Chapter 207: Uzumaki Kushina And Uchiha Hikari
Kushina’s words were like a stone thrown into a deep pool.
In the depths of Menma’s deep blue eyes, ripples spread out in circles.
He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the waves at the bottom were forcibly suppressed, leaving only the tranquility of the deep sea.
The laboratory’s cold light fell on his young profile, casting faint shadows.
“…Mother,” Menma’s voice broke the silence, carrying a barely perceptible hoarseness. This term rolled over his tongue, still bearing a bit of raw weight: “I still have some questions… about what happened back then.”
Kushina was curiously stroking the cool metal surface of the experiment bench, feeling this never-before-seen creation.
Hearing this, she immediately turned around, the spiderweb-like black cracks on her face unable to hide the concern and seriousness in her eyes.
On her ashen face was the expression unique to a mother, willing to give everything for her child: “Menma, ask! Mother will tell you everything she knows!”
That word “Mother” seemed to warm the heart position in her reanimated body slightly.
Menma’s gaze pierced through the laboratory’s cold air, as if returning to that scarlet night more than a decade ago: “During the Nine-Tails Attack back then, why did you and… Minato Namikaze ultimately choose to die?”
“With your strength, especially the Flying Thunder God Technique, was there really… no chance at all?”
Kushina’s eyes instantly dimmed, tinged with a layer of heavy sadness and helplessness.
She walked to the window, gazing at the cold metal building outlines of Star Capital’s military zone outside the window, her voice low as she recalled: “It wasn’t choosing death… it was having no choice.”
She shook her head bitterly: “That mysterious person wearing a mask was very strong, and he timed it perfectly. He attacked right after I gave birth, when my body and the seal were at their weakest, kidnapped you, and extracted the Nine-Tails.”
Her voice trembled with a hint of lingering fear: “Although your father transferred the Nine-Tails out of the village, by then… I was already spent. The Adamantine Sealing Chains could only temporarily hold the Nine-Tails, liable to collapse at any moment. Once the Nine-Tails broke free, with its madness and power, it could rush back to the village in an instant… Konoha… would be finished!”
She clenched her fist tightly.
“Third Hokage and the others… they couldn’t get there in time back then. Every second was like dancing on a knife edge.” Kushina’s voice was filled with a desperate urgency.
She raised her head, the gray in her reanimated eyes fluctuating violently, filled with deep self-blame and pain: “Reaper Death Seal… it was the only ultimate seal he could complete in an instant and was absolutely effective. He separated the Nine-Tails’ chakra, offering half with himself to the Shinigami, and sealing the other half into the only vessel present at the time, who had Uzumaki bloodline… that was Naruto.”
Tears could not flow, but that heavy sadness almost solidified into substance.
Menma listened quietly, a sharp glint flashing deep in his deep blue eyes: “Third Hokage… did he know Mother was pregnant with twins?”
Kushina nodded affirmatively: “He knew, Third Hokage personally inquired during the prenatal check. But…”
Her tone grew even heavier: “Biwako and the others responsible for the delivery sacrificed at the start of the attack. Minato and I followed soon after…”
“Even knowing it was twins, after that chaos and destruction, Third Hokage probably had no way to find the whereabouts of the other child…” She looked at Menma, her eyes filled with guilt.
“I’m sorry, Menma… for letting you wander outside and suffer so much…”
“I see…” Menma murmured, his voice showing little emotion.
The puzzle of the truth seemed complete, the logic consistent.
But the heavy, unrelievable lump in his heart did not fully dissipate because of it.
Minato Namikaze’s choice was the Hokage’s responsibility, the determination to protect the village; he had still trusted Third Hokage and the others too much.
Believing that after their deaths, Third Hokage would treat Naruto well, believing the village would find the kidnapped, missing other child.
Kushina keenly caught the silent alienation on her son’s body.
She sighed, trying to shift this heavy topic.
She walked to the window, her gaze turning to the broader cityscape outside, no longer the cold military zone in the distance, but buildings densely packed with a modern vibe, wide and neat streets bustling with crowds, roadside lampposts lighting up softly in the winter dusk, outlining the silhouette of a prosperous metropolis.
“This place… is really prosperous.” A childlike curiosity and amazement appeared on Kushina’s ashen face, temporarily diluting the sadness.
“Has Konoha changed this much over the years? I remember the tallest things in the village used to be Hokage Rock and Hokage Building…” She pointed to a sleek high-rise building in the distance, its glass curtain wall reflecting the sunset glow.
“What’s that? So tall!”
