Chapter 44

Being bound to Xunjing hardly seemed like a problem to her. Her heart was already his anyway, and she did not believe he would ever screw her over. Besides, why turn down a shortcut to getting stronger?

"I agree too." Minato nodded without hesitation.

Minato hesitated for only a moment before making his decision. He raised his head and looked firmly at Xunjing. "I'm coming with you."

Xunjing was willing to reveal his trump cards to him, and after everything he had already given so freely, Minato saw no reason to agonize over this.

"All right. Then I'll give you both this opportunity."

Seeing that they had made up their minds, Xunjing nodded in agreement. With a thought, he conjured two glowing Runes at the center of his forehead.

Minato and Kushina watched wide-eyed as the Runes floated toward them. Xunjing said, "Touch them with your hands, then agree in your minds. That's all you need to do."

"Okay."

Minato and Kushina stared at the Runes before them, then reached out and touched them without hesitation.

The next second, a voice rang out in both their minds, asking whether they were willing to sign a contract with Xunjing.

Signing would grant them tremendous benefits, but it would also place them under Xunjing's control.

"I agree."

Having already made up their minds, Minato and Kushina confirmed without another word.

The Runes instantly turned into light and slipped into their bodies through their arms.

In the blink of an eye, they reached the sea of consciousness behind their foreheads and hovered steadily within it.

Then a torrent of information flooded their minds.

Both had to close their eyes and concentrate on absorbing it.

Xunjing had given them quite a lot of information this time. It included the Space-Time Gate, the space within it, some details about the Pirate World, and even a few things about the Ninja World's future.

Of course, there was very little about the Ninja World's future. Only the crisis that threatened to wipe out the Uzumaki Clan, along with vague news that the Otsutsuki Clan would invade someday.

The main purpose was to give them a sense of urgency so they would train hard.

Xunjing did not intend to let them know anything more.

Especially not that Minato and Kushina had originally been a couple, or that Minato would become the Fourth Hokage.

Xunjing would never tell them those things.

Now that he was in this world, much of its future would naturally change completely.

The only thing that would probably remain unchanged was that the Otsutsuki Clan would invade sooner or later.

That was not something he controlled, nor did the Ninja World...

More than ten minutes passed.

Minato and Kushina finally finished digesting most of the information and opened their eyes.

"Is... is all of this true? The Otherworld? The Pirate World? Devil Fruits? Great Swordsmen? Sea Kings? And the Ninja World's future?"

Looking somewhat dazed, Minato asked Xunjing.

It was all too outrageous.

Although he had made some bold guesses about Xunjing's secret, he had never dared imagine anything on this scale.

He had never expected the secret to be this enormous.

Xunjing finally understood why this guy had been so solemn earlier, insisting on signing the contract before revealing the secret.

Without that precaution, Xunjing would probably have lost his life long ago.

He even felt that this alone might not be enough to keep things safe, and that he ought to be ten times more cautious.

An indescribable wave of emotion surged through Minato's heart. His trust in Xunjing climbed another four points, reaching ninety.

At this point, theirs was a bond worth staking their lives on. He would never turn against Xunjing for as long as he lived.

Tsk, Minato is way too easy to win over.

Xunjing secretly rejoiced, growing ever fonder of Minato's grateful nature.

"Xunjing, is the Land of Whirlpools... really going to be destroyed?"

"How long has this been happening? Does Grandma know?"

A moment ago, Kushina had still been absorbed in all the dazzling news about the Otherworld, barely knowing where to turn her attention.

But when she heard the later information about the Ninja World-especially the terrible news that the Land of Whirlpools and the Uzumaki Clan were going to be wiped out-she immediately panicked. All thoughts of the Otherworld vanished, leaving only concern for her family's safety.

Seeing Kushina's face, so anxious that she was close to tears, Xunjing smiled and stepped forward. He rubbed her head and spoke softly:

"Don't panic! To tell you the truth, before my mom went to see Lady Mito last time, Lady Mito had already received intelligence that the Land of Whirlpools was going to be attacked."

"Lady Mito even wrote a letter and sent it directly to your clan's current leader, Uzumaki Lu Ming, urging him to bring the whole clan to Konoha for shelter."

"And what happened? Uzumaki Lu Ming refused."

"What?!"

Kushina immediately cut Xunjing off, her voice sharp with urgency. "What is Grandpa thinking? What's wrong with coming to Konoha until things blow over? Will he only be satisfied when the entire clan has been slaughtered?"

"Oh?"

Xunjing raised an eyebrow slightly. "Uzumaki Lu Ming is your grandfather?"

"Yes!"

Biting her lip, Kushina nodded, both angry and worried.

"Then that makes sense."

Xunjing nodded thoughtfully. "It's not that he doesn't want to leave. He probably can't."

"With such a large clan, not to mention the entire Land of Whirlpools tied up in it, how could he make that decision alone?"

"He must have his own difficulties, so don't blame him too much."

"And don't worry. Even if he refused, once reliable word arrives that the Four Great Shinobi Villages are actually about to strike, Lady Mito will send people to rescue them immediately."

"She even made a special deal with our Uchiha clan last time for this very purpose."

"When the time comes, our Uchiha clan will also select elite shinobi to help the Uzumaki Clan escape."

With the signed contract as a safeguard, Xunjing was not remotely worried that Kushina and Minato would leak anything they had heard today.

Neither of them could reveal so much as a word to outsiders about anything involving his interests or secrets.

Even Uzumaki Mito herself would not be able to pry a single word out of Kushina.

Kushina had things on her mind, but she did not dare tell Uzumaki Mito outright.

"Is that really true?" Her eyes lit up, and the gloom on her face vanished instantly. Her voice brimmed with surprise and hope.

Xunjing nodded earnestly. "Yes. I'm not lying to you."

But then he lowered his voice and cautioned her, "You can't tell Lady Mito about this, though, or ask her about it. Even if you ask, she won't be able to answer. It involves some of my secrets, after all. I hope you understand."

"In short, there's no need to worry yourself sick. Everything will get better. Lady Mito and my mom will handle it properly."

"I only brought this up to give you a sense of urgency, so you can settle down and focus on training."

"You have to understand that Lady Mito can't protect us forever. They'll all grow old someday."

"In the future, we'll have to shelter the next generation and face all kinds of dangers ourselves."

At this point, Xunjing turned toward Minato, who stood beside them looking thoughtful, and added a reminder. "That goes for you too, Minato."

"Don't waste your talent, and don't let down my expectations."

"I'll do my best to provide the resources and conditions you need to grow, but how far you ultimately go will depend on you."

After hearing him out, Minato nodded solemnly. "I won't disappoint you, Xunjing."

He paused, fixing his gaze on Xunjing. "I just want to confirm one thing. Will an alien race called the Otsutsuki Clan really invade the Ninja World in the future and destroy everything?"

"Can you... see the future?"

The question meant a great deal to him. If it was true, he needed to start pushing himself desperately to grow stronger right now.

Xunjing nodded decisively. "Yes. It's true."

"This also involves the Sage of Six Paths and his mother, the Goddess of the Crescent Moon. It's too early to tell you about that now. When the time is right, I'll explain all the secrets."

"I can indeed glimpse fragments of the future, but they aren't complete."

He knew perfectly well that he had no power to foresee anything. He was bluffing with memories from his previous life. Still, that was enough to fool the two people before him.