Chapter 289: Kushina: Lady Tsunade, Is Naruto Okay?
Night fell, and the Star Capital’s lights began to shine.
This emerging city still brimmed with vitality in the night, but the noticeably increased patrol ninjas on the streets, as well as the tension permeating the air, all reminded people that war was already approaching.
In a quiet residential area in the core area of the Star Capital, inside a house with the Uzumaki Clan Crest, lights were brightly lit.
In the living room, the atmosphere carried a subtle and heavy indescribable feeling.
Tsunade and Shizune sat on the soft sofa, facing Minato Namikaze, who wore a gentle smile.
Minato was dressed in ordinary home clothes. If not for the fine cracks covering his skin like porcelain, and those lifeless gray-white eyes, he looked almost no different from when he was alive.
“Come, don’t be polite, try this.” An enthusiastic voice came from the kitchen direction.
Kushina Uzumaki, wearing an apron, walked in holding a plate of cut, enticingly colored fruit, her face beaming with a warm smile, as if just entertaining an old friend who came to visit.
“These are crisp peaches abundant in Ghost County, crunchy and juicy—they’re hot commodities right now.”
Tsunade looked at the “resurrected from the dead” couple before her, her mind still struggling to process it, her gaze lingering on those “inhuman” cracks on their faces.
Shizune beside her quickly placed Tonton in her arms on an empty spot nearby, stood up respectfully to take the fruit plate, her voice still a bit restrained: “Tha… thank you for the hospitality, Lord Kushina.”
Kushina placed the fruit plate on the coffee table, then naturally sat down beside Minato.
The couple exchanged a glance, both showing gentle smiles tinged with a hint of complexity.
Kushina looked at the solemn Tsunade and took the initiative to speak: “Lady Tsunade, I never imagined… we’d meet again like this, in a place like this. You must have many questions, right?”
She paused, a trace of apology on her face: “But really, I’m sorry, there are some things we can’t say for now. It involves a very important agreement. So tonight, we can only tell you some things that can be revealed.”
Tsunade didn’t respond immediately. She reached into the fruit plate, picked up a plump, juicy crisp peach, and handed it to Shizune, who was still somewhat tense beside her. Then her gaze swept over Minato and Kushina again, finally settling on those unignorable marks on their faces.
“This is… the Reanimation Jutsu, isn’t it.” Tsunade’s voice was low and certain.
“And, if I remember correctly, the jutsu developed by Second Grandpa was originally a forbidden jutsu meant to be used in conjunction with ‘mutual explosive tags.’ The summoned deceased should have limited existence time and be under the absolute control of the caster.”
Her eyes held inquiry and a trace of concern: “You now… are you in a controlled state? Or…”
Minato met her gaze and nodded frankly: “Lady Tsunade is right, this is indeed based on the Reanimation Jutsu developed by the Second Hokage. However, this jutsu was later improved somewhat.”
“Now, though we’ve lost many sensations of the living, like taste, and can’t be truly alive, at least we can move, think, and maintain a stable existence like normal people.”
He shook his head lightly, his tone sincere: “As for control… no, there isn’t any. We have complete self-consciousness and freedom of action. The caster hasn’t imposed any compulsory restraints on us.”
Tsunade fell silent.
She knew that Second Grandpa Tobirama Senju developed this jutsu to gather intelligence and create self-destructing weapons in war; the original version was indeed somewhat crude.
But Minato and Kushina’s current state clearly far exceeded her understanding of the “Reanimation Jutsu.”
They not only existed stably long-term, but even…
She glanced around this living room full of signs of life.
Books on the bookshelf, potted plants on the windowsill, neatly arranged shoes at the entryway…
This was clearly a home long inhabited and carefully maintained.
All of this made her feel deeper bewilderment and dread toward that mysterious boy named Shura.
Uzumaki Clan bloodline, simultaneously possessing Sharingan and Byakugan, mastering an improved version of the Reanimation Jutsu like a forbidden jutsu, and having such a deep relationship with the long-sacrificed Fourth Hokage couple that they willingly stayed here…
Just who was this Shura?
