Chapter 12: I didn't even ask yet

In the moonlight and under various streetlights, a large tree stood rooted by the roadside amidst the surrounding buildings. Its sprawling branches and countless leaves cast a wide shadow over the road where people could be seen walking, obscuring the moonlight.

The large tree stood quite close to the Fourth Hokage's residence, offering a clear view of the house and its surroundings.

At the top of the tree, amidst the many leaves, two figures could be faintly seen, partially illuminated by the small beams of moonlight that barely passed through the foliage. They were crouching on a large branch, hidden from view.

If someone looked closely, they might discern that the two figures were men, judging by their exposed, muscular shoulders and they wore vests on their chests.

They wore distinctive masks covering their entire faces, one resembling a fox and the other a crow, with swords strapped to their backs. These men were a unique class of shinobi, members of the ANBU, an elite force assigned to monitor the village from the shadows, complementing the Konoha Military Police Force that operated in the light.

The two anbu in deep silence, their gazes fixed on the Fourth Hokage's residence as they watched for any signs of change.

After a period of deep silence, the anbu wearing the fox mask exhaled and rubbed his neck. He then turned to look at the other anbu, who wore a crow mask.

"I never thought Lord Fourth could intimidate us just by waking up. His status as Hokage and his reputation as the Yellow Flash during the Third Shinobi War are truly impressive; it's not something we can ignore," said the fox quietly, glancing at his partner.

The anbu with the crow mask remained silent, not responding to the fox's words. His gaze stayed fixed on the Fourth Hokage's residence.

Seeing that the man with the crow mask had not replied, the fox turned his attention back to the distant house, clearly visible from their elevated position.

"But man, I didn't expect Lord Fourth to be so good at pinning Lady Kushina on the bed. The shift was definitely worth it. Witnessing a Hokage in heated is an honor that could be passed down through generations, haha," the fox said quietly, chuckling.

Hearing the fox's words, the crow turned his gaze toward him, and a slight chuckle escaped from beneath his mask. He said quietly, "Do you think it would be a good idea to tell Lord Third about what we saw? He might find it good along of what we got, hehe."

Hearing the crow's words, the fox smiled beneath his mask. "I don't think so. Lord Third only instructed us to find clues about why Lord Fourth was unconscious for two weeks. Chakra exhaustion alone doesn't explain it completely."

"Moreover, Lord Fourth is a Kage-level shinobi with extensive battle experience. It's not easy for him to pass out after just one fight. I've even heard that during the war, he could last for days, facing entire squads of shinobi one after another and eliminating them with his jutsus alone."

"Although we found some clues, it's not enough. But if Lord Third wants us to recount everything we saw and heard during our shift, we wouldn't have much choice, would we? Haha," the fox said quietly, chuckling.

The crow gave a slight chuckle at the fox's words before turning his gaze back to the Fourth Hokage's residence. After a moment, he said, "We'll see about that."

Soon after, the two fell into deep silence again, resuming their watch of the Fourth Hokage's residence.

....

On the top floor of the Fourth Hokage's residence, the door to the bathroom opened with a faint click. A naked man emerged from the bathroom, a towel draped over his shoulder.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Minato narrowed his eyes and came to a halt. After a moment, he quietly reached out and closed the bathroom door.

With the door shut, he walked toward the cabinet where his clothes were, using one hand to dry his wet, long yellow hair with a towel.

Reaching the cabinet, he used his free hand to open the doors. Looking at his many clothes, he picked out an underpants, a nice-looking T-shirt with the Uzumaki logo, and a comfortable-looking pants.

After selecting his clothes, he placed the towel from his shoulder onto a nearby table and began dressing. Moments later, he was fully clothed in a simple, casual outfit.

Standing still for a moment, feeling the comfort of his clothes, Minato then turned his gaze toward Kushina, who was wrapped in a blanket, sleeping peacefully. In the distance, he could faintly hear the sound of crying from across the room.

Without needing to think, he already knew who was crying. After gazing at Kushina's beautiful sleeping face for a moment, he turned and walked toward the open door of their bedroom.

As he walked toward baby Naruto's room, he reached out and grabbed a kunai hanging on the wall. He then hide the kunai behind his back with a smooth motion.

Reaching the closed door of Naruto's room, Minato paused for a moment and rubbed his forehead with a cold expression. After a moment, he opened the door with one hand and stepped inside.