Menma walked to her side, also looking out at the city that belonged to him, his voice calm and unwavering: “This isn’t Konoha, nor the Land of Fire. This is the country I founded, the Land of Stars. Our current location is the administration building in Star Capital, its heart.”
“Land of… Stars?” Kushina whipped her head around, shock and bewilderment on her reanimated face, her red hair seeming to stir without wind.
“You… your country? Menma, you… you’re now…?”
“It’s a long story.” Menma interrupted her potential questions, turning toward a storage cabinet in the corner of the laboratory.
“These are the questions for now; I’ll come to you with more later. Now…” He opened the cabinet door and took out a brand-new, thick dark gray wool cape, simple and generous in style, with no markings.
He shook out the cape, walked behind Kushina, and put it on her with movements not particularly gentle but very careful, covering some of the cracks.
Menma said: “Mother hasn’t been to cities outside Konoha yet, want to see… my city?”
Kushina was stunned for a moment, looked down at the soft wool cape on her body, then at her son’s profile, noticing a hint of softness in his eyes.
She nodded vigorously, a brilliant smile blooming on her ashen face: “Yes!”
Even though the cracks made the smile seem somewhat broken.
Star Capital’s commercial district’s “Myriad Phenomena Avenue” was the most prosperous pulse of this city, still bustling with voices and brilliant lights even in the winter evening.
Kushina was like a country girl entering the city for the first time, her reanimated body seeming lighter.
Wrapped in that dark gray cape, she looked around curiously, her eyes with a purple glow sparkling with unprecedented brightness.
“Wow! Menma, look! That light changes color by itself!” She pointed to a roadside floating chakra lamppost that softly cycled between blue, white, and warm yellow, excitedly tugging Menma’s sleeve.
Menma stumbled a bit from her tug, somewhat helplessly rubbing his forehead, but still gave an “Mm.”
“Oh my god! What is this? There are little people moving inside?!” Kushina rushed to the floor-to-ceiling window of a large mall, staring wide-eyed at the displayed puppet doll powered by electricity, performing basic taijutsu moves.
Her face was almost pressed against the glass.
“Puppet demonstration toy.” Menma explained, his voice not loud but clear amid the noise.
“So amazing!” Kushina exclaimed, then drawn to a nearby shop wafting enticing sweet scents.
“So fragrant! It’s the smell of red bean soup! And… dango!” Like a small animal following a scent, she immediately pulled Menma over.
“Boss! Two bowls of red bean soup! Extra double rice cake! And… five sticks of dango!” Kushina ordered boldly, completely ignoring Menma’s “you can’t eat” look.
Reanimated beings truly couldn’t eat, but her nostalgia for the familiar taste and current excitement made her care not at all.
“Right away! Please wait!” The busy shop owner was a chubby middle-aged uncle, deftly serving soup and plating.
When he looked up and saw Kushina’s ashen complexion and fine cracks on her face, he clearly froze, a flash of surprise and sympathy in his eyes, but his good professionalism quickly restored his smile as he handed over the food: “Your red bean soup and dango, please take them!”
When Menma stepped forward to pay, the boss couldn’t help but look again.
This poised, handsome black-haired boy felt somewhat familiar, yet he couldn’t recall where he’d seen him.
Kushina held a steaming bowl of red bean soup; though unable to truly taste it, she leaned in for a deep whiff of the sweet, warm aroma, her face showing utter satisfaction.
She picked up a stick of dango, pretended to “bite” it, and mumbled to Menma with her mouth full: “Mmm… still the taste from memory! Menma, you eat too!”
She shoved another stick toward Menma’s mouth.
Menma turned his head away: “I’m not hungry.”
But he still took the stick of dango.
The two walked like this along the noisy main street.
Kushina was full of interest in all sorts of novelties: delicate shops selling various ninja tool models and small chakra toys; huge LCD screens playing Star Ninja promotional videos—when ninja figures flashed on the screen, Kushina even let out a surprised “Eh.”
There was even a boutique specializing in high-end kimonos and modified ninja attire; Kushina lingered inside, fondling over and over a red furisode kimono embroidered with flame patterns, her eyes full of fondness.
“Like it? Try it on.” Menma leaned at the shop door, watching his mother’s hesitant touching-as-if-afraid-to-damage look, speaking flatly.
“Ah? I… like this…” Kushina looked down at her ashen hands and body cracks, shrinking back her hand somewhat self-conscious.
“Try it.” Menma signaled the clerk to take down that kimono without further ado.
Kushina eventually gave in, trying it on over her clothes under the clerk’s somewhat odd but polite gaze, then happily hugging it.
