Renjiro's main body calculated quickly, estimating the clone's remaining chakra reserves.
Tenjin requires enormous chakra. Most summons capable of transporting nearly thirty people would. The clone was already weakened by the chakra-draining snakes. Did it have enough left?
He did not know. Could not know. But he could not afford to wait and find out.
He stood abruptly and walked toward the door. His pace was measured at first, controlled. Then it quickened. He passed through the corridors of the Hokage Tower, his footsteps echoing on the polished stone, his mind already racing ahead to the conversation he was about to have.
Children. Danzo. Logistics.
He arrived outside the Hokage's office and knocked—three sharp raps that cut through the quiet of the corridor.
"Enter."
Minato's voice was calm, unhurried. Renjiro pushed open the door and stepped inside.
The Hokage's office was as it always was—stacks of paperwork on the desk, maps on the walls, the afternoon light casting long shadows across the floor. Minato sat behind the desk, his blue eyes sharp despite the exhaustion that lingered beneath them. He looked up as Renjiro entered, and his expression shifted almost imperceptibly.
"Renjiro. You look serious."
"I have something to discuss with you."
Renjiro did not sit. He stood before the desk, his posture rigid, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Intelligence has reached me. A child trafficking caravan was attacked. Numerous children survived. They currently have nowhere to go."
Minato's eyebrows rose.
"Attacked?"
"By... interested parties." Renjiro chose his words carefully. "The traffickers are dead. The children are alive. But they're in hostile territory, with no protection, no supplies, and no clear destination."
He paused.
"Should they be brought to Konoha? And if they are brought to Konoha, what protections will exist for them?"
Minato leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled before him.
"Of course, they should be brought to Konoha. We have resources, shelters, programs for displaced children. The village can—"
"Can you guarantee Danzo won't get his hands on them?"
The question was direct, almost blunt. Renjiro did not soften it, did not wrap it in diplomatic language. He simply asked.
Minato's expression shifted. The casual openness faded, replaced by something harder, more focused.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean exactly what I said." Renjiro met his gaze. "There are children—some of them with bloodline limits—who will soon be in Konoha's care. Danzo has a history of... interest... in such children. I want your word that he will not have access to them."
Minato was silent for a long moment. Then he nodded slowly.
"You have my word. The Hokage's authority. Personal oversight. I will ensure that Danzo is kept away from them."
Renjiro's shoulders relaxed, almost imperceptible.
"Thank you."
"How did you find out about this?" Minato asked, his tone casual but his eyes sharp. "The attack. The children. You knew about it unusually quickly."
Renjiro had anticipated the question. He had prepared an answer—plausible, if not entirely truthful.
"I have various seal-based contingency systems. Some informants carry emergency seals—passive sensors that activate when certain conditions are met. One such seal transmitted information about the attack."
He spoke smoothly, confidently. The explanation was technically plausible. Seals could be designed to transmit information. Informants could be equipped with such devices. It was not impossible.
But I cannot mention the clone, Renjiro thought, his internal voice sharp. Absolutely cannot.
The geography alone would raise questions. The clone had been operating near the Land of Rivers, West of Konoha. But his official cover story; the reason he had given Minato for sending clones outside the village, was exploration of the Uzushiogakure ruins, which lay to the Eest. Two clones, two directions, two completely different objectives.
If Minato learns that one clone is exploring Uzushio and another is somehow operating in the Land of Rivers, questions will appear immediately. How many clones? How far can they operate? What exactly am I doing?
Suspicion would become unavoidable.
Minato listened, his expression unreadable.
"I see," he said. "That's... efficient."
"It's necessary."
"Necessary for what?"
Renjiro paused. The question was innocent, but the implications were not. He could not answer it honestly. Not yet. Not without revealing more than he was willing to reveal.
"Necessary for staying informed," he said. "The village depends on intelligence. I'm simply ensuring that I have access to it."
Minato nodded slowly, accepting the explanation—or appearing to.
But is he convinced? Renjiro wondered. Or is he simply choosing not to push?
The conversation continued for a few more minutes—logistics, transportation, the process of integrating the children into Konoha's care. Minato asked questions; Renjiro answered them. The Hokage was calm, professional, and supportive.
But something lingered beneath the surface. A subtle tension. A sense that Minato was watching, waiting, filing away observations for future reference.
He's not fully convinced, Renjiro thought. He accepted the explanation, but he's holding something back.
He did not have time to dwell on it.
Then the memories hit Renjiro like a wave; not the gentle ripple of routine information transfer, but a cascade of violence and urgency that left him momentarily breathless. He was sitting in his office, the Flying Raijin scroll still unrolled before him, the afternoon light still filtering through the windows. One moment, he was talking to the Hokage. The next, he was standing in a blood-soaked clearing, surrounded by corpses, facing a monster with yellow eyes and a cold smile.
Orochimaru.
The name echoed in his skull, resonant with danger. The clone had been captured—wrapped in chakra-draining serpents, its reserves plummeting, its form flickering. Orochimaru had demanded that the real body come. Had spoken with the calm confidence of someone who had already won.
Renjiro's eyes narrowed. His posture shifted, his shoulders squaring, his hands clenching at his sides.
Minato noticed immediately.
"What is it?"
"The children," Renjiro said, his voice tight. "They're under attack."
He did not elaborate. Did not explain how he knew, or who was attacking, or why. He simply turned and walked toward the door, his pace quickening, his hand already reaching for the handle.
"Renjiro—"
"I'll handle it."
He was through the door before Minato could respond, his footsteps echoing down the corridor, his mind already focused on the battle ahead.
The office door closed with a soft click.
Minato sat behind his desk, his expression thoughtful, his blue eyes fixed on the space where Renjiro had been. The afternoon light shifted, casting long shadows across the floor, and the silence was absolute.
Renjiro knew about the children unusually quickly, he thought. His explanation was plausible—but only barely. Seals on informants. Passive sensors. It's possible. But...
He replayed the conversation in his mind, examining it from every angle.
The timing was strange. One moment we're discussing logistics, the next he's acting as though he personally witnessed an attack. He didn't explain how he knew. He didn't offer details. He just... left.
Minato leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled before him.
He wasn't lying, he concluded. But he definitely wasn't telling the whole truth either.
The suspicion was not hostile—not yet. It was curiosity, concern, the particular wariness of a leader who had learned that secrets could be weapons. Renjiro was loyal, capable, trustworthy in action. But he was also private, guarded, unwilling to share the full scope of his activities.
I need to understand what he's doing, Minato thought. Not because I don't trust him. Because I need to protect him.
He reached for a scroll on his desk; a mission report, routine, unremarkable, and tried to focus. But his thoughts kept drifting back to Renjiro's face, to the urgency in his voice, to the way he had left without explanation.
Something is happening. Something Renjiro doesn't want me to know about.
And I need to find out what it is.
=====
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