Faced with the village leadership's near-open ultimatum, Senju Rinki thought for a long time.
All the senior officials stared at Rinki, waiting for him to yield or make concessions.
After much consideration, Rinki finally said,
"I will summon Tsunade back from the front lines. Have Tsunade return to take part in Kushina's upbringing and train her."
Tsunade was the largest point of agreement between both sides — the Third Hokage's prized disciple and also the Senju clan's scion.
"Tsunade…" Hiruzen Sarutobi understood Tsunade best. Her love for the village was far purer than Rinki's.
For the village, Tsunade would do anything.
The village was the fruit of her grandfather's life's work. She would never allow a jinchūriki to become a threat to the Hidden Leaf Village.
Seeing Hiruzen visibly soften, Danzō Shimura and Homura Mitokado restrained themselves.
Dan Katō's face brightened — at last he might see Tsunade again.
The Third Hokage dismissed the two groups.
Before they left he said, "Yellow Dog, prepare a full written report of tonight's events."
"In ten minutes I will deliver it, Hokage-sama," Yellow Dog replied.
...
Late that night Hiruzen read the report carefully.
The report contained no embellishment; it recorded in detail everything Yellow Dog's squad had seen and done.
The turning point, it showed, was when Captain Fox discovered a Hidden Cloud spy.
Fox reported to Captain Black Ape. Black Ape led the pursuit and happened to run into the Cloud operatives who were abducting Princess Kushina.
Hiruzen thought, so that's how it was.
After the Uzumaki clan's destruction several promising new Anbu had emerged — Fox was one of them.
Fox had copied Cloud-style swordwork in battle and steadily refined his kenjutsu. His growth was traceable and gradual; he could not possibly be a Cloud spy.
Reading on, Hiruzen's interest sharpened.
Minato Namikaze killed a Cloud spy?
Black Ape rated Minato very highly.
Even though Fox's swordwork and reaction time were excellent, he still trailed Minato by a bit.
A ten-year-old stronger than an Anbu squad captain?
Minato had, for the first time, entered Hiruzen's view.
A promising seedling. Hiruzen immediately ordered the Ninja Academy instructors to pay special attention to Minato Namikaze — cultivate him thoroughly.
Minato and Kushina might become friends because of this incident, through Minato the village could influence Kushina. Whether by strength or by relationships, Minato was worth investing in.
...
Days passed in surveillance duty.
Many days later the full moon hung like a silver disk, moonlight lay like frost.
Once again the full-moon night returned.
At midnight, after the shift change, Yagami hid in the treetops outside the Senju compound and watched through binoculars.
The Senju estate was vast — roughly a tenth of the Hidden Leaf Village's central area.
This great shinobi clan now stood at the end of its glory. Within it there were a dozen elite jōnin and over thirty jōnin in total.
With Mito Uzumaki and Kushina Uzumaki inside the compound, security was extremely tight.
Yagami scanned the compound's perimeter and saw a couple in a nearby alley.
The woman was a Senju kunoichi; the man, a civilian ninja from the village.
Thanks to Tobirama Senju's policies, the Senju clan was open to supporting civilians. After the Uzumaki devastation, many Senju women had begun considering matches among the village's civilian shinobi.
Purple Cat sat beside Yagami and peered through her binoculars. After a while she lowered them, embarrassed.
The man's hands wandered up and down.
Senju kunoichi were famously well shaped — exploring them would be like climbing a mountain. Purple Cat, being a woman, felt awkward.
She turned and noticed her three teammates' mask eye-holes glued to their binoculars.
"Ahem." Purple Cat cleared her throat softly, hinting to the men to restrain themselves.
Staring so blatantly at a couple's intimacy did not fit the Will of Fire.
Antelope and Black Bull lowered their binoculars in shame.
They were both comrades of the Leaf — how could they invade another's privacy?
Yagami did not soften. He scolded Purple Cat firmly.
"Purple Cat, you've made several fatal mistakes. If we weren't inside the village, your behavior could have cost our squad its life.
First: you must never make a sound. As Anbu, you can't be heard during surveillance. This is outside the Senju estate — exposure here might not be immediately lethal — but in other towns, being exposed could mean you're the first to fall covering our retreat.
Second: don't assume. Because of an unseemly scene you gave up observation. What if that civilian ninja is a spy? What if the instant you lowered the binoculars he rose up and killed the Senju kunoichi? Any stranger near the Senju lands could threaten Princess Kushina.
Third: you have no right to command Antelope or Black Bull. Until I give orders, you obey mine."
"Now — all three of you, pick up your binoculars and watch carefully. Don't miss a single detail."
(TN:- I have a feeling that mc and jiraya will hit off well)
Beneath her mask Purple Cat blushed deeper than before.
"Sorry! Captain Fox! I was wrong!"
Antelope, Black Bull and Purple Cat hurriedly resumed surveillance, staring at the couple as if on duty.
Antelope and Black Bull thought their captain unusually understanding, watching something so good under the pretext of a mission felt like permission. Their eagerness grew uncontrollably.
They didn't know that at least three other squads were watching them from nearby crowns.
After ten minutes, the Senju kunoichi, face flushed and legs weak, returned to the clan compound.
That was the sour scent of young love, Yagami thought.
The man lingered, then left.
From a slit in a neighboring canopy Captain Black Ape signaled with hand signs. Yagami answered and then signaled his squad to withdraw.
Purple Cat's guilt deepened. Squad and battalion communication was silent and strict — that was the Anbu norm.
A strict captain was a trustworthy captain.
Once they'd moved away, Yagami said, "Tail that man. Eliminate the possibility he's a spy."
The squad tailed the man at a safe distance until he reached his home.
He climbed the stairs, turned off lights, drew curtains.
Purple Cat waited in patient silence.
They waited through the night. Only at dawn, when the man left again, did Yagami lead the squad into the house.
Yagami inspected every corner carefully. The more he looked, the more uneasy he felt.
"Purple Cat, check the bed.
Black Bull, check the bathroom.
Antelope, check the tabletop."
***
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