Though she knew she likely wouldn’t get an answer, strong curiosity and some intuition still made Tsunade ask aloud, her gaze shifting between Minato and Kushina:
“Minato, Kushina… that ‘Shura’… who exactly is he?”
Minato’s face showed clear difficulty upon hearing this. He exchanged a glance with Kushina, which finally turned into a soft sigh.
“Lady Tsunade, I’m truly sorry… about his identity, we really can’t reveal it for now.”
Minato’s tone was full of apology: “This is an agreement we made with him. At least until… Konoha 63, this secret can’t be spoken by us.”
“Konoha 63?” Shizune, who was taking small bites of peach while trying to soothe the somewhat restless Tonton in her arms, lifted her head upon hearing this specific time, her face showing puzzlement.
That was still over four years from now.
Tsunade also furrowed her brows tightly.
Konoha 63?
Did this time point hold some special meaning?
Would something major enough to change the status quo happen then?
However, she soon set this question aside temporarily and asked another that puzzled her even more, even stirring some anger:
“Even if you’re not controlled and have free will… but Minato, why are you still staying here? Staying in the Land of Stars?”
Tsunade’s tone involuntarily grew heavier, carrying a questioning edge: “You are Konohagakure’s Fourth Hokage! The hero who once protected the entire village!”
Recalling the sight of Minato standing with those Star Ninja high-level officials, Tsunade still couldn’t quite believe it.
This question, Minato himself had pondered repeatedly for a long time.
He knew that one day he would meet old acquaintances again.
He just hadn’t expected the first one to be Tsunade.
Minato’s expression turned serious and profound, while Kushina held Minato’s hand. Though their reanimated bodies couldn’t feel each other’s warmth, the gesture itself conveyed silent support and a shared decision.
“Lady Tsunade.” Minato’s voice was calm, yet carried a clarity forged through life and death: “You’re right, the Minato Namikaze of the past was indeed Konohagakure’s Fourth Hokage. And Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, and his wife Kushina Uzumaki, already fought to their last breath in that year’s Nine-Tails Attack to protect the village, giving their lives.”
His gaze was clear and firm, meeting Tsunade’s directly: “Whether me or Kushina, we can say without guilt that we never failed the name of ‘Hokage,’ never betrayed Konoha’s trust and expectations. We have already… fulfilled the mission and responsibility of the ‘Fourth Hokage couple.'”
These words struck Tsunade and Shizune like a heavy hammer.
Shizune recalled the sunny, cheerful Fourth Hokage from memory, always with a warm smile, guarding the village like a golden flash in times of crisis, and thought of his and Lady Kushina’s tragic sacrifice at the end—her eyes couldn’t help but redden slightly.
They truly were Konoha’s well-deserved heroes.
But… why were the heroes’ souls lingering on the soil of an enemy nation?
Tsunade opened her mouth, wanting to press further, but was interrupted by Kushina.
Kushina gripped Minato’s hand tightly, her gray-white eyes looking at Tsunade, suddenly asking several questions.
“Lady Tsunade, after we ‘died,’ was everything alright in Konoha? The villagers should have recovered from the grief quickly, right? And… our child, Naruto. He… was he well taken care of by the village? Was he… happy?”
These questions pierced through all of Tsunade’s defenses and doubts like the sharpest kunai.
She froze abruptly, as if an invisible hand gripped her throat, all words on the tip of her tongue choked back.
Naruto…
That child…
Though Tsunade hadn’t returned to the village in many years, Shizune went back every year to report situations and bring village news, so Tsunade knew something of Naruto’s experiences.
She understood it all in an instant.
Why Minato and Kushina chose to stay here.
Why their eyes held such complexity when mentioning Konoha…
An indescribable exhaustion and disappointment surged over her like a tide. Tsunade raised her hand and slapped her forehead heavily, making a dull sound, feeling a splitting headache and a heavy heart.
