Faced with the overwhelming number of Uchiha clan shinobi surrounding him, Jiraiya realized that rescuing Kushina wouldn't be possible—at least not today.
More than that, something about the situation felt wrong. There was information being hidden from him—something deeper at play.
"We'll withdraw for now, Minato," Jiraiya said, his tone serious. "We need to speak to the Third Hokage and figure out what's really going on."
But before they could leave, Uchiha Byakuya stepped forward, his presence cold and commanding. With a simple wave of his hand, two Uchiha shinobi moved to block their path.
"Uchiha Byakuya," Jiraiya growled, eyes narrowing. "What's the meaning of this?"
"Namikaze Minato," Byakuya said coolly, "you may go."
He then turned his gaze sharply toward Jiraiya.
"As for you, Jiraiya... you are hereby placed under arrest by the Konoha Military Police Force."
"What!?" Jiraiya's eyes flared with disbelief and fury. "Under what charge?"
Byakuya raised a brow, his voice laced with mockery. "Multiple reports of peeping at the women's bathhouse. Does that ring a bell?"
Jiraiya's expression stiffened. He had done that—more than once—but to be arrested for it now, in this moment?
"You don't have any evidence."
"Oh, we'll gather the evidence after your arrest," Byakuya sneered. "Resist, and we'll consider it an act of treason."
"Try it," Jiraiya snapped, dodging the sudden attempt by the guards to seize him.
"I don't have time for this!" he barked. "Minato, let's move!"
But the moment they turned, Byakuya slammed his palm into the ground. "Uchiha Flame Formation!"
A massive wall of fire erupted around them, sealing the perimeter with a barrier technique—one only elite Uchiha could maintain.
Minato's eyes widened. "That's a barrier jutsu... We're trapped."
"Those bastards," Jiraiya muttered. "They even brought a barrier to ambush us?"
"You're not going anywhere, Jiraiya," Byakuya said. "You've been a criminal for a long time. Today, your luck runs out."
Uchiha shinobi moved in, forming a loose circle, weapons drawn. Byakuya had anticipated Jiraiya's resistance and made his preparations accordingly.
"Tch… troublesome…" Jiraiya muttered. But just as he prepared to counterattack—
"Sensei," Minato said firmly, stepping beside him, kunai at the ready. "You're not alone."
"Minato…?" Jiraiya's expression softened, but then hardened again when he heard Byakuya speak.
"Namikaze Minato, what do you think you're doing?" Byakuya's tone turned icy. "Do you intend to raise your hand against Konoha's Military Police? Are you betraying the village?"
Minato blinked, stunned by the accusation. "What…? I'm defending my sensei, not betraying the village."
"Is that so?" Byakuya replied. "Jiraiya is resisting arrest and now you're aiding him. That makes you complicit. That makes you a traitor."
"You bastard!" Jiraiya snapped. "I'll go quietly! This has nothing to do with Minato—don't drag him into this!"
Byakuya crossed his arms, unimpressed. "Too late. The moment he stood beside you, he became a co-conspirator."
Jiraiya clenched his fists, trembling with rage. But after a long pause, he exhaled sharply.
"Fine. Uchiha Byakuya, I surrender."
He raised his hands, glaring at Byakuya but refusing to give him the satisfaction of begging.
Minato stepped back, eyes stormy with restrained emotion.
"Take him," Byakuya ordered.
The Uchiha guards advanced and bound Jiraiya, who went without resistance—his priority now was ensuring Minato would be safe from political retaliation.
Two Uchiha shinobi immediately stepped forward and restrained Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya-sensei!"
Minato Namikaze's voice was filled with concern as he saw his mentor being seized.
"Don't worry about me," Jiraiya said, glancing back calmly. "I'm still the Third Hokage's student. The Uchiha shouldn't go too far."
He gave a slight nod to Minato. "Go. Inform the old man about everything that happened here... Konoha—Konoha doesn't feel like the same village anymore."
The gravity of his words struck Minato. Konoha, once a beacon of stability, now felt alien and unstable.
"...I understand, Jiraiya-sensei."
With a sharp breath, Minato vanished in a flash of golden light.
"That technique—!"
Byakuya's eyes narrowed as he watched Minato disappear. "So that really was the Flying Thunder God Jutsu… The Nidaime's space-time ninjutsu, perfected by Namikaze Minato himself."
Minato reappeared instantly at a remote section of a Konoha training ground. At the base of a tree was a specially marked kunai—his personal teleportation coordinate.
"Tch... Jiraiya-sensei was actually captured..." Minato clenched his fists.
He and Jiraiya had originally gone to the Uchiha compound in search of Kushina, following reports she had been taken. But they hadn't expected hostilities to erupt so quickly—nor for Jiraiya to be detained before they even found her.
"I need to report this to the Hokage immediately. Lord Third will know what to do."
Without delay, Minato raced toward the Hokage Residence.
Bursting into the office, he didn't wait to be announced.
"Hokage-sama! Something's happened—Jiraiya-sensei has been captured by Uchiha clan members!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up from his desk, eyes wide.
"What did you say, Minato!? The Uchiha captured Jiraiya?!"
He was stunned. "Weren't you both going to investigate Kushina's disappearance…? How did it come to this?"
Minato's face was grim. "Something is very wrong in the Uchiha compound. This isn't just about Kushina anymore…"
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