Chapter 77
"Haneda! Minato-sensei and Kushina-nee are both unconscious. What should we do?"
Obito, who had been startled by the evil chakra of the Nine-Tails, was at a loss after seeing Kushina suddenly attack Minato-sensei.
"First, let's treat their injuries, then have the Anbu take them away."
"Obito, head to the Hokage's office and bring someone here. I'll stop their bleeding for now."
Haneda was reluctant to make direct contact with the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, not wanting to provoke the sensitive nerves of Konoha's higher-ups.
As he spoke, Haneda activated a medical ninjutsu, a soft green chakra forming in his hands.
Minato's right chest had three large gashes, as if slashed by sharp claws. Blood kept seeping from the wounds, but luckily no major arteries were damaged. Otherwise, even with Haneda nearby, it would have been difficult to treat.
As the yang chakra continued to flow, the wounds inflicted by the Nine-Tails slowly began to close. Haneda wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Minato's injuries were difficult to handle. He couldn't imagine how Minato managed to hold on and complete the sealing of the Nine-Tails while being so severely injured.
Seeing Minato in this state reminded him of Kakashi. Haneda felt a pang of sadness.
For the ones they love, they are even willing to sacrifice their lives.
This was Minato's ninja way, a love that transcends all.
After managing to stop most of the bleeding, Haneda turned his attention to Kushina.
Kushina wasn't physically injured, but the violent chakra of the Nine-Tails had disrupted her chakra pathways. With her Uzumaki clan's constitution, a few days of rest would heal her. It was somewhat similar to Haneda's Sage Body, though without the added advantage of Wood Release.
Around this time, the Anbu arrived.
They wore various animal masks and gave Haneda a glance. After he stepped aside, they quickly took Minato and Kushina away.
Neither side spoke, but there was a sense of mutual understanding.
...
That evening, in the Uchiha clan's compound.
Haneda walked into the clan leader's house with ease.
As he took off his shoes and placed them on the shoe rack, he called into the house, "Clan Leader-uncle, Fugaku-brother, I'm coming in!"
"Oh, it's Haneda!"
A soft female voice answered from inside the house. Haneda instantly recognized it as Mikoto-nee's voice, who had come to visit Fugaku-brother.
In her younger years, Mikoto wore her long, straight black hair, and her lively black eyes bore a resemblance to her future sons, Itachi and Sasuke.
"Mikoto-nee."
Haneda entered the house and greeted her.
He glanced around the room, noticing that the clan leader-uncle had tactfully disappeared, leaving the sweet space for his son and Mikoto.
With this thought, Haneda felt a little embarrassed, realizing he might be interrupting Fugaku-brother and Mikoto-nee's date...
"Ahem... Fugaku-brother, is Clan Leader-uncle here?"
Although Haneda knew the clan leader was likely off boasting about his future daughter-in-law to the elders, he still asked.
"He's probably discussing clan matters at the Great Elder's house."
"But Haneda, are you back from a mission?" Fugaku asked, his face beaming with joy as he held Mikoto's hand.
Seeing the foolish grin on Fugaku's face, Haneda knew Fugaku-brother was not far from winning over Mikoto-nee.
"Yeah. Just finished an S-rank mission." Haneda nodded.
"What? I thought you were on a B-rank mission! Are you hurt, Haneda?" Fugaku rushed over to Haneda, his concern obvious as he checked Haneda's condition. Seeing that he was fine, Fugaku let out a sigh of relief.
Haneda, who had planned to boast a little, felt guilty seeing Fugaku-bro so worried.
"Fugaku-brother, don't worry. With Sakumo-uncle and Minato-senpai there, no one could harm me."
After offering reassurance, Haneda quickly shifted to the matter at hand, steering the conversation away from his near-death experience.
"By the way, there's something I need to tell Clan Leader-uncle."
"The Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, Uzumaki Kushina, unexpectedly showed up at the Uchiha training ground today."
"Minato-senpai and Jiraiya-sama were there too, but Kushina was hiding. She only appeared after Jiraiya-sama left."
"Shortly after she came out, the Nine-Tails went berserk."
"At that time, Minato-senpai was gravely injured while helping stabilize Kushina's seal."
"Wait! Haneda, is Kushina alright? Where is she now?" Mikoto suddenly interjected, gripping her hands tightly in worry for her friend.
Haneda looked at Mikoto-nee, not surprised by her concern. She and Kushina had known each other for a long time.
Based on what he'd gathered from past conversations, Haneda guessed that Mikoto and Kushina had become friends during their time at the ninja academy.
"They were taken by the Anbu. I treated their injuries, and they should be in Konoha Hospital by now."
"Oh, and Obito was at the training ground as well. He witnessed everything."
Haneda explained the details of the event but omitted the part about him using the Sharingan and Wood Release to subdue the Nine-Tails.
His Sage Body was a secret he couldn't afford to reveal.
As for informing the clan leader and Fugaku, it was simply because the incident involving the Nine-Tails jinchūriki had occurred on Uchiha territory, and it needed to be reported.
"Let's go! Fugaku! Can you accompany me to Konoha Hospital?" Mikoto tugged at Fugaku's hand.
"Of course…"
Fugaku was about to agree when Haneda interrupted.
"Mikoto-nee, the situation has been taken over by the Anbu. If you go now, it might cause some unnecessary misunderstandings."
"It's better to wait for the clan leader to return, or perhaps go tomorrow morning."
...
By the time the clan leader returned from the Great Elder's place, it was already around five in the afternoon.
Upon hearing that the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki had gone berserk in the Uchiha clan's territory, he became extremely anxious. Only after Haneda mentioned that Jiraiya and Minato had been on the scene did he breathe a sigh of relief.
"You handled the jinchūriki situation well, Haneda."
The clan leader patted Haneda's shoulder, looking at his clear, handsome face with increasing satisfaction, unable to help but praise him.
"You helped treat Jiraiya's student Namikaze Minato and the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, and sent Obito to notify the Anbu instead of our clan."
"That approach was very mature. It didn't alarm Konoha's higher-ups and also earned their trust in you and Obito."
"You've also strengthened ties with one of the Sannin, Jiraiya."
After saying this, the clan leader turned his gaze to his son, Fugaku.
He considered testing Fugaku, but remembering past responses, his expression became a bit awkward.
"Fugaku, what's your take on this situation? What should the Uchiha clan do next?"
Finally, the clan leader voiced the thoughts he had been holding back. There were some things that had to be made clear, or he would be failing in his duty as a clan leader to educate the future head of the Uchiha.
***
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