106-110

Chapter 106: Love-Struck Beyond Repair 

At Training Ground Three, the ground was just a mess of craters. All of them were Minato Namikaze's handiwork. He held a very oddly shaped blue orb in his right hand, then slammed it forcefully onto the ground. 

Boom! 

Another crater appeared. Minato collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. 

Jiraiya, watching nearby, urged him, "Take a break, Minato." 

Minato wiped the sweat from his face, sounding a bit defeated. "Either it doesn't form at all, or it explodes suddenly. It's incredibly unstable, so hard to control." 

Jiraiya walked behind Minato and began looking at the whorl in his hair. "I once heard that when you're forming chakra, its rotation should match the direction of the whorl on your head. If that's true, then this jutsu could also..." 

Minato's expression was a little strange. "Isn't that just a superstition?" 

Jiraiya was serious. "Not necessarily. I've always molded my chakra with a right-sided rotation, and the whorl on my head also rotates to the right." 

Minato asked curiously, "Hmm... So which direction is my whorl?" 

Jiraiya's face looked like he was constipated. When Minato saw him not speaking, he asked, confused, "What's wrong?" 

"You have two whorls. One goes left, one goes right..." 

Minato looked incredibly surprised. "Huh! So which way should I rotate it?" 

Jiraiya spread his hands. "I don't know. Just keep resting. You must be tired. Here." 

Jiraiya pulled out a double-layered popsicle, broke it in half, and asked Minato, "Two flavors. Which one do you want?" 

"Either one..." Minato's brow furrowed. "Huh?" 

It was like Minato had been hit over the head with a club. He stared intently at the two popsicles in Jiraiya's hand, as if countless ideas were flooding his mind. If it didn't matter which side... 

Minato suddenly bolted forward. 

Jiraiya asked, puzzled, "Hm? What's up? Not eating the popsicle? Then these two are all mine." 

Minato was incredibly excited. "That's it! Jiraiya-sensei!" 

"If I can mold it with both directions of rotation at the same time..." 

In Minato's right hand, a perfectly spherical blue orb appeared. Minato's voice trembled with excitement. "It's... it's formed!" 

Jiraiya stared in amazement at the orb in Minato's hand, then he too began to smile. "Incredible ninjutsu talent! I heard people with two whorls are geniuses!" 

Minato's heart swelled with joy. "I'll name it... the Halo Popsicle Whorl Jiraiya Double Style Orb!" 

Jiraiya's expression immediately crumpled. He couldn't help but retort, "What a long, cheesy name..." 

Popsicle was because he got the idea from the popsicle. Whorl was because he considered the direction of his hair whorl. Jiraiya was because he was the one who gave Minato the inspiration. Double Style meant he combined the two chakra rotation directions. Orb was the nature of the jutsu. 

And then he put that whole string of words together. 

Jiraiya looked at Minato with a look that spoke volumes. Genius he was, but a terrible namer. 

Hearing Jiraiya's complaint, Minato stared blankly at Jiraiya. "Huh? Is... is that so?" 

Jiraiya didn't say much more about the name, knowing full well that Minato was oblivious to his bad naming sense. 

When Minato first said he wanted to develop a jutsu similar to a Tailed Beast Bomb, Jiraiya thought he was just talking. After all, that was a jutsu only Tailed Beasts could use; how could a human possibly do it? But now, Minato had actually figured it out. While the size was nothing compared to a Tailed Beast Bomb, at least they were both round. 

Jiraiya told Minato, "Alright, then, the development of this new jutsu is on hold for now. I have other missions, so I'll be leaving. You get some good rest for a while, understand?" 

Minato's orb disappeared with a poof, and he replied, "Okay." 

While Minato was performing his orb jutsu, five pairs of eyes were secretly watching from the forest of Training Ground Three. 

Kushina Uzumaki whispered, "What are you kids doing following me?" 

Obito, ever blunt, replied, "Watching Sensei Minato flirt... Hmph!" 

Shindai stomped hard on Obito's toe, then flashed an ingratiating smile. "Obito meant he wanted to see Lord Minato develop a ninjutsu." 

