NARUTO: Ninja World Scientific Revolution

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched as Hyuga Mirai and Ayaka Uzumaki disappeared into the night, taking half of the Nine-Tails with them. Two ANBU lay dead beside him, Minato's lifeless body rested in his arms, and on the other side, Kushina—stripped of her tailed beast—clung to the newborn jinchuriki. 

With the situation as it was, Hiruzen dared not pursue. The chaos of the night's events had left too many uncertainties, and now, there was the troubling possibility that the Uchiha Clan had been involved. 

Hundreds of witnesses had seen the glaringly obvious Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes. There was no doubt—the beast had been controlled. 

The village was in ruins, casualties were mounting, and suspicions toward the Uchiha were bound to deepen. It was possible that someone within their ranks had conspired with Hyuga Mirai to orchestrate this catastrophe. 

On top of that, the Fourth Hokage was dead. The jinchuriki had changed hands, and news of this disaster had to be suppressed before rival villages could capitalize on their vulnerability. 

With all these burdens stacking up, Hiruzen felt the weight of leadership pressing down harder than ever. 

At least Mirai hadn't taken the jinchuriki. Had he done so, Hiruzen would have fought to the death to reclaim the Nine-Tails. But since the child remained, he could not afford reckless action—not when he had no guarantee of victory, especially against an enemy capable of defeating Jiraiya in Sage Mode. 

Soon after Mirai's departure, more shinobi arrived. 

"The Fourth Hokage…" 

The first to reach the scene froze at the sight of Minato's lifeless body. A gaping wound had torn through his chest, and his breathing had long ceased. There was no doubt—he was gone. 

Hiruzen barked an order. "Call the medical team! Now!" 

"Yes, Lord Third!" 

The medics arrived swiftly, but upon assessing the situation, they found that only Kushina was still clinging to life. Without hesitation, they prepared to transport her back to the village. 

"Lady Kushina, let us take the child," one medic said gently. 

"I'm staying with Naruto!" Kushina refused, her voice cold and unwavering. 

Tonight had shattered her. She had danced on the edge of death, watched her husband perish before her eyes, and, in the end, had been saved by the very people Minato had fought against. 

She had seen everything. 

Mirai hadn't truly been responsible for Minato's death. The moment he chose the Reaper Death Seal, his fate had already been sealed. His final act had been a sacrifice—not as her husband, but as the Hokage. 

As a child, Kushina had dreamed of becoming Hokage. But now… 

Now, she felt nothing but bitterness toward the title. 

Because of it, her family had suffered endlessly. 

Hiruzen stepped forward, his voice gentle but firm. "Kushina, listen to the medics. Your injuries need to be thoroughly examined. That traitor, Hyuga Mirai, may have done something to you—we need to be sure." 

"No," she said flatly. "Naruto stays with me." 

Her tone left no room for argument. 

Left with no choice, Hiruzen relented, allowing both mother and child to be taken away together. 

Afterward, he ordered Minato and the fallen ANBU to be taken back for proper burial rites. With the immediate crisis handled, he returned to the village, though he knew rest would be impossible in the coming days. 

Konoha had suffered a devastating blow. 

Had they lost the jinchuriki as well, the consequences would have been unimaginable. 

But the work was far from over. The dead needed to be accounted for, the wounded treated, and the village restored to order. The ANBU were already operating at full capacity, but the chaos was far from settled. 

By dawn, Hiruzen had only just managed to deal with the most urgent matters. 

Then came the casualty report. 

"So many dead…" 

A grim-faced ANBU handed him the list, and as Hiruzen read it, his chest tightened. 

One hundred thirteen Chunin. Sixteen Jonin. And that was only the officially registered shinobi—many clan members had also perished, though their losses had yet to be tallied. 

And at the top of it all—Konoha had lost its Fourth Hokage. 

Even worse, their jinchuriki had changed hands, and the Nine-Tails itself had been halved. 

Hiruzen closed his eyes, weary beyond measure. 

This was only the beginning.

The number of civilian casualties had yet to be fully accounted for, but it was bound to be significant. The Konoha shelters had prioritized shinobi and their families, leaving many civilians without adequate protection. 

