novelraw Chapter 319 319 Kushina: Tsunade-sama, How is Naruto?
Chapter 319 319 Kushina: Tsunade-sama, How is Naruto?
Night fell, and the Star City lit up with lanterns and lights.
This new city still radiated vitality in the darkness, but the noticeably increased number of patrolling Ninja on the streets and the tension in the air all reminded people that war was approaching.
In a quiet residential area in the core of the Star City, inside a house bearing the Uzumaki Clan's symbol, the lights were bright.
In the living room, the atmosphere was subtly and heavily complex.
Tsunade and Shizune sat upright on a soft sofa. Across from them was Minato, a gentle smile on his face.
Minato wore ordinary home clothes. If not for the fine, porcelain-like cracks covering his skin and his dull, grayish-white eyes, he would look almost no different from when he was alive.
"Here, please, don't be shy, try this," An enthusiastic voice came from the direction of the kitchen.
Kushina, wearing an apron, came in carrying a plate of cut, enticingly colored fruit, her face beaming with a warm smile, as if simply entertaining old friends.
"This is the crispy peach from the Darkness Province. Very crisp and juicy. It's quite a hot commodity right now."
Tsunade looked at this 'resurrected' couple, her mind still struggling to process it. Her gaze lingered on the cracks on their faces that symbolized their 'non-human' state.
Shizune, beside her, quickly placed Tonton on an empty spot on the sofa, stood up, and respectfully took the fruit plate, her voice still somewhat stiff. "Th-thank you for your hospitality, Kushina-sama."
Kushina placed the fruit plate on the coffee table and then naturally sat down next to Minato.
The couple exchanged a glance, both showing a warm yet complex smile.
Kushina looked at the grim-faced Tsunade and spoke first. "Tsunade-sama, to think... we'd meet again like this, in a place like this. You must have many questions, right?"
She paused, a trace of apology on her face. "However, I'm truly sorry. There are some things we cannot speak of just yet. It concerns a very important promise. So tonight, we can only tell you some things that can be revealed."
Tsunade didn't respond immediately. She reached out, picked up a plump, juicy-looking crispy peach from the plate, and handed it to the still-nervous Shizune beside her. Then her gaze swept over Minato and Kushina again, finally settling on the undeniable marks on their faces.
"This is... the Edo Tensei, right?" Tsunade's voice was low and certain.
"And, if I remember correctly, the Second Hokage developed this technique initially as a Forbidden Jutsu to be used with the 'Flying Thunder God Mutually Instantaneous Killing Technique'. The summoned deceased should have a limited existence time and be under the absolute control of the caster."
Her eyes held inquiry and a hint of concern. "Are you two... under control? Or..."
Minato met her gaze and nodded frankly. "Tsunade-sama is correct. This is indeed based on the Edo Tensei developed by the Second Hokage. However, the formula was later... improved upon."
"Now, although we've lost many of the senses of the living, like taste, and cannot live like truly living beings, we can at least move and think freely like normal people and maintain a stable existence."
He shook his head gently, his tone sincere. "As for control... no, there isn't any. We possess complete self-awareness and freedom of action. The caster has not placed any compulsory restraints on us."
Tsunade fell silent.
She knew the original purpose of the Second Hokage's technique was to gather intelligence and create explosive weapons in war. The initial version was indeed somewhat crude.
But the current state of Minato and Kushina clearly far exceeded her understanding of Edo Tensei.
'Not only did they exist stably long-term, but they even...'
She looked around the living room filled with signs of life.
The books on the shelves, the potted plants on the windowsill, the neatly arranged shoes at the entrance...
This was clearly a home that had been lived in and cared for over a long period.
All of this made her feel even deeper confusion and wariness towards the mysterious youth named Shura.
'Uzumaki bloodline, possessing both the Sharingan and the Byakugan, mastering Forbidden Jutsu like an improved Edo Tensei, and having such a deep relationship with the long-dead Fourth Hokage and his wife that they were willing to stay here...'