Next, she took a fancy to a wool scarf printed with cute little fox patterns and bought it without hesitation.
“This is for Menma!” Kushina said, eyes sparkling.
Menma silently paid, then resignedly took the increasingly piled shopping bags from the clerk.
Exquisite kimono gift boxes, wrapped scarves, a few boxes of Star Capital specialty pastries, even a uniquely shaped small chakra wind chime…
The sun fully set below the horizon, lights coming on, adorning Myriad Phenomena Avenue in dazzling splendor.
Kushina finally felt a bit “shopped out,” though a reanimated body wouldn’t tire, her mental excitement gradually subsided.
She sighed contentedly, looking at the huge bags in Menma’s hands almost burying him, finally showing a touch of embarrassment: “Seems like we bought too much?”
Menma expressionlessly weighed the load in his hands: “It’s fine.”
He turned, heading toward the administrative zone: “Let’s go home.”
Passing through the relatively quiet administrative zone’s tree-lined path, they arrived at a high-end residential area with serene surroundings.
In front of a mansion blending Japanese and modern styles, with a refined small courtyard, Menma stopped.
“We’re here.”
Kushina curiously sized up this residence clearly belonging to her son, her gaze sweeping over the meticulously trimmed pines, cypresses, and stone lanterns in the courtyard. Just as she was about to praise it, her sight suddenly locked onto the courtyard gate across the quiet path, directly opposite the mansion.
That thick wooden door clearly bore a carved Uzumaki Clan crest!
“Uzumaki?!” Kushina cried out in shock, her reanimated face filled with incredulous excitement as she grabbed Menma’s arm.
“Menma! Across! That’s… that’s our Uzumaki Clan’s crest! Are there other Uzumaki clansmen here? Who?”
Menma glanced along her gaze at the tightly shut door opposite, tone flat: “Mm, clansmen who wandered outside, Uzumaki Kushina and her daughter Karin. I found them living poorly in Kusanagi Village, so I brought them to the Land of Stars. You might meet them later.”
“Kushina… Karin…” Kushina murmured the two unfamiliar names.
“That’s wonderful…” She couldn’t wait to learn about these two surviving clansmen.
Pushing open their own courtyard gate, walking a short gravel path, they arrived at the veranda of the main house.
Menma was about to step onto the stairs when his foot paused slightly.
On the veranda, a figure stood quietly there.
Uchiha Hikari wore her signature dark blue high-collared clan robes.
Her ink-black long hair cascaded like a waterfall, a few strands gently lifted by the evening breeze.
Her arms folded across her chest, delicate chin slightly raised, those cold eyes like cold stars now fixed with undisguised scrutiny and displeasure on the red-haired woman behind Menma, wrapped in a dark gray cape!
The air was filled with an intangible, chilling low pressure.
Kushina immediately sensed this highly present gaze.
She curiously poked half her body out from behind Menma, her gaze meeting Uchiha Hikari’s cold, sharp eyes.
Her ashen face bore pure curiosity and a hint of puzzlement.
Who was this pretty girl at her son’s home?
That arrogance seemed like the Uchiha’s?
She looks…
a bit unhappy?
Menma seemed oblivious to this subtle atmosphere, or simply unconcerned.
He dumped the mountain of shopping bags onto the veranda’s clean wooden floor with a clatter of assorted light sounds.
Then straightened up, gaze calmly on Uchiha Hikari, pointing at Kushina beside him, tone as natural as commenting on the weather:
“Hikari, this is my mom, Kushina Uzumaki.”
Then he turned his head, introducing to Kushina who was blinking curiously at Uchiha Hikari: “Mom, this is Uchiha Hikari, she lives here.”
The air seemed to freeze in that moment.
The cold, slightly displeased expression on Uchiha Hikari’s face instantly shattered!
Her usually calm, even somewhat indifferent eyes suddenly widened to the limit, filled with shock and bewilderment!
“Mom… mom… ?!”
A stammering, completely devoid of her usual cold tone, even slightly cracking exclamation uncontrollably burst from Uchiha Hikari’s slightly parted lips.
Her arms unfolded from her chest, dangling somewhat at a loss by her sides, her whole person stiffly rooted in place, dumbly staring at the ashen-faced, red-haired, cracked-faced “woman” below the veranda.
Then glancing at Menma beside her, calm as if he’d said something ordinary like “ramen today.”
Huge question marks nearly materialized above her head.
Menma’s… mom?!
Uchiha Hikari’s earlier momentum instantly collapsed, a faint blush rising on her stunned little face.