Kushina gave Shindai a strange look, then turned to Rin Nohara and Kakashi. "And what about you two?" 

Rin shook her head. "Not me. I'm here because the ingredients for dinner and the flowers for flower arranging are all with Obito." 

Obito looked at the grocery basket in his left hand and the flowers in his right, immediately feeling awkward. 

Kakashi thought for a moment then casually replied, "I saw everyone else coming, so I came to see too." 

Kushina was deeply annoyed. In Kushina's eyes, the heads of these four kids were emitting an incredibly dazzling light right now, just like a massive annoyance. 

After Jiraiya left, Minato began packing up his things, also preparing to leave. As he was tidying up, he happened to spot Kushina peeking out. 

Minato asked in surprise, "Kushina? What are you doing here? Is this alright?" 

Kushina, realizing she'd been spotted, was instantly mortified. She squinted, looking to her side. Shindai and the others were gone, hiding in another patch of grass. Kushina's eye twitched. These kids! They just ran off when she needed them! 

Since Minato had found her, Kushina had no choice but to step out. She scratched her head, chuckling dryly. "Oh, um... Lord Third said I could leave the barrier. It's special permission from him..." 

Kushina absolutely dared not look Minato in the eye. Minato wasn't suspicious at all and believed her immediately. "Oh, is that so!" 

Shindai explained to Obito beside him, "See? Lady Kushina's lie was so clumsy, but Lord Minato believed it without a second thought. That's a classic case of being love-struck." 

Obito had an epiphany. "So that's what being love-struck means! Then I'm not love-struck." 

Shindai looked at Obito scornfully, then said, "Rin just said she wants to go on a date with you tonight." 

Obito immediately became incredibly excited. "Really?!" 

Shindai rolled his eyes. "Fake. I'm kidding. You're love-struck beyond repair, diagnosis complete." 

Kakashi watched Shindai and Obito's interaction speechless. Good thing Rin's attention was focused on Kushina and Minato right now, or they would have been busted ages ago. 

Chapter 107: Losing Control 

Kushina Uzumaki, peeking around, was discovered by Minato Namikaze. Minato looked confused as he glanced behind Kushina. "I don't see the people who usually monitor you..." 

Kushina, afraid of giving away her secret, immediately cut him off. "Never mind that!" She then bowed 90 degrees to Minato. "I'm so sorry for losing my temper with you just now!" 

Minato stared at Kushina in surprise, then lowered his head slightly, feeling guilty. "No, I'm the one who should apologize... I didn't keep our promise." 

Shindai asked Obito, "So? What did you learn?" 

Obito looked blankly at Shindai. "Learn what? What was I supposed to learn?" 

Shindai sighed, exasperated. "You're hopeless! Lady Kushina apologized first, and Master Minato still took all the blame. Don't you get it? That's one of the best flirting moves! It makes Lady Kushina feel like Master Minato really cares for her, cherishes her, and loves her. Understand now?" 

Obito slowly tilted his head. He felt like he understood a tiny bit, but mostly no. Shindai didn't expect Obito to get it all; even understanding a little bit would be a miracle. 

Kushina, sensing the atmosphere was getting a bit awkward, quickly changed the subject. "Was that... the jutsu you said you were going to train?" 

Minato looked surprised. "Ah! You saw it?" 

Kushina gave a shy "Mm." 

Minato was silent for a moment before replying, "Actually... the reason I broke our promise and wanted to complete this jutsu as soon as possible was to create a jutsu that could protect you." 

Kushina asked, puzzled, "Huh? What's going on?" 

Minato recalled the battle with Rōshi and Han in the Land of Grass. "...We are still in the middle of a war, and who knows when you might be deployed to the front lines. Furthermore, the war will continuously transform into battles against Tailed Beasts and enemy Jinchuriki. This new ninjutsu responds to your own Jinchuriki's chakra volume. I wanted to teach it to you, so I..." Minato looked up, a very gentle smile on his face, and said to Kushina, "Because I! Don't want to lose you!" 

Kushina stared blankly at Minato. 

Shindai gasped sharply when he heard Minato's words. "Hiss! If I were a girl and Master Minato said that to me, I'd totally fall for him~" 

This time, Obito nodded repeatedly. "Yeah, I also felt like what Master Minato said just now was so cool!" 