'Just who was this Shura?'
Even though she knew she likely wouldn't get an answer, strong curiosity and a certain intuition made Tsunade unable to resist asking. Her gaze moved between Minato and Kushina:
"Minato, Kushina... that Shura... who is he really?"
Upon hearing this, a clear look of difficulty appeared on Minato's face. He exchanged a glance with Kushina, which ultimately turned into a soft sigh.
"Tsunade-sama, I'm very sorry... Regarding his identity, we truly cannot reveal it for now."
Minato's tone was full of apology. "This is a promise we made with him. At least until... before Year 63 of Konoha Calendar, this secret cannot be spoken by us."
"Year 63 of Konoha Calendar?" Shizune, who was nibbling on a peach and trying to soothe the restless Tonton in her arms, looked up upon hearing this specific date, a confused expression on her face.
'That was over four years from now.'
Tsunade also frowned deeply.
'Year 63 of Konoha Calendar?'
'What was special about that date?'
'Would something happen then that could change the current situation?'
However, she quickly set this question aside for now and asked another that was even more difficult for her to understand, even making her somewhat angry:
"Even if you aren't controlled and have free will... Minato, why are you still here? Staying in the Land of Stars?"
Tsunade's tone unconsciously sharpened, carrying a note of accusation. "You are the Fourth Hokage of Konoha! A hero who once protected the entire village!"
Remembering the image of Minato standing with those Land of Stars' high-ranking officials, Tsunade still found it hard to believe.
This was a question Minato himself had pondered over many times.
He knew that one day he would meet people from his past again.
He just hadn't expected the first to be Tsunade.
Minato's expression became serious and deep. Kushina took Minato's hand. Although their Edo Tensei bodies couldn't feel each other's warmth, the action itself conveyed silent support and a shared decision.
"Tsunade-sama." Minato's voice was calm, yet carried a clarity that came from having experienced life and death. "You are right. The former Namikaze Minato was indeed the Fourth Hokage of Konoha Village. And the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and his wife, Uzumaki Kushina, already fought to their last breath in the Nine-Tails Attack that year, sacrificing their lives to protect the village."
His gaze was clear and firm, looking directly at Tsunade. "Both I and Kushina can say with a clear conscience that we never failed the title of 'Hokage', never betrayed Konoha's trust and expectations. We have already... fulfilled the mission and responsibility belonging to the 'Fourth Hokage and his wife'."
These words struck Tsunade and Shizune's hearts like a heavy hammer.
Shizune recalled the sunny, always warmly smiling Fourth Hokage from her memory, who protected the village like a golden flash in times of crisis, and thought of his and Kushina's ultimately tragic sacrifice. Her eyes slightly reddened.
'They were undoubtedly Konoha's deserved heroes.'
'But... why would the souls of heroes remain in the land of an enemy nation?'
Tsunade opened her mouth, wanting to press further, but was interrupted by Kushina.
Kushina tightly held Minato's hand. Her gray-white eyes looked at Tsunade and she suddenly asked a few questions.
"Tsunade-sama, after we 'died', was everything in Konoha alright? Did the villagers recover from the grief quickly? And... our child, Naruto. Is he... being taken good care of by the village? Is he... happy?"
These questions were like the sharpest kunai, instantly piercing through all of Tsunade's defenses and doubts.
She jolted violently, as if an invisible hand had gripped her throat. All the words on the tip of her tongue got stuck.
'Naruto...'
'That child...'
Although Tsunade hadn't returned to the village for many years, Shizune went back every year to report and would bring Tsunade some information about the village. Tsunade knew something about Naruto's situation.
She understood everything in an instant.
Why Minato and Kushina chose to stay here.
Why their eyes were so complex when mentioning Konoha...
An indescribable weariness and disappointment washed over her like a tide. Tsunade raised her hand and slapped her forehead heavily with a dull thud, feeling a splitting headache and a heavy heart.
'Old man, what have you done?!' She thought of her teacher, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the old man who had once taught her to protect the village and cherish her comrades...
"Forget it, forget it." Tsunade's voice was thick with weariness and a trace of disillusionment. She waved her hand as if to dispel all troubles.
"Anyway... no matter what, it has nothing to do with me now. I left that place long ago."
She stood up abruptly from the sofa and said to Minato and Kushina, "I'll be staying in the Land of Stars for a while. I promise not to leak the news of your 'revival'. But-"
Her tone became serious. "If this war expands further and Konoha ultimately decides to participate... at that time, I can't guarantee anything. After all, it concerns the village's safety..."
Minato nodded understandingly, a gentle smile returning to his face. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama. But please rest assured, this war... will end very soon. It will end faster than any previous war."
Tsunade looked at Minato with some surprise, not understanding why he had such strong confidence in the Land of Stars and that Shura.
But she didn't ask further. She just called out to Shizune, "Let's go, Shizune. Let's find an inn to stay at."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama!" Shizune hurriedly picked up Tonton, who was still nibbling on the peach, and bowed again to Minato and Kushina.
"Thank you very much for your hospitality! I... I will also keep it strictly confidential!" After saying that, she quickly followed Tsunade, who was already heading towards the entrance.
Minato and Kushina stood up and saw them to the door.
The night was deep, and a cool evening breeze blew.
Tsunade stopped at the doorway, looked back at the brightly lit Uzumaki house, and waved to the couple behind her. "No need to see us further."
Watching Tsunade and Shizune's figures disappear around the street corner, Kushina leaned lightly against the doorframe and said softly to Minato, "I thought... Tsunade-sama would insist on returning to Konoha immediately to take our information back."
Minato looked in the direction Tsunade had left, his gaze deep, as if he could see through something.
He gently held his wife's shoulder. His warm voice carried a note of understanding. "Perhaps... she is also disappointed with the village."
…
On the other side, Shizune, holding Tonton, jogged to keep up with Tsunade's slightly hurried pace and asked quietly, somewhat puzzled, "Tsunade-sama, why didn't we stay at Fourth Hokage-sama's house for the night? It's already dark, finding an inn won't be easy..."
Tsunade didn't turn back. Her mind replayed the details she had noticed at the entrance of the Uzumaki house.
There were several pairs of shoes of different sizes neatly arranged there. Besides the ones obviously belonging to Minato and Kushina, there were two pairs that seemed to belong to younger people.
Her voice, carrying a kind of gravity, interrupted Shizune. "That house... has four people."
"Four people?" Shizune was stunned, 'Besides the Fourth Hokage and his wife, there were two others?'
'Who could they be?''
Just then, as they passed a street corner, a few children who had been playing late ran past them, laughing and hurrying home.
Tsunade stopped abruptly, her sharp gaze sweeping over the children's backs and the clan emblems on their clothes.
'The Uchiha's fan emblem!'
'And... the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan?!'
Shizune also noticed. She turned her head in astonishment, looking at the houses on both sides of the street with warm lights on in the darkness, clearly seeing the emblems hanging on lintels or walls, emblems of clans once famous throughout the Ninja World,
The Kaguya Clan, the Hyuga Clan, the Uchiha Clan, the Uzumaki Clan, even the nearly extinct Chinoike Clan, and some emblems she didn't even recognize.
These clans, which should have been scattered across the Ninja World, some even considered extinct, were now living harmoniously as neighbors in this specific area of the Star City!
Looking at this scene beyond imagination, Tsunade felt a chill mixed with inexplicable anger rise within her.
She thought of Konoha's suspicion and exclusion of the Uchiha Clan, the strict Main and Branch Family System of the Hyuga Clan, the small clans that had gradually withered away in missions or conflicts...
'The Senju Clan dispersed. The Uchiha Clan left.'
'Was Konoha still the Konoha it once was?'