Naruto: Unhinged Uchiha

[Read up to Chapter - 109 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]

.

.

.

.

Hokage Office

Sarutobi Hiruzen soon received word that Jiraiya had been paraded through the streets. An ANBU operative delivered the news.

"Hokage-sama, should we move to rescue Jiraiya-sama?" the ANBU asked.

Hiruzen frowned but then slowly shook his head. His instincts told him that if he stepped in to save Jiraiya, Kanzou would seize the opportunity to exploit it.

He had already been humiliated by Kanzou's Mangekyō Sharingan. Among the various clans and Konoha's Elite Jōnin, his authority had taken a serious blow. His two advisors are still admitted in the hospital…

If Kanzou struck again under the right circumstances, Hiruzen could be forced to abdicate.

"Let Jiraiya learn his lesson," Hiruzen said coldly.

He had no intention of rescuing Jiraiya.

If he did, Kanzou would likely twist the situation, spreading rumours that the Hokage was covering for his perverted disciple—damaging Hiruzen's already weakened reputation even further.

Not to mention, Kanzou had already accused him of peeking at women once before… and although he believed Kanzou was exaggerating at the time and didn't have any real evidence, in his current situation, he wouldn't be able to resist if Kanzou decided to use force.

So, he didn't dare interfere.

Still, Tsunade had to be brought back—this splitting headache was truly unbearable.

"Send someone else from the ANBU to search for Tsunade in his place."

…

Meanwhile, Jiraiya was being paraded through the streets in utter misery.

Coincidentally, Uzumaki Kushina happened to pass by and immediately covered her face.

"What a disgrace," she muttered, deeply embarrassed. She didn't want anyone to know she had a connection with him and could be considered half his student.

"Good thing I've never been to the bathhouse. Otherwise, I might've lost control myself and participated in beating him up," she added under her breath.

'Beat him up?' Suddenly, her eyes brightened as an idea popped into her head. Her eyes gleamed mischievously as she thought about using the opportunity to land a few punches on Jiraiya.

She had been annoyed with him lately—he kept nagging her to end her friendship with Mikoto.

Mikoto is one of the very few friends she has… in fact, it wouldn't even be wrong to say that Mikoto is her best friend… so being told many times to stay away from Mikoto… obviously, Kushina is very annoyed… and decided to take out her frustration on him.

Without hesitation, Kushina grabbed a piece of cloth to cover her face, walked up to Jiraiya, and landed a solid punch on his face.

Jiraiya yelped in pain, tears streaming from his eyes.

"Kushina...!?" Jiraiya gritted his teeth hard.

"You recognised me so easily? Jiraiya-sama, how did you figure it out?" Kushina asked in surprise when he called her name.

Looking at her clueless expression, Jiraiya wanted to scream. 'Are you an idiot?' he thought. 'Your hair is practically a beacon. How could I not notice?'

That bright red hair—far too distinctive.

There was no mistaking it.

In all of Konoha, there was only one red-haired girl: a very close friend of his disciple, Uzumaki Kushina.

"Hmph! You think I won't hit you just because you figured out who I am?" Kushina huffed, then ripped off the cloth hiding her face and punched him again—hard. Already bruised and battered, Jiraiya now took several more hits.

"Kushina... just you wait, I'll give you a good lesson," he growled through clenched teeth.

"Hmph, trying to give me trouble? You've got no chance," Kushina snorted proudly. "I'm applying for the Jōnin assessment soon."

She puffed her chest out, clearly pleased with herself.

Once she became a Jōnin, she wouldn't have to follow Jiraiya's command any longer.

In other words, her wings would grow—there was no need to fear Jiraiya's petty revenge anymore.

…

On the other side, Kanzou's eyes locked onto the Kunoichi with red hair, "Uzumaki Kushina."

After a long, steady stare, he smiled and slowly turned to Mikoto. "Aren't you going to have a chat with your close friend?" he suggested.

Although it was a suggestion… Mikoto knew that it wasn't a casual suggestion—it was an unspoken instruction.

She hesitated for a moment, then gave a small nod, "I understand, Kan-sama. I'll take her to our home."

She understood what Kanzou truly meant.

She had already steeled herself for the guilt of betraying Kushina.

The weight of it lingered in her heart, but without protest, Mikoto turned and walked toward her close friend.

As Mikoto went to speak with Kushina, Hazuki approached Kanzou to report.

"Patriarch, some ANBU ninja attempted to leave the village. They've been stopped, as per your instructions."

"Good," Kanzou nodded. "Keep a close watch. If any ANBU tries to leave the village, come up with a reason to stop them. Whatever it takes, delay them as much as possible."

He knew full well that Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't sit idly by after Jiraiya's capture—he'd surely send someone else to find Tsunade.

Kanzou wasn't under any illusion that he could prevent that entirely. But if he could buy enough time, it would be more than enough.

"Now," he muttered to himself, "let's see how far the other villages are willing to go."

Regardless, Kanzou had done everything he could—it was now up to Sunagakure, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure to seize the opportunity.

He had already opened the door for them.

…

On the other side, Mikoto had already approached her Kushina.

"Kushina-chan, finished with training?" Mikoto called out.

