Lord Danzo Has Summoned You.

"Welcome back, Minato."

Kushina, lying in the hospital bed, struggled to sit up, her elbows braced against the mattress and trembling. Her face was pale, but the moment Minato stepped through the door, she still managed to force out a gentle smile.

Minato darted to her bedside and dropped to one knee. His hand instinctively went to support her back, but he was afraid to press too hard, so he only steadied her lightly.

"Don't get up... Lie down, quickly."

"Mm."

With his help, Kushina sank back into the pillow and took a couple of breaths. A sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead.

"The fact that I'm awake now is the best proof. Though... I'm still a little weak."

As she spoke, the smile faded from her lips, and her gaze suddenly turned serious.

"So, what's going on with Orochimaru?"

Minato froze. His hand stopped in midair as he tucked in her blanket. Lowering his eyes, he fell silent for two seconds before answering honestly.

"It seems... he came from the same place as that mysterious person last time. That's all I know."

"I see."

Kushina didn't ask any more. Her gaze settled on the ceiling, as if she were trying to process his words.

The room was so quiet they could hear the construction workers hammering outside. After a long while, she suddenly turned her head. Her red hair spilled across the pillow, and her voice was as light as a feather.

"Minato, where's our child?"

"Biwako is looking after him right now. He's safe."

Minato immediately took her hand and laced their fingers together, gently rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand.

"Don't worry. Once you've recovered a little, we'll go see him."

He gave her a tender smile, speaking slowly, word by word, as if afraid she might not hear him.

"Okay."

Kushina closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, her brow was slightly furrowed.

"I can feel it... The Nine-Tails' power inside me has clearly weakened. Was that Lord Orochimaru's doing, too?"

"Yes."

Minato nodded, his palm tightening around hers.

"Tsunade asked him for help before. He used Senjutsu from Ryūchi Cave to suppress the malice inside you."

"I see..."

Kushina's gaze grew distant. She squeezed Minato's fingers, but her grip was so light he could barely feel it.

"Then I won't ask too many questions. Minato, as long as you understand what's going on."

"Don't worry, Kushina."

Minato suddenly leaned down, resting his forehead against the back of her hand. His voice came muffled through their fingers.

"I won't let you get hurt again. I swear."

Kushina stared at him for a moment, then gently patted the top of his head with her other hand, as if soothing a frightened child.

"I believe you."

She paused, then suddenly changed the subject, her expression turning serious.

"By the way, have you finished your work?"

Minato stiffened and looked up, an awkward smile flashing across his face.

"Not yet... But I wanted to take care of you first..."

"Konoha can't do without its Hokage."

Kushina pushed him away. Her touch was feeble, but her determination left no room for argument, just like the night of the Nine-Tails' attack, when she'd urged him to go fight even as she endured the agony of childbirth.

"Go on. I'm fine."

Minato looked at her and opened his mouth, but in the end, he swallowed his objections.

He stood and tucked the blanket snugly around her, then straightened the red hair that had fallen across her forehead.

"Okay."

He went to the door and put his hand on the handle, but couldn't help turning back. His gaze clung to her face, unable to pull away.

"I'll come back as soon as I'm done."

"Mm."

Kushina gave a slight nod as she watched him leave.

Click.

The moment the door shut, silence returned to the hospital room.

Kushina slowly closed her eyes, but the scene from that night rose in her mind.

The blond boy who had stepped out of a space-time rift, the Six Paths whisker marks on his face, the red markings around his eyes in Sage Mode, and the complicated look in his eyes as he gazed down at the infant Naruto—a look that didn't belong to a boy of seventeen or eighteen.

"Just as I thought..."

She murmured to herself, her fingers unconsciously clutching the blanket.

"That child... Is it really him?"

Naruto...

How did you end up like that?

Longing surged over her like a tide, threatening to drown her.

But Kushina took a deep breath and forced the ache back down into her heart.

Her child wasn't with her now. No matter how much she agonized over it, nothing would change.

For now, the most important thing was to recover, reassess the Sealing Jutsu inside her, and get back on her feet as soon as possible.

Only once she recovered could she hold Naruto herself.

Only then could she ask that boy who he really was and what he had been through.

Kushina opened her eyes, an unprecedented resolve flashing in her red irises.

She slowly raised a hand and rested it against her still-flat belly. The lingering warmth of the Nine-Tails Chakra remained there, along with another warm power that didn't belong to this world.

Meanwhile, smoke swirled through the barbecue restaurant, and the coals crackled.

Tsunade had one foot planted on the bench, a wine jug in her hand as she gulped from it. Her throat bobbed, and liquor ran down her chin onto her clothes.

Jiraiya sprawled across the table, his cheek pressed against its greasy surface. One hand still clutched his chopsticks as he mumbled incoherently.

"Drink... More... This Sage can still drink..."

"You can drink my ass." Tsunade slapped him on the back of the head, making it bounce off the table. "You're already sprawled out, and you're still showing off."

Lin Zi sat across from them, his golden, slit-pupiled eyes half-lidded in the dim light. He hadn't drunk much. Senjutsu from Ryūchi Cave metabolized quickly; the moment the alcohol entered his stomach, his chakra burned it away.

"He's still showing off, just like always."

Tsunade hauled Jiraiya up from the table with one hand and slung him over her shoulder like a sack.

With her other hand, she reached into Jiraiya's pocket as if she'd done it a hundred times, pulled out a crumpled wallet, counted out a few bills, and slapped them onto the table.

"Check, please."

She turned to Lin Zi.

"He's in a good mood today."

"If I were him, I'd be happy too."

Lin Zi set down his glass and stood.

"Tsunade, do you need me to walk you two home?"

"No need."

Tsunade draped Jiraiya's arm around her neck. The drunkard's weight made her shoulder sink.

"I can take him home myself. I still have to work on Kushina's follow-up treatment tomorrow."

As she helped Jiraiya toward the door, she waved with her free hand in farewell.

Jiraiya slumped against Tsunade, his face buried in her hair as he shouted incoherently.

"Bye-bye... Orochimaru... Next time... We'll have another contest..."

"Enough. Shut up."

Tsunade drove an elbow into his stomach and dragged him into the night.

Lin Zi exhaled, pushed open the restaurant door, and walked down the alley.

The night wind slipped into his collar, carrying the particular smell of dust and lumber from Konoha's reconstruction.

Everything had gone too smoothly today. Returning to the village had gone smoothly, suppressing the Nine-Tails had gone smoothly, and even Tsunade had agreed to stay without giving him much trouble. It had gone so smoothly that he'd almost forgotten there was still a rat lurking beneath the village.

When he passed the third alley, his steps faltered. His golden, slit-pupiled eyes narrowed to two thin lines in the darkness.

He caught a scent—the mustiness of something long kept from the light, steeped in dark corners, mixed with the rusty tang of kunai.

At the end of the alley, two figures emerged from the shadows.

White masks, black cloaks. Like a pair of puppets, they blocked the alley, one on either side. Their voices were flat as they spoke in unison.

"Orochimaru, Lord Danzo has summoned you."