33. Kushina

Along the way, they bathed in the warm sunlight, enjoying a moment of tranquility. Uchiha Chen and Mikoto chatted about trivial matters of daily life, while Sasuke lay quietly in his mother's arms, curiously observing everything around him. A gentle breeze brushed against their faces, bringing a touch of coolness. The entire scene appeared exceptionally warm and harmonious.

As they walked, they reached the streets of the village. As time passed and Uchiha Chen began to wonder if he had remembered the date wrong, a warm call brought a familiar voice to Mikoto. Uchiha Chen, standing beside her, turned his head and saw a beautiful figure walking toward them...

A head of vibrant red hair, burning like flames, danced wildly as if it might ignite the surrounding air, manifesting the infinite passion within her heart.

The protruding baby bump added a glow of maternal love to her figure, making her appear even more affectionate. This vibrant and warm silhouette, like a blazing fire, fell into Uchiha Chen's line of sight.

A flicker of imperceptible intensity flashed through his eyes, but when Uzumaki Kushina curiously turned to look at him, he quickly buried the emotion deep within, ensuring she would not notice a thing.

However, in a dark and deep space, a scorching chakra, like magma from the depths of the earth, gathered into an immense sphere. Bound tightly by layers of chains atop this sphere was the powerful Nine-Tails.

Seeing the seemingly pure and innocent Uchiha Chen outside, the Nine-Tails was about to speak up and inform Uzumaki Kushina that it had become a target of the Uchiha clan. But suddenly, it changed its mind. The fox's head, unable to move, curled into a hideous grin, revealing sharp, jagged fangs.

Nine-Tails: "It seems this Uchiha has set his sights on me. But that's fine; perhaps I'll be released sooner or later. Anything is better than this seal where I can't even move."

Thinking this, the Nine-Tails slowly closed its mouth, a thought flashing through its mind.

"Hmph! Uchiha, you who covet my power, you had best release me soon. Otherwise, once I break free, I will personally crush your body into dust!"

The Nine-Tails thought with a cold, sinister tone, while viciously clenching its sharp claws. Its eyes shimmered with a predatory light, as if it would break the seal at any moment and slaughter everyone present.

Yet, the self-righteous Nine-Tails had no idea that it had only guessed half the truth. Yes, they—Uzumaki Kushina and the Nine-Tails, woman and beast—were indeed being targeted by Uchiha Chen, but he was not targeting it; he was targeting her!

Just imagine, if the Nine-Tails were to uncover this cruel truth in the future, would it feel ashamed and blush at its own narcissism? Perhaps not; after all, the thick fox fur on its face would conceal any anomaly, making it impossible for anyone to peek at its true thoughts.

At this moment, Uchiha Chen, standing outside the seal, was completely unaware of all this. Naturally, he had no way of knowing that he had successfully led a sealed fox astray. Even if he did realize it, he likely wouldn't care much; after all, compared to putting a fox inside his body, that hot-tempered, fiery Red Hot Habanero was far more appealing.

After all, who knows if there was a third party—no, a third beast—critiquing the Fourth Hokage and his wife while they were busy in the bedroom?

Right now, Uchiha Chen, outside the seal, wore a look of pure innocence, standing quietly to the side and listening to the conversation between Mikoto and Uzumaki Kushina.

Uzumaki Kushina: "Wow! Kawaii! What's his name?"

Mikoto: "This child is named Sasuke. By the way! You're about to give birth soon, right, Kushina? You really should have the name picked out already."

Uzumaki Kushina: "Don't worry, the name is already decided. It's Naruto."

As she spoke, Uzumaki Kushina's hand gently stroked Sasuke's head.

Uzumaki Kushina: "He'll be a classmate with Sasuke in the future. You two must get along well, okay?"

She poked Sasuke's delicate little cheek with her finger, then, as if thinking of something, she whispered to Mikoto with a look of trepidation.

"Tell me, giving birth must be really painful, right?"

Hearing this, Mikoto let out an "Eh," and said, "I didn't think there was anything you were afraid of, Kushina. That's truly surprising."

With that, the two looked at each other and laughed.

At this moment, Uzumaki Kushina's peripheral vision swept over Uchiha Chen standing to the side. Seeing him left out, she asked Mikoto with slight embarrassment: "Mikoto, who is this handsome young man beside you?"

Hearing this, Mikoto glanced at me awkwardly: "Kushina, this is my younger brother whom I adopted just a few days ago. His name is Uchiha Chen."

She gestured for me to come over and introduced me to Uzumaki Kushina: "Chen, this is Kushina, the wife of the Fourth Hokage and my close friend. You should call her Sister Kushina."

Uchiha Chen: "Hello, Sister Kushina. My name is Uchiha Chen; you can just call me Chen. I hope you stay healthy and give birth to a strong little baby."

Hearing my blessing, Uzumaki Kushina's eyes crinkled into smiles.

Uzumaki Kushina: "Thank you for your blessing, little brother Chen. I'll take your kind words to heart and bring this child into the world healthy and strong. Also, I wish for you to advance your strength soon and become a powerful ninja!"

At this moment, the innocent Uzumaki Kushina did not understand Uchiha Chen's true intentions. What she understood was merely the hope of successfully giving birth to a healthy baby.

However, what Uchiha Chen thought in his heart was not so simple—he hoped for more than just the health of the child about to be born; he hoped that one day in the future, Uzumaki Kushina would bear a strong and outstanding descendant for him, and for the Uchiha clan.

Looking at Uzumaki Kushina, who was gently stroking her belly with a face overflowing with maternal love, Uchiha Chen said to her silently in his heart: "Don't worry, Kushina.

After today, I will ensure you see Naruto grow up healthy and happy with your own eyes. It's just that, by then, you will no longer be the wife of the Fourth Hokage, but will accompany Naruto through the rest of his life's journey as the wife of Uchiha Chen."

The group chatted for a few more moments before parting ways. Even from a distance, one could clearly hear the voice of Biwako, the wife of the Third Hokage, scolding: "Since this is a classified matter, make sure you don't scream too loudly when the time comes for the delivery."

"Ah! Hai!"

Hearing this, Uzumaki Kushina could only scratch her head in embarrassment and respond helplessly.

As that voice gradually faded, Uchiha Chen and Mikoto finished their stroll with satisfaction and walked slowly toward their home.

When they stepped through the door, they found everyone was inside. Just as Itachi silently stepped forward to take Sasuke from Mikoto's arms, only Fugaku, Mikoto, Izumi, and Uchiha Chen remained in the room.

Uchiha Chen walked quietly to the door, gently closed it, and then turned around. A look of unprecedented seriousness appeared on his face as he stared directly at the three people before him and spoke slowly.