The silence felt different out here.
Too open.
Too wide.
No walls.
No chains.
No voices—
Except one.
"…you're slowing down…"
Kushina didn't answer.
She couldn't.
Her breathing was uneven.
Too shallow.
Too fast.
Every step felt heavier than the last.
Her legs shook.
Her vision blurred at the edges.
"…you won't last…"
"I will."
Her voice was weak.
Barely there.
But she kept moving.
One step.
Then another.
The ground beneath her feet shifted again.
Grass.
Soft.
Too soft.
Her foot slipped slightly.
She caught herself—
barely.
"…pathetic…"
"Shut up…"
But even that took effort.
Too much effort.
Kushina stopped.
Just for a second.
Just to breathe.
Bad idea.
Her body didn't want to move again.
"…don't stop…"
"I'm not…"
But she didn't move.
Not yet.
Her chest rose and fell unevenly.
Her head lowered.
Her hands trembled.
"…this is where you fall…"
"No…"
A step.
Her leg gave out.
Kushina dropped to one knee.
Hard.
The impact echoed through her body.
Pain shot upward.
Sharp.
Blinding.
"…told you…"
She gritted her teeth.
Tried to push herself up.
Her arms shook.
Failed.
"…get up…"
"I am…"
But she wasn't.
Not really.
Her body wouldn't listen anymore.
Too tired.
Too empty.
Her fingers dug into the ground.
Grass bending beneath them.
"…you're weak…"
Silence.
Kushina didn't answer this time.
Her breathing slowed.
Not steady.
Just… slower.
Her head lowered further.
"…this is how it ends…"
A long pause.
Then—
"…just like her…"
Akane.
The name wasn't spoken.
But it was there.
Heavy.
Sharp.
Kushina's fingers tightened slightly.
"…I'm not her…"
The words barely left her lips.
"…you are closer than you think…"
Her breath hitched.
Her eyes squeezed shut.
"…no…"
But doubt had already settled in.
Deep.
Quiet.
Dangerous.
Her body leaned forward.
Further.
Until—
She collapsed.
The ground caught her.
Cold.
Real.
Her cheek pressed against the grass.
Her vision flickered.
The sky above her—
blurred.
"…this is where you break…"
Silence.
Long.
Heavy.
Kushina didn't move.
Didn't fight.
Didn't argue.
For a moment—
there was nothing left.
Just exhaustion.
Just emptiness.
Just—
quiet.
"…get up…"
The voice was softer now.
Not mocking.
Not loud.
"…or die…"
A pause.
"…your choice…"
Her fingers twitched.
Barely.
A breath.
Shallow.
Then another.
Her eyes opened.
Just a little.
The world still blurred.
Still spinning.
But there.
Still there.
"…I'm…"
Her voice cracked.
"…not done…"
Her hand pressed weakly against the ground.
Trying to push up.
Failed.
Again.
"…not done…"
Another breath.
Another attempt.
This time—
she moved.
Just a little.
Enough.
Her body trembled violently.
But she stayed conscious.
Stayed here.
Stayed—
alive.
"…still struggling…"
"…always…"
The word was barely a whisper.
But it stayed.
Even as her strength faded again.
Even as her body gave in—
just a little.
Kushina lay there.
Breathing.
Alive.
But barely.
The world around her quiet.
Too quiet.
Until—
A sound.
Soft.
Close.
Not hers.
Kushina's eyes shifted.
Slow.
Heavy.
A shadow moved at the edge of her vision.
Unclear.
Unfamiliar.
Real.
"…you're not alone…"
Her breath hitched.
Her fingers twitched—
just slightly.
But she couldn't move.
Not anymore.
Her vision darkened again.
The last thing she saw—
was that shadow.
Watching her.
—
Then darkness took her.