Ch 144 : Birdcage

Within the Land of Fire.

In a relatively bustling small town, a commotion suddenly arose on the streets.

A group of women were desperately chasing after a middle-aged man with white hair.

"Catch the pervert!"

"You bastard, how dare you peek at us while we were bathing!"

"Stop!"

"Everyone, help us block him!"

Jiraiya was running through the streets, jotting something quickly on a small notebook as he ran.

"These are some great materials!"

Gradually, the group of women fell behind due to exhaustion, and Jiraiya took the opportunity to slip into a less crowded alley.

Looking at what he had just written, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad, it's really worth all the effort."

Just as he was putting his notes away, Jiraiya's expression subtly changed as he turned his head slightly towards a direction behind him, where a figure in ninja attire had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.

He sighed helplessly and said, "You guys, how do you always manage to find me wherever I go? Can't I just travel and write in peace?"

The newcomer was a ninja from the village.

If it were an outsider, Jiraiya would have already taken action.

"Lord Jiraiya, this is a letter from Lord Shikaku."

Shikaku?

Jiraiya was slightly surprised.

In the past, it had only been the Third Hokage who sent him messages.

It was the first time Shikaku had actively reached out to him like this.

He thoughtfully took the letter, opened it, and immediately his expression became serious.

"I understand. You can go back now."

"Yes!"

The contents of the letter were simple, stating directly that Orochimaru had committed treason.

Orochimaru was already the Hokage now—how could he still betray the village?

The content seemed absurd, but since it was from Shikaku, it had to be taken seriously.

Jiraiya held a deep respect for Shikaku.

He had initially thought that after Minato became Hokage, Shikaku would be Minato's right-hand man.

He carefully put the letter back in his pocket.

Looking up at the sky.

Tsunade was nearby in the town. It would be a good opportunity to ask her to come back with him.

......

Shikaku and his group wanted to defeat Orochimaru and reclaim the position, but the chances of success were almost zero.

The only slim chance came from Makoto's assistance.

It was impossible to remove Orochimaru from his position through political means—he held an overwhelming advantage.

The only way to bring him down was to first eliminate the man and then slowly destroy everything he built.

But to carry out a coup using force, they would need to have enough strength.

Could Minato defeat Orochimaru for sure?

Even Jiraiya might not be able to accomplish that.

Nara Shikaku had made an extremely reckless decision, which was why Minato was feeling even more troubled after learning everything.

However, Minato did not blame Shikaku.

If his own stance had been firm enough, Shikaku wouldn't have made such a move.

Perhaps, in Shikaku's eyes, Minato himself was deeply eager for that position.

Not only did Minato need to be Hokage, but the three clans—Ino-Shika-Cho—also needed him to take that position.

Minato then went to see Kushina, and to his surprise, this time, her attitude was completely different from before.

She seemed especially shy and reserved, and her eyes were filled with joy and anticipation.

It was as if she was waiting for him to give her a gift.

Minato thought to himself, "Kushina, just give me a little more time, and I'll give you a grand wedding!"

Kushina froze for a moment, feeling shy when she heard the word "wedding," but she was also curious about what Minato meant by "a little more time."

Minato, this fool, if he's going to propose, shouldn't it be more romantic and heartfelt? Why did he suddenly say it like that…

Kushina lowered her head and muttered softly, "Who said I'm going to marry you?"

Minato tilted his head, puzzled, and asked, "Huh? You're not going to marry me?"

Kushina felt both helpless and angry, thinking to herself, how could Minato be so dense? Isn't this the perfect moment to propose?

She shot him a glare and said, "I don't know!"

Minato was still troubled by Orochimaru's matters, and he hadn't thought much about Kushina's feelings.

His only focus was on resolving everything and then officially marrying her.

Minato said a few more words to her before leaving.

Kushina watched his retreating figure and couldn't help but talk to herself.

"Idiot, how much longer do you expect me to wait..."

Not long after Minato left, another visitor arrived at Kushina's house.

