Naruto: Mixed Heritage(Rewrite)

The chamber was thick with tension, a palpable weight pressing down on everyone present. The air, heavy with unspoken accusations and barely restrained hostility, crackled with an invisible energy. Eyes locked onto a singular figure at the centre of it all—Renjiro Uzumaki, standing before the assembled Kage and their escorts, his fingers curling tightly around the cold, smooth surface of the silver ball.

All eyes were fixed on him.

All but one pair.

Akemi, the young kunoichi standing beside the Tsuchikage, shifted slightly, her brow furrowing as she leaned toward her Tsuchikage.

She shifted slightly, her keen dark eyes flickering over the faces of the other Kage, analyzing their reactions. The Mizukage's expression was unreadable, his fingers resting against his chin as he observed. The Kazekage sat unnervingly still, his half-lidded gaze giving nothing away. Even the Hokage, the oldest in the room, remained calm—but Akemi had a feeling that beneath that placid exterior, his mind was running miles ahead of everyone else.

And then there was the Raikage.

Unlike the others, he did not bother with subtlety. His expression was hard, unrelenting. His arms were crossed over his chest, but his sharp eyes remained locked onto Renjiro as if waiting for something inevitable.

Something about the atmosphere unnerved her, but more than that, she felt like she was missing a crucial detail.

With a slight nudge to the elderly Onoki's arm, she whispered, "Tsuchikage-sama, what exactly is going on?"

The response was immediate, though not verbal. Onoki merely lifted a hand in a dismissive gesture, his gaze fixed firmly on Renjiro. His lips pressed together in a thin line, and he didn't so much as spare her a glance.

"Not now," he muttered under his breath, his tone clipped.

Akemi pursed her lips, feeling an annoyed twitch in her fingers. She was used to Onoki dismissing her like this—he had little patience for what he considered 'unnecessary' curiosity. But this wasn't just curiosity. This mattered.

She took another glance around. The silence in the chamber was unnatural, stretching longer than it should. Even the guards stationed near the doors seemed to be holding their breath.

That only made her more determined.

"But what is that silver ball supposed to do?" she pressed, keeping her voice barely above a breath. "What are we waiting for?"

Onoki exhaled sharply, the sound just shy of a sigh. He still did not turn to face her fully, but his fingers drummed against the table once before he finally whispered back.

"If you don't even know that," he hissed, "how exactly are you supposed to protect me?"

Akemi stiffened slightly.

It wasn't that she was intimidated. She had been scolded by Onoki enough times to have grown used to it. But that didn't mean she liked it. There was always something uniquely frustrating about how he dismissed her questions as if expecting her to simply know things she had never been told.

But Akemi wasn't the type to let things go.

The Kazekage's eyes flickered in their direction, and for a brief moment, she could have sworn he was amused by the exchange. His brow quirked ever so slightly as if silently saying, "Trouble with your subordinates, Onoki?"

Akemi ignored him.

She crossed her arms, leaning in slightly. "I just don't understand how those little balls work."

Onoki finally turned his head a fraction, just enough to give her a sidelong glance that practically screamed 'Are you really making me explain this right now?'

But he must have realized that she wasn't going to drop it, because a moment later, he exhaled through his nose and gave her the answer she wanted.

"Those silver balls," he whispered gruffly, "are made of chakra metal—an excellent conductor." His gaze flicked briefly back to the object in Renjiro's hand. "But more importantly, they've already absorbed chakra from the assailant at the scene."

Akemi's brows lifted slightly.

'Already absorbed chakra?'

Onoki continued, his voice low but firm. "If Renjiro channels his chakra into them and they react strongly, it means the chakra inside and his own chakra share a close match."

Akemi blinked, her lips parting slightly in understanding. So, in other words…

"If it glows," she whispered, "that means he's guilty?"

Onoki grunted. "If it glows strongly, that is."

For the first time, she understood why the room was so tense. This wasn't just a test—it was a trial.

The proof of guilt or innocence was resting in Renjiro's hands.

Akemi's eyes flickered toward the Raikage again, and this time, she saw the barely restrained anticipation in his stance. He expected that ball to glow. No—more than that. He wanted it to glow.

