Starlight fell through the window of the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in his chair, enjoying the smoke from the pipe he had only just lit. In his hand he held a first edition of Icha Icha Paradise. His student Jiraiya was clearly more talented in this field than on the path of a ninja.
Suddenly, an ANBU appeared soundlessly in front of the Hokage's desk.
"Lord Third. Someone has broken into the Yondaime's residence."
Hiruzen froze.
His pipe nearly slipped from his mouth.
"What?" His eyes narrowed. "The barrier was made by Kushina. As long as it remains active, hardly anyone can even find the house—and we ourselves cannot deactivate it."
For a moment, he breathed in deeply and out again, then briefly closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, every trace of calm had vanished.
"I want three ANBU teams at the residence immediately. No delay."
The ANBU bowed his head.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Hiruzen stood up.
"I'll head there as well."
In the next moment, he and his bodyguards leapt from the window of the Hokage Tower and made their way toward Minato and Kushina's house.
When they reached the barrier, the jōnin leading the barrier team stepped up to Hiruzen at once.
"We now have an exact reading of the intruder's chakra levels," he said tensely. "But the values cannot be correct. They are far beyond any limit this barrier should even be able to detect. I think the barrier must be malfunctioning."
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed.
"This barrier was constructed by a master of Uzumaki fūinjutsu," he said calmly, but with emphasis. "And believe me—Kushina was every bit as skilled in this field as Mito Uzumaki." His gaze grew colder. "If her barrier shows such values, then they are real."
For a brief moment, silence fell.
Then Hiruzen spoke again.
"The bigger question is how someone managed to pass through Konoha's main barrier without triggering it at all."
Those present froze when they heard those words.
"Let's move," said Hiruzen.
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
In the next instant, fourteen ninja vanished into the barrier to surround the residence over a wide area.
Just as Hiruzen was about to step through the barrier as well, he heard the familiar sound of a walking stick behind him.
He turned his head slightly.
"What is it, Danzo?"
Danzo let out a quiet snort.
"I heard that someone broke into the Yondaime's residence," he said dryly. "I thought we had the location erased from the memories of all non-ninja."
A short, cold laugh escaped Hiruzen.
"So you still want more from Minato?" he asked. "Is it not enough for you that you already got the Uzumaki scrolls and part of Minato's books?"
Danzo's gaze remained hard.
"Hiruzen. You know what I want." His voice grew even colder. "I want the jinchūriki."
Hiruzen's expression hardened.
"And you will not get him."
His voice was now completely calm, and that was exactly what made it sharper.
"You already received thirty percent of Minato and Kushina's funds. The rest was divided among the three of us. That should have been more than enough for Root."
Danzo said nothing further.
Hiruzen gave him only one last look before turning away and stepping through the barrier.
As Hiruzen entered the barrier, his old friend followed close behind him.
After only a few steps, an ANBU approached him and knelt.
"Lord Third, we have searched the house completely. Only the front door was opened, and as far as we can determine, only a single picture was taken from the wall and then hung back up. If you wish, you may look at it yourself."
Hiruzen's expression darkened.
What…?
How could someone open the door?
It was sealed. Of the people still alive, only three could enter the house at all.
And one of them did not even know the house existed.
His thoughts raced.
Tsunade and Jiraiya are not in the village…
His gaze sharpened.
And no… Naruto is under observation in the forest.
For a moment, Hiruzen stood perfectly still.
Then the thought came together in his mind.
"So there is a fūinjutsu master in the village…" he murmured quietly. "And he deliberately triggered the barrier to distract us from—"
His eyes widened.
At once, he spun around.
"Everyone back to my office!"
His voice cut sharply through the night.
"This was a diversion!"
As Artoria watched the entire spectacle, she almost had to suppress a laugh.
"Oh…" she murmured softly. "It seems I really should take a look at his office after all."
Her gaze drifted once more over the property.
"But this time, I had better not trigger the barrier when I leave."
For a brief moment, she paused at the edge of the barrier and suppressed the chakra she now carried within her until nothing remained but her pure spirit energy.
Then she stepped through with a steady, calm stride.
No alarm.
On the other side, she could still see some members of the barrier team continuing to examine the invisible net.
A faint, almost pitying smile appeared on her face.
"Oh, you poor things…" she said softly. "You will search all night and still find nothing."
Then her gaze grew colder.
"And Danzo… Hiruzen… Stealing my student's inheritance will come back to hurt you."
Carefully, she put away Kushina's letter.
After that, she made her way back and walked through the village in her usual calm steps, returning to Naruto.
When she returned to Naruto's hiding place, she found the little one sleeping beneath her cloak.
For a moment, she simply stood there and looked at him.
Then she slowly bent down and gently kissed him on the forehead.
"Sleep well," she whispered.
Afterward, she sat down beside him once more and silently watched over his sleep.
Author's Question:
For the next arc, which world would you like to see Artoria in?
And should she bring her student along?