Chapter 276 - Chapter 276: Bond

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As Minato examined Toneri's injuries, his expression became immediately serious. 

The recent attack had severely damaged Toneri's muscles and bones, and the blood loss was extensive. 

If Minato had arrived just a few seconds later, Toneri might have died from blood loss alone. 

Even now, if the injuries were not promptly treated, Toneri's arm could suffer lasting damage, significantly impacting his future as a ninja.

Toneri was, after all, his son. Though adopted, he was as much Minato's child as Naruto. 

In Minato's heart, from the moment they adopted Toneri, he was their son. For Minato, any matter concerning his children was of utmost importance. 

There was no time to personally hunt for the attacker; Minato left a shadow clone to investigate and quickly took Toneri and Naruto back home.

At home, they had a special healing amulet crafted by the renowned Ogami Clan. 

Although using it for what might seem like a minor injury seemed excessive, it was worth it. 

If not for the general safety within the village, Minato would have already used it on Toneri.

When Minato arrived home, Kushina, who was cooking, greeted them with a cheerful "Welcome home." 

But the next second, she erupted with a terrifying chakra as she saw Toneri unconscious and injured in Minato's arms. 

Having some medical ninjutsu knowledge, Kushina quickly assessed Toneri's condition. 

She knew now was not the time for questions. Acting in perfect sync, she and Minato immediately used the healing amulet on Toneri.

The amulet enveloped Toneri in a large glow of green chakra, and within moments, his body was healed. 

However, he remained asleep. Minato and Kushina gently placed him in his room and quietly left. Naruto, worried, stayed by Toneri's side without moving.

Outside Toneri's room, Kushina finally had time to question Minato. 

However, all Minato knew was that Toneri and Naruto had been attacked in the Forest of Death.

Even Minato's shadow clone, left behind to investigate, lost track of Danzo due to some delays. Kushina realized this might become an unsolved case. 

Still, she was determined to find the attacker. Her sensory abilities far surpassed Minato's.

Without a moment's pause, Kushina entered Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, becoming a streak of light that vanished from the room. 

That day, many in Konoha saw a golden flash streak across the sky. Shortly afterward, loud explosions echoed from the Forest of Death, caused by Kushina's search.

Upon reaching the forest, Kushina found no clues. Danzo, despite everything, was on the cusp of Kage-level power. 

With Orochimaru's research and his own experiences, Danzo had become quite adept at evading capture. 

If even Minato, a super-strong ninja, couldn't find him, Kushina arriving later had even slimmer chances.

Of course, what angered Kushina the most wasn't just the injuries but the sight of the blood-soaked puppet and the pool of Toneri's blood. 

Toneri was only a seven-year-old child; how much blood could he possibly have? 

Toneri, who had already led a difficult life, had finally started to find some peace, only to suffer such severe injuries. 

This made Kushina's heart ache terribly. Fueled by this heartache, Kushina's anger towards the attacker intensified. 

In her fury, she stomped the ground with tremendous force, causing it to collapse, which was the source of the thunderous sound. 

However, Kushina didn't leave empty-handed. She retrieved the puppet that Danzo had left behind. 

This puppet significantly increased her suspicion of Sunagakure. After all, the most distinctive trait of Sunagakure ninjas was their puppet mastery. 

Despite the peace agreement between Sunagakure and Konoha, one could never be too sure about such matters.

Back at home, Kushina angrily shared her suspicions with Minato. 

While Minato acknowledged that Kushina's theory had some merit, he also noted that it lacked the full story and concrete evidence. 

Thus, they decided to call Naruto to recount the events. As the person directly involved, Naruto would know the most about what happened.

Upon hearing Naruto's account, Kushina's anger only grew. 

Over the past month, although Naruto was unaware, Kushina and Minato had noticed Toneri's secretive behavior. 

Initially, the boys' arrival times at home were far apart due to their different schedules and training regimens. 

But for over a month, they had been coming home almost simultaneously. While this was understandable for a day or two, after a while, it raised suspicions.

Within half a month, Kushina and Minato had figured out Toneri's actions. 

Based on various pieces of information, they also had a good understanding of Toneri's intentions. 

Faced with this situation, they didn't know what to say, so they chose to remain silent. 

They believed that the best way to resolve the boys' issues was to let time work things out, offering guidance and fair treatment whenever necessary. 

This made them more affectionate and concerned about Toneri. Listening to Naruto's recounting of events, Kushina's fury intensified. 

The whole ordeal was ultimately caused by Naruto's recklessness. Toneri had been severely injured because he saved Naruto. 

If Naruto had stayed within the village or gone home instead of venturing into the dangerous Forest of Death, none of this would have happened. 

If Minato had arrived later or they had forgotten to call for help in their panic, the consequences could have been unimaginable.

After hearing Naruto's account, Kushina raised her hand, intending to slap Naruto. Seeing Kushina's raised hand, Naruto didn't dodge. 

