Before Danger Arrives?

"It seems you already know my name?"

Lin Zi pushed the door open and stepped inside, casting a glance around the room.

The room was furnished quite warmly. On a prominent bookshelf hung a photograph of Minato and Kushina, with several empty spots left beside it, presumably reserved for a future family portrait.

"Was it that snake uncle from a while back who told you?"

"No..."

Kushina shook her head, her gaze locked firmly onto Lin Zi's face.

She scanned him from head to toe, then back from toe to head, repeating the motion over a dozen times as if trying to etch every line of his face into her memory.

"There isn't a mother in this world who wouldn't recognize her own child... Naruto."

Tears welled up in Kushina's eyes instantly.

No longer lying weakly as she had before, she gritted her teeth, braced one hand against the edge of the bed, and forced herself to sit up. Then, she walked unsteadily toward Lin Zi.

Thump.

A very light punch.

The fist landed softly against Lin Zi's chest, lacking any real force, as if she were afraid of hurting him.

"You?"

Lin Zi looked down at the fist pressed against his chest. With the sensory perception he possessed as a Sage, he had seen Kushina's movements with perfect clarity, yet he hadn't dodged at all.

But at this punch, the chakra within him told him that he should bear it.

"Naruto..."

With her fist still pressed against his chest, Kushina seemed to lose the last of her strength, her body unable to hold itself up any longer.

She leaned forward, resting her forehead against Lin Zi's shoulder, and wrapped both arms around his back, her nails digging almost into his skin.

"Waaaah... Naruto..."

A wail erupted from the throat of the woman known as the Bloody Habanero, heart-wrenching and raw, as if she were pouring out all the fear, pain, and grievances she had bottled up during this time.

She leaned her entire weight against Lin Zi, trembling violently, her tears and snot smearing across his collar as she repeated the same words over and over.

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

Lin Zi stood rooted to the spot, unable to make any further move.

The Nine-Tails chakra within him surged suddenly, and a bitter, aching sensation crawled up his meridians, stinging his eyes.

He took a deep breath, forcing the emotion down, and when he moved his throat to speak, his tone remained as irritating as ever.

"Old woman, if you're sick, you should stay in bed. Why are you crawling out like that? You scared me to death."

Having said that, he bent down without further ado, supporting her back with one hand and scooping her up by the knees with the other, carrying her back to the bed.

His movements were gentle, as if handling something fragile. He pulled the quilt over her and wiped the tear tracks from her face with the back of his hand.

Kushina lay on the bed, still sobbing, her chest heaving and her eyes red and swollen. Seeing Lin Zi turn to leave, she reached out suddenly and grabbed his sleeve.

"Don't go... Naruto... just stand right there, okay?"

Her voice was hoarse beyond recognition, her fingers twisting tightly into the fabric of his sleeve.

"I'll get better soon... I won't be a burden to you..."

"Old woman, I was just going to move a chair over. I didn't say I was leaving."

Lin Zi said this, but his feet felt as if they had taken root; he didn't take a single step.

He stood by the bedside, looking down at her.

Kushina looked up at him as well.

The two stared at each other in silence.

One had red-rimmed eyes and a tear-streaked face, yet gripped his sleeve with desperate tenacity; the other pretended to be stern, his jaw set tight, while dark, turbulent currents swirled deep within his eyes.

Minato Namikaze had been having a very strange feeling lately.

It was as if he had been pressed into hell, yet at the same time, he felt as if he had been secretly favored by the heavens.

These contradictory feelings were so intertwined that every morning when he woke up, he would stare blankly for half a minute, wondering if he was still dreaming.

"Why would I have such strange thoughts?"

He sat in his chair in the Hokage Office, staring at the rebuilding Konoha outside the window, his fingers tapping unconsciously against the desk.

The great battle from last night was still fresh in his mind—Yamata no Orochi had nearly plowed through the outskirts of the village again, and it had all ended with a parting joke from that "Senior Orochimaru" from another world before he dissolved into specks of light.

And now, he didn't even have time to process his own emotions before the sun rose.

"What a headache..."

Minato raised a hand and scratched the back of his head in frustration, his blond hair standing up in messy tufts.

Piled before him were scrolls half as tall as a person: casualty reports, reconstruction budgets, diplomatic letters from other villages, and a letter of accountability submitted by Danzo—all waiting for his signature.

He took a deep breath, grabbed his pen, and began to sign with a flurry of motion; the sound of the nib scratching against the paper was as dense as falling rain.

The administrative workload was decreasing, yet the knot between his brows showed no signs of loosening.

Just then.

"Minato-sensei."

Hatake Kakashi's voice came from the doorway, the tense, stifled feeling audible even through the wooden panel.

"Come in."

Minato paused his pen and looked up.

The door was pushed open, and Hatake Kakashi stepped inside quickly.

He was still wearing his Anbu mask, and beneath the exposed dead-fish eye hung dark, bruised circles, a clear sign that he hadn't rested properly for some time.

In his hand, he clutched a scroll with edges soaked in blood.

Minato looked at him, then at the object in his hand, and his heart skipped a beat.

"What happened?"

Kakashi stood still, his voice heavy with the exhaustion of a long shift; anyone could tell his spirit was currently in a bad state.

"The Anbu intercepted a secret letter at the northeastern border, sent out from Iwagakure."

He placed the scroll gently on the desk, and the scent of blood immediately permeated the air.

Minato didn't rush to take it, asking patiently instead.

"How was it intercepted?"

"An Iwagakure squad was disguised as a merchant caravan heading toward Cloud Village."

Kakashi's hands hung at his sides, trembling slightly.

"The Anbu noticed their chakra fluctuations were off and moved in to question them; the other side scattered and fled without a word. Our men gave chase and fought to the death to seize this from the messenger..."

He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"When the messenger saw the letter was taken, he pretended to surrender at first, but once our men had the scroll, he detonated explosive tags hidden inside his own body."

Kakashi's voice grew even hoarser.

"A human explosive tag—none of us expected it. Two Anbu were killed on the spot... The last one was shielded by his comrade's body, which allowed him to escape with the letter. By the time he made it back to the village, he had sustained many injuries, and the Medical Corps is still trying to save him."

Minato stared at the blood-stained scroll on the desk, his fingertips hovering in mid-air, unable to descend.

The office was deathly quiet, save for the faint sound of construction hammering drifting in from outside the window. After several seconds, Minato finally spoke, his voice so soft it sounded like he was talking to himself.

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

He reached out and finally gripped the scroll; the paper was coarse, and the blood on the edges had already dried and hardened.

"Kakashi."

"Present."

"Go and bring the Third Hokage... and Jiraiya-sensei here as well."

Minato looked up, the weariness in his azure pupils swept away, leaving only the iron resolve expected of a Hokage.

"It seems someone can't wait to see Konoha make a fool of itself."

Kakashi nodded, his hand resting on the hilt of the katana at his waist, and turned to rush out. The scabbard tapped against his thigh with every step, emitting a dull, rhythmic sound.