Danger Before It Arrived?

"Looks like you already know my name?"

Lin Zi pushed the door open and looked around.

The room was neatly kept and cozy. Photos of Minato and Kushina hung on the conspicuous bookshelf, with several obvious empty spaces beside them, probably reserved for family portraits.

"Did that snake uncle tell you about me the other day?"

"No..."

Kushina shook her head, her gaze fixed firmly on Lin Zi's face.

She looked him up and down, then up and down again, scanning him more than a dozen times, as if she wanted to etch every line of his face into her eyes.

"No mother in the world could fail to recognize her own child... Naruto."

Tears welled up in Kushina's eyes.

No longer lying weakly in bed as before, she gritted her teeth, braced one hand against the edge of the bed, and forced herself upright. Then she staggered over to Lin Zi.

Thump.

A very light punch.

Her fist landed limply against Lin Zi's chest, without much force, as if she were afraid of hurting him.

"You?"

Lin Zi looked down at the fist pressed against his chest. With the senses he had gained as a Sage, he had seen Kushina's every move clearly, but he hadn't even tried to dodge.

Yet his chakra told him he should take this punch.

"Naruto..."

Kushina's fist rested against Lin Zi's chest. It was as if the last bone holding her up had been pulled out, and she could no longer stand.

She pitched forward, resting her forehead against his shoulder. Her arms wrapped around his back, clutching him so tightly her fingernails nearly dug into his flesh.

"Waaah... Naruto..."

The wail burst from the throat of the kunoichi known as the Bloody Habanero, raw and heart-rending, as if she were pouring out all the fear, pain, and grievances she had endured lately.

She leaned against Lin Zi, trembling all over. Her tears and snot soaked his collar as she repeated the same words over and over.

"My child... my child..."

Lin Zi stood where he was, unable to move.

The Nine-Tails Chakra inside him suddenly surged. A wave of aching emotion climbed through his chakra pathways, bringing heat to his eyes.

He took a deep breath and forcibly pushed the feeling back down. His throat bobbed, but when he spoke, he still used that infuriating tone.

"Old lady, if you're sick, you should stay in bed. Why'd you suddenly get up? You scared the life out of me."

As he spoke, he bent down without giving her a chance to object. He slipped one arm behind Kushina's back and the other beneath her knees, then carried her back to bed.

He moved gently, as if he were holding something fragile. He pulled the covers over her, then clumsily wiped the tear tracks from her face with the back of his hand.

Kushina lay in bed, still sobbing, her chest heaving. Her eyes were red and swollen. When she saw Lin Zi turn to leave, she suddenly reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

"Don't go... Naruto... just stay beside me, okay?"

Her voice was hoarse, and her fingers clutched the fabric of Lin Zi's sleeve tightly.

"I'll get better soon... I won't make things difficult for you..."

"Old lady, I just wanted to get a chair. I'm not leaving right now."

That was what Lin Zi said, but his feet seemed rooted to the spot. He didn't take a single step.

He stood beside the bed, looking down at her.

Kushina looked up at him, too.

They just gazed at each other.

One had red-rimmed eyes and tear-streaked cheeks, yet clung to him without letting go. The other pretended to keep a stern face, his lips pressed tight, while emotions surged beneath the surface of his eyes.

Lately, Minato Namikaze had been experiencing a strange feeling.

It was as if he were pinned down in hell, yet at the same time, he felt that the heavens had secretly shown him favor.

The contradiction twisted together until every morning, when he woke, he would freeze for half a minute, wondering if he were still dreaming.

"Why am I having such strange thoughts?"

He sat in his chair in the Hokage Office, staring out the window at Konoha in the midst of reconstruction. His fingers tapped absently on the desk.

The battle from last night was still vivid in his mind. Yamata no Orochi had nearly plowed through the outskirts of the village again, and it had ended only when the otherworldly "Orochimaru-senpai" turned into specks of light, leaving behind one final joke as he died.

And now Minato didn't even have time to sort through his own feelings before dawn arrived.

"What a headache..."

Minato lifted a hand and irritably ruffled the back of his head, making his blond hair stick up in every direction.

A half-desk-high pile of document scrolls lay before him: casualty reports, reconstruction budgets, diplomatic letters from the other villages, and a formal reprimand from Danzo's side. They were all waiting for his approval.

He took a deep breath, picked up his pen, and began signing one document after another. The scratching of the nib across the paper was as dense as rainfall.

The administrative work was dwindling, but the crease between his brows hadn't eased at all.

Just then.

"Minato-sensei."

Kakashi's voice came from the doorway. Even through the door, Minato could hear the tension and restraint in it.

"Come in."

Minato's pen paused. He looked up.

The door opened, and Hatake Kakashi strode inside.

He still wore his Anbu mask. The visible portion of his face showed drooping, lifeless eyes and dark circles beneath them, making it clear he hadn't had a proper rest in some time.

He was clutching a scroll with bloodstains soaking its edges.

Minato looked at Kakashi, then at the scroll in his hand. His heart sank.

"What happened?"

Kakashi stopped in front of him. His voice carried the weary strain of someone who had been working nonstop. Anyone could tell he wasn't in good shape.

"Anbu intercepted a secret message from Iwagakure at the northeastern border."

He carefully set the scroll on the desk. The smell of blood immediately spread through the air.

Minato didn't reach for it right away. Instead, he first asked patiently, "How did you intercept it?"

"A squad from Iwagakure was disguised as a merchant caravan, heading toward the Cloud Village."

Kakashi's hand hung at his side, trembling slightly.

"Anbu noticed their chakra signatures were off and went to question them. The other side scattered and fled without a word. Our people chased them and fought desperately to wrest this from the messenger..."

He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"When the messenger saw that the scroll had been taken, he pretended to surrender at first. Once our people had the message, he detonated the Explosive Tag hidden inside his body."

Kakashi's voice grew even hoarser.

"A human bomb. None of us had expected it. Two Anbu were killed on the spot. The last one only made it out with the message because a comrade shielded him with his body. He was badly injured by the time he got back to the village, and the Medical Corps is still trying to save him."

Minato stared at the bloodstained scroll on the desk, his fingertips hovering above it, unable to come down.

The office was terrifyingly silent. Only the faint sounds of construction from outside the window could be heard. Several seconds passed before Minato finally spoke, his voice so quiet it was almost a murmur.

"Iwagakure and the Cloud Village... Are they planning to join forces?"

He reached out and finally took the scroll. The paper felt rough, and the blood along its edges had dried and hardened.

"Kakashi."

"Yes, sir."

"Go get the Third...and Jiraiya-sensei, too."

Minato looked up. The weariness in his bright blue eyes had vanished, leaving only the resolve befitting a Hokage.

"Looks like someone can't wait to see Konoha make a fool of itself."

Kakashi nodded, resting a hand on the hilt of the sword at his back. He spun around and rushed out. His scabbard thumped against his thigh with every step, making a dull, heavy sound.