Rin also clasped her hands, looking hopeful. "If my future partner could be half as good as Master Minato, I'd be satisfied~" 

Kakashi heard Rin's wish, glanced at the goofy Obito, and his sharp tongue, though late, arrived. "Rin, forget about it. It's impossible." 

Rin retorted, annoyed, "Kakashi! What are you talking about? Why is it impossible for me?!" 

Kakashi immediately shut up. 

Shindai exclaimed, "With a move like that from Master Minato, who could resist? And Lady Kushina is totally devoted to Master Minato, so next, they're definitely going to follow the routine and start making out." 

Obito's eyes seemed to glow. "Making out? I really want to see~" 

Rin blushed a little at the thought of kissing, awkwardly fidgeting. "Maybe we shouldn't watch. It feels a bit wrong to secretly watch Master Minato and Lady Kushina kiss." 

Shindai pouted. "Then Rin, you can go back first. We'll watch." 

As soon as Rin heard she should go back, she quickly refused. "No, I won't!" 

Shindai looked at Rin strangely. "Huh? Didn't you say it felt wrong?" 

Rin, blushing, stubbornly stammered, "I, I'll stay. Don't misunderstand, I just think it's nice to witness Master Minato and Lady Kushina's beautiful love." 

Shindai scoffed. "If you want to see them kiss, just say it. Why pretend? Even silent Kakashi here is staying quiet." 

Kakashi pursed his lips, glanced at Shindai, then looked away again. No point in arguing with Shindai; he'd just end up getting angry himself. 

Rin's small fists clenched. She really wanted to tear Shindai's mouth off. 

Kushina stared blankly at Minato, her face flushed, for a long time. Her emotions were fluctuating wildly. However, her extreme emotional fluctuation gave the Nine-Tails inside her an opportunity. Kushina's eyes instantly transformed into red, beast-like pupils. 

"Ugh..." Kushina clutched her head, screaming in pain. 

Minato anxiously and worriedly placed his hand on Kushina's shoulder. "Kushina! What's wrong?!" 

When he saw the red chakra appearing around Kushina, Minato's eyes widened in shock. "This is... Tailed Beast Chakra, Tailed Beast transformation!" 

The next second. 

Kushina, enveloped in the Tailed Beast cloak, lashed out a single tail that sent Minato flying. A long, deep wound appeared on his chest. Minato flew backward, blood gushing, and crashed heavily to the ground. 

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin all looked at Shindai simultaneously. "This is what you meant by 'making out'?" 

Shindai was also stunned. What happened to the promised kiss? 

Inside Kushina Uzumaki's consciousness. The Nine-Tails was behind Kushina, several of its chains already broken. Kushina saw Minato fly backward, bleeding, and screamed heartbreakingly, "Minato!" 

The Nine-Tails lured Kushina. "I told you not to trust anyone! This guy will use you someday! Come on, release the seal completely! That way you can be free from this pain." 

Kushina turned to look at the Nine-Tails in fear. There were only a few chains left on the Nine-Tails, with almost only a huge wedge pinned into its chest, the bottom of the wedge bearing a sealing jutsu formula. 

The Nine-Tails threatened, "If you don't want to, I'll possess you and kill you!" 

Kushina collapsed to the ground, her eyes filled with terror. 

Just then, a sealing jutsu formula appeared in her consciousness space. The Nine-Tails glared fiercely at the sealing jutsu formula. "Sealing Jutsu? Who is it?" 

Outside the consciousness space. Kushina had already manifested three tails. Minato's right hand was pressed against Kushina's abdomen, using a sealing jutsu. 

Minato shouted, "Kushina! Wake up! Pull yourself together!" 

Shindai, regaining his composure, felt his scalp prickle. "What 'making out'?! Lady Kushina's lost control! Can't you see she's wearing the Tailed Beast cloak?!" 

Obito, Kakashi, Rin, and Shindai all ran out of the bushes, ready to help Minato and Kushina. 

