C218

Four or five hours have passed since last night's accident, and apart from some damaged houses, the impact of the enemy's attack has been minimized.

All the wounded have been treated, and thanks to Tsunade's chakra-based healing, more than 70% of the injured civilians recovered well that same night, while the rest are expected to recover within a month. 

The only cost was Tsunade's own exhaustion. After Yakushi Nono gave her an energy potion he had brought back, she quickly regained her strength. 

However, she regretted drinking it afterward, as she had wanted to study its ingredients—but she had consumed the only sample available.

The last remaining potion has yet to be researched. Although Tsunade doesn't believe in the so-called contract the gods mentioned, if she asks for another, it will likely draw Kain's attention.

By noon, a signal was sent from the Hokage building, summoning all the Jōnin. Apart from those who were injured or assigned to maintain order in the village, everyone else arrived—including Tsunade, who had been working tirelessly all night without rest.

 Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had just finished calming the village's unrest, sat nearby, smoking his pipe, his expression dark.

Once everyone had gathered, Orochimaru removed the Hokage hat and addressed them.

"I believe everyone is aware of last night's events. Some individuals attempted to attack Jōnin Kushina while she was giving birth. We have confirmed that Kirigakure and Cloud Shinobi Village joined forces."

"Kirigakure?"

Some of the Jōnin exchanged confused glances. They knew that most of the attackers had been from Cloud Shinobi, accompanied by a strange creature. But they hadn't expected Mist Shinobi to be involved.

Seeing their confusion, Orochimaru explained, "Mist Shinobi secretly sent the Seven Ninja Swordsmen to infiltrate the Land of Fire. However, they were intercepted by a patrol team. At a critical moment, a Genin, Might Dai, arrived and used a forbidden technique, killing four of the Seven and forcing the remaining three to flee."

The room fell silent in shock. The Jōnin could hardly believe what they were hearing. If anyone other than the Fourth Hokage had said this, they would have assumed it was a lie. 

But with both Commander Fugaku and Hokage Orochimaru confirming it, the truth was undeniable. If seven of the Mist's most elite swordsmen had indeed been present, the casualties should have been much worse.

"Now, the Fourth Raikage and Cloud Shinobi are imprisoned in Konoha Prison, and Jōnin Kushina has successfully given birth," Orochimaru continued in his hoarse voice. "However, their infiltration was so seamless that none of the ninjas stationed throughout the Land of Fire detected any sign of them. The only ones who encountered the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were a single patrol unit that happened to take an alternate route…"

Orochimaru's tone was grim. If Kain hadn't been there last night, Konoha could have been devastated by Eight-Tails Jinchūriki's Tailed Beast Bomb.

Hyuga Hiashi spoke up. "This is highly suspicious. To protect Konoha's logistical supplies, we deployed many sensory ninjas to patrol and guard the southeastern sector. Yet Cloud Shinobi still managed to slip past them undetected and reach the outskirts of Konoha. I suspect there's a traitor within our ranks."

"The possibility of a traitor is unlikely," Nara Shikaku quickly countered. "Only a few high-ranking officials have access to the Land of Fire's defense map, and they wouldn't betray us."

Shikaku's response was cautious. He didn't want to give Orochimaru an excuse to start another purge under the pretext of eliminating traitors. 

If accusations of treachery started circulating, more clans could be targeted, which would only deepen divisions within the village.

Orochimaru chuckled darkly. "Shikaku-kun, don't be so certain. There was a former high-ranking official involved in the assassination of the Fire Daimyō's heir and other key ministers. It's already been over two days since—"

"Since Danzo Jōnin has not shown up, Yashiro-kun."

Upon hearing Orochimaru call his name, Uchiha Yashiro quickly stood up and responded, "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Surround the Shimura compound, capture everyone, and transfer them to the guard and interrogation squads in batches. Seize all assets belonging to the Shimura clan. If Danzo Jōnin's innocence is proven, the assets will be returned to them."

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

After responding, Uchiha Yashiro immediately left.

"Wait a minute, Orochimaru, isn't this a bit hasty? Danzo may have a reason for his absence," Sarutobi Hiruzen interjected, trying to stop Yashiro. 

However, Yashiro ignored the former Hokage entirely, and Orochimaru had no intention of letting Hiruzen continue.

"Sarutobi-sensei, if you can convince the daimyō, I'll delay issuing the arrest warrant for Danzo Jōnin."

That single sentence silenced Sarutobi Hiruzen. Though he didn't want to see the Shimura clan wiped out, convincing the daimyō was an impossible task for him.

Seeing that Hiruzen had nothing more to say, Orochimaru smirked slightly before continuing, "Now, onto other matters—regarding the Fourth Raikage and the Yuno Country battlefield."

