Kushina, I'm back.

Kushina lay in bed, her tightly furrowed brow finally relaxing. Her ragged breathing grew long and steady, her cracked lips stopped trembling, and even her pale cheeks regained a hint of color.

She slept quietly, as if she'd merely had an ordinary dream, one no longer stained with blood.

Tsunade stared, eyes wide, her fingers still suspended in midair. Her voice was full of disbelief.

"You just... suppressed it?"

Jiraiya leaned closer, looking from Kushina's peaceful face to Lin Zi with a complicated expression.

"Why doesn't your Natural Energy affect her? It's Senjutsu, just like mine..."

Lin Zi glanced at him sidelong, undisguised disdain in his golden, slit-pupiled eyes.

"Mount Myoboku's Sage Energy focuses on enhancing Taijutsu and illusions. Of course it's different from Ryūchi Cave's chakra, which lets you control the energy around you."

He paused, then looked at Tsunade, his tone returning to its usual calm.

"The malice has been sealed for now. She should be stable for a few days."

"To cure her completely, we'll have to rely on your treatment and have her reorganize the Sealing Jutsu once she wakes up."

Shizune hugged Tonton and let out a long breath. She nearly collapsed onto the floor as she murmured, "That's wonderful... That's wonderful..."

At last, the tension in the room began to ease.

While the three of them were talking, Kushina, who had been lying still in bed, suddenly twitched her fingers.

She slowly lifted her eyelids. It was as if she'd slept for too long—even opening her eyes felt awkward.

Sunlight slipped through a gap in the curtains, making her pupils contract. Tears welled at the corners of her eyes. She blinked, and her vision gradually sharpened.

The first thing she saw was Jiraiya's enlarged, worried face. Tsunade stood beside him with her arms crossed and her brow knitted into a knot.

Kushina struggled to sit up, but the moment she lifted herself even half an inch on her elbow, her strength gave out and she sank back down.

She spoke weakly. "Lord Jiraiya... Lady Tsunade..."

"Don't move!"

Tsunade strode over and pressed a hand to her shoulder. Her touch wasn't forceful, but it allowed no argument; she firmly pushed Kushina back into the pillow. She deliberately put on a stern face.

"Kushina, your body isn't up to any activity right now. Lie still and get some proper rest!"

"That's right, Kushina," Jiraiya added, leaning closer with a kindly smile that couldn't hide the worry in his eyes. "There's no rush. Just lie down."

"Is that so..."

Kushina took a couple of breaths, her gaze moving between their faces. The corners of her mouth pulled into a bitter smile.

"Did Minato send you back? Honestly... He's always being so reckless..."

Her words carried a hint of reproach toward Minato Namikaze, but even more worry and tenderness she couldn't hide. She managed to raise her eyelids and look past Jiraiya's shoulder.

There, she saw someone standing in the shadows.

Kushina's pupils contracted sharply, and her voice changed.

"Orochimaru?!"

"That's right. It's me."

Lin Zi took half a step forward, emerging from the shadows. His tone was calm.

"Your husband invited me back to treat your injuries, so there's no need to worry. Save anything else you have to say for Minato."

When he finished, he stepped back again, retreating to the edge of the shadows.

Kushina stared at him for two seconds, then lowered her eyelids and fell silent.

Before long, she seemed to come to a decision and lifted her eyes again. The fear in her gaze had vanished, replaced by a quiet gratitude.

"Thank you, Lord Orochimaru."

Lin Zi raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise in his golden, slit-pupiled eyes.

"Oh? I never expected... You're much smarter than that foolish kid Minato."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Jiraiya jumped up on the spot, nearly hitting the ceiling. "Orochimaru! Minato isn't a foolish kid! He's my prized student!"

Seeing Jiraiya about to launch into another long-winded speech, Lin Zi covered his forehead in exasperation. His snake-like eyes were full of here we go again.

He couldn't be bothered to argue further, so he turned to Shizune, who was still standing there in a daze.

"Shizune."

"Ah... Huh?!"