Chapter 108: A Declaration of Love 

Kushina Uzumaki's sudden outburst completely blindsided an unprepared Minato Namikaze, leaving him severely wounded. Right now, Minato is desperately using sealing jutsu to keep Kushina, who's on the verge of losing herself, under control. 

" Minato Sensei!" 

Minato looked at Shindai and the others, who had appeared, with a mix of shock and fear. "Why are you here? Get out, it's too dangerous!" 

Obito winced, looking at a battered Minato. "Sensei, you're clearly the one in the most danger! You're spitting blood!" 

Minato gritted his teeth, struggling to speak. "I don't think I can hold Kushina for much longer. Get out of here quickly, evacuate everyone nearby, and then immediately go tell the Third Hokage to send others to help me!" 

Kakashi's voice was serious. "Rin, go notify them right now! Obito, Shindai, we'll help Sensei Minato suppress Lady Kushina!" 

Minato looked at Kakashi, confused. 

Kakashi stared grimly at Kushina. "Sensei Minato, you need us to help you suppress Lady Kushina right now. That's the only way you'll have a chance to bring her back, isn't it?" 

Minato took a deep breath, his eyes sharpening. "I'm counting on you!" 

Kakashi and Obito each grabbed one of Kushina's arms, one on the left, one on the right. Shindai unrolled a scroll, summoning Kannazuki, and manipulated Kannazuki to tightly restrain Kushina from behind. 

Inside Kushina's body, the Nine-Tails was shocked by the sealing jutsu Minato was using. Even though Minato wasn't from the Uzumaki clan, he was able to strengthen the Four Symbols Seal in his own way. It was unexpected that such a gifted ninja still existed in the shinobi world after the death of Hashirama Senju. 

The Tailed Beast Cloak around Kushina gathered into a fox head, roaring at Minato. "Why would a talented ninja like you cling to such a young girl?!" 

Minato exerted all his strength, using sealing jutsu to reinforce the Four Symbols Seal within Kushina. His voice was firm. "I like strong people, especially those stronger than me. So... I like Kushina! How could I tolerate her leaving me?!" 

The Nine-Tails, having no idea what "love" was, was completely baffled. "What nonsense are you spouting?!" 

Shindai couldn't help but say, "That's pure love, you stinky fox! What do you know about it?!" 

Shindai then manipulated the iron sand stored within Kannazuki to cover Kushina's entire body. 

Within the Consciousness Space 

Kushina was stunned when she heard Minato's confession. Her mind drifted back to the first time Mito Uzumaki brought her to the Spiral Tower. 

Mito Uzumaki told Kushina: "The Uzumaki clan is now scattered and has lost everything. Our clan, famous for its strong life force and excellent sealing jutsu, had its power misused, becoming fodder for war. There was even an attempt to seal our very existence within this vortex. However, our power can bring stability. This place enhances the Jinchuriki's sealing power, combining with the outside barrier to form a double layer seal. As long as you are in this area, you don't need to worry about the seal." 

Little Kushina, still so young back then, timidly asked, "Do I... really have to become the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki?" 

Mito Uzumaki gently ruffled Kushina's head. "To me, you are a very strong child, with hair even redder than mine." 

Little Kushina looked down slightly, a little disappointed. "Is this... what you wanted to show me?" 

Mito Uzumaki looked up. "What I want to show you is at the top of this Spiral Tower." 

Little Kushina also looked up. "A swirling staircase..." 

"No, this is a spiral, a spiral staircase. Come, let's go up." 

Mito Uzumaki took little Kushina's hand and ascended the stairs. 

Little Kushina asked, puzzled, "A spiral?" 

Mito Uzumaki explained, "A vortex is flat, an unchanging image. But a spiral is three-dimensional. Although it feels like you're climbing the same rotating staircase the whole way, the steps are gradually changing, and the view outside is also changing." 

Little Kushina curiously asked, "What's at the top?" 

"The inner contents I, as a vessel, contain." 

When they reached the top of the Spiral Tower, little Kushina excitedly shouted, "Whoa!" Before her eyes, the statues of the previous Hokage were clearly visible, as if she could reach out and touch them. 

Mito Uzumaki sat on the steps, gazing at Hashirama Senju's statue, a gentle look in her eyes. "Whenever I felt down, I would always come here and look up." 

