Nawaki, the One Who Was Ignored

Tsunade had left the village after all.

It was just after the group had finished lunch.

Like a fugitive fleeing in disarray, the aura of the clone seed left Konoha at an astonishing speed.

Danzo also received word of Tsunade's departure at once.

"Finally... she's gone!"

The moment he heard the news, even Danzo—whose years of being held in check by Hiruzen Sarutobi had taught him great restraint—couldn't help letting out a long sigh of relief.

Worried that any delay might invite complications, he immediately summoned his subordinates.

"There is only one objective: kill Kushina Uzumaki while disguised as Kumogakure shinobi."

Looking at the four silent figures kneeling on one knee before him, Danzo spoke coldly.

"Remember, your original target was to kidnap the Wood Release prodigy and the bearer of the Uzumaki Bloodline. Minato Namikaze discovered you by chance, exposing the plan, so you had no choice but to kill Kushina Uzumaki."

"Also, Minato Namikaze is strong and can launch large-scale attacks. If he holds you up long enough for reinforcements to arrive, you know what will happen."

"Understood!"

The captain, Shangui, replied without a hint of emotion.

"Mm..."

Danzo gave a slight nod.

All four were orphans with exceptional talent. Brainwashed from childhood and stripped of their sense of self, they were perfect shinobi—and the greatest trump card in his hand!

The only troublesome part was that the brainwashing had been so thorough that these "tools" didn't know how to adapt when carrying out missions. He had to teach them certain details on the spot.

It was a little troublesome, but at least they were reliable.

If they were held up, all four could kill themselves without hesitation, leaving no bodies behind. He didn't have to worry about anything leading back to him.

"Go..."

As soon as Danzo finished speaking, the four vanished, as though they had never been there.

Meanwhile, at home.

As soon as Tsunade left, Nawaki took on the air of an older brother, volunteering to handle all the chores. But Minato couldn't really leave every household task to him, so he took on the dishwashing.

After Minato chased him out of the kitchen, Nawaki had no choice but to go out into the yard and continue practicing the Rasengan Minato had taught him.

With Minato's guidance, he had completed the first stage of training half a month ago—and done it one-handed, too.

Now that he could see success within reach, Nawaki trained even harder. Whenever he had a spare moment, he would sneak off somewhere deserted to practice.

With Tsunade away, he didn't need to hide it anymore. He could put everything he had into training.

"It feels kind of lonely without Tsunade here..."

After finishing the dishes, Minato saw Kushina sitting curled up on the veranda, hugging her knees and looking listless.

Whenever they had time off, Tsunade used to take them out to have fun.

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

"Don't sit here in winter. You'll catch a cold."

Minato picked Kushina up by the collar and carried her into the living room with one hand. "Don't worry. Sensei won't be gone for long."

"How do you know?"

"Hmm... intuition?"

Minato chuckled softly. He couldn't exactly tell her he'd put a tracking device on Tsunade, and that she was now at Hot Spring Village, twenty kilometers outside Konoha.

Besides, lately he had occasionally sensed someone watching him, faintly and from a distance.

It could have been the Third Hokage, or it could have been Danzo.

Still...

With Wood Release, Light Release, a candidate for Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and the First's grandson all under one roof, Minato knew the people in the original story well enough to guess that the Third might not act—but if Danzo didn't take this opportunity to do something, he wouldn't be Danzo.

So from the moment Tsunade left, Minato had been on full alert.

He had left precautions all over the house.

Unless Hashirama came back to life or Madara Uchiha showed up in person, anyone else who came would die!

Before long, evening arrived.

The winter sun clocked out early, and darkness swallowed the sky.

A few figures used the cover of night to slip silently into the residence.

Minato's hands paused almost imperceptibly as he cooked, disbelief flickering through his mind.

That fast?

Tsunade had only been gone for half a day!

Was this really Danzo's doing?

That was awfully hasty of him.

But then Minato thought it over and felt less surprised.

At this point, Danzo still had both arms, so his understanding of Wood Release was probably limited.

And since Minato had been on guard against him, he had the advantage of knowing an attack might come. That was why he could so easily detect the intruders.

Still, he had to confirm who they were targeting—and whether Danzo had really sent them.

"Ah—training's over. I'm starving~"

Clutching a ball, Nawaki dashed into the room. "Minato, isn't dinner ready yet?"

"Just a moment. It'll be ready soon. Nawaki, come help me taste it."

Minato gave the two of them a hand signal. "Kushina, you should taste it too. It might be a little spicy."

Enemy attack. Four people. Gather...

Both of them had done well in Ninja Academy theory classes, so they understood Minato's signal at once.

"Let me try! Let me try!"

Kushina hurried into the kitchen, with Nawaki following quietly behind her.

Once the three of them were together, Minato immediately made two Wood Clones.

Their skin shifted until they looked exactly like Nawaki and Kushina.

Wood Transformation Technique!

This transformation used the growth of trees to alter one's appearance. Since it created a physical form, taking damage wouldn't make it disappear right away.

As soon as they appeared, the two clones did what the real pair usually did: they mindlessly praised Minato's cooking.

Minato bit his finger and summoned a slug as tall as an adult, keeping his voice very low.

"Lady Katsuyu, please stay quiet. Someone has broken into the house. Please protect those two and contact Sensei immediately."

Katsuyu nodded silently, then enveloped Kushina and Nawaki in her body.

Neither of them looked happy, but they didn't resist.

They both knew the gap between their strength and Minato's was too great. Staying here wouldn't help him; it would only hold him back.

The moment Katsuyu wrapped around him, Nawaki clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.

He stared at the Wood Clone pretending to be him. It was cheerfully praising Minato's cooking, a foolish grin on its face just like the one he usually wore.

Damn it. He'd already been training with all his might, but when danger came, he was still the one being protected...

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

The warm, slimy body of the slug muffled the sounds outside, but it only made Nawaki hear his own resentful heartbeat more clearly.

Kushina felt the same as Nawaki. If anything, her resentment was even stronger.

At least Nawaki had been training desperately, but she'd spent all her time thinking about food and fun. When danger came, all she could do was drag Minato down...

Once Katsuyu had completely covered the two of them, Minato and his two Wood Clones carried on their little performance while pinpointing the intruders' locations.

One in the hallway.

Between his bedroom and Kushina's.

One outside Kushina's window.

The only target he couldn't restrain instantly.

Two inside his bedroom...

It looked like they were targeting him, but were they really after Kushina?

Had Nawaki been ignored?