Naruto

"Lin, I'm leaving..."

"Um..."

Aside from when Obito Uchiha comes and Rin 'transforms' into a five-year-old girl, most of the time Rin sits quietly alone on the rooftop, silent, lost in thought.

"These next few days, Dou will be coming here often, and I'll bring him to see you..."

"If you don't want to go out, Dou will bring you your food later..."

She turned her head slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't speak. The cloning technology she got from Orochimaru was not perfect. If she hadn't obtained some White Zetsu cells back then, even if Rin's body was soaked in nutrient solution, she might not have lived to be three years old, let alone now that she has been forced to grow to five years old.

"Lin, if there's anything you want to ask, I'll tell you everything I can..."

He could tell that Rin's heart hadn't calmed down yet; she didn't even know how to get along with Obito Uchiha and could only pretend to have lost all her memories.

"Xu, I..."

Lin raised her head slightly, seemingly somewhat tempted by Kato Osamu's words, but still hesitated.

"Rin, Obito Uchiha has become like this, and you've been 'killed' too. There's a pair of hands manipulating us. If we don't resist, we'll all die..."

"Nobody wants to die, don't you think...?"

Slightly crouching down, five-year-old Lin was far too young. Kato Osamu looked into Lin's eyes; he knew what it felt like to have experienced a life-or-death situation, and he knew the pain that came with it.

"Obito Uchiha and I were on our way to send Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki back to the Pure Land, but they're blocking our way..."

"Lin, will you stop me?"

"For the Nine-Tails?"

To Kato Osamu's surprise, Rin seemed unusually calm, though her eyes were slightly vacant. He hadn't hidden his conversation with Obito from Obito Uchiha. Kato Osamu wanted Rin to understand what Obito Uchiha and he were doing. Rin was Obito Uchiha's Achilles' heel, and keeping it from her might leave hidden dangers.

Obito Uchiha, on the other hand, believed that Rin would one day regain her memories and never treated her as a child...

"Yes and no, we're too weak right now. Even if we capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, we'll face endless pursuit from Konoha..."

"It's nothing, but there's no need for it..."

"We're preparing to release the Nine-Tails to weaken Konoha..."

"A newly minted Jinchuriki is much easier to deal with than a Jinchuriki who can control the power of Tailed Beasts..."

"We still need some time to prepare..."

Rin pursed her lips, her eyes fixed on Kato Osamu, a look of reluctance and struggle flashing across her face. She murmured, "Oo, many people will die..."

Kato Osamu gently patted Rin's head, his smile unchanged.

"Rin, I thought you would object to my plan with Obito Uchiha..."

Lin's face showed a hint of melancholy, but her tone was serious as she looked directly into Kato Osamu's eyes.

"I suppose I already gave my life back to Konoha back in Mist Shinobi..."

"You and Obito Uchiha saved my life..."

"Right now, all I want is to live well, to live well in this world with Obito Uchiha and Osamu..."

"Perhaps only after dying once can one truly feel how close death is, can one acutely experience the fragility of life, and can one understand that one is just an ordinary person, not some protagonist who can save the world..."

Kato Osamu's gaze was calm as he simply smiled at Rin; he understood this feeling all too well.

"Cherishing your own life is a very good thing..."

Lin paused for a moment, her voice slightly hesitant, and she lowered her head slightly. Perhaps she had always been a kind person. "Xu, um... unless it's absolutely necessary, I mean unless your safety is threatened... could you please refrain from slaughtering civilians?"

"Haha... Lin, we haven't reached that point yet..."

"If they don't oppose us, both Obito Uchiha and I are peace-loving people..."

Kushina Uzumaki's due date was approaching, but not many people in the entire Konoha knew the news. Although the situation appeared relaxed on the surface but was actually tense, and countless hidden spies were eliminated one by one, the ordinary residents of Konoha seemed to have not noticed a thing, and everything seemed no different from usual.

Minato Namikaze Kushina Uzumaki was arguably the biggest move he had made since taking office. He selected only the elite of the elite and even set up three fake birthing sites, stationing these elite ninjas there.

The true location of the production was known only to Kushina Uzumaki and her husband, Biwako, the director of Konoha Hospital, Kakashi Hatake's Anbu squad, and Hiruzen Sarutobi —all people he trusted.

"Minato Namikaze, why don't you send a message to Jiraiya and ask him to come back..."

"I don't know why, but I always feel restless..."

Kushina Uzumaki's belly was sticking out high, and she gently stroked her lower abdomen, but there was a hint of worry between her brows.

"Don't worry... everything is arranged..."

Minato Namikaze had considered sending a message to Jiraiya, asking him to return, but all the messages he sent to Jiraiya seemed to have sunk without a trace, and not a single word came back.

"Alright then... maybe I'm overthinking it..."

Kushina Uzumaki shook her head, not thinking too much about it anymore. Ever since she became pregnant, Nine-Tails had been quite restless, forcing her to expend some energy to suppress its agitation, which caused her some emotional fluctuations. Leaning on Minato Namikaze's shoulder, she immediately felt much calmer.

"Minato Namikaze, have you decided on the child's name?"

Holding Kushina Uzumaki in his arms, Minato Namikaze felt a rare moment of peace. It was as if all the worries in the Hokage Building had vanished. His hand overlapped Kushina Uzumaki's, and feeling the lively little life inside her, a happy smile appeared on his face.

"Naruto... let's call Naruto..."

"Kushina Uzumaki, what do you think?"

"I think I've heard this name before..."

Kushina Uzumaki turned her head, Minato Namikaze's face brushed against hers before he softly spoke, "It's the name of a novel by Jiraiya- sensei, <The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi>..."

Kushina Uzumaki frowned, as if she had thought of something unpleasant, and asked hesitantly, "Jiraiya- sensei's only normal book?"

"Ha ha..."

Upon hearing this, Minato Namikaze was slightly taken aback, then chuckled and gently touched Kushina Uzumaki's hair.

"Alright then... Naruto, did you hear me? From now on, you'll be called Naruto..."

Minato Namikaze quietly savored this rare moment of tranquility, his mind seemingly recalling scenes from Jiraiya's novels. His gaze drifted away through the window sill, lost in thought...

"Naruto is someone who never gives up..."