Seeing baby Naruto crying loudly in the crib, Minato smiled and walked over to the table in the room, where a small bottle of milk sat. The bottle had been prepared by Kushina for their son.

Taking the bottle of milk, Minato walked over to the crib and leaned in. He looked at baby Naruto, who was crying and waving his tiny hands.

"Are you hungry, Naruto? Here you go, drink your milk," Minato said gently, bringing the bottle's nipple to Naruto's mouth.

After taking the nipple of the bottle into his mouth, Naruto calmed down and grasped Minato's fingers holding the bottle. Soon after, he drifted back to sleep while still drinking from it.

Minato watched as Naruto drank from the bottle he was holding, the baby's tiny hands gripping his fingers. A smile spread across his face as he looked at his child, his chin resting on his palm as he patiently waited for Naruto to finish the milk.

After a long while, when the milk in the small bottle was finally finished, Minato carefully withdrew it from Naruto's mouth. He gently eased his fingers from the baby's tiny grip to avoid waking him.

He placed the empty bottle beside Naruto and straightened up from the crib. As he continued to watch his peacefully sleeping son, his eyes narrowed with a renewed coldness.

He then reached behind his back and drew the kunai. With a swift motion, he flicked his wrist and threw the kunai through the small gap created by the window.

In an instant, the kunai vanished like lightning in the dark. Moments later, Minato's figure inside the room also disappeared.

Meanwhile, atop the large tree near the Fourth Hokage's residence, the two anbu remained concealed in the faint moonlight that filtered through the leaves. They continued to observe the house in deep silence.

"Zzip!"

Amidst the deep silence, the sudden sound of a fast-moving kunai slicing through the air reached their ears. Before the two could react, the man with the crow mask was pushed backward as the kunai, moving like lightning, struck him, piercing through his mask, eye, and deep into his head.

"AHHk—"

Before the crow anbu could finish his scream of pain, Minato appeared in front of him and swiftly punctured his throat with his hand, silencing him immediately.

After puncturing his throat, Minato grabbed the handle of the kunai and withdrew it from the crow anbu's bloody eye.

He quickly moved his hand, thrusting the kunai into the crow's other eye, driving it straight to his brain. The force of the thrust shattered the mask into pieces and turned the eye socket into a bloody mess.

Minato withdrew the kunai from the anbu's eye and gripped his shoulder with his free hand to hold him in place. He then drove the kunai into the man's chest, piercing through the vest that offered no protection and stabbing his heart, making him deader than dead.

Meanwhile, the fox anbu was caught off guard by the swift events. In the blink of an eye, his partner was dead. All he could see was his partner's head covered in blood and the kunai that had just pierced his chest.

His eyes, visible beneath the mask, widened in horror as he stared at the culprit. Paralyzed by fear, he didn't even have the courage to draw his sword, realizing he was up against an opponent far beyond his capabilities.

"Lo-Lord Fou—AGH!" "Bam!"

Before he could finish his words, his body was suddenly thrown backward by a powerful kick to the chest, slamming into the trunk of the tree that supported the branch they stood on.

The fox Anbu clutched his aching chest, his breath ragged from the impact. As he struggled to rise, a kunai suddenly pierced his elbow, pinning it to the trunk behind him.

Minato approached, dragging the lifeless body of the crow Anbu. The fox Anbu gritted his teeth against the pain as Minato lifted the corpse in front of him, slapping its sides to mark it. He then used his Guiding Thunder Jutsu, making the body vanish, sent to an unknown location.

The fox anbu, witnessing the entire process, was filled with fear. "L-Lord Fourth Hokage, I-I just following orders and carrying out my mission!"

"I haven't even asked you a question yet. Moreover, you're an ANBU acting without my orders, spying on me, the Hokage. What orders did you receive from Hiruzen?" Minato said coldly.

In his desperation, the fox anbu realized he had let something slip and began contemplating ending himself.

However, before he could act on that thought, Minato coldly raised his foot and stomped heavily on the man's crotch, crushing what was within. Before the fox anbu could scream in pain, Minato forcefully covered his mouth, shattering the mask in the process, and slammed the back of his head against the tree trunk, stifling his cries of agony.

Leaning closer, Minato coldly whispered in his ear, "And you speak as if you already know something. What exactly do you know?"