Tsunade did not remove her hand from Kaien's chest as the questioning continued. The faint flow of chakra through her palm remained steady, functioning like a living polygraph that monitored every fluctuation in his body.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Tell me," she said, her tone calm but commanding, "Who are the strongest shinobi currently in* Kumo?"
Kaien's mind moved rapidly.
This line of questioning was becoming dangerous, the more general the question the more he would have to reveal. If Tsunade started building a detailed military profile of Kumo for Konoha, she could begin predicting power structures, strategic weaknesses, and internal political influence. I need to answer truthfully, but I cannot give them anything new.
He quickly formed a solution.
He decided he would only tell them what they already knew. That way, they would assume I do not possess any deeper information. And when she asked about the strongest, everyone has their own perspective or baseline for strength, so I choose to interpret it as those at the Kage level. If it was Jounin-level, then I would be forced spill out about Captain Renga, Dodai and Pakura. Luckily, Roshi is killed... otherwise I would have to include him as well. I also don't have to include Four-tails, Son Goku or Genbu as they are not shinobi. Huff.
He inhaled slowly and answered.
"My grandfather, the Raikage. My mother, Aya. Uncle Ay. The Eight-Tails jinchūriki, Killer Bee. The Nine-Tails jinchūriki, Kushina. And my grandmother… Benihime."
The last name caused both Tsunade and Minato to pause.
"Benihime?" Minato repeated.
Tsunade's brows furrowed. "That name does not appear in our intelligence records," she said. "Who is she, and how strong is she?"
Kaien was momentarily surprised by their ignorance. How do they not know her?
"If she was as strong as Grandfather, then why is she not well known and for the top brass of the Konoha to not know her... Then he remembered her saying she spent most of her life on the Genbu Island taking care of Genbu. And those who knew her met their end."
Kaien shrugged slightly. "I do not know exactly how strong she is," he answered truthfully. "But she is the 'B' of the Raikage."
Tsunade's expression hardened slightly... she was well aware of the status of B.
It meant a partner strong enough to stand beside the Raikage himself in battle. Someone trusted with absolute loyalty and nearly equal strength.
"If this woman existed and truly held that role, then Kumo possessed yet another kage-level combatant, which we don't know about."
Tsunade slowly withdrew her hand from Kaien's chest. The more she learned, the worse the situation looked.
Minato broke the silence. "Tsunade-san… what should we do now?" he asked quietly. "Should we report this to Hokage Danzo?"
Tsunade closed her eyes as she thought about returning this Kid unofficially to Kumo but Minato would agree to to it.
Her thoughts turned bitter as Danzo had been elevated to Hokage status after the war for halting the Raikage's momentum during the final stages of conflict. His political narrative had been carefully shaped. Others contributions and the sacrifices of countless shinobi were spoken of far less frequently and he painted himself to be the saviour of the supposedly evil Kumo.
She had lost much of her influence by being stationed away from Konoha's political center for far too long.
And now Minato had brought the grandson of the Raikage into their camp.
Several shinobi had already seen him when Minato teleported outside the tent. Chakra sensors in the camp would have detected a foreign signature instantly. Kakashi's outburst moments ago had likely been heard throughout the medical perimeter.
"It is Kumo's fault. I will kill that kid."
Those words when Kakashi shouted would spread quickly... so sufficient shinobi should already have a gist of what happened.
If Tsunade attempted to conceal the hostage, it would only give a better reason for Danzo to completely push her out of the decision making. He would accuse her of treasonous concealment of a critical hostage, twist in the narrative, and shift blame onto her shoulders.
She opened her eyes again.
"Minato," she said firmly. "We will take the hostage to the Hokage. It is not our place to decide the future of Konoha alone."
Minato nodded slowly. Before leaving, Tsunade turned toward the rear of the tent.
"Shizune."
The flap lifted as a young woman stepped inside. "Yes, Tsunade-sama?"
"Take care of Saruto and Kakashi," Tsunade instructed. "I will return shortly."
Shizune bowed. "Yes."
Kaien's stomach tightened. "Damn it. I do not want to meet that bandaged mummy. Though it is a good thing for kumo to have Danzo as the Hokage... now the situation was different."
The thought alone made his throat dry. Persuasion would not work on someone like him. That man would dissect his mind and torture him with no hesitation.
Luckily… Kaien exhaled slowly.
Yushiro's layered genjutsu seals just before Minato arrived were still there around the deeper layers of his mind. The Yamanaka clan could break through eventually, but it would take time.
But torture? That was something entirely different. His composure slipped for a brief moment as he swallowed nervously.
"What… where are we going?" he asked cautiously.
Tsunade's expression did not soften. "To atone for your sins," she replied.
Kaien blinked. "Why does she have to be poetic right now?"
Tsunade turned to Minato. "Let's go."
Minato placed one hand on Kaien's shoulder and the other lightly against Tsunade's arm.
In the next instant they appeared inside Konoha.
The familiar village skyline stretched across the horizon. Shinobi stationed near the gates noticed the sudden appearance immediately.
Tsunade stepped forward. "Minato," she said quietly.
"Yes?"
"Inform every clan head about the hostage you captured," she instructed. "This is only a precaution."
Minato listened carefully.
"If Hokage Danzo decides to make this situation entirely his own," Tsunade continued, "we need the clans aware of what truly happened. That way we have allies if the political situation turns… unpleasant."
Minato understood immediately. The clans balanced power inside Konoha. Even Danzo would have to bent if everyone was pushed him.
If Danzo controlled the narrative unchallenged, Kaien's capture could be twisted into justification for aggressive war or for his own motive.
"Go to the Uchiha first," Tsunade said. "I will go to Hyuga... they owe me one favor."
Minato nodded. "After that inform the Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Aburame, Inuzuka, and Sarutobi."
Each clan was a pillar of Konoha's structure. "I will take the hostage to the Hokage after that I finish my business with Hyuga," Tsunade finished.
Minato said, "I understand." As he vanished instantly.
Kaien watched him disappear for a brief moment he considered whether Minato's presence is needed for him to be safe around this old lady.
Now he stood alone beside Tsunade, walking toward the Hyuga estate.
Every step felt heavier than the last as if he was walking into his own doom.
Kaien stared up at the looming building and exhaled quietly.
"Well," he muttered internally.
I am cooked.
~~
A/N: Upto 20 Advance chapters available @ patreon.com/aizenDuchiha0