Instead, he closed his eyes and waited for the blow. Did Naruto regret his actions? How could he not? He regretted it so much that he wanted to slap himself. 

Deep down, Naruto was still the same person—loyal and full of compassion. That's why he was now waiting for Kushina's slap. 

But after waiting for a long time with his eyes closed, he felt no pain. Confused, he opened his eyes and saw Kushina sighing with a look of guilt on her face.

Kushina had truly intended to slap Naruto, but as she raised her hand, she hesitated and lowered it again. After all, Naruto was a victim too. 

The core mistake wasn't his. Suddenly having an older brother vying for attention would unsettle any child, even the most understanding one. 

Considering all that Naruto had already been through, punishing him now might leave a lasting scar on his heart. Realizing her impulsiveness, Kushina felt a wave of guilt. 

But it was this hesitation that made Naruto break down completely, and tears started streaming down his face. Seeing Naruto's pain, Kushina's heart ached. 

Naruto, who had always faced the world with optimism, never cried even when he was ostracized by other children due to being the Hokage's son. 

He chose to face everything with a smile. Kushina remembered clearly that this was the first time Naruto had cried since he could remember. 

Almost losing two children was too much for her to bear as well. She knelt and hugged Naruto gently, soothing him with soft words. 

Seeing the mother and son embracing, Minato also smiled. Despite the danger they had just faced, overcoming such a crisis promised a happier future.

As Naruto continued to cry, a faint noise came from Toneri's room. Although it was quiet, Minato and Kushina, who were closely monitoring Toneri, noticed it immediately. 

"Naruto, your brother Toneri is awake. Do you want to go see him?" Minato crouched down and asked Naruto with a smile. 

Hearing Minato's words, Naruto, still teary-eyed, quickly pulled away from Kushina and dashed toward Toneri's room.

Bang! The door flew open, startling Toneri, who had just gotten out of bed. In the next moment, he felt a figure slam into his arms. 

Instinctively, Toneri hugged the figure, only to realize it was Naruto. This sudden realization left Toneri confused, and Naruto's next words bewildered him even more.

"Brother, I'm so glad you're okay!" Brother?! Toneri's mind was in a whirl. 

Although he was nominally Naruto's brother, Naruto had never called him that in the past three months. Naruto had hardly spoken to him at all.

But Naruto didn't care about that. Pulling away from Toneri's embrace, he began examining Toneri's injured shoulder from top to bottom. 

While checking, he kept asking if it hurt and if everything was alright. It was then that Toneri noticed the tear stains on Naruto's face. 

Even a fool could see that Naruto had accepted him now, let alone someone as clever as Toneri.

He felt like he was dreaming; everything he had done was worth it. So, Toneri quickly assured Naruto that he was fine. 

However, he couldn't hide the nervousness and excitement in his voice. 

Minato and Kushina, who had been watching from the doorway, also smiled with relief. 

Thanks to Toneri's efforts, the relationship between the two boys had completely changed.

Quietly closing the door, Minato and Kushina left the two boys to bond. 

That day, Naruto and Toneri talked a lot and shared stories about their childhoods. From that day on, Toneri fully integrated into the family.

.....

Asahi, who was in seclusion training, was unaware of all this. Although the outcome was wonderful, Asahi had just awakened from his training state. 

Taking a deep breath, he slowly stood up. In the world of Naruto, his progress had been very slow. 

Despite spending three months in training, his strength hadn't significantly increased.

Asahi understood that haste makes waste, so he didn't plan to continue training endlessly. 

Besides, he still hadn't utilized the giant Tenseigan he had obtained on the moon. 

Determined to forge it into a powerful artifact, Asahi headed to the forging pavilion. 

The disciples on duty noticed him but, at his signal, remained silent, avoiding drawing attention.

Entering his private forging room, Asahi took out a large pile of forging materials from his sleeve, including the giant Tenseigan. 

With the materials ready, he conjured a dark purple flame. 

The intense heat began to soften the metals, and they visibly shrank as impurities were removed. 

As time passed, the materials were reduced to a small lump. Only then did Asahi stop.

Though it seemed smooth, Asahi knew this was just the beginning. Removing impurities was only the basic step. 

The next steps, engraving runes and creating connection points, required extreme precision. 

Any slight mistake could lead to failure. After refining the rare metals, Asahi didn't immediately start engraving runes. 

The primary material, the giant Tenseigan, still needed to be processed. Such a large Tenseigan couldn't be used as it was.

Setting aside the purified metals, Asahi gently controlled the giant Tenseigan, making it float before him. 

Taking a deep breath, he unleashed his mental energy to examine the complex internal structure of the Tenseigan carefully. 

Unlike the metals, the intricate network within the Tenseigan required utmost precision. 

With his mental energy fully engaged, Asahi summoned a faint green flame. 

This flame, containing wood or life attributes, was challenging for Asahi to control, even with his inherited abilities.

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