Though Minato had managed to teleport the Tailed Beast Bomb away using the Flying Thunder God Technique, the destruction it caused along its redirected path had left countless dead within the village. 

"Hyuga Mirai… Uchiha…" 

Hiruzen Sarutobi muttered the names grimly. Mirai's involvement was clear now, especially with Ayaka Uzumaki at his side. The ANBU would focus all efforts on tracking them down. 

However, the greater concern was the Sharingan that had appeared in the Nine-Tails' eyes. If the beast had been controlled once, it could be controlled again. And if the same culprit attempted another attack on Konoha, this time, there would be no one left to stop it. 

A knock sounded at the door. 

"Come in," Hiruzen said wearily. 

Danzo, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado entered together. 

"You're here," Hiruzen acknowledged. At least with them present, some of the burden could be shared. 

"Tell us what happened, Hiruzen! How did the Nine-Tails break free? Where are the Fourth Hokage and Kushina?" Koharu fired off her questions like a barrage of kunai. 

Hiruzen exhaled slowly. "Minato… sacrificed himself to seal the Nine-Tails." 

"Seal the Nine-Tails?" Danzo's brows furrowed. "Then why did I see a hole in Namikaze Minato's chest? Who killed him?" 

The ANBU had already reported back to Root, and Danzo had wasted no time inspecting Minato's corpse. As one of Konoha's highest-ranking officials, no one had dared to stop him. 

From what he had seen, he was at least eighty percent certain—Minato's fatal wound had come from Hiruzen's own staff. 

Aside from that old monkey, who else in Konoha fought with a weapon like that? 

Hiruzen's expression darkened. "That was… a separate matter. It involved Hyuga Mirai." 

"Mirai?" Koharu frowned. "But wasn't the Nine-Tails under the control of the Uchiha's Sharingan?" 

"When Minato teleported the beast outside the village, I followed," Hiruzen explained, carefully crafting his words. He omitted the part where Minato had been killed by mistake, instead making it sound as though Mirai had manipulated the events. 

He went on to detail Ayaka's involvement, how she had sealed half of the Nine-Tails within herself, and how Mirai had even treated Kushina's injuries. 

"That bastard took half of the Nine-Tails?" Danzo slammed his cane against the floor in frustration. "Hiruzen, how could you just let them escape?" 

Hiruzen's voice remained steady. "Danzo, Kushina and Minato's child were still there. If I had pursued them, they would have been left unprotected. Ensuring their safety was the priority." 

"Hmph!" 

Danzo didn't buy it, but he moved on to his next concern. His sharp gaze locked onto Hiruzen. "Then hand the new jinchuriki over to me. I'll train him into Konoha's ultimate weapon." 

"You can forget about that, Danzo," Hiruzen snapped. "Kushina is still alive. No one is taking Minato's child away." 

Danzo's voice rose. "He is Konoha's jinchuriki first and Namikaze Minato's son second! Are you really going to let sentimentality waste such a crucial asset? When the next war comes, will you be the one standing on the battlefield instead?" 

Hiruzen's expression hardened. Koharu and Homura exchanged glances, nodding slightly in agreement. 

"Danzo has a point," Koharu said. 

"Indeed," Homura added. "We cannot afford to neglect the jinchuriki's training. Konoha has suffered a major loss tonight. If we lose our most powerful weapon in the process, we'll be defenseless when the next war arrives." 

Hiruzen understood this all too well. But with Kushina still alive, there was no way she would allow her child to be taken away—nor would he. 

And even if she weren't, Hiruzen would never let Danzo sink his claws into Minato's son. 

Danzo was ruthless, and if he controlled the jinchuriki, the balance of power in Konoha would shift in unpredictable ways. 

"I will handle this myself," Hiruzen declared. "I will speak with Kushina. For now, let's focus on other pressing matters." 

His tone left no room for argument. 

Danzo scowled but said nothing further. Koharu and Homura, satisfied that Hiruzen would at least take responsibility for training the jinchuriki, let the matter drop. 

Still, they all knew—this was only the beginning.

(End of Chapter)

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