Upon seeing Kushina again, Minato's heart was filled with longing. In his final moments before death, what he had thought about most was the family waiting for him—Kushina, and their unborn child.
Now that he was seeing her again, Minato had been holding back his emotions.
"Minato..."
Kushina couldn't hold back her tears, and as she began to cry, she said, "Why didn't you come back sooner?"
Seeing her like this, Minato was filled with guilt. He quickly walked to Kushina's side and, with an apologetic expression, said, "I'm sorry, Kushina. This is all my fault."
"No, Minato, it's not your fault. It's mine... I should have stopped you back then. If I had, you wouldn't have gone on that mission!"
Kushina shook her head, tears streaming down her face. It had been Minato's day off, specially approved by the Fourth Hokage. She should have been more insistent about refusing Jiraiya's request.
If she had been tougher back then, maybe things would have been different.
"No, it wasn't your fault. It was mine—"
"You made Mom cry!"
Naruto, standing in front of Kushina, pushed Minato hard, sending him back a few steps.
Minato was momentarily stunned by the force of Naruto's push. Though he didn't mind it much since Naruto was his son, he had used chakra to anchor himself to the ground.
"Don't be rude, you idiot son."
Kushina scolded Naruto, hitting him on the head, then bent down and softly said to him, "Naruto, he's your father."
"What?"
Naruto froze upon hearing those words, momentarily forgetting the pain in his head.
Naruto had fought with others before, especially when they made fun of him for not having a father. But now, his mom was telling him that this man was his father. Naruto was at a loss for words.
Naruto had never seen a picture of Minato at home; all the photos had been put away by Kushina, fearing Naruto would ask too many questions about his father.
Now, seeing his real father, Naruto didn't know how to react. He hid behind Kushina, only peeking out to look at Minato, but he didn't say a word.
Kushina said, "Let's talk more at home, Minato. I moved here because there's someone targeting the Nine-Tails. There's a sensory barrier here."
"I know, Kushina. On my way back, the Fifth Hokage already told me."
Minato smiled, but his face soon showed a hint of guilt. "I should have protected you from such powerful enemies."
"It's okay, Minato. Let's go home first."
Kushina shook her head. Minato's kindness only made her feel more guilty inside.
The three of them walked home together, though Naruto still kept his distance, staying on the other side of Kushina.
Minato couldn't help but smile wryly at the sight. He didn't blame Naruto, after all. When he had died unexpectedly during a mission, Naruto hadn't even been born yet.
Now, almost five years had passed.
When they arrived at the house, Minato glanced around and asked, "Kushina, is this just a basic barrier?"
"Yes, the barrier technique can't block space-time jutsu. This is just a sensory barrier. If any third-party chakra appears, Yōichi will sense it, or I can trigger the barrier to send a signal, indicating an enemy."
Kushina nodded as she led Minato inside, explaining further, "The house is smaller than before. It was built in two days once we knew about the enemy. But it's quieter here, and Naruto can often go play with Sasuke."
"I don't go to see that stuck-up Sasuke!"
Naruto tugged on Kushina's clothes, trying to explain.
Kushina chuckled, ruffling Naruto's hair. Her silly son was always at odds with Sasuke, never willing to admit defeat to him.
Once inside, Kushina said to Minato, "It's almost lunchtime. Why don't you stay and have a meal with us?"
Minato smiled and said, "Sure, it's been a long time since I've tasted your cooking, Kushina."
Naruto suddenly interrupted, "Aunt Mina's food is—ouch, ouch!"
Before he could finish, Naruto's head was smacked again, and he obediently went to the table for lunch.
Minato smiled as well. Just seeing Kushina and their son again made him feel content, though he did feel a bit out of place after being gone for so long, especially since this wasn't their old home.
"Let's eat."
Kushina said to both Naruto and Minato. The two exchanged a glance and quickly sat down at the table.
Minato picked up a bite of food with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth. It tasted like dirt, with no flavor, and felt like a foreign object in his mouth. Still, he smiled and said, "Delicious, just like I remember, Kushina!"
After swallowing, Minato realized that in his current Edo Tensei state, he couldn't taste food properly.
Lack of taste was the least of his worries—his Edo body didn't have the ability to digest or expel food. Anything he ate would remain like a foreign object inside him.
If he ate too much, the only way to get rid of the food would be to break his body apart and remove it. Alternatively, he could find some other way to throw it up.
With this realization, Minato ate only a few bites before putting down his chopsticks.
Kushina noticed Minato's actions and wanted to ask if something was wrong, but seeing the cracks in his Edo body, she swallowed her words.
Kushina was torn inside. She had made a decision, but then Minato suddenly returned.
Now, she could ask Yōichi to fulfill his promise and revive Minato. But what about the child inside her? Could she hide it from Minato or abort it?
Kushina's mind was in chaos, and even after Naruto had finished eating, she hadn't touched much of her own food.
"Kushina?"
Minato's voice pulled her from her thoughts, and she quickly stood up, saying, "I'll clean up."
"I'll help you, Kushina."
The two of them quickly cleaned up the dishes, and then Kushina said to Minato, "Minato, why don't you go rest upstairs for a bit?"
"Alright, Kushina, but I can't stay too long. I need to deliver some information to the First and Second Hokage. It seems they've been revived."
Minato glanced at Naruto as he spoke. He only had two or three hours before he had to leave, so he wanted to spend some time bonding with his son.
He had noticed that Naruto seemed eager to talk to him but was too shy or unsure of how to start.
"You're leaving so soon?"
"Yes. Before I came back, I encountered an enemy targeting the Nine-Tails. I witnessed part of their battle with Uchiha Madara, and I need to report this to the First and Second Hokage. From what I've heard, that enemy has also set their sights on the First Hokage."
