Chương 134: The Third’s Meticulous Arrangement

After two days of reprieve, the Owl Squad settled back into the familiar cadence of the Hokage's Guard. Time flowed like a steady river toward October. Kushina's belly grew more prominent with each passing day, and Minato watched her with the quiet, beaming pride of a farmer witnessing his fields ripen for harvest. In those moments, the crushing weight of the Hokage's mantle seemed to lift, replaced by a radiant, domestic joy. Zhen, however, was a nervous wreck.

He fretted over every detail with an intensity that suggested he was the one expecting. He made a silent vow: when Naruto finally grew up, he was going to receive several well-deserved thrashings for all this vicarious stress. One afternoon in September, Minato took a rare day off to remain at home. Zhen's squad had rotated in to replace Kakashi's team, while Genma's trio enjoyed a brief holiday.

If there was anything remarkable about the day, it was that a certain silver-haired lecher had finally disentangled himself from the embrace of the world's beauties and returned to the Hidden Leaf. Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, had spent months wandering in search of the Child of Prophecy, but he had finally remembered he possessed a disciple—one who was about to become a father. The village was at peace, and Minato spared his master the sordid details of political infighting.

He knew Jiraiya had no stomach for bureaucracy. Had he spoken of his troubles, Jiraiya's instinct would have been to storm into the Third's office to demand a reckoning—an act that would only fracture the fragile equilibrium between the old guard and the new. Jiraiya was ecstatic to learn that Minato intended to name the child after the protagonist of his debut novel.

Though the name had been a whim inspired by a bowl of ramen, the gesture touched the Sage deeply; it was a testament to the unwavering respect his student still held for him. The reunion was brief. After a meal, the domestic bliss radiating from the couple became too much for the eternal bachelor to bear. Every tender look and shared smile struck Jiraiya's heart like a soul-crushing payload of envy. He retreated before his spirit broke entirely.

Outside the Namikaze residence, Jiraiya landed on a nearby rooftop with effortless grace, crouching near Zhen's vantage point.

"Yo, kid. It's been half a year. I didn't expect to find you wearing an Anbu mask."

"Lord Jiraiya," Zhen replied, his voice muffled by the porcelain.

"You have the wrong man. I am a member of the Owl Squad. Code name: Athene."

"Come now, don't be so stiff."

"Please do not interfere with my duties."

"Honestly," Jiraiya sighed, "you're becoming just like that brat Kakashi. You were much more charming when you were younger."

"Needs must. When masters of your caliber spend all their time abroad, we juniors have no choice but to work twice as hard to pick up the slack."

"Is that a hint of resentment I hear?"

"Perhaps. I am curious, Lord Jiraiya—now that you're back, how long do you intend to stay in the Leaf?" Jiraiya smirked.

"That's classified information. Are you sure you want to pry into a state secret?"

"Your answer tells me everything. You'll be gone by tomorrow morning, if not this afternoon." Jiraiya laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

"Aha... you're far too perceptive for your own good. I suppose I shouldn't have shown my face to you at all."

"Are you certain about leaving?" Zhen asked, gesturing toward Minato's home.

"At a critical juncture like this?"

"Don't make it sound so dire," Jiraiya said, dismissing the concern with a wave of his hand.

"There's still time. Besides, the Old Man and Minato are both here. What could possibly go wrong?" This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"I hope you're right."

"Relax, kid. This is an era of peace. No village is foolish enough to spark a war so soon after the last one ended. Don't wind yourself so tight." With a wink, the Great Toad Sage vanished into the shadows. Zhen didn't feel relaxed at all. He knew Jiraiya wouldn't be back in time. It would be too easy for someone to bait the Sage away with false leads regarding the Akatsuki or Tsunade. To Jiraiya's mind, given the current strength of the Leaf, his presence wasn't a necessity.

The world believed that no one could breach Konoha's layers of defense. The only man capable of such a feat was supposed to be dead. No one knew that a ghost from the past had bequeathed the Nine-Tails' summoning contract to a boy the world believed was buried in a pile of rocks. As October dawned, the date of Kushina's delivery loomed. The village remained serene. The impending birth of a Jinchuriki's child was a secret guarded with religious fervor, unknown to the rank-and-file shinobi or the common citizenry.

