The Wheels of Fate Turn

Konoha.

Minato stepped out of the Hokage's office and glanced at the clock outside.

"Ah, it's already this late. Kushina must be asleep by now..."

He used the Flying Thunder God Technique and quietly appeared in his living room.

To his surprise, the light was still on.

Kushina sat at the table, lost in thought.

Minato asked in surprise,

"Kushina, why are you still up so late?"

Then, touched by the thought, he said,

"Don't tell me you stayed up waiting for me..."

"No."

"Oh..."

Kushina turned toward him, her expression complicated.

"Minato, there's something I need to tell you. I..."

"You...?"

Her hesitation made Minato nervous too.

All kinds of possibilities flashed through his mind.

"I might be about to become a mom, you know."

"...Huh?"

A stray lock of hair stuck up from Minato's head as he froze.

A long moment passed.

Then he asked in disbelief,

"I'm—I'm going to be a dad? ...We're having a baby?!"

Kushina bit her lip and nodded gently.

"Mm-hmm."

"This..."

Minato understood why Kushina was feeling so overwhelmed.

At their age,

neither of them had ever considered having a child.

The sudden arrival of a new life had left her at a loss.

Minato stood beside Kushina, slowly wrapped an arm around her, and said softly,

"It's sudden, but this baby is a wonderful surprise, isn't it?"

Kushina leaned against him and nodded emphatically.

"You're right. There'll be three of us in our family now."

"But... we aren't even married yet!"

Minato laughed.

"Then let's get married. Will you marry me?"

"Hmph. Don't think you can win me over that easily. You have to propose properly."

Kushina's face flushed as she spoke, and she shyly punched Minato.

Boom!

Minato went flying.

He smashed a person-shaped hole in the wall.

Kushina jumped to her feet and called outside in a panic,

"Minato, are you okay?"

Minato's trembling voice came from outside.

"I—I'm fine..."

Ever since Kushina had become a Jinchūriki, she seemed unable to control her strength completely.

Better keep my distance from her for a while, Minato thought.

He couldn't let her thump his chest with her little fists like she used to.

That could kill me...

Minato came back inside and said solemnly,

"Kushina, don't tell anyone you're pregnant."

"I'll report it to the Third Hokage tomorrow and see what's best to do."

Kushina nodded slightly.

"I understand, Minato."

Then she pouted.

"Hmph. Come to think of it, this is all your student's fault."

"If not for him, we wouldn't be having a baby so soon."

Minato gave an awkward laugh.

Kushina wasn't exactly wrong.

If the wine Obito had given them hadn't been so potent,

they wouldn't have spent that whole stretch going at it like rabbits.

And they certainly wouldn't have gotten pregnant so soon.

In the Hokage's office,

after Minato left,

the Third Hokage took a crystal ball from his desk drawer.

He waved his pipe, and an image appeared in the crystal ball.

"Oh, oh, young Obito's at it again... Not bad..."

The Third Hokage smoked his pipe, sipped his tea, and watched with a smile.

After a while, he noticed something was wrong.

"Why is that girl's face getting redder and redder?"

The Third Hokage leaned closer to the crystal ball.

He studied the woman in the image.

Her face was so flushed it looked as though blood might seep through her skin.

Then...

Boom!

The beautiful woman exploded!

"What the hell?!"

The Third Hokage jumped and dropped his pipe.

Could you imagine what that felt like?

You were admiring a beautiful sight, and then it suddenly exploded!

Two ANBU guards rushed in from outside.

"Third Hokage, are you all right?"

The Third Hokage swiftly put away the crystal ball.

Without betraying anything, he shook his head.

"I'm fine. I just dropped my pipe. You may go."

"Yes, sir."

Once the two ANBU guards had left, the Third Hokage slapped his desk in frustration.

That Obito was unbelievable!

What normal person would do something like that?

He had conjured up a pretty girl, made her dance, and then blown her up?!

Besides,

wasn't that his own Shadow Clone?

Would he have wanted to be blown up himself?

In a small grove,

after using the Exploding Shadow Clone Technique,

Obito formed Hand Seals again and summoned his Shadow Clone.

"Brother, are you okay? How did that feel?"

The Shadow Clone appeared, smacked his lips, and said,

"I feel... pretty good! So this is art! What a rush!"

Obito: "???"

Worried, he put a hand on the Shadow Clone's shoulder.

"Buddy, did that explosion scramble your brains?"

The Shadow Clone snapped,

"You bastard, get your filthy hand off me!"

"...You really think you're Deidara now?!"

Annoyed, Obito slapped the Shadow Clone.

The blow dispersed him instantly.

Mount Myōboku.

Inside the sacred temple,

Fukasaku hopped in and addressed the giant toad sleeping on the throne.

"Great Sage, young Jiraiya is here."

The Great Toad Sage struggled to lift his eyelids.

His eyes remained unfocused, as though he were still half asleep.

(Just like me when I have an early class.)

Fukasaku called out again in exasperation.

"Great Sage, please wake up!"

The Great Toad Sage jolted and finally came to his senses.

A human man stood behind Fukasaku and Shima.

He was tall, wore wooden sandals and a Forehead Protector marked "oil," and had gray hair that fell to his waist.

The red markings beneath his eyes looked like two trails of bloody tears.

He wore a brown robe beneath a red outer garment, with guards on both arms.

"Hmm..."

The Great Toad Sage looked at the man before him.

He rested his chin on his hand and sank into thought.

"Who's this?"

Fukasaku spoke up beside him.

"Great Sage, that's young Jiraiya."

Realization dawned on the Great Toad Sage.

"Oh, oh, of course. Young Jiraiya. You've grown so big."

Shima said, at a loss for words,

"Have you gone senile? You're the one who summoned him."

Fukasaku retorted,

"Old woman, how can you speak to the Great Sage like that?"

The Great Toad Sage waved a hand, unbothered.

"Now, now. Don't quarrel. A married couple should get along."

The Great Toad Sage looked at Jiraiya, his gaze growing profound.

"The wheels of fate have begun to turn. Where they roll from here depends on you, young Jiraiya."

"You will either be crushed beneath their weight or ride the surging tide forward..."

"How far can you go?"