The discussion lasted until three in the afternoon. Among the various topics, the most shocking for Konoha's ninjas was the complete downfall of the Shimura clan. All of its members had been detained or placed under interrogation.

During Konoha's founding, the Sarutobi and Shimura clans were not small factions. Their decision to join Konoha had even surprised Uchiha Madara. But fifty years later, the Shimura clan had been completely erased from the village.

First, Kain had obliterated the Root base with a massive bombing, heavily damaging the Shimura clan in the process. Then, before they could fully recover, Orochimaru ordered their imprisonment.

Although it was stated that Danzo's fate would be determined once his innocence was proven, anyone with a keen eye could see what two days of absence meant—Danzo's hands weren't clean. Rather than face judgment, he had abandoned Konoha altogether.

Thus, the Shimura clan became the first ninja family to be wiped out by a Hokage after Konoha's founding. 

Watching this unfold, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Akimichi Chōza couldn't help but feel sorrowful.

Their own clans had a history of friction with Orochimaru, and seeing the fate of the Shimura family, unease settled in their hearts.

Apart from the Shimura incident, the other major topic of discussion was the Fourth Raikage. Some suggested executing him, but the proposal faced strong opposition. 

Killing the leader of another village would serve no purpose beyond boosting morale and sating a thirst for revenge.

Instead, the majority believed the best course of action was to trade the Fourth Raikage and Cloud Shinobi for resources. 

However, this time, the negotiations had to be different from the flawed agreements made during the Third Shinobi World War—Konoha needed to ensure that all goods were delivered upfront.

Some ninjas also inquired about the status of the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, but Orochimaru avoided the topic.

Retrieving something from Kain's hands was far from easy—especially the Eight-Tails. Orochimaru himself wasn't confident, particularly after witnessing Kain's strength in their battle against the beast the previous night.

Meanwhile, Kushina, experiencing motherhood for the first time, spent a long time playing with Naruto in excitement. It wasn't until exhaustion set in that she finally held him close and fell asleep.

Once both mother and child were resting, Kain took the opportunity to apparate directly to Nonō Yakushi's house.

Upon arriving, he saw Nonō looking visibly fatigued. Sensing the situation, Kain wisely refrained from bringing up the Sharingan right away. 

Instead, he gently lifted Nonō into his arms and said, "You've worked hard, Nonō."

"It's nothing," she replied softly. "For the boss, this is just a small favor. Here—this is Kakashi's Sharingan. He woke up but didn't notice anything."

Although Kain was deeply moved when he saw Kakashi's Kamui Sharingan, he still maintained his composure and showed concern for Nonō. "I'm sorry for the trouble. Thanks to your help," he said sincerely.

Despite his words, Kain couldn't resist reaching out to take a closer look at the Kamui Sharingan. If he transplanted it into his own body, the regenerative properties of the Extremis virus would allow him to quickly master the Kamui Pupil Technique.

However, just as Kain's hand was about to touch the Sharingan, Nonō suddenly pulled it back, tucking the eye into a non-marking extension pocket on her body.

After securing it, she straddled Kain and, with a flat tone tinged with a trace of complaint, said, "Kushina looks so happy. It's really enviable."

"I think I've found a way, Nonō. Just wait, and I'll give you... um—"

A minute later, Nonō slowly moved her hands and murmured, "I already know the method. It's just a matter of probability. As long as we try enough times, everything will work out, hmm?"

She fell silent after that. As the foreign object settled in, her movements swayed gently like the pendulum of a clock. Though she had been busy all night, energy potions ensured she never lacked stamina.

Before long, the house echoed with her cries. This time was different from the past few days. Although their previous encounters at home had been physically intense, the need to be "soft and cautious" had felt too restrictive—something that wasn't Kain's style.

Now, with no such limitations, Nonō immediately relived the intensity from before.

After several rounds, exhaustion finally caught up with her. At first, her expression shifted slightly, then she started begging for mercy, and in the end, she was completely drained, unable to move.

Once Nonō had settled down, Kain retrieved the Kamui Sharingan from her non-marking expansion bag himself.

"I should research it first before replacing my eye," he mused. "If I can master the Kamui Pupil Technique, I won't need to use Nohara Rin as leverage against Uchiha Obito."

A thought struck him—Kakashi's Kamui could teleport objects into the Kamui dimension. If he sent a Shadow Clone there in advance, then the next time he faced Obito, the moment Obito used Kamui to phase out, the clone could strike from within the dimension itself.

Holding the Sharingan, Kain suddenly realized something about the way Kakashi had fought Obito. Kakashi had always tried to counter Kamui by addressing its effects, but he had overlooked the most straightforward strategy.

"Maybe this is what happens when your mind expands in Sage Mode…" Kain mused.

….

patreon.com/Vks_sh