While Dr. Kōyaku, the elderly physician who had once taught Tsunade medical ninjutsu, was examining Ringo Ameyuri, Minato returned to Mount Imoni together with Koeda Kyoichi. Of course, Kyoichi did not simply abandon Ringo Ameyuri in Konoha. He left two shadow clones behind to remain at her side.
After all, if nothing unexpected happened,
their return journey was likely to be put on hold. With an incident of this scale having occurred, Konoha would certainly conduct a thorough investigation, and as the parties directly involved, their group of Kiri ninja could not simply continue on their way. Cooperating with the investigation was unavoidable.
Sure enough, just as Kyoichi had anticipated,
the moment Minato and Kyoichi returned to Mount Imoni,
a masked ANBU operative leapt out from the shadows. Judging by appearances, he had been stationed nearby all along.
"Namikaze Minato, Koeda Kyoichi. The Hokage-sama is waiting for the two of you at Kogaku Temple. Please come with me."
The ANBU called them by name, his voice cold and mechanical, devoid of any emotion.
"The Hokage is summoning us? Then let's go, Kyoichi."
Minato called out to him.
Kyoichi had no objections. He could sense Elder Anjō and the others' chakra gathered together with the Third Hokage's, so there was no reason to resist going to see him.
The two set off together.
Following the ANBU, they raced along the shattered mountain path that had been reduced to near ruin, passed through the stone forest, and arrived before Kogaku Temple, perched high on Mount Imoni. What greeted them was a scene of devastation. The mountain gate lay in ruins, the two guardian statues and the tall surrounding walls were gone, replaced by stone formations shaped like entwined plants and vines.
"..."
Minato frowned deeply at the sight.
He had yet to hear the news of "Wood Release reappearing in the shinobi world," so he assumed these stone-like plants were the result of some unfamiliar Earth Release technique. He simply could not understand the point of making Earth Release so extravagant.
Passing through the stone vines,
they saw a crowd gathered on the corridor in front of the main hall.
The Third Hokage, Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Chōza, and seven or eight ANBU, alongside Kiri ninja such as Elder Anjō, Biwa Jūzō, and Momochi Zabuza. More than a dozen people were gathered there in a dense cluster.
"Hokage-sama!"
Minato stepped forward quickly.
"Minato, you're back."
The Third Hokage looked at him, a trace of relief flashing through his eyes.
At least,
that fool Jiraiya, for all his reckless behavior, had managed to raise an exceptionally outstanding successor. Entranced by some ridiculous prophecy from Mount Myōboku's toads, Jiraiya had devoted his life to searching for a so-called Child of Prophecy, with no interest whatsoever in the Hokage's seat. Fortunately, the man he trained was Minato.
The position of Fourth Hokage, really should go to Minato.
As for Orochimaru, he had been led astray by that man Danzō.
The Third then turned his gaze toward Kyoichi and asked in a gentle tone, "Kyoichi, is your companion all right?"
"Minato-senpai found an elderly doctor named Dr. Kōyaku to examine my companion. He should still be in the middle of the examination. I don't know the specifics yet," Kyoichi replied loudly.
"Kōyaku, hm? Then you need not worry too much. Aside from my own disciple, Dr. Kōyaku possesses the finest medical ninjutsu in Konoha. In fact, his medical skills were taught to him by Mito-hime."
The Third rambled on with words meant to reassure him.
Kyoichi kept a stiff expression and said nothing, waiting for the Hokage's real question.
Fortunately, the Hokage did not beat around the bush for long and soon got straight to the point. His expression turned solemn as he asked, "Kyoichi, regarding the enemy you fought earlier, did you discover anything?"
"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama. He concealed himself too well. Aside from confirming that he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and possessed an abnormally powerful Wood Release, I gained nothing else," Kyoichi shrugged and answered honestly.
That was the truth.
During the battle, he had tried to glimpse the opponent's true nature.
But unfortunately, he simply lacked the strength to do so.
His power was still insufficient.
This battle once again made Kyoichi keenly aware of his own weakness. He was still a long way from the ceiling of the ninja world. Even with the Eye of God in his possession, he could not afford complacency. If he wished to ascend to the heights reserved for kings, he would have to carve his path step by step, treading upon the corpses of his enemies to build a stairway to the heavens.
This clash with a pawn chosen by Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu clarified his future direction even further.
He still lacked sufficiently effective offensive methods.
Next, he would need to devote himself to researching offensive senjutsu.
"Wood Release?"
Hearing Kyoichi's answer, the Third Hokage had not yet had time to show disappointment when Minato, standing beside him, reacted in shock.
"What's going on? Wasn't it said he was an Uchiha? How could he have Wood Release? This… how could these two coexist in the same person?"
Minato turned his questioning gaze toward Kyoichi.
However, Kyoichi merely blinked and offered no explanation.
At that moment, the Third Hokage spoke up. "Minato, I concealed this information. If word of it spread within the village, it would surely cause great unrest. That is why I decided to keep it hidden for the time being and only decide whether to make it public after this incident is resolved."
"Can we be certain that this attacker is the same Uchiha who killed Takeo and the others?"
Minato did not press the issue of why the Hokage had concealed the information. He had neither the standing nor the inclination to argue with the Hokage. Instead, he cut straight to the heart of the matter.
"It is the same person."
Shisui, standing nearby, answered with a tense expression. "The residual traces of ocular power at both locations originate from the same individual."
That answer made Minato's brow knit tightly.
He did not doubt Shisui's judgment. Precisely because he trusted it, his expression grew all the more grave. Looking at the Third Hokage, he spoke softly.
"In other words, this unknown Uchiha not only awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, but also possesses the Wood Release kekkei genkai?"
As he said those words, even Minato himself felt how absurd they sounded.
In Konoha, everyone knew that Wood Release was the unique kekkei genkai of the First Hokage. Back then, the First Hokage had relied on Wood Release to contend with Uchiha Madara's Mangekyō Sharingan, ultimately emerging victorious by a narrow margin.
And now, they were saying that Wood Release and the Mangekyō Sharingan coexisted within a single person.
It was so absurd that it left one at a loss for words.