Darkness didn't feel empty.
Not this time.
It felt… closer.
Heavier.
Like something was there.
Watching.
Waiting.
Kushina's breathing was shallow.
Slow.
Unsteady.
Her body didn't move.
Couldn't.
But her mind—
barely holding on.
"…get up…"
"…can't…"
A low hum.
"…pathetic…"
No strength to answer.
No strength to argue.
Just—
breathing.
Then—
Footsteps.
Real.
Close.
Not in her head.
Kushina's fingers twitched weakly.
"…hear that…?"
"I do…"
The sound stopped.
Right beside her.
Silence.
Then—
"…Kushina."
Her breath caught.
That voice—
She knew it.
"…Daichi…?"
No answer.
For a second.
Then—
"…you look worse than I expected."
Relief hit—
sharp.
Unexpected.
Dangerous.
Kushina tried to move.
Failed.
"…took you long enough…"
Her voice was barely there.
Daichi knelt beside her.
His presence—
solid.
Real.
He didn't rush.
Didn't panic.
But his eyes—
sharp.
Focused.
Scanning.
Checking.
"You're alive."
Kushina let out a weak breath.
"Obviously…"
A pause.
"…barely."
She huffed faintly.
"Still counts."
Silence.
Then—
his hand moved.
Careful.
Not rough.
He checked the seals.
The marks on her skin.
His expression hardened.
"…they pushed you."
Kushina's eyes flickered.
"Yeah…"
A pause.
"…I noticed…"
Daichi exhaled quietly.
Not relief.
Not anger.
Something heavier.
"You shouldn't have survived that."
Kushina smirked weakly.
"Rude…"
A faint shift in his expression.
Almost—
approval.
"…you moved."
Her gaze sharpened slightly.
"…I had to."
Silence.
Then—
"…they're close."
Kushina's body tensed instinctively.
Even in this state.
"I know."
Daichi stood.
Fast.
Efficient.
His eyes moved through the forest.
Calculating.
"They're tracking you."
Kushina let out a weak breath.
"Good for them…"
A pause.
"…can you move?"
She tried.
Her arm trembled.
Failed.
"…no."
Silence.
Short.
Decisive.
Daichi stepped closer.
"…then don't."
Before she could react—
he lifted her.
Effortless.
Kushina tensed.
"Put me down—"
"No."
Firm.
No argument.
"I'm not slowing you down—"
"You already are."
A beat.
"But I'm not leaving you."
Silence.
Kushina didn't answer.
Couldn't.
Her head rested slightly against his shoulder.
Her eyes half-closed.
"…you trust him…"
A low voice inside her.
Watching.
Measuring.
"…I don't have a choice…"
"…you always have a choice…"
Kushina exhaled slowly.
Too tired to argue.
Too tired to think.
Daichi moved.
Fast.
Through the trees.
Silent.
Precise.
Like he knew exactly where he was going.
Branches passed.
Shadows shifted.
Distance grew.
But—
not enough.
"…they're still coming…"
Daichi's voice stayed calm.
"I know."
Kushina's fingers twitched weakly.
"…you can't run forever…"
"…I don't need to…"
A pause.
"…just long enough."
The forest thinned.
Again.
A different path.
A hidden one.
Barely visible.
Kushina's eyes flickered open slightly.
"…where…"
"Somewhere they won't follow."
A beat.
"…yet."
Silence.
The air shifted.
Less pressure.
Less weight.
But not safe.
Not yet.
Kushina's gaze lowered.
Her body heavy.
Exhausted.
"…you didn't break…"
The voice inside her.
Quieter now.
Different.
"…not yet…"
Kushina's lips moved slightly.
"…I told you…"
A faint rumble.
Not mocking.
Not cold.
Just—
there.
Watching.
Waiting.
Daichi didn't slow down.
Didn't stop.
Didn't look back.
And for the first time—
since everything began—
Kushina wasn't alone.