As they spoke, they made their way upstairs.
In the master bedroom, there wasn't anything particularly notable, except for the balcony where clothes and bedsheets were drying.
Minato looked around and noticed that a lot of things were missing from the room, including the photo that used to sit on the bedside table. But he quickly reasoned that since they had moved here in a hurry, many of their belongings were probably still at their old home.
"Kushina, after I died, a lot must have happened in the village. I heard you almost lost control to the Nine-Tails' chakra, but the village brought Turtle Island from the Hidden Cloud and let you train there to overcome it."
As she spoke, Kushina unconsciously placed a hand on her abdomen. She was thankful that her belly wasn't too big yet; otherwise, Minato might have noticed something was off when they first met.
"You've been through so much, Kushina."
Minato said with guilt in his heart. His death had brought a lot of trouble to her.
"Minato, what are your plans after this? After completing your mission... will you..."
Kushina hesitated for a long time before finally asking the question that had been on her mind.
"I'm not sure. I might stay with Naruto for a while, but in the end, I'll probably return to the afterlife... By the way, Kushina, where's my body? If we don't retrieve it, Madara's people could summon me again."
Minato suddenly realized this and asked in a hurry.
Kushina shook her head. "Don't worry, Minato. The village retrieved your body. As for those who killed you, the village has captured all of them. The mastermind was Obito, who was manipulated by Madara, along with another of Jiraiya-sensei's students, Nagato. They're both in prison now."
"Obito? Uchiha Obito?"
Minato was shocked. Obito, from his own team? How was that possible?
Kushina continued, "Yes, it was him. He's currently being held in the guard's prison under tight security. His ultimate fate will likely be execution. Obito didn't die during the mission; instead, because of..."
As Minato listened, his face was filled with disbelief. He never imagined that Obito, who had once aimed to become Hokage, could do such a thing.
But since Obito had been captured, and with execution likely awaiting him, Minato decided not to dwell on it further.
"Minato, do you... want to be revived?"
Kushina had been wrestling with her thoughts for a long time, ever since they had started eating. She finally gathered the courage to ask.
"Revived? You mean, brought back to life for real?"
"Yes, the Fifth Hokage seems to be able to bring the dead back to life. He revived the First and Second Hokage. If you want, I'm willing to ask him."
After saying this, Kushina's heart was in her throat. She feared Minato's answer, but she had worked so hard to see him revived. If she couldn't even ask the question, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself.
"Revival... It must be very troublesome, right? It must be a forbidden and difficult technique."
Minato could tell how conflicted Kushina was, ever since they had sat down for lunch. She clearly wanted him to come back to life but found it too difficult, hence her distress — even blaming herself.
Minato spoke up, "Kushina, reviving the dead is a forbidden act, surely very complicated. If you ask, it'll put the Fifth Hokage in a difficult position. Let's just forget about it."
"No, Minato, I can still try—"
"Dying during a mission may be a shinobi's fate, Kushina."
Minato interrupted her and continued, "I don't regret anything. As long as I see you safe, and Naruto growing up well, that's enough for me."
"Minato..."
Kushina lowered her head, feeling too overwhelmed to say anything. At the same time, she silently thought that she had failed Minato, not having the courage to speak out.
"Let's not dwell on this, Kushina. I'm going to find Naruto; I still need to deliver that report."
Minato said with a smile.
Kushina looked up at him and forced a smile. "Alright, you go. I'll stay here. Otherwise, Naruto will hide behind me again."
"Haha, I'll definitely make Naruto accept me as his father."
With that, Minato left to find Naruto, while Kushina stayed in the room, silently clenching her fists.
She was deeply conflicted, one moment wanting to tell Minato everything and let him fully come back to life, and the next moment worried about the child inside her, pushing that thought away.
She didn't know how long she had been like that when suddenly she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders. She instinctively said, "Minato, you're back... Wait, why is it you?"
Seeing Yōichi beside her, Kushina panicked. She quickly whispered, "What are you doing here? Minato is still—"
Yōichi shook his head. "How long have you been daydreaming here? Minato has already left, and Naruto went to play with Sasuke."
"What? Minato's gone?"
Kushina was stunned, and as she thought back, she vaguely remembered Minato coming in to say goodbye, but she couldn't recall her response. Naruto also seemed to have said something, but she hadn't paid attention.
Still, Kushina's face turned dark as she said, "Even if Minato's gone, you shouldn't come in like this. He's already back..."
"I just want to know your choice. After seeing Minato, you must have made up your mind, right, Kushina?"
Yōichi ignored Kushina's protest. The bedsheets drying on the balcony were a testament to his "victory." He didn't budge and asked, "Kushina, what's your plan now?"
"This has nothing to do with you!"
Kushina shouted angrily, trying to push Yōichi away, saying, "Leave now. Don't come looking for me for a while!"
"That won't do, Kushina. I think I already know what your choice is."
Yōichi smiled and pulled Kushina closer, pushing her onto the bed. He continued, "Not only do I know your choice, but I can see how frustrated you are. Let me help you get rid of that frustration."
With that, and under Kushina's startled gaze, he silenced her with a kiss.
"No, mmm~ let... let me go..."
"Not now... Not now."
Kushina struggled, but Yōichi reminded her, "Your voice, Kushina. If you don't activate a barrier, everyone will hear."
"You bastard, not today!"
Kushina, face flushed, was embarrassed and furious, but she feared others would hear, so she activated a barrier around the bedroom.
However, just as she finished the barrier, her hands were pinned by Yōichi's chakra.
One by one, the extra clothes fell to the floor.
"Ngh—"
xxxxxxxxxx Chome Chome!! xxxxxxxxxxxx
(End of Chapter)
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