Chapter 28 Who the Hell Did It?
Kakashi looked at Guy. "Then what do you think?"
Guy said gravely, "I think it might be Kurama."
Kakashi still didn't know that Naruto was Kakashi's student.
Kakashi fell silent.
Naturally, he knew it wasn't Naruto.
"Kakashi, I think the Nine-Tails jinchūriki rampaged."
Kakashi shook his head. "I don't think so."
Guy looked puzzled. "Other than Kurama, who else could cause that much destruction?"
That explosion just now had changed the terrain of Konohagakure's back mountain.
Aside from a Tailed Beast Ball, no one should have been able to do that.
If Guy knew about Madara and Hashirama, he definitely wouldn't say that.
While the two were talking, the Third Hokage walked over.
"Kakashi, what is Naruto's current condition?"
The Third Hokage also thought Naruto might have rampaged.
This kind of thing happened often among the Five Great Ninja Villages.
A jinchūriki rampaging was not uncommon.
Not every jinchūriki could become a perfect jinchūriki.
After thinking for a moment, Kakashi said, "Hokage-sama, I don't believe it was Naruto."
The Third Hokage frowned after hearing that.
He felt Kakashi was covering for Naruto.
But he didn't blame him.
He had always had high hopes for Naruto.
You could tell as much from the fact that he placed Naruto in Team 7.
In the Third Hokage's mind, one of Kakashi's Team 7 would definitely become Hokage in the future.
Although Naruto was a jinchūriki, the Third Hokage clearly valued him highly.
In fact, when it came to the next generation's Hokage, the Third Hokage had already chosen his candidates when he had Kakashi lead Naruto and the others.
Basically, it would be one of Naruto and Sasuke.
Because that was more or less how the previous Hokage had been chosen as well.
The reason the Third Hokage valued Sasuke, a member of the Uchiha Clan, was because the Uchiha Clan was already gone.
Even if Sasuke became Hokage, he wouldn't be influenced by the Uchiha Clan.
So in truth, even though Naruto and Sasuke currently held awkward positions in Konohagakure, both were actually candidates for the Third Hokage's next successor.
Naturally, the Third Hokage also didn't want Naruto to do anything that threatened the village.
But only a jinchūriki could have caused that terrifying explosion in Konohagakure's back mountain.
Even if he didn't want it to be Naruto, much of the evidence pointed to Naruto.
The Third Hokage looked at Kakashi seriously. "Kakashi, I hope you understand the seriousness of this matter."
But Kakashi shook his head. "Hokage-sama, if it had been Naruto, then who stopped him?"
"Right now in Konohagakure, aside from you, there's no one capable of stopping Naruto once he rampages."
"And the fact that he already released a ninjutsu with such terrifying power would mean Naruto was completely out of control at the time."
"Kurama would have been on the verge of breaking free from the seal."
"But in reality, aside from that one explosion, everything fell silent."
The Third Hokage froze for a moment.
Kakashi was right.
If it really had been Naruto, then who could have stopped him?
And Kakashi had also given the Third Hokage a very good excuse.
The Third Hokage hadn't wanted people linking this matter to Naruto in the first place.
Now he could use this as an excuse to clear Naruto of responsibility.
"I'll have the Anbu investigate this thoroughly. Village alert status will be increased for the time being."
After agreeing with Kakashi's analysis, the Third Hokage said that.
Then he brought Konohagakure's Jonin to the back mountain.
When he saw the giant crater there, even the Third Hokage sucked in a sharp breath.
"Destruction on this level... aside from a Tailed Beast Ball, probably only those two could do it."
The Third Hokage thought of something.
He frowned.
He had actually accepted Kakashi's analysis earlier.
Now that he was here, he couldn't sense Kurama's Chakra.
Kurama was a Tailed Beast. Every time Kurama rampaged, a thick residue of Chakra would be left at the scene.
But there was none here at all.
He now fully agreed with Kakashi's judgment.
But if it wasn't Naruto, then that was even more frightening.
A Tailed Beast causing this kind of destruction was understandable.
But for an ordinary ninja to do this, only monsters on Madara and Hashirama's level should have been capable of it.
Could Konohagakure deal with monsters of that level?
At that thought, the Third Hokage's expression turned extremely grave.
And the giant crater before them left the Jonin who had come with him all dumbstruck.
They simply couldn't imagine what kind of terrifying ninjutsu could create this level of destruction.
Even Guy looked incomparably serious.
"Even if I opened the Seventh Gate, I couldn't cause this kind of destruction. It's far too terrifying."
Looking at the giant crater before him, Kakashi still felt lingering fear, even though this was already the second time he had seen it.
And yet Yoruha had actually survived inside a ninjutsu like that.
It was obvious that some powerful force had to be hidden inside him.
He just didn't know it himself.
If he had known, Yoruha would never have released it.
Asuma, Kurenai, and the others also stared at the crater with grave expressions, saying nothing.
The sight before them made it hard to say anything at all.
The Third Hokage shook his head. "No way to know whether it was someone from outside the village or someone inside."
"I hope it was someone from within the village. If someone with such terrifying power is from outside, then the ninja world may be about to see another ninja capable of standing above even those two."
Although for a village ninja to cause destruction on this level also meant that ninja was absolutely a threat, the Third Hokage still hoped it was not an outsider.
If it was someone from the village, at least they could be won over.
If it was an outsider who had unleashed this level of destruction on Konohagakure, then it was obvious that person had no goodwill toward the village at all.
After looking for a while, the Third Hokage turned around expressionlessly and said to the Anbu beside him, "Keep a close watch on the back mountain during this period. Also, keep tonight's matter confidential. We'll say the Anbu were testing some kind of ninjutsu."
The Anbu standing beside him nodded.
The Third Hokage looked at Kakashi. "Kakashi, come with me."
Kakashi nodded.
Soon, the two of them disappeared from Konohagakure's back mountain.
Many villagers who had stayed up deep into the night waiting for news were relieved and went back to rest after hearing that the Anbu had merely been testing some ninjutsu.
They had thought the village was under attack.
But an excuse like that might fool ordinary villagers and ordinary ninjas.
It wouldn't fool Danzo.
At the headquarters of Konoha's Root,
Danzo, leaning on his cane, one eye wrapped in bandages, looked at the ninja kneeling on one knee before him.
"Was it the Nine-Tails jinchūriki rampaging?"
Danzo's voice rang out.
The Root ninja in front of him said, "No Kurama's Chakra was detected at the scene."
"But the level of destruction could only have been caused by a Tailed Beast Ball."
Danzo looked somewhat surprised. "Not Kurama?"
"Kurama's Chakra was not detected at the scene, so it most likely wasn't."
Danzo stood up, his expression extremely grave. "If it wasn't Kurama, then who was it? And does this person pose a threat to Konohagakure?"
At that thought, Danzo couldn't sit still anymore. "What exactly is Hiruzen doing?"
"Could he have developed some kind of secret weapon?"
Danzo was worried that the Third Hokage had created some powerful weapon that might threaten him.