Shizune clutched Tonton, still lost in the shock of Orochimaru saving someone. Being called startled her, and she shuddered.

"Go notify Minato," Lin Zi said calmly, leaving no room for argument. "Tell him Kushina's awake."

"Y-yes! Lord Orochimaru!"

Shizune came to her senses as if waking from a dream. She turned and rushed out with Tonton in her arms, nearly tripping over the threshold before disappearing down the hallway in a stumble.

Tsunade stood by the bed, clenching her fists until her knuckles cracked. The veins in her forehead throbbed.

"Now all we have to do is wait for Minato. Then we can find out who extracted the Nine-Tails that night. I'll make that person pay."

"Exactly!" Jiraiya said indignantly. "Making Kushina suffer like this is unforgivable! Whoever it was, this great sage won't let them off!"

"That's enough."

Lin Zi turned around. His golden, slit-pupiled eyes swept over the two noisy fools, and his tone left no room for argument.

"Get out for now. You're both too loud. Let the patient rest."

"Lord Orochimaru, I'm fine..." Kushina said weakly, trying to prop herself up.

"Get some rest."

Lin Zi cut her off and headed for the door without looking back.

"You'll have an even heavier burden to bear. Tsunade, Jiraiya, let's go."

He pushed the door open and left first. His black ponytail flickered through the doorway before disappearing into the backlit hallway.

Tsunade glanced back at Kushina, her expression softening a little. She reached out and tucked the blanket around her.

"He's right. Save the rest for when you've seen Minato and had some time to recover."

Jiraiya was the last to leave. He gave Kushina an exaggerated thumbs-up.

"Get some rest! Once you're better, this great sage will treat you to barbecue!"

Kushina watched the three of them leave and gave a slight nod before closing her eyes again.

This time, her brow finally relaxed completely.

Minato arrived quickly. Shizune hadn't even returned yet. A flash of gold appeared at the far end of the hallway, and in the next moment, Minato Namikaze was standing at the door.

The gust from the Flying Thunder God Technique stirred the dust on the floor into a small whirlwind. He'd clearly teleported over as soon as he heard the news.

"How's Kushina? She's awake?"

"Wow," Jiraiya said, leaning closer. "You really are devoted to your wife, aren't you?"

Lin Zi leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, his golden, slit-pupiled eyes turning toward the room. His tone was calm.

"Go in. She... went through a lot."

Minato nodded and started toward the room, but halfway through his first step, he abruptly stopped.

He turned to face Lin Zi, then—

Bowed deeply.

It was nearly a ninety-degree bow, his forehead almost touching his knees, his hands pressed against his trouser seams. His whole body was taut as a drawn bow.

He held the pose without moving. The moment seemed to stretch on.

"Thank you, Lord Orochimaru."

Minato's voice came muffled from below, with a tremor that only occasionally slipped out at night.

"If it weren't for you... I wouldn't have known what to do."

The Yellow Flash, the fastest shinobi in the Shinobi World, now sounded like a child who'd done something wrong. His voice carried a faint, barely perceptible sob.

Jiraiya couldn't bear to watch. He stepped behind Minato and slapped him on the back, shoving him forward so he stumbled.

"That's enough, enough! You're taking forever! The three of us are going for barbecue. We don't want to get caught up in you lovebirds' lovey-dovey reunion!"

As he spoke, he reached around Tsunade's shoulder with his left arm and hooked his right arm around Lin Zi's neck, forcibly dragging them toward the other end of the hallway.

"Come on, let's go!"

"Fine."

Lin Zi didn't resist. He let Jiraiya lead him away without looking back.

Tsunade irritably knocked Jiraiya's hand aside, but still followed along.

Minato remained bowed until the three of them had completely disappeared down the hallway. Only then did he slowly straighten up.

He stood by the doorway, breathing in and out repeatedly. His chest rose and fell several times before he finally swallowed the lump in his throat.

He reached out, pressed his palm to the door, and gently pushed it open.

"Kushina, I'm back."