Hiruzen felt the air turn stagnant. The sight of his students in open protest left him distraught, their defiance hitting him with the force of a physical blow. He saw the fire in his students' eyes.
"Enough!" Hiruzen finally spoke.
"I will not hand over my own people," Hiruzen stated, his gaze fixed on them. "However, our village needs time to breathe. Yoichi, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru—you are banned from all missions. You will stay in the village until I say otherwise."
A heavy silence followed.
It was house arrest disguised as a suspension.
"A ban?! This sentence is a mockery! You are far too lenient for the disaster they invited."
Danzo's grip tightened on his cane until the wood groaned.
Homura and Koharu nodded, their faces contorted with anger. To them, the four deserved to be handed over as a peace offering.
"My decision is final." Hiruzen said, his voice regained its firmness. His figure leaned forward, the shadows of the office deepening the lines on his face.
"You have done a great service to the village, but you have also placed us in a precarious position."
"Until the heat from the other nations dies down, you will remain out of sight. I will not have any further incidents."
Hiruzen stared at Yoichi intently.
Authority was something that wasn't easy to trample. Otherwise, the constituents wouldn't listen to Hiruzen especially when he was the Hokage.
Yoichi did genuinely kicked the bucket.
"I understand, Hokage-sama," he calmly said.
Hiruzen gave a sharp signal. A squad of masked ANBU stepped from the shadows, their actions were fluid and silent.
"Escort them to the confinement wing," the Hokage commanded.
The guards surrounded them, gesturing toward the door. Yoichi and the others complied, leaving the fuming elders behind. As they were led through the cold stone halls, the muffled sound of the celebrating crowd outside felt worlds away.
The heavy iron door slammed shut, leaving them in the dim, cool air of the confinement room.
Jiraiya slumped against the damp masonry and let out a long, shaky breath.
"Man, Sensei was truly terrifying when he got angry," Jiraiya muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I haven't seen that look in years."
Orochimaru's golden eyes tracking a spider spinning a web in the corner.
"That should always be on his mind. He shouldn't allow himself to be beguiled by those fools on the council."
Across the small room, Yoichi sat down on a wooden bench. Tsunade sat beside him and leaned her head on his shoulder, her breathing steadying as she closed her eyes.
"Thank you," Yoichi said softly.
"For everything. You all helped me even though the result was being imprisoned here in the gutter."
Tsunade didn't move her head, but her hand found his and squeezed it tight.
"Don't mention it. We weren't going to let those old crows have their way."
The following morning, the village administration announced their imprisonment for insubordination.
The common people reacted with fury, seeing only heroes being punished. Among high ranking shinobi, the mood was different. They knew insubordination usually meant death, making the Hokage's sentence seem incredibly lenient.
Later, the heavy cell doors creaked open for visitors. Yoichi's family arrived, bringing a sudden warmth to the cramped, dark room. Their faces showed a mix of worry and relief as they approached the group.
Tsunade, still leaning on Yoichi, jolted upright. A deep flush crept up her neck as she realized who had entered. She quickly adjusted her hair, her usual confidence replaced by a frantic shyness.
"This really wasn't a good time to meet your parents," she whispered, her voice small and embarrassed.
She stood awkwardly to the side, trying to look presentable despite her messy countenance.
Yoichi watched her, a small smile appearing as he realized the legendary Slug Princess was finally intimidated by a simple family introduction.
...
...
...
The four Kage gathered in a dimly lit chamber, the air thick with mutual disdain and a forced, icy respect. They were enemies who had traded blood for years, yet the emergence of the Murakami Clan had driven them into a wary alliance.
"To think we are sitting at the same table because of a single clan," the Raikage grunted, his voice echoing off the stone walls.
"It is a bitter pill to swallow."
Onoki narrowed his eyes as he unrolled a weathered, yellowing scroll. "Do not let your pride blind you. My village's historical records from the Warring States Period are clear. The Murakami were among the elite, even then."
The Kazekage leaned forward, his expression grim.
"They vanished for generations. Why return now, and with such a terrifying display of force?"
"That is what troubles me," Onoki replied, his voice dropping to a rasp. "History shows they only reveal themselves when the world is about to tilt on its axis. Their return suggests one thing: something catastrophic is coming, and they are the vanguard."
"I care little for omens," the Mizukage interjected, though his eyes betrayed his unease. "I care about the fact that they erased an entire battalion in an instant. We are here to pool what we know, even if it tastes like ash to share it."
The Kage shifted their focus to the maps on the table, but the Murakami stronghold remained a ghost. No scout could pinpoint their hidden valley.
The lack of evidence left the leaders on edge, dealing with a clan that left only decimated battlefields behind.
"If we cannot find the source, we look for the messenger," Onoki stated.
The conversation turned toward Yoichi.
Initially, most villages disdained his martial arts as primitive, except for the Hidden Cloud. Now, the barbaric effectiveness of his style fueled a desperate greed for his methods.
The Raikage slammed a fist onto the table.
"That boy! He nearly broke our control over the Island Turtle. We must capture him at all costs!"
The Mizukage tapped a finger against his chin.
"He promotes a style that makes chakra seem secondary. If he has refined these techniques into something teachable, the balance of power has already shifted."
The Kazekage leaned forward, his voice a dry rasp. "If we cannot break the boy, we must find his anchor," he suggested. "Target his family. A man with a pack to protect is easier to lead."
The other Kage considered the proposal in pensive silence. It was a ruthless tactic, but reasonable in their eyes. Leverage was often more effective than a direct assault, especially against an anomaly like Yoichi.
"It is a sound strategy," Onoki admitted.
"But there is no opening."
A heavy tension settled over the table. Each village remained in a state of emergency, their resources stretched thin and borders under watchful vigilance. Moving against a target's family in the heart of Konoha was currently impossible without triggering a total war.
"We are locked in our own cages for now," the Mizukage noted. "Konoha's security is at its peak. We must wait for the fog to clear."
They were left in a frustrating stalemate.
They had the intent and the target, but the post-war instability kept their hands tied. For now, Yoichi and his family remained just out of reach, protected by the very chaos the Murakami Clan had helped create.
...
...
...
A month passed before the four were freed. The imprisonment had halted Yoichi's next training realm, but he found peace in the quiet time with his friends and Tsunade.
"Finally! My back feels like it was carved from that stone floor." Jiraiya raised his arms, his joints popping.
"The silence was productive, but I prefer the air of my laboratory." Orochimaru noted.
"Stop lingering. We have places to be."
Tsunade didn't wait. She grabbed Yoichi's hand and dragged him toward the open field.
Yoichi closed his eyes, breathing in the fresh air as she pulled him along.
Soon, a new semester began at the Academy.
Hiruzen invited them to the stage for his speech to the new students. The grounds were packed with families eager to see the heroes.
Yoichi saw Kushina waving enthusiastically from the crowd. As he scanned the faces, he sensed a bright child staring with unmasked admiration.
The boy's focus was intense, his eyes tracking Yoichi as if memorizing a legend.
"Interesting..." A smile emerged from his mouth.
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