Chapter 17: Evaluation of the S-Class Forbidden Technique's Blast Effect (Part 2)
The Hokage, flanked by four ANBU, swiftly arrested the main culprit—Kushina Uzumaki—and her unwitting accomplice, Kamishiraishi Hagoromo.
They were now facing serious accusations: damaging Konoha's greenery, disrupting its ecological balance, interfering with the village's water cycle, and—most critically—destroying a portion of the village's protective barrier.
Kushina was practically classified as a dangerous species capable of threatening Konoha's biodiversity. While it wasn't the first time she'd caused chaos, this was her most large-scale topographical alteration yet.
If convicted, neither would be labeled as missing-nin or traitors, but they could be sentenced to a solid three months of confinement.
The Third Hokage now found himself acting as the chief justice of Konoha.
In the Konoha judicial system, no ninja has the right to remain silent—but everything they say can be used as evidence in court.
Inside the Hokage's office, Kushina and Hagoromo sat quietly on their respective stools, positioned just under the Hokage's desk like a pair of schoolchildren under scrutiny, awaiting judgment under the Third's stern gaze.
Kushina knew better than to joke around at a time like this. Breaking the barrier during wartime was a very serious offense—arguably the biggest blunder she'd caused all year. The infamous "Red Hot-Blooded Habanero" wisely chose to keep her head down and accept her punishment.
If, by some horrible coincidence, enemy shinobi had invaded through the damaged barrier, the consequences would've been catastrophic.
Yes—this was a big screw-up.
Of course, she didn't know yet that she'd break this very record herself in just a few days.
Right now, her main thought was: I better make the Hokage look good—let him vent properly. Only then will he let us off the hook.
Letting the old man blow off steam was key. Only then would he consider mercy. Besides, this had been an accident. Technically, they'd just achieved a major breakthrough with a forbidden technique. That counted for something!
At least, that's what she and her student believed. In their minds, they were heroes, not criminals. Sure, they'd caused some minor "side effects"...
Well—"minor" might be stretching it. The damage included a massive crater, total collapse of the barrier within 500 meters, and varying degrees of destruction up to 2,000 meters away.
That was the actual outcome of the first test of the Reverse Four Symbols Seal.
At this very moment, five entire sealing squads were scrambling like disaster response teams to patch up Konoha's barrier.
After smoking through eight full pouches of tobacco, the Third Hokage finally calmed down.
"Alright, Kushina. What the hell did you do this time? What happened to the terrain? And how was the barrier damaged?"
"The Recon Division reported no signs of battle, but they did detect a huge amount of residual chakra—and it's all yours. If it weren't for that..."
He stopped himself short. He almost mentioned sensing Nine-Tails chakra—but with the child Kamishiraishi Hagoromo sitting right there, he bit his tongue. That was top-secret intel—Kyuubi-level classified. Practically the equivalent of nuclear launch codes.
"Lord Third, I know I mess around sometimes and cause trouble, but this wasn't intentional. I was just conducting a sealing technique test! And I know the damage it caused was not so great...." Kushina replied, a little aggrieved.
The Third said nothing outwardly, but inside he was screaming.
Oh, now you admit you usually cause trouble?! And you think calling it 'not so great' actually describes the mayhem you unleash?!
Kushina peeked at him carefully. Seeing him still silent, she took it as permission to continue.
"We were testing an S-rank sealing technique—the Reverse Four Symbols Seal. I picked a remote spot for the trial, but since I couldn't leave the village, we went just outside the barrier. I didn't think it would destroy it…"
The Third cut her off. The development of an S-rank forbidden jutsu was something he personally monitored. Hearing that this was part of an official trial, not sabotage, immediately improved his mood.
"And? The result? Did it fail?"
He hoped it had worked, but given the damage—he assumed the technique had spiraled out of control. Even if it was based on the Four Symbols Seal, the Reverse version had a completely different effect. And S-rank jutsu rarely worked on the first try.
"Fail? No, it was a total success! It performed exactly as designed—even better, actually. The range exceeded expectations. The only downside is the chakra cost. Most ninja would collapse trying to cast it." Kushina sounded just a little offended that he'd assumed otherwise—but considering her current status as a defendant, she swallowed it down.
"Hmm… So it did fail. That's alright. Just keep trying. I'm honestly pretty satisfied with your—wait. What? It succeeded?"
"Yep! 100% success," Kushina confirmed cheerfully.
"But… you worked on this alone? And finished before the entire Sealing Technique Department?"
"Who said I did it alone? My student helped. I handled the design; he did the calculations. With his math skills, he's way more efficient than any sealing team." She gave a pointed nod toward Hagoromo.
The Third's gaze finally shifted to the boy.
Just like that, Hagoromo's attempt to blend into the wallpaper failed. Ever since being "invited" here, he'd tried to act invisible. But Kushina had sold him out without a second thought.
Truthfully, he'd always preferred to stay under the radar—not because he was hiding a dark secret or had beef with Konoha's upper brass. He just wanted to live a simple, peaceful life as a low-key shinobi.
Of course, the moment he became Kushina's apprentice, that dream died a swift, silent death.
He just hadn't expected to be exposed this fast.