At the same time, she stole a glance at the Hokage. Unlike the Raikage, he did not seem nervous or anxious. His hands remained calmly placed on the table, his expression unreadable.

That in itself was very suspicious.

'What does he know that the Raikage doesn't?'

Akemi's grip on her arms tightened slightly.

By now, even the Mizukage and the Kazekage had fully taken notice of her conversation with Onoki, their gazes flicking between her and the old Tsuchikage with mild curiosity. The Raikage, however, did not spare them a glance. His focus remained solely on Renjiro.

Instead, he turned back to the main event—just in time to see Renjiro close his eyes, inhaling a slow breath as he began channelling his chakra into the silver ball.

Renjiro's grip on the cold metal sphere tightened ever so slightly. His chakra seeped into it, his nerves taut beneath his carefully composed exterior.

'Please… don't react…'

It was a quiet prayer, whispered only within the depths of his mind. A hope. Desperation.

The seconds dragged on.

Then—

A soft "thrum!" emanated from the ball.

Renjiro's stomach dropped.

The silver orb pulsed, a faint but undeniable glow blooming from within, illuminating the intricate carvings along its surface. The energy coursing through it was familiar.

Too familiar.

His breath hitched, but outwardly, he remained motionless.

Across the room, the Raikage's lips curled into a victorious grin, his sharp teeth glinting as the light reflected in his dark eyes, his fingers already beginning to curl into a victorious fist.

But then—

The glow flickered.

And it stopped growing.

The chamber remained utterly still.

Akemi's brows furrowed slightly. The light was there, but… it wasn't strong. It wasn't the undeniable, inescapable proof of guilt that the Raikage had been expecting.

Renjiro's brow twitched, ever so slightly. 'Wait… that's not right.'

He had expected either a full confirmation of his involvement—something that would damn him entirely—or no reaction at all. But this? The light was faint. Weak.

Not wrong, but not right either.

The Raikage's grin faltered. His fingers loosened slightly. The glow was there, yes—but it was not the reaction he had expected.

Tadashi's sharp eyes flickered between the orb and Renjiro, his neutral expression shifting ever so slightly into confusion.

Renjiro took a steadying breath, trying to mask his own bewilderment. 'Why isn't it reacting as much as it should?'

From the corner of his eye, he spared a glance at Hiruzen.

The Hokage remained utterly impassive. No hint of surprise, no change in his demeanour.

That in itself was suspicious.

'Did he… plan for this?'

Renjiro's mind raced. If Hiruzen had somehow altered the results in advance, then it meant he had anticipated this move from Kumo. That, in turn, meant Konoha had prepared a countermeasure for this exact moment.

Across the room, the Raikage barely heard Tadashi as the mediator cleared his throat. His mind was running in circles, trying to grasp what had gone wrong.

'The chakra traces at the scene were unmistakable.'

His son, Ay, had confirmed it personally. Renjiro was possibly the only Uchiha involved in Konoha's covert operations—there was no way this could be a mistake.

'So why wasn't the reaction stronger?'

Tadashi finally spoke. "While the silver ball did glow," he said carefully, "the reaction was not strong enough to be considered conclusive evidence."

The words landed like a hammer.

The Raikage's brows knit together, his hands curling into tight fists.

Tadashi turned to A. "Raikage-dono, do you have anything else to add?"

For the first time in a long while, the Raikage did not respond immediately. His mind was clouded with doubt, uncertainty gnawing at the edges of his thoughts.

Then—

A soft chuckle broke the silence.

Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned forward ever so slightly, his calm eyes locking onto the Raikage.

"Well, well," he mused, "you look rather shaken, Raikage-dono. What's the matter? Surprised that your plan failed?"

The taunt sliced through the thick tension like a kunai.

The Raikage's fists slammed onto the table, his glare snapping toward the Hokage with barely restrained fury. "You—!"

But Hiruzen was not finished.

He straightened, inhaled the smoke from his pipe, then exhaled slowly before delivering his next words with the weight of iron.

"Konoha declares war on Kumogakure."

The room exploded into chaos.

Even Minato's eyes widened, his normally unshakable composure faltering for the first time.

Renjiro's breath caught.

The Kage—every single one—turned to stare at the Hokage in shock.

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