Little Kushina didn't understand. "There's something from Lady Mito's vessel here? Huh, this person looks like Lady Mito's... husband, right?" Little Kushina recognized Hashirama's statue. 

Mito Uzumaki smiled and said, "Yes, Kushina. Although we may indeed be in a vortex, as long as we actively keep climbing higher, we can find our own love. When that happens, we can surely... turn that vortex into a spiral! From now on, I hope you can see a different view than what you see now, Kushina..." 

Back from her memories, Kushina's eyes were filled with determination. "Even I can defy fate!" 

Kushina let out a loud shout, and several Adamantine Sealing Chains burst from her body, tightly binding the Nine-Tails. 

Outside the consciousness space, Kushina regained her awareness, her eyes gradually clearing. Minato looked into Kushina's eyes, letting out a small sigh of relief. "It seems you've recovered your consciousness!" 

"Minato..." 

Minato said seriously, "Let's go, together! The two of us!" 

Obito, still clinging tightly to Kushina's arm, grumbled, "It's five of us, actually!" 

Minato managed a strained smile. "Right, the five of us..." 

Shindai looked in horror at Kushina's fourth tail, which was rapidly generating a fifth. Moreover, Kushina's translucent Tailed Beast Cloak was already starting to turn dark red, which meant she hadn't fully regained consciousness, or rather, was about to lose it again. 

Within Kushina's consciousness space, the Nine-Tails had already formed a Tailed Beast Bomb and broken free from the Adamantine Chains. 

Shindai urgently said, "Forget four or five people! Quickly suppress Lady Kushina, or we'll all end up on the ground!" 

"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Coffin!" 

Shindai immediately unleashed a ninjutsu, using iron sand to tightly encase Kushina's entire body. 

It seems like Minato's confession and Mito's wisdom have given Kushina the push she needed, but the Nine-Tails isn't giving up without a fight! What do you think Shindai's Iron Sand Coffin will do? 

Chapter 109: You'll Regret This! 

Kushina Uzumaki now had five tails. And just after regaining consciousness for a moment, she lost it again. Kushina was forcibly pulled back into her mindscape, and the Nine-Tails' immense power flung her, still connected by chains, away. 

Kushina now had six tails. Even though Shindai's Iron Sand tightly encased her, her powerful arms easily broke free, and she punched Obito and Kakashi, sending them flying. At the same time, she unleashed a powerful swing of her six tails, completely dismantling Kannazuki, turning it into a pile of broken parts on the ground. 

Shindai looked at the scattered pieces of Kannazuki, grief-stricken. "I just updated it! Is it really that fragile?!" 

When Shindai saw the out-of-control Kushina about to stab Minato with her sharp fingers, he quickly used Iron Sand to cover Kushina's hand. Kushina's hand struck Minato's abdomen. Minato spit blood as he was sent flying backward. If Shindai hadn't covered Kushina's hand with Iron Sand, increasing the impact area, Minato's abdomen would have been completely pierced. Even without being pierced, that blow broke several of Minato's ribs, adding to his injuries and making them much worse. He coughed up blood as if it were water. 

What was even more critical was that Minato being struck meant he couldn't continue using the sealing jutsu to maintain the Four Symbols Seal within Kushina. Kushina was already about to manifest her seventh tail. 

Minato yelled to Shindai, "Shindai! Use your Iron Sand to restrain Kushina!" 

"I can't hold her!" 

Though Shindai said that, he had already reactivated his Magnet Release to control the Iron Sand, forming a triangular pyramid that trapped Kushina. A Flying Raijin kunai pierced into the Iron Sand pyramid. Minato instantly appeared in front of it using the Flying Raijin Jutsu, placing his hands on it to continue the sealing jutsu, helping to reinforce the Iron Sand while maintaining the Four Symbols Seal within Kushina. 

Inside her mindscape, Kushina saw the heavily injured Minato and cried out desperately, "Enough, Minato! Run! Get out of here!" 

Minato seemed to hear her, gasping as he whispered, "I won't... leave, never!" 

Kushina's head burst out of Shindai's Iron Sand pyramid, and she roared at Minato, "Take your hand off the seal! This is my Jinchuriki! It has nothing to do with you!" 

Even severely injured, Minato's tone remained firm. "No! It does. I can feel it... Kushina truly has me in her heart!" 

Kushina, now fully possessed by the Nine-Tails' consciousness and with seven tails, her power amplified, managed to break her right arm out of the Iron Sand pyramid despite Minato's sealing jutsu. She furiously swung it towards Minato's head. At the same time, one of the Nine-Tails' tails broke free from the Iron Sand pyramid and struck Shindai in the abdomen. Shindai's eyes widened, bloodshot and almost popping out of his head. He coughed up a large mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward. 

"Shindai!" 

Obito and Kakashi, who had been punched away by the out-of-control Kushina and couldn't get up, cried out in alarm when they saw Shindai fly back too. And because of Shindai's injury, the Iron Sand pyramid began to collapse. 

Shindai was completely stunned. Couldn't they have just played it cool, made the Nine-Tails drop its guard, and then gone for a sneak attack to seal it without fighting fair?! Did they have to be so stubborn?! If that punch landed, Minato's head would surely be gone. And if Minato was gone, they'd be next. 

No matter! Shindai spat out the blood in his mouth as he lay on the ground, enduring the intense pain and shouting, "If you land that punch, you'll regret it! Kurama!" 

Kushina's fist, controlled by the Nine-Tails' consciousness, froze in mid-air. She turned, looking at Shindai with disbelief. And because of the Nine-Tails' momentary distraction, Minato's chakra resonated with Kushina's chakra, allowing him to enter her mindscape. 

Inside the mindscape. Minato saw Kushina and the Nine-Tails, which was gathering a Tailed Beast Bomb. Seeing Minato arrive like a savior, Kushina remembered Mito Uzumaki's words again. 

"We came here as containers for the Nine-Tails, but before that, go find your love, and then fill that container with love! That way, even if you become the Nine-Tails' container, even if you live as a Jinchuriki, you can still live a happy life." 

Minato had already formed a Rasengan in his hand. Kushina also snapped out of her daze and performed a hand seal. The chains that the Nine-Tails had broken free from now tightly bound it again. 

The Nine-Tails, now recovering from its shock, knew it had to deal with the immediate situation, regardless of its lingering doubts. Minato was already diving towards it from mid-air with his Rasengan, and the Nine-Tails wanted to fully form its Tailed Beast Bomb. But Kushina exerted her power, and the chains binding the Nine-Tails tightened even more, especially around its neck, making it impossible for the Nine-Tails to continue gathering the Tailed Beast Bomb. The half-formed Tailed Beast Bomb now showed signs of collapsing. 

With Minato almost on top of it, the desperate Nine-Tails spat out its greatly weakened Tailed Beast Bomb. 

"That's why! I will not hand Kushina... over to you!" Minato's Rasengan and the Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb collided. In an instant, a flash of white light from the explosion filled the entire mindscape. 

Minato's consciousness was forcibly ejected from the mindscape. He collapsed to the ground, his heavy eyelids barely open as he looked at Kushina. Kushina stood still, dazed. The next second, all the Tailed Beast chakra surrounding Kushina dissipated, and she returned to her normal state. Kushina then collapsed, unconscious. Minato, relieved, also gave in to unconsciousness. 

Several of Shindai's ribs had been broken by Kushina's tail. Now that he saw Kushina had returned to normal, Shindai's eyes rolled back, and he promptly fainted. 

Kakashi and Obito crawled towards Minato and Shindai, respectively. Seeing Shindai still occasionally spitting blood, Obito panicked. "Kakashi, what do we do? Shindai looks really bad!" 

"Master Minato is in terrible condition too..." Kakashi shakily stood up. "W-we have to get help quickly..." 

Just then, a tall figure appeared behind Kakashi. Seeing this figure, Kakashi and Obito were overjoyed. "M-Master Jiraiya..." 

"Obito! Kakashi! I brought backup!" Rin arrived with a group of ninja behind her. 

Jiraiya looked at the unconscious Minato, Kushina, and Shindai with a serious expression. He turned to Kakashi and Obito and said, "Good