In a secure briefing room within the Hokage tower, the five most powerful individuals in the Leaf gathered to finalize the arrangements. The elders—the "Council of Four"—had seen the devastation of the Nine-Tails, but they were not overly anxious. The monster who could command the beast had been dead for decades. As long as the Uchiha were kept away from the ritual, the risk was considered manageable.

In their eyes, the Sharingan was the only key to the Fox, and years of surveillance had convinced them that no Uchiha currently possessed the requisite ocular power. Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a plume of thick smoke.

"Fourth, do the Anbu guarding Kushina know the exact date?"

"They do not," Minato replied.

"The specifics are known only to Lady Biwako, her disciple Taji, and those in this room."

"Is that so?" Danzo Shimura interjected, his voice like grinding stone.

"From what I gather, your Guard has frequently bypassed protocol to remain in close proximity to the Jinchuriki. Zhen Dongye, specifically, is a prodigy of medical ninjutsu. Do you truly believe he remains ignorant?" Minato's brow furrowed.

"Zhen is talented, yes, but he has never performed a physical examination on Kushina. He has no way to calculate the term. Kushina teaches them Sealing Jutsu; she does not disclose her medical status. Even if he suspected something, his loyalty is beyond question." Danzo huffed, falling silent. His aim wasn't necessarily to cast doubt on Zhen, but to needle the young Hokage—to remind the room that Minato was still "green" and required their constant oversight.

If Minato were flawless, the Foundation would lose its raison d'être.

"Danzo, mind your tongue," Hiruzen chided.

"Zhen and Kakashi represent the future of the Leaf. They are above suspicion."

"I did not say they were traitors," Danzo countered.

"I merely pointed out a lapse in the Fourth's logic." Homura Mitokado steered the conversation back to the task at hand.

"Enough. We must finalize the protocol for the delivery. This is a matter of village survival." Minato suppressed a flash of irritation. He hated the way they spoke of his wife—always "the Jinchuriki," never "Kushina."

"I believe we should maintain the status quo," Minato said, his voice level.

"A home birth. I can use the Flying Thunder God to transport Lady Biwako and Taji directly to our residence. No one will notice the anomaly. Our home is a fortress of seals; it is as secure as any bunker. If I keep the deployment minimal, we avoid drawing the eyes of our enemies." Koharu Utatane shook her head vehemently.

"Absolutely not. This is the Nine-Tails we are discussing. If an accident occurs within the village proper, the devastation would be irreversible. We cannot gamble with the lives of our citizens."

"Koharu is right," Homura added.

"Minato," Danzo added, his tone dripping with condescension, "you are the Hokage. I begin to wonder if you prioritize your wife over the safety of the state." Minato bristled, but before he could speak, Hiruzen intervened.

"I will handle the arrangements," the Third decided, his voice carrying the weight of his years.

"The birth will take place outside the village. I will prepare a secondary, high-security site. Biwako will escort you and Kushina there when the time comes. We will establish multiple layers of Anbu cordons and absolute exclusion zones. That should suffice." Minato shook his head.

"Lord Third, the more we prepare, the more we reveal. A massive mobilization of Anbu will only signal that something is happening. It creates a trail." Hiruzen took a long pull from his pipe, looking at Minato with the paternalistic gaze of a mentor.

"Minato, you still don't understand. There is no enemy alive who can break through a full Anbu blockade and reach that barrier. The only true danger is the Nine-Tails itself." In that moment, Minato realized the fundamental disconnect. In the eyes of the elders, the threat was not an external assassin—it was the woman lying in his bed. The security wasn't designed to protect Kushina from the world; it was designed to protect the world from the beast inside her.

If an enemy did appear, they would have to fight through the pride of the Leaf's shinobi, then the Anbu, and finally the strongest barriers the village could manifest. To the elders, that was an impossibility.

"Fine," Minato sighed.

"We will proceed with the Third's plan." Hiruzen nodded, satisfied. To him, the young Hokage had finally deferred to the wisdom of age. Danzo and the others offered no further protest; a birth outside the walls was the only way to ensure the village was never in the line of fire. In their hearts, the village came first. Kushina was merely the vessel. And Minato, looking at the faces of his predecessors, wondered for the first time where his own heart truly lay.