nor an enemy! A private meeting will be held in the Hokage's office now! No matter what you hear or what happens, no one is allowed to enter without my direct order! That's an order!"
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"boom--!"
After the Third Hokage explained all the reasons, he used the same words he had given to Naruto, only adding that the source of the "Demon Fox" rumor was Danzo's instigation...
When Kushina learned that Danzo, the mastermind behind the rumors, had been killed, she could no longer contain her pent-up anger. With a sudden punch, she shattered the desk in front of the Third Hokage, which had been with him for more than ten years, into pieces!
Wood chips flew everywhere. The Third Hokage didn't have the Raikage's hobby of destroying desks. The old desk was completely ruined, but he had no time to feel sorry for it at the moment.
"You old bastard..." Kushina's voice trembled with extreme anger, her eyes fixed on the Third Hokage. "What happened to our promise?! You clearly promised me... that you would take care of Naruto for me!"
She knew, of course, that the child becoming a Jinchūriki would inevitably subject her to strange looks and ostracism. But the difficulties she had anticipated were completely different from the bloody reality she had heard from Sōgetsu! She finally asked that heart-wrenching question.
"Why is it that my child... Minato's child... the Fourth Hokage's child... has become the 'Demon Fox' that everyone hates?! He is clearly the child of a hero! The son of a hero who saved the village!!"
Her voice rose higher and higher, "As Hokage, can't you even stop a malicious rumor?! Do we really need that child to risk his life to save Konoha before we can get even a little bit of belated goodwill?!"
Did the Third Hokage do it? Yes, he did. He issued orders forbidding public discussion of the "Demon Fox," forbidding blatant discrimination against Naruto, and even mandating that shops sell goods to that child...
But he underestimated the deep-seated prejudice and indifference in human nature. Those measures were like scratching an itch through a boot; even imprisoning a few talkative villagers only made the cold violence inflicted on Naruto more insidious and more hurtful.
"Yes, you're absolutely right." The Third Hokage didn't try to justify his helplessness and indecisiveness in the slightest. "It's all my fault, my dereliction of duty, my responsibility. If I had made up my mind to restrain Danzo sooner, if my methods had been more decisive and forceful... Naruto might not have been so lonely."
"I'm sorry..." He slowly stood up and bowed deeply to his angry mother. "This is a mistake and regret that I can never make up for in my life. I'm sorry to you, and even more sorry to Minato. I've also failed your trust."
The Third Hokage's straightforward admission of all his mistakes and his solemn apology left Kushina speechless, who had prepared a torrent of vehement words. Her anger seemed to have hit a brick wall, and her fury could only be transformed into even more suppressed breathing.
"Well..." Kushina's gaze shifted to Jiraiya, who had been trying to keep a low profile, "...Where's Jiraiya-sensei?"
"Eh? This... I..." The topic suddenly turned to himself, and Jiraiya was immediately incoherent, stammering and his face was full of embarrassment and guilt.
"After Jiraiya returned to the village to attend your and your husband's funeral, he immediately left the village," the Third Hokage said, revealing the harsh truth for his disciple who found it difficult to speak. "He only returned to Konoha a month ago."
Hearing this extremely disappointing answer, Jiraiya felt as if all his strength had been drained away. He lowered his head in utter despair, unable to meet Kushina's gaze.
"I see..." Kushina said in a low voice, her tone terrifyingly somber.
next second!
"Bang--!"
With a heavy thud, Jiraiya was sent flying backward before he could even see what was happening. His head slammed into the ceiling, cracking the hard stone with a spiderweb pattern.
He then fell heavily to the ground, a huge bump bulging on his head at a visible speed, his eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness... Fortunately, his chest was still rising and falling slightly.
However, after the intense physical pain subsided, the heavy sense of guilt that had almost crushed Jiraiya's heart strangely dissipated slightly.
"You old geezer..." Kushina slowly turned her head, cracking her knuckles as her gaze returned to the Third Hokage. "You know what I'm going to do next, right..."
The Third Hokage glanced silently at Jiraiya, who lay unconscious on the ground... Compared to Jiraiya, what he had to bear was far more than a single punch could offset.
He took a deep breath, then replied in a low voice, "...I understand."
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"What's going on?! Was it an earthquake?!"
"No! The tremor is coming from upstairs! It's coming from the direction of the Hokage's office!"
"Lord Hokage... Captain! Are we really not going in to check?!" A young ANBU member, hearing the loud noise and tremors coming from upstairs, looked anxiously at his captain.
The ANBU captain clenched his fist, but his voice still held firm as he growled, "Obey orders! No one is to approach without the Hokage's direct instructions! This is a death order!"