‘Old man, what exactly did you do!’ She thought of her teacher, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, the elder who once taught her to protect the village and cherish companions…
“Forget it, forget it.” Tsunade’s voice carried thick exhaustion and a trace of disillusionment as she waved her hand, as if to dispel all troubles.
“Anyway… no matter what, it has nothing to do with me now. I’ve long left that place.”
She abruptly stood from the sofa and said to Minato and Kushina: “I’ll be staying in the Land of Stars for a while. I promise I won’t leak the news of your ‘revival.’ But—”
Her tone turned serious: “If this war escalates further and Konoha ultimately decides to join… then, I can’t guarantee anything. After all, it involves the village’s safety…”
Minato nodded in understanding, his face regaining a gentle smile: “Thank you, Lady Tsunade. But rest assured, this war… will end soon. Faster than any war before.”
Tsunade glanced at Minato in surprise, not understanding why he had such strong confidence in the Land of Stars and that Shura.
But she didn’t ask more, just called to Shizune: “Let’s go, Shizune. We’ll find an inn to stay.”
“Yes, Lady Tsunade!” Shizune hurriedly picked up Tonton, who was still nibbling on peach, and bowed to Minato and Kushina again.
“Thank you very much for the hospitality, I… I’ll keep it strictly confidential too!” With that, she quickly followed Tsunade, who was already heading to the entryway.
Minato and Kushina stood and saw them off to the door.
Night had deepened, cool evening breeze blowing.
Tsunade stopped at the doorway, turned to look at the brightly lit Uzumaki House, and waved to the Minato couple behind her: “This is far enough.”
Watching Tsunade and Shizune’s figures disappear around the street corner, Kushina leaned lightly on the doorframe and said softly to Minato: “I thought… Tsunade would insist on returning to Konoha immediately to bring back our intelligence.”
Minato gazed in the direction Tsunade left, his eyes profound, as if seeing through something.
He gently put his arm around his wife’s shoulders, his mild voice carrying a trace of understanding: “Perhaps… she’s disappointed in the village too.”
…
Meanwhile, Shizune hugged Tonton, trotting to catch up with Tsunade’s somewhat hurried pace, and asked softly in confusion: “Lady Tsunade, why didn’t we stay overnight at Fourth Hokage’s house? It’s dark now, and finding an inn isn’t convenient…”
Tsunade didn’t turn back; her mind replayed the details she saw at the Uzumaki House entryway.
There, several pairs of differently sized shoes were neatly placed. Besides those clearly belonging to Minato and Kushina, there were two that looked like they belonged to younger people.
Her voice carried gravity, interrupting Shizune: “That home… has four people.”
“Four people?” Shizune was stunned. Besides the Fourth Hokage couple, two more?
Who could they be?
Just then, they passed a street corner where several children playing late ran giggling past them, hurrying home.
Tsunade stopped abruptly, her sharp gaze sweeping toward those children’s backs and the clan crests on their clothes.
Uchiha Fan Crest!
And… Hyuga Clan’s Byakugan?!
Shizune noticed too. She turned her head in shock, looking at the residences on both sides of the street lit with warm lights in the night, clearly seeing the once-renowned clan crests in the ninja world hanging on lintels or walls—
Kaguya Clan, Hyuga Clan, Uchiha Clan, Uzumaki Clan, even nearly extinct Blood Pond Clan and some crests even she couldn’t recognize.
These clans, meant to be scattered across the ninja world—some even considered destroyed—were now living harmoniously side by side in this specific area of the Star Capital!
Tsunade stared at this unimaginable scene, a chill mixed with inexplicable anger surging in her heart.
She recalled Konoha’s suspicion and exclusion of the Uchiha Clan, the Hyuga Clan’s strict main-branch system, those small ninja clans gradually withering in missions or conflicts…
Senju Clan dispersed, Uchiha Clan departed.
Was Konoha still the Konoha it once was?
【PS: Today’s illustration, Tenten.】
