Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo Captured Alive! (Begging for Flowers)
A group of Konoha shinobi stood frozen, eyes wide as they took in the sight before them—a vast forest, unnaturally grown in the middle of the battlefield. The sheer magnitude of it made them instinctively swallow their nerves.
Among them, Namikaze Minato stood stunned, his mind racing to process what had just transpired.
"Alright, problem solved," Kaito said casually, glancing at the restrained figures of Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo. He reached out and patted Minato's shoulder, amused by his dazed expression. "Minato-kun, what do you want to do with them?"
Minato blinked, snapping out of his stupor. "Ah? Ah… Thank you for your help, Master Administrator!" he said quickly, his tone carrying both gratitude and embarrassment.
He had initially thought Kaito needed his assistance, yet here he was—the one being helped instead.
The conversation between them stirred Hiruzen and Danzo, who slowly regained consciousness. As soon as they registered their surroundings, they heard Minato addressing Kaito with a title that made their pupils shrink.
"Administrator?"
Because they had closed their connection to the group chat earlier, they had no idea what had transpired in their absence. But hearing Minato refer to Kaito with such a title sent alarm bells ringing in their minds.
Still, after a moment's thought, Hiruzen sighed. "I see… so it was you, Administrator. I didn't expect to lose in such a manner, but I suppose there's no shame in falling before the strongest."
Then, turning his gaze toward Minato, he said with urgency, "Minato, at least hear me out before making any decisions."
Minato hesitated for a moment, his eyes narrowing in thought. Then, turning to Kaito, he asked, "What do you think, Administrator?"
Kaito simply waved his hand dismissively. "This is your matter to handle. I only helped capture them. Their fate is yours to decide."
Realizing that Kaito had no intention of intervening further, Minato scratched his head, exhaling slowly before turning back to face his former teacher.
"I just want to know—why did you treat my son like this? Doesn't your conscience hurt?"
Facing Namikaze Minato's questioning, Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed and shook his head.
"It's not that I wanted Naruto to suffer, but if his true identity were revealed, he would be in grave danger."
"If enemy ninjas knew that Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage, they would have undoubtedly sent assassins after him!"
Minato hesitated for a moment upon hearing Hiruzen's explanation. He had indeed made many enemies during the Third Great Ninja War. Could it be that Sarutobi Hiruzen was genuinely trying to protect Naruto?
However, standing nearby, an onlooker scoffed.
"What a load of nonsense. If you really wanted to protect Naruto, you could have just hidden his parentage. Why, then, did you allow the entire village to believe he was the reincarnation of the Nine-Tails?"
Minato's eyes widened as realization struck him. Yes—if Hiruzen had truly wanted to safeguard Naruto, why had he never corrected the villagers' belief that he was a monster? Instead of keeping his lineage secret for his safety, they had branded him as the demon fox itself.
Frustration surged within him as he glared at Hiruzen. Had he nearly been deceived again?
Seeing Minato's growing anger, Hiruzen quickly raised his hands in defense.
"I swear, I never spread those rumors! I don't know who did!"
This time, Namikaze Minato was not deceived by Sarutobi Hiruzen. His cold blue eyes narrowed as he sneered:
"Even if you didn't orchestrate it, why didn't you stop it?"
"And tell me—why was Naruto left to fend for himself? My son, the son of the Fourth Hokage, given only a meager allowance of 500 ryo per month? He grew up malnourished, wearing rags while you stood by. You call that generosity, Sarutobi Hiruzen?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, let out a weary sigh but remained composed.
"I wanted to stop it, Minato. But the villagers, the elders… they feared the Nine-Tails. They would not listen. As for Naruto's inheritance, I intended to give it to him when he was older. It would have been too dangerous for a child to carry such wealth."
Minato laughed bitterly, his voice laced with fury.
"Too dangerous? And yet you left him to starve? You let him suffer alone, shunned by the very people I died to protect?"
His fingers tightened around the handle of a kunai, his knuckles turning white.
"Tell me, old man—if you never even tried to defend him, how do you know they wouldn't listen? And even if you claim it was to 'protect' him, why was he forced to wear tattered clothes? Why was he alone on his birthdays? Was that your kindness too?"
For the first time, Hiruzen's composure wavered. His lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes clouded with something unreadable—guilt, regret, or perhaps shame.
He had no answer.
Minato's glare burned into him.
"What's wrong? Nothing to say? You always had an excuse before. Have you finally run out of lies?"
Hiruzen remained silent, and Minato lifted his kunai, pointing it directly at the old Hokage.
The room grew heavy with tension.
This time, there was no escaping the truth.