The Undesired Second Chance

Chapter 41: Deduction

Minato did feel a little guilty about kicking out Obito, but there were some matters his young students shouldn't be made privy to just yet: the village was a constant in their life, trustworthy and dependable. They shouldn't need to face the messy gray area that is reality until they get a bit older.

Though he suspected that Kakashi, at least, had some ideas as to the true complications with this case.

Picking up another of his knives and gently running the small whetstone along its edge, Fugaku asked again, "So, why come to me directly?"

"A few reasons," he replied. Plenty that he really hadn't wanted to consider, given what it would say about his village.

Reaching into a pouch on his vest, Minato pulled out an area-of-effect privacy seal. He set it on the tatami mat between them, and the ink lit up with chakra as it activated.

At the sight, Fugaku stilled.

"Primarily... Well." Minato sighed, setting aside his discomfort and laying out the facts. "He was taken from the middle of the village—a largely abandoned district, but the point stands. I haven't seen any reports of suspicious activity from the border wall, and sneaking out with an unconscious civilian would be difficult. And given the vase..." He cut off, shaking his head.

Fugaku paused, considering, and then pointedly set aside his sharpening tools: no doubt he could already see where this was ultimately headed. His already stern expression was dark at the prospect.

"As such," Minato added, "I suspect—" and hope, really, "—that he's still somewhere within village bounds."

"There has not been a ransom note." It was a plain statement, though Fugaku did send him a glance as he said it—checking for confirmation.

Minato just nodded.

The lack of any demands or anything else to that effect was actually the most worrisome part of the whole situation. Or one of them, at least: up there with the fact that whoever kidnapped him actually went through the trouble of covering up after themselves.

"Which means it's likely the kidnapping wasn't motivated by money," Fugaku continued, "nor was it an attempt to gain leverage against the village."

The possibility that his friend had been taken to be used as some kind of bargaining chip against him, to compromise him in some way, was uncomfortable to consider. It would mean that this was all his fault, and that, simply by associating with him, Minato had put Axel in danger.

Just the thought made his stomach churn.

Still, the fact was that there hadn't been a ransom note. Unfortunately that has it's own host of distressing implications, since it cuts away most of the 'mundane' reasons to kidnap somebody.

Because if Axel hadn't been taken for money or coercion, then—

"Information," Fugaku said, almost as if he were finishing Minato's unspoken thought. "But what could a civilian blacksmith know that would be worth all this trouble?"

A lot of things, as it turns out—most of which Minato had only learned about a few days ago.

Given the circumstances, however, he seriously doubted that anyone else could have figured out the crazy truth without hearing it directly from the man himself. And even then, they probably wouldn't believe it; after all, when it comes to explanations, 'I am actually from an alternate universe' sounds pretty farfetched.

That being said, Minato had considered the possibility that their conversation had been overheard by somebody—not counting his keen-eared student, of course. But he was certain nobody else had been near the house at the time, and Kushina had set up the privacy seal before any of the convincing details came to light.