Beneath rugged and steep cliffs, in a well-hidden cave.
Kushina slowly opened her eyes, feeling dizzy and aching all over, as if she had been drained of all her strength.
"Where am I?" She looked around blankly, still groggy.
"The Land of Lightning, near Hidden Cloud Village."
A kind and gentle voice pulled Kushina out of her half-sleep state.
She turned toward the voice and saw a man at the cave entrance, wearing a white animal mask, a black robe, and with short black hair. He was sitting cross-legged not far away, looking at her sideways.
He seemed very familiar, like someone she had seen in a dream. Kushina hesitated and asked tentatively, "Have we met before?"
The man looked at her, then took off his mask, revealing a still youthful and handsome face. "Long time no see, Kushina."
"It's you! Sogetsu!"
Kushina's face lit up with joy. "You're here to save Minato too, right?!"
"Please leave out the 'too'," Uchiha Sogetsu said, holding his forehead and sighing helplessly. "Now, can we talk about how you escaped the Anbu, left Konoha, and ended up in the Land of Lightning before us, Kushina?"
"I..."
Kushina, usually assertive, rarely showed a hint of shyness. She blushed and whispered, "I was worried about Minato, and then... then..."
"And then what?"
Uchiha Sogetsu prompted.
"It was just an accident. Really, an accident! I swear!" Kushina didn't seem very confident. She pinched her index and middle fingers together, leaving a small gap. Embarrassed, she said, "I got a little excited and hurt the Anbu uncle, then ran away."
Well, the answer was pretty clear now.
Seeing her like this, Uchiha Sogetsu could guess what happened. "Did you transform into the tailed beast?"
"It was just a little bit of the Nine-Tails' power that leaked out," Kushina reiterated.
However, looking at her guilty expression, it didn't seem like just a "little bit" of trouble.
Given the importance of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and her previous kidnapping, the Hokage had assigned three Anbu teams to protect her daily.
To escape the guard of three Anbu teams, evade Konoha pursuers, and even get ahead of them, one would need the strength of at least a Four-Tails.
Considering that Kushina was besieged by dozens of Cloud Ninjas but never used the 'Tailed Beast Ball', Uchiha Sogetsu roughly deduced the whole incident's cause and effect.
Seeing him remain silent for a long time, Kushina felt even more guilty. She shrank her neck and asked cautiously, "What's wrong? You look so serious."
"Kushina, you've gotten into big trouble this time."
Uchiha Sogetsu frowned, his expression serious, and said in a deep voice, "Do you know what it means for a Jinchuriki to suddenly appear in another country?"
"I just wanted to save Minato!" Kushina's heart trembled. She bit her lip and said stubbornly, "Besides, if there's a mistake, it's Cloud Village's fault. Why can they invade our Konoha again and again, and we have to swallow our anger?"
"That's for the Hokage to decide, not me."
Uchiha Sogetsu tapped his knuckles on the rock and said calmly, "My mission is to rescue Minato Namikaze, and you are an unexpected complication. Do you understand what I mean, Kushina?"
"So, you're going to send me back, right?"
Kushina asked dejectedly, her head hanging like a guilty kitten.
"That's the plan."
Uchiha Sogetsu pinched his brows, looking distressed, and sighed, "But I'm afraid that even if I want to send you back, Minato doesn't have that much time."
"No time? What do you mean? What happened to Minato?" Upon hearing about her beloved, Kushina could no longer stay calm. She rushed over anxiously, grabbed Uchiha Sogetsu's shoulders, and shook him hard. "Tell me quickly, what happened to Minato?!"
"Calm down for a moment, Kushina."
Uchiha Sogetsu broke free from his restraints and tried to calm her down. He was genuinely afraid that if Kushina got too excited, she might do something reckless.
"Okay, okay, I'll calm down!"
Kushina took several deep breaths, slowly letting go of her tension, but still asked eagerly, "Can you tell me now?"
"We've already wasted a day trying to rescue you."
Uchiha Sogetsu raised his eyes slightly, his tone solemn: "You are also a ninja, so I think you can guess something, right?"
"It's an interrogation."
Kushina bit her lip tightly, her face showing heartache. She knew very well that once an elite jonin from another village was captured—especially someone as politically significant as Minato Namikaze—they would be imprisoned and interrogated rigorously, with every piece of information extracted from them.
The interrogation methods of ninjas were simple and crude, often involving intense psychological and physical torture until the captive could no longer bear it and revealed every secret under the influence of drugs.
"That's right."
Uchiha Sogetsu nodded and said, "And judging by the time, Minato's interrogation should have already begun. That's why I said time is running out."
"So what are we waiting for?"
Kushina, who was naturally impulsive, immediately wanted to rush off to save Minato upon hearing about his situation.
"Wait, Kushina, don't be impulsive!"
Uchiha Sogetsu stood up, stretched out his hand to stop her, and shouted: "You don't even know where Minato is imprisoned. How can you save him? Besides, the Hidden Cloud Village is guarded by the Third Raikage. If you rush in rashly, you'll be courting death. Not only will you fail to save anyone, but you might also get yourself killed!"
Upon hearing the loud shout, Kushina was struck as if by lightning. Her face turned pale, and she stood there stiffly, looking at him helplessly. "Then what should we do?" she asked.
"You're really putting me in a tough spot, Kushina."
Uchiha Sogetsu sighed softly, his face etched with helplessness and conflict. "From the village's perspective, I should have sent you back to Konoha immediately. After all, you're the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. No matter how you look at it, your importance outweighs the current mission."
Kushina clenched her fists, biting her lips with her pearly teeth, her eyes reddening.
"But if I send you back, it would mean giving up Minato's life."
Uchiha Sogetsu continued, a self-deprecating laugh escaping him as he shook his head. "For a qualified ninja, the village should come first. But it seems I can't ignore Minato's life. Maybe I'm truly not cut out to be a ninja."
From his words, Kushina sensed a glimmer of hope. "You mean..."
"Yes, I've decided to save Minato."
Uchiha Sogetsu smiled gently and said, "Of course, your strength is also crucial. So, please lend me a hand, Kushina."
"Absolutely!"
Kushina's eyes were resolute. "As long as we can save Minato, you can count on me, Sogetsu!"
"I have a plan."
Uchiha Sogetsu adjusted his glasses and smiled. "When the time comes, I might need to ask for your help."
"Not a problem! As long as Minato is saved, I'm willing to endure anything!"
Kushina proudly patted her chest, her red hair flowing as she flashed a confident and radiant smile.
"That's a relief. I was worried you wouldn't agree."
Uchiha Sogetsu seemed to relax, patting her shoulder. "Then I'll need you to sneak into the Hidden Cloud Village and release the Eight-Tails to cause a commotion!"
"Yeah, ok, no wait, what?!"
Kushina's eyes widened in disbelief.
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