At the same time, inside Minato Namikaze's home.
Kushina Uzumaki, still not quite used to her current state, rubbed her waist and said apologetically to Jiraiya, who was making tea for himself in the kitchen,
"I'm sorry, Lord Jiraiya… You're clearly a rare guest and an elder visiting our home, yet I'm making you brew tea yourself…"
"Come on, what is there to apologize for? Do I look like the kind of guy who would take such a tiny thing to heart and secretly hold a grudge?"
Jiraiya picked up the brewed tea and grinned at Kushina, whose belly had grown large.
"All right, all right. Kushina, you should go rest properly. This is exactly the hardest stage for you. You can't tire yourself out because of an old man like me who doesn't need taking care of."
"Huh? But…"
"Enough, enough. Look at how meek you are acting. Where did the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero from back then go? Being fussy and overcareful isn't your style, Kushina."
Jiraiya carried the tea toward the living room.
Meanwhile, Kushina was choked hard by his words. It took her a long while to barely suppress the urge to reignite her true nature.
Then she followed into the living room with light steps, waiting for her husband to bring home the other guest of this temporary little gathering.
"I'm back, Kushina~"
Not long after they sat down in the living room, Minato Namikaze's sunny voice, which always made people feel at ease, came from the entryway.
After that, Kakashi Hatake's somewhat unmotivated voice also rang out.
"S-Sorry for intruding, Lady Kushina, and Lord Jiraiya…"
"No, no, no. Kakashi, saying it like that makes it sound like I'm a member of Minato's family. I'm not married, and I don't have a son as big as him. Don't casually set that kind of rhythm for me!"
Jiraiya's joking interruption successfully dispersed Kakashi Hatake's gloomy mood.
As Minato smilingly rubbed Kakashi's white hair and pulled him into the living room to sit on the sofa, everyone who should be present had arrived.
Seeing this, Jiraiya coughed twice and said to Minato Namikaze very seriously,
"Sorry, Minato. This should clearly be the time for you and Kushina to enjoy your world for two, yet an old geezer like me came over and disturbed your private time so tactlessly…"
"No, no. Kushina and I both welcome you very much when you visit our home, Jiraiya-sensei."
Minato Namikaze hurriedly waved his hand, indicating that there was no disturbance to their world for two at all.
Then his expression similarly became much more serious as he said in a deep voice,
"And I have also read the intelligence report you submitted to me, Jiraiya-sensei. I can tell that a portion of the content inside was probably not written in full…
"That should be why you took the initiative to visit our home and even asked me to call Kakashi over, right?"
"You are as outstanding as ever, Minato."
Jiraiya looked at Minato Namikaze with considerable emotion and relief.
Then his hands quickly formed seals, setting up a barrier in the room that could isolate sound from spreading outward.
Only after making sufficient precautions did he say to Minato Namikaze,
"In the mission report I handed to the Hokage's office, I already mentioned that the mastermind behind this assassination incident was the Root organization formed by those rogue shinobi who broke away from Root. I also wrote that the reason they created these bloody incidents was very likely to seize Kakashi Hatake's Sharingan…
"Just this intelligence alone already made the old man and the others extremely nervous, right?"
"Yes."
Minato Namikaze nodded in agreement.
"The expressions of Advisors Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane became terrifying at once. Lord Third was also called back from the Ninja Academy by them so they could hold a meeting together and discuss how to handle this matter.
"When I left the Hokage Building today, their argument still showed no sign of ending."
"Sigh. That is also why I did not dare report this matter to them as well."
Jiraiya shook his head, his expression serious as he said,
"The next two things I am about to say. Everyone must not get too agitated, and must not casually reveal them to outsiders…
"Otherwise, it may cause some extremely bad things."
"What is it, Lord Jiraiya?"
Kakashi Hatake, who was currently extremely depressed because he had somehow become the Root organization's target, raised his hand.
He looked at Jiraiya with dead fish eyes and asked.
"First, the name Shisui Uchiha. Everyone should know who that is, right?"
Jiraiya raised one finger and slowly began his intelligence report.
"That genius from the Uchiha clan who was taken by Kirigakure. Yesterday, I even heard people from the Uchiha clan mention that name in the mission commission hall."
Kakashi Hatake listlessly shook his head.
"What happened to him?"
"He is now one of Kirigakure's newly appointed Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Moreover, he has obtained Rei Kaguya's Cursed Seal of Heaven and is regarded by him as an absolute confidant."
Jiraiya dropped the first explosive piece of information he knew.
"What did you say!?"
Kakashi Hatake, who had been dispirited just now, instantly became energetic.
He stared at Jiraiya's eyes with a face full of disbelief, as if trying to see whether the other party had been placed under some genjutsu to say something this absurd.
Kushina Uzumaki, who was close friends with Mikoto Uchiha, also covered her mouth and held her breath because of it, wearing an expression of shock that was unwilling to believe this was true.
"Although I did imagine what might have happened to that child after he was taken away, this development is still a little… too insane."
Minato Namikaze shook his head and sighed.
"I do not know whether I should say that Kirigakure's Fourth Mizukage has astonishing capacity, or…"
"If only that kid had a problem, then I would not have gone so far as to not dare write this matter into the official mission report."
Jiraiya sighed.
Then he made a gesture to Kakashi Hatake, telling him to lift his forehead protector and reveal his Sharingan.
"The second piece of news is the real reason I did not dare act rashly."
"The second matter is?"
Kakashi Hatake frowned and raised his forehead protector.
The three-tomoe Sharingan in his left eye spun rapidly, as if foreseeing something.
It looked especially unsettling.
"The second matter is this.
"I suspect that the true mastermind behind the Root organization either accidentally obtained the other Sharingan matched with your eye, Kakashi…
"Or else… that person is Obito Uchiha himself, whose corpse disappeared."
This earth-shattering revelation instantly left all three people present dumbstruck.
A silent, deathly atmosphere lasted for several full minutes inside the living room of Minato Namikaze's house.
Only then did Kakashi Hatake, who had jumped up from the sofa, take the initiative to speak.
In a frantic tone that absolutely refused to accept it, he said to Jiraiya with anger and panic,
"You… how dare you… how dare you insult Obito like this!? Even if you are Sensei's teacher, I absolutely will not allow you to casually slander my comrade!"
"Kakashi, calm down first!"
Minato Namikaze hugged the out-of-control Kakashi Hatake from behind.
At the same time, he directed an extremely serious gaze toward Jiraiya and asked in a cold voice,
"Jiraiya-sensei, key intelligence involving a dead comrade does not leave any room for uncertainty…
"Do you truly have enough evidence to confirm that the mastermind behind the Root organization is related to Obito?"
"Aside from someone connected to that Obito Uchiha's eye, I cannot think of any reason that would make that mastermind formulate a plan to lure Kakashi out of the village and seize his Sharingan."
Jiraiya shook his head.
His expression was equally serious and sincere.
"And judging from the other side's displayed style of action, we cannot rule out the possibility that they will find an opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Konoha and seize Kakashi's eye.
"You must understand, there are quite a few former Root members in that organization. Their familiarity with Konoha's defense system is frightening."
"A surprise attack… on Konoha?"
Minato Namikaze's expression was grave.
"Would they truly go that insane?"
"They are Root. They are Danzo Shimura's people. If the timing is suitable, I even suspect they may find a way to attack Kushina at the same time."
Jiraiya looked at Kushina's belly, which clearly would not take much longer, and said with deep worry,
"I cannot imagine what it would look like if that truly happened. But I believe everyone involved in this matter must raise their vigilance to the highest level."