Chapter 20 — Good News and Bad News, Minato… Which One First?
"Yujiro-nii, are you sure it's fine just letting him walk away like that?"
From the treetops, Shisui landed lightly beside Yujiro, concern written all over his face.
After all, the guy had just whipped out Wood Release and Kamui in broad daylight—enough commotion to shake the whole forest. There was no way Shisui could just sit back and watch.
[Brother or Mission]
For Shisui, that wasn't even a question.
Sure, leaving the convoy unguarded could've risked mission failure. But Shisui understood what mattered more.
Missions are missions. Brothers are brothers.
If helping his brother meant the mission failed—then so be it.
And if anyone dared to stir up public outrage over it? Well, that's what the New Konoha Times was for.
Just toss the cats some extra catnip, have them work overtime, and print juicy headlines about Danzo, Hiruzen, and the rest of the Konoha geezers screwing up. Let's see how they like being dragged through the mud.
Frame Shisui for mission failure because he chose to save a comrade? Try to pit him the way they destroyed White Fang?
Please. Have you no shame?
If we're really comparing scandals, let's line them up properly.
White Fang chose to protect his teammates, and you crucified him for it. But you lot survived only because Tobirama—the genius who invented Flying Thunder God and fought Mangekyō with nothing but human grit—sacrificed himself to cover your retreat.
Tell me—whose case was worse? White Fang's, or yours?
White Fang took responsibility and killed himself. Yet somehow you shameless fossils are still breathing.
---
"Thanks, Shisui. Let's talk while we walk."
Even though no real fight broke out in the end, Yujiro still expressed his gratitude—not like White Fang's backstabbing teammates who repaid loyalty with betrayal.
Shisui nodded, keeping pace, listening as Yujiro gave him a condensed account of the encounter.
When the story ended, Shisui was left speechless. He finally muttered:
"So Obito turned against the world… just because his girlfriend died? That's… really something…"
Yujiro gave him a sidelong glance. "The key is—you've read that clan stone tablet too, haven't you?"
Shisui fell silent, his face stiffening. "…Yes."
"Don't bother looking at it again. That thing's been tampered with for generations. The so-called 'Infinite Tsukuyomi' won't create paradise—it'll only destroy the shinobi world."
Shisui frowned. "…Then why not just tell Obito?"
"Because you can't reason with a lunatic."
"…Yeah. Fair point."
Truth be told, Shisui had been there for the whole second half of the conversation. He'd heard everything Obito said.
And that was the problem.
Obito didn't sound insane. He wasn't raving or frothing at the mouth. He spoke clearly, almost rationally.
And yet—what else could you call him but insane?
Shisui sighed inwardly. What kind of bottomless empathy would it take to actually relate to that clown?
Naruto-kun, maybe this is where you come in.
---
With heavy hearts, the brothers returned to the convoy—only to be met by the caravan owner's resentful glare.
While Shisui had been gone to back Yujiro up, the poor man had prayed to every god, buddha, and bodhisattva he could name, begging for no fresh bandit spawn to appear.
Otherwise, his entire family line would've gone game over in a chorus of screams.
Luckily, fate cut them a break.
The rogue bands in Rain were many, yes, but not infinite. Yujiro and Shisui had already slaughtered half the gangs in the area, so the road ahead remained mercifully clear.
Yujiro had half-expected an Akatsuki ambush—Nagato or Konan swooping down with apocalyptic firepower.
But they didn't come.
He reasoned it out: the caravan carried luxuries—silks, spices, fine wines. Pretty, but useless to the starving masses of Rain. Nothing worth intercepting. That bought them a safe passage.
A small mercy, perhaps.
Shisui reluctantly dropped his insistence on sneaking into Amegakure to provoke Hanzō or Akatsuki. The two Uchiha brothers completed the A-rank escort mission and returned to Konoha in one piece.
The pay—tens of thousands of ryō—wasn't the issue. The real problem was the intelligence they brought back.
Akatsuki… and Obito.
Two colossal headaches.
The first were Jiraiya's old teammates. The second, Minato's own student.
And both had their eyes fixed on Kushina—on the Nine-Tails sealed within her.
The kind of "midlife crises" no man should ever face.
Even Yujiro felt a pang of pity for Minato. To keep him from collapsing into a coma right there in the Hokage's office, Yujiro decided to start with the "good news."
"Good news first: Hanzō the Salamander is done. Completely washed up. He's turned into a shut-in who doesn't want to deal with anything anymore."
At that, Minato exhaled a long breath of relief.
Hanzō wasn't just strong—he was a monster. A small-village kage-level who had challenged and bloodied the great nations one after another. Konoha, Suna, Iwa—none escaped his wars. Even the legendary Sannin together couldn't bring him down.
To hear such a terror was now a broken hermit who no longer sought conflict—yes, that was reassuring.
"Exactly," Yujiro said smoothly. "If everyone just minds their own business, peace comes naturally, doesn't it?"
Minato nodded. "Alright, that's the good news. Now the bad?"
"The bad news is…" Yujiro's tone trailed ominously. Shisui almost pitied Minato then and there.
"The bad news is—remember what you asked us to investigate? We've confirmed it. The one who routed Danzō's men… the one who left him fleeing in disgrace… is the very same group Konoha's ANBU haven't been able to track for months.
Because of Danzō's… diplomacy, their impression of Konoha has soured to outright hostility."
Yujiro laid out the truth: how Danzō's bungled dealings with Hanzō had backfired, driving Akatsuki into enmity.
Minato's relief curdled into dread.
"I see… this is bad. I knew Danzō was ruthless, but I didn't realize he was that reckless. Akatsuki were neutral once—even friendly, thanks to Jiraiya-sensei. Now, thanks to Danzō's meddling, Konoha faces two kage-level threats."
Yujiro kept silent about the real scale of Nagato's power. Trying to explain "Super-Kage Tier" to Minato would only make him doubt.
If Yujiro told him the truth—that Nagato alone could rival seven kage—Minato would only squint at him and think:
Are you running PR for Akatsuki now, Yujiro? How much are they paying you?
For Minato, just knowing Akatsuki could massacre dozens of ANBU and send Danzō limping home was terrifying enough.
Give it a few more weeks, Yujiro thought grimly, and Minato's golden mane would start shedding in clumps, turning "Yellow Flash" into "Bald Flash."
"…This really is terrible," Minato admitted. "I'll send envoys to gauge their intentions. Any other bad news? Speak freely—I can take it."
Yujiro and Shisui exchanged a glance. Both hesitated.
Because this bad news cut too close to home.
Akatsuki was Danzō's mess to clean up, true. But Obito? That was Minato's own student.
The boy he'd taught. The boy who now wanted to murder Kushina, rip out the Nine-Tails, and burn Konoha to ash.
If Danzō ever learned of it, he'd crucify Minato politically. He'd march before the Fire Daimyō and demand: "Hold him accountable! Just like White Fang bore responsibility—let him follow the same path."
The thought alone made Minato's blood run cold. His mind buzzed, already teetering on the edge of collapse.