Cautious Eyes: An Uchiha's Path

"Jiraiya-sensei, what is this?"

Minato Namikaze's voice was calm, but the unease in his eyes was unmistakable.

Jiraiya exhaled heavily, holding a thick folder of documents. "These were recovered by the Konoha Security Department during a raid… it's serious, Minato. They were found near one of Orochimaru's hidden facilities."

He hesitated. At first, he'd wanted to explain that the documents were Orochimaru's way of leaving behind a message, maybe even a warped gift. But with Orochimaru officially declared a missing-nin, traitor to the village, the words wouldn't come out that way.

"Even if he started with good intentions... there's no going back now," Jiraiya muttered, handing the folder to the newly appointed Fourth Hokage. "These are the parts I could verify."

Minato took the documents. He barely made it past the first few pages before his expression darkened. His jaw tightened. The ANBU and other shinobi in the room remained silent, the tension thicker than smoke from a Fire Release.

Two corpses lay on the floor—bodies recovered from Orochimaru's lab. Victims of unethical human experimentation.

Even Hiruzen Sarutobi, the retired Third Hokage, had fallen into stunned silence. His expression—once stern and full of confidence—now trembled with disbelief and sorrow.

He muttered under his breath, "Why… Orochimaru? You were always the most talented of them all... Why would you go this far?"

Shimura Danzo stood beside him, his face unreadable behind layers of gauze and shadows. But his narrowed eyes flicked toward the corpses, then toward the documents in Minato's hands. He had personally ordered Root to destroy all incriminating evidence. Yet... here it was. Still intact.

How did these not get buried?

Who failed to clean it all up?

Danzo clenched his fists. Even without reading, he could tell: the evidence was real. The bodies were real. And if the documents were half as damning as he feared, it was over.

From a distance, Uchiha Kai whispered to his two companions—Kenta Imai and Hyuga Aya.

"I haven't seen them up close yet," Kei said, "but I wonder... was Orochimaru's 'gift' useful?"

Kenta nodded, his voice low. "Shockingly useful. Most of the files were annotated and had concrete evidence. Jiraiya and I went over them together. It's bad."

Aya's voice was quieter, almost somber. "As someone of Senju descent… does it make you sick? Seeing your ancestors desecrated like this?"

Kenta winced but shrugged. "Of course it does. But what can I do now? You two are neck-deep in this too."

Then, changing the subject, Kenta added, "By the way, Jiraiya-sensei asked me to pass along a message—especially to you, Minister."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"He said… please understand that the documents were filtered. Edited."

Kai's eyes narrowed. Filtered? Of course. Jiraiya must have redacted anything implicating Hiruzen Sarutobi directly. The Third Hokage's approval would've been necessary for many of Danzo's Root projects to proceed. But Jiraiya, ever loyal, likely didn't want to stain his sensei's legacy.

After all, tarnishing the name of a Hokage could destabilize the very village.

But Kai knew the truth: Orochimaru had left behind evidence of Hiruzen's silent complicity. Jiraiya chose to shield his master.

Kai sighed. Even if I can't drag the Third into the Pure Land just yet… I can shatter the political structure he built. If Danzo takes the fall, Minato can rise freer from the legacy of Hiruzen's shadow.

Minato's killing intent pulsed through the room.

He had finished reading. The documents were crumpled in his clenched fists.

He lifted his eyes to Jiraiya. "Sensei… all this came from Orochimaru?"

Jiraiya nodded grimly. "He defected. He knew I was investigating him and left these behind. I think… he hoped I'd find them. But Uchiha Kai and his unit reached the site first. That's why Kai ended up with most of it."

Minato took a long, slow breath.

The dream of becoming Hokage…

This is what it means? This is the truth buried under the title?

He turned toward the Third Hokage, then finally to Danzo. "Shimura Danzo."

Danzo said nothing, but his eye twitched.

"You authorized experiments on Konoha's citizens. You desecrated graves. You conspired in secrecy, outside the Hokage's command."

"I did it for Konoha!" Danzo shouted. "Everything I did was to protect the village!"

Minato's eyes were ice. "Then explain these."

He tossed the documents into the air. Pages scattered across the room. Shinobi bent down, scanning them—growing pale.

Minato stepped forward, drawing a kunai. "Shimura Danzo, I am placing you under arrest for treason, illegal experimentation, and conspiracy against the will of the Hokage."

Kai observed silently. Danzo's the fall guy. As expected.

But just as Minato moved to detain him—

Smoke bomb!

A violent explosion of smoke filled the room. When it cleared, Danzo and his bodyguards had vanished.

"He ran?" Kai blinked, then gave a half-smile. "Should've known."

Danzo's so-called loyalty was paper-thin. One second he was preaching about duty; the next, he vanished like a coward. But Kei's smile twisted.

He turned his gaze toward Hiruzen Sarutobi—who remained rooted, his expression unreadable.

Kai chuckled. "And I wonder who gave him the smoke bomb."