It was a member of the Anbu.

"Uzumaki Kushina, the Hokage wants to see you."

Kushina felt puzzled but followed the Anbu member to the Hokage's research facility.

This was her first time here.

As soon as she stepped inside, she felt an immediate chill, making her shiver involuntarily.

The research facility was filled with things she couldn't understand.

As she walked through, she eventually saw Orochimaru.

"Lord Hokage."

"Kushina, huh?" Orochimaru simply glanced at her and then walked into another room.

"Come with me."

Kushina was confused but followed behind Orochimaru.

The new room was spacious, with no strange instruments in sight—only a large iron cage.

The cage was shaped like a birdcage, but its size was clearly not meant for birds.

"Get in," Orochimaru said.

Kushina froze for a moment. "Lord Hokage?"

Orochimaru looked at her and, in a straightforward manner, repeated, "You, get in."

"…"

Kushina looked at the cage again and couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

Before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly felt a sharp pain at the back of her neck.

Her consciousness quickly blurred, and all she could vaguely see was a pale figure holding a syringe.

What... is happening...

Kushina woke up feeling freezing cold, the ground beneath her was extremely icy.

She opened her eyes and realized she was already inside the cage.

"You're awake." A voice suddenly sounded in her ears, causing Kushina to jump in surprise.

She turned her head and saw someone standing outside the cage, someone who looked exactly like her.

Her eyes widened in shock. "Who are you?!"

The person's appearance suddenly shifted, changing from Kushina's face to a pale, eerie human figure.

"I am White Zetsu," the figure said.

Kushina looked around and shook the cage forcefully.

"Lord Hokage! Lord Hokage!"

"Stop shouting, it's Lord Orochimaru who put you in here," White Zetsu said.

"Why?"

"Because Minato Namikaze wants to kill Lord Orochimaru, so Lord Orochimaru put you here," White Zetsu replied.

"Also, Lord Orochimaru is quite interested in the Uzumaki clan's physiology and took some of your blood for research."

"What... What did you say?" Kushina's pupils dilated in shock.

"You're talking nonsense!" she shouted angrily. "Minato would never want to kill the Hokage!"

She furiously slammed the cage and shouted desperately, "Lord Hokage! Lord Hokage! There must be a misunderstanding!"

Her voice echoed loudly, but the empty room only contained her and White Zetsu.

Kushina turned to White Zetsu, demanding, "Let me out!"

White Zetsu continued speaking to himself, "Because Minato wants to become Hokage, he plans to kill Lord Orochimaru and take his place."

Kushina angrily shouted, "What nonsense are you spouting?! Minato is not like that!"

White Zetsu calmly responded, "But Nara Shikaku and Namikaze Minato did indeed plot something like this. Nara Shikaku even had Kakashi monitor Lord Hokage and Makoto from the shadows. I heard it all with my own ears."

Kushina refused to believe it, "You're lying!"

She realized that she couldn't open the iron cage with her bare hands.

After some thought, she decided to use chakra.

The Kyuubi chakra should help her break through the confinement.

But as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she realized that her chakra was sealed.

Not only could she not use her own chakra, but even the Tailed Beast's chakra was sealed.

In disbelief, Kushina muttered to herself, "How could this be... How could this happen..."

She suddenly remembered what Minato had said to her not long ago.

"Just give me some more time..."

White Zetsu continued, "Don't worry, I'll change into your appearance and go out in your place. No one will notice you're missing."

Kushina, furious, retorted, "You bastard!"

White Zetsu said, "Right now, you can only hope that Namikaze Minato kills Lord Orochimaru to save you, but you'll probably hear news of Minato's death soon. He's no match for Lord Orochimaru. None of them are."

"Shut up!" Kushina yelled.

"Why should I shut up?" White Zetsu asked.

Kushina struggled in the iron cage for a long time, constantly pounding and shaking it, but no one responded except for White Zetsu.

She felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

How had things suddenly turned out like this?

Minato...

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