"Hey, Mikoto-chan! I didn't expect to see you here," Kushina replied cheerfully.

Seeing Kushina's bright smile stirred a fresh wave of guilt in Mikoto's heart.

But guilt or not, she didn't turn back.

"How have you been lately?" she asked.

"Too busy… all because of that pervert," Kushina pouted, pointing at Jiraiya. "But let's put him aside—who wants to talk about a pervert, anyway?"

Then her gaze shifted to Mikoto.

It had been quite some time since she last saw Mikoto—their last meeting had been on the day of Mikoto's wedding.

Although Mikoto had invited her to visit several times through letters, Kushina had never been able to go. Each attempt had been stopped—sometimes by the ANBU, other times by Jiraiya or even Minato.

And so, only now was she finally seeing Mikoto again.

Looking at her now, Kushina couldn't help but remark, "You seem… different, Mikoto-chan."

"Do I?" Mikoto blinked as she asked.

In fact, she didn't even need to ask in her heart; she was very clear that she had changed.

Compared to her past self, she was no longer a good person.

By her own admission, she had become a bad woman—proven by the fact that she was about to do something very wrong to Kushina… something her former self would never have even considered.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder what changes Kushina perceived in her.

Unaware of Mikoto's thoughts, Kushina nodded innocently. "Yup, you really have changed…"

She studied Mikoto again—the aura around her felt different now, and even her sense of dress seemed to have changed.

Earlier, Mikoto had seemed like a kind and gentle elder sister… but now, she carried the air of a cold, unapproachable noble…

As if a woman of higher status…

If not for their existing friendship and the fact that Mikoto had been the one to approach her first, even Kushina might have found it difficult to speak to her so casually.

Moreover, something in particular also caught Kushina's eyes, "Since when did you start wearing Black Lipstick?"

Kushina has known Mikoto for many years… and in all those years, she has never once seen Mikoto wear Black lipstick… But now all of a sudden, she was wearing Black Lipstick.

"Does it look bad?" Mikoto murmured, pressing her lips.

"Well… It's not that it looks bad. Actually, it suits you. It's just… unexpected," Kushina explained.

"Kan-sama likes it, so I decided to wear black lipstick. It's a bit of a goth look," Mikoto said casually.

"Is it for Uchiha Kanzou-kun?" Kushina murmured, then leaned in with a mischievous grin. "By the way, now that you're married, have you already… done it with him? You also seem a little more mature…"

Mikoto's cheeks flushed faintly. "That's not something you should be asking," she murmured.

Kushina blinked, her grin widening. "So you really have done it…" and asked with a somewhat flushed expression, "H-how does it feel? Come on, tell me the details…"

When it came to things like that, Kushina was just as gossipy as any other girl—curious and eager to ask Mikoto, now an experienced woman, for some insight.

After all, at some point, she too would have to face that step… with Minato-kun.

And she felt that she could learn a bit from Mikoto's experience.

Seeing Kushina, Mikoto felt another pang of guilt and thought to herself, 'You're about to experience it for yourself.' Then, glancing around, she said, "As for the details… well, I can't share them here." After a pause, she added, "Let's go to my house. Kan-sama won't be home until night, so we can talk there."

Kushina looked a little surprised at the invitation. "Hm? What's this I see? You're inviting me? Last time, you seemed like you wanted to push me away." She spoke as if mildly offended. "You really hurt my feelings, ya'know…"

Mikoto gave a slightly awkward smile. "There were a lot of things happening back then…" she said, then offered an apology. "I apologize for that time."

Kushina smiled and waved it off. "It's okay… I forgive you." She knew Mikoto had been going through a lot at the time, and it was only natural not to want too many people involved. Besides, Kushina hadn't taken it to heart—she had only been worried about Mikoto.

Mikoto then asked, "But Kushina-chan… were you so upset that you turned down several of my invitations afterward?"

This time, it was Kushina's turn to laugh a little awkwardly. "I… I just had a lot going on, so I couldn't come…" She quickly bowed her head in apology. "Please forgive me…"

"It's okay… now we are even…" said Mikoto with a smile, before asking, "Anyway… do you want to come to my home? I guess I'll give you some details."

Kushina's eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh… a newly married couple's love nest? I want to see what it's like!"

Jiraiya, who had stopped her again and again in the past, was now being paraded around and wouldn't be able to interfere today. That meant Kushina could finally catch up with Mikoto.

As for the ANBU, 'Humph! They'd better not interfere…' she snorted inwardly, though a flicker of worry still lingered that they might appear at any moment.

So, without hesitation, she quickly grabbed Mikoto's hand and nodded enthusiastically. "Okay, let's go~" she said, practically dragging Mikoto along.

"W-wait… slow down a little. The house isn't going anywhere…" Mikoto tried to calm her down.

"Hehe… yeah, I guess," Kushina admitted with a sheepish laugh.

But she didn't slow down—she hurried along with Mikoto, afraid the ANBU might show up to interfere.

It's just that… Kushina didn't realize that the quicker she walked, the faster she approached the pit of suffering prepared for her.

Mikoto, who knew this all too well, sighed as she led her friend toward it.

.

.

.

.

Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!

[Read up to Chapter - 109 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]