"Kushina—Minato's here to see you again~"
Outside the spotless, tidy hospital room came the nurse's cheerful voice. The door opened, and a handsome blond young man stepped in, sunlight at his back, carrying a bag of carefully washed fruit.
"Feeling any better, Kushina?"
"Not better. Not even a little."
"H-Huh?"
Kushina Uzumaki wore a scowl as she raised a fist at Minato Namikaze from across the bed.
"I've been ready to discharge ages ago! So why are the Hokage-sama and you both insisting on pinning me in the hospital?! Lying here every day, pretending to cooperate with the med-nin's treatments—I'm going to die of boredom!!!"
"Ah… th-that can't really be helped, Kushina…" Minato sat at the edge of her bed, holding her hand—its color finally back to healthy warmth—and spoke with solemn sincerity. "It was only recently that the abnormal chakra inside you was completely purged. We have to keep you under observation for a while to make sure there are no lingering issues or hidden injuries."
"Then at least let me go out for a walk! Do you know how long I've been stuck on this bed, Minato?!"
Kushina puffed her cheeks, glaring murderously toward the window where Yamanaka Haruto and Kato Shizune were very obviously pretending to admire the scenery.
"Normally, even if a patient under observation is allowed to take a walk, it's only to get some air near the hospital," Minato said, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead with exasperated fondness. "But if we let you 'go out and clear your head,' you'd never come back until someone tracked you down."
"Then come back more often and keep me company…" Kushina leaned her head on Minato's shoulder, voice sulky and muffled. "Anyway, with Kaguya Ren missing, and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen wiped out, Kirigakure has no chance against us…"
"He's back," Minato said, letting out a long breath.
Those two simple words made Kushina's entire body tense. Even the wound in her abdomen—long since healed—seemed to throb in sympathy.
"Kaguya Ren… is back?"
"Yeah." Minato pulled her into his arms, sharing his warmth—and his frustration. "He didn't just wreak havoc on the front line himself. He got the Kiri forces that used to only turtle up to actually go on the offensive. Our people were caught completely off-guard. Right now, the Third Hokage is probably losing sleep over the Uchiha and Hyuga situation."
"The Uchiha and the Hyuga?" Kushina blinked. Those two clans, both dōjutsu holders and never exactly friendly with each other—what could make them stir up trouble together? "What happened?"
"…It's complicated. And it's not something we can openly talk about yet."
Minato's hesitation made realization creep up Kushina's spine. She swallowed hard, eyes widening as she stared at him.
"You mean… that?"
Minato nodded slowly. "Kiri doesn't usually bother taking prisoners on the battlefield. But if it's those two clans… the Mist would gladly make an exception. And one of them was personally taken by Kaguya Ren…"
Kushina clicked her tongue, lowering her voice. "Fugaku, Hiashi, and the Third… they're going to be too stressed to sleep."
"I am too, Kushina." Minato buried his face into her long red hair, eyes shut with fatigue. "The more intelligence we collect on him, the more we analyze… the less I can see where his limits actually are."
"Minato…"
Kushina bit her lip, the familiar wave of regret rising again—regret that she hadn't pushed herself harder, learned to draw properly on a jinchūriki's power.
They stayed like that, holding each other, sharing the weight of unease—until an ANBU in a mask suddenly appeared outside the window.
"Minato-sama! The Third Hokage has urgent business. Please come immediately!"
"I understand."
Minato rose at once, pulled Kushina into a fierce embrace that made her heart clench, then vanished with the ANBU in a flash—reappearing in the lobby of the Hokage Tower. He cut through the crowd of shinobi picking up missions and headed straight for the Hokage's office.
"What happened, Third Hokage-sama?"
The moment he opened the door, the lineup inside nearly made his breath catch.
Hiruzen Sarutobi. The Hokage's advisors, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. Orochimaru of the Sannin. Jiraiya…
Including Minato, every publicly known Kage-level force in Konoha was present.
"There's good news and bad news, Minato," Jiraiya greeted, breaking the heavy atmosphere. "Which do you want first?"
"Good news first, sensei."
"Good news is: Kirigakure's Third Mizukage has proposed a ceasefire and peace talks." Jiraiya unrolled a scroll—an invitation, written in the Mizukage's own hand, calling for negotiations and asking that each side's Kage appear personally to finalize terms.
"Kiri wants to stop?" Minato frowned. "Why?"
"Orochimaru-kun," Koharu said, glancing to the Sannin.
Orochimaru licked his lips, voice cold and serpentine. "Minato-kun… have you heard of a rumor that's been circulating in the underground markets for quite some time? That Kaguya Ren intended to accumulate enough prestige during the war against Konoha… and then stage a coup to seize the Mizukage's seat?"
"I've heard of it," Minato said, nodding automatically—then his expression changed sharply. "D-Don't tell me—"
"Correct." Orochimaru produced a report, delivered by a Root asset planted in the Mist. His tone was complicated. "It says Kaguya Ren launched a coup against the Third Mizukage alone. The details are unclear. But the day after it ended, the Third Mizukage contacted the Water Country's daimyo… and together with Kaguya Ren, met the daimyo and another power-holder in Kirigakure—an elder named Yagura."
"So… he succeeded?" Minato knitted his brows, genuinely unable to picture the absurdity of two people fighting a coup one day and meeting a daimyo 'amicably' the next. "Just like that?"
"Most likely," Koharu said. "Kirigakure has long followed the tradition that the strongest becomes Mizukage. If Kaguya Ren's strength is enough to silence the Third Mizukage's supporters… then he can inherit openly."
"Then the one inviting us to 'ceasefire talks'…" Minato's voice tightened. "…is basically the future Fourth Mizukage—Kaguya Ren?"
Minato hesitated, then looked to Hiruzen—who had been silent until now.
"If that's all, it's serious, but it shouldn't require this many people to gather. There has to be more."
"There is." Hiruzen turned, his expression heavier than Minato had ever seen. "That report says Kaguya Ren launched the coup because he discovered the Third Mizukage had been controlled by a Sharingan genjutsu. After the coup, the Third Mizukage personally confirmed it."
Boom.
Minato felt as if a lightning technique had struck him head-on. For several long beats, he couldn't say a word.
"He's not really here to negotiate," Jiraiya said quietly, placing the scroll into Minato's hands. "He's here to demand answers."
The invitation stated: besides the Kage themselves, each side may bring only two guards. The talks would be held in one week. The location—
The same place where the First Hokage once hosted the Five Kage Summit.
"That brat dares to compare himself to the First…" Homura slammed his hand on the armrest, face dark. "The First Hokage who ended the Warring States Era—how can some kid who isn't even old enough to drink be mentioned in the same breath?!"
"Hiruzen-sama…" Minato began.
Hiruzen stepped closer, a hand resting on Minato's shoulder.
"Will you accompany me," Hiruzen asked softly, "as the Fourth Hokage… on this trip?"
"Third Hokage-sama…" Minato's eyes widened—then he bowed hard, voice ringing with conviction. "I will protect you with my life."
"That won't be necessary." Hiruzen's gaze lifted to Minato's impossibly young face, half wistful, half resolute. "If something happens, you leave. It is my turn to follow the Second Hokage's example… and protect Konoha's new sprouts."
"…Old man," Jiraiya muttered, stepping forward. He placed his hand over Hiruzen's weathered one. "This time… I'm going too."
"Thank you, Jiraiya."
The bond between master and students was almost overflowing.
And yet Orochimaru—also Hiruzen's disciple—watched with a flicker of poison and resentment hidden deep in his eyes.
So… there truly is no place for me anymore in Konoha.
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