Nawaki, Ignored

Tsunade had left the village after all.

It happened right after they finished lunch.

As if fleeing in a panic, the chakra signature of her shadow clone departed Konoha at an incredible speed.

Danzo received the news of Tsunade's departure the very first moment it happened.

"Finally... she's gone!"

The instant he heard the news, even with the patience he had cultivated over years of being suppressed by Hiruzen Sarutobi, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

Fearing that a delay might lead to complications, he immediately summoned his subordinates.

"There is only one mission: kill Kushina Uzumaki, disguised as Kumogakure ninjas."

Looking at the four silent figures kneeling on one knee before him, Danzo's voice was laced with coldness.

"Remember, your original objective was to kidnap the Wood Release genius and the Uzumaki bloodline. It was only because you were accidentally discovered by Minato Namikaze that the plan was exposed, forcing you to kill Kushina Uzumaki."

"Furthermore, Minato Namikaze is extremely powerful and possesses wide-range attack capabilities. If you are held up by him and reinforcements arrive, you know what the consequences will be."

"Understood!"

The captain, Shangui, spoke without a hint of emotional fluctuation.

"Good..."

Danzo nodded slightly.

These four were all orphans with exceptional talent, raised from childhood with brainwashing that erased their sense of self. They were perfect ninjas and his greatest trump card!

The only troublesome part was that because the brainwashing was so thorough, these "tools" lacked flexibility during missions, requiring him to teach them the details on the spot.

It was a bit of a hassle, but at least he could use them with peace of mind.

If they were ever cornered, these four would commit suicide without a moment's hesitation—the kind that leaves no corpse behind—so he never had to worry about being implicated.

"Go..."

As Danzo's words fell, the four figures vanished instantly, as if they had never been there at all.

Meanwhile, at home.

With Tsunade gone, Nawaki assumed the posture of an older brother, taking full responsibility for all the chores, but Minato couldn't just dump all the housework on him, so he took on the task of washing the dishes.

Chased out of the kitchen by Minato, Nawaki had no choice but to go to the yard to continue practicing the Rasengan that Minato had taught him.

Under Minato's guidance, he had completed the first stage of training half a month ago, and he had done it with one hand.

Seeing the hope of success, Nawaki practiced even harder, sneaking off to secluded places to train whenever he had a spare moment.

Now that Tsunade wasn't home, he didn't need to hide it anymore and just put his full effort into his training.

"It feels a bit lonely without Tsunade-nee-san here..."

After Minato finished the dishes, he saw Kushina curled up on the veranda, looking listless.

Every time they had a break before, Tsunade would take them out to have fun.

Now that Tsunade was gone, she suddenly didn't know what to do with herself.

"Don't sit out here in the winter; you'll catch a cold."

Minato grabbed Kushina by the collar and hauled her back into the living room with one hand. "Don't worry, Teacher won't be gone for long."

"How do you know?"

"Hmm... intuition?"

Minato chuckled. He couldn't exactly tell her that he had planted a tracker on Tsunade and that she was currently at a Hot Spring Village twenty kilometers outside of Konoha.

Furthermore, over the last little while, he had occasionally felt a faint, lingering gaze upon them.

This surveillance might have come from the Third Hokage, or perhaps from Danzo.

However...

Wood Release + Light Release + a potential Nine-Tails Jinchuriki + the grandson of the First Hokage.

With such a lineup, based on his knowledge of the original story, the Third might not necessarily do anything, but if Danzo didn't take this opportunity to act, he wouldn't be Danzo.

Therefore, from the moment Tsunade left, he had kept his guard up to the highest level.

By now, he had left behind contingencies all over this residence.

Unless Hashirama were resurrected or Madara Uchiha arrived in person, anyone else who came would die!

In the blink of an eye, evening arrived.

The winter sun clocked out early, leaving the sky pitch black.

Several figures took advantage of the night to silently infiltrate the residence.

Minato's movements while cooking paused imperceptibly, a sense of disbelief washing over him.

They moved this fast?

Tsunade had only been gone for a single afternoon!

Could this really be the handiwork of Danzo?

Isn't this a bit too sloppy?

But upon second thought, Minato felt relieved.

At this point in time, Danzo had not yet lost his arm, and his understanding of Wood Release should be limited.

Coupled with the fact that he had long been on guard against Danzo, it was a case of the prepared catching the unprepared, which was why he could so easily detect that enemies had infiltrated.

However, he still needed to confirm who the target was and whether they were truly sent by Danzo.

"Ah—training is over, I'm so hungry~"

Nawaki hugged his ball and rushed into the room in a flurry: "Minato, is dinner not ready yet?"

"Wait a moment, almost there. Nawaki, come help me taste the flavor."

Minato signaled a piece of intelligence with his hands toward the two: "Kushina, you come taste it too; it might be a little spicy."

Enemy attack, four people, assemble...

Both of them had excellent theoretical grades at the Ninja Academy and understood Minato's hand signals instantly.

"I'll taste it, I'll taste it!"

Kushina rushed into the kitchen impatiently, and Nawaki followed behind her without changing his expression.

Once the three converged, Minato immediately created two Wood Clones.

The skin of the Wood Clones shifted, eventually transforming into the likenesses of Nawaki and Kushina.

Wood Transformation Technique!

This type of transformation utilized the growth of wood to alter external form; because it possessed physical substance, it would not immediately dispel even if it sustained damage.

As soon as the two clones appeared, they began to mindlessly praise Minato's cooking, just as the real two usually did.

Minato bit his finger and summoned a Katsuyu the size of an adult, his voice lowered to a whisper.

"Lady Katsuyu, please remain quiet. There are intruders in the house. Please protect these two and contact our teacher immediately."

Katsuyu nodded silently and quietly wrapped Kushina and Nawaki inside her body.

Although both of them looked unwilling, they did not resist.

Because they both knew that the gap in strength between them and Minato was too great; staying behind would not only fail to help him, but would also become a burden.

The moment he was enveloped by Katsuyu, Nawaki clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the force.

He stared fixedly at the Wood Clone disguised as himself, which was mindlessly praising Minato's cooking, a silly grin identical to his own hanging on its face.

Damn it, even though he had been training with all his might, when danger arrived, he was still the one being protected...

He didn't even know who the enemy was before being shoved into a "safe house"!

The warm slime of Katsuyu muffled the sounds of the outside world, yet it made Nawaki hear the frustrated beating of his own heart all the more clearly.

Kushina's thoughts were the same as Nawaki's, and perhaps even more intense.

Nawaki was at least training with all his might, but her head had been filled only with eating, drinking, and playing; when a crisis arrived, she could only hold Minato back...

Seeing that the two figures were completely enveloped by Katsuyu, Minato and the two Wood Clones began to perform a one-man show while simultaneously locking onto the positions of the intruders.

In the hallway, one person.

Located between his room and Kushina's bedroom.

Outside the window of Kushina's room, one person.

The only target he could not control instantly.

Inside his bedroom, two people...

It appeared to be aimed at him, but was it actually aimed at Kushina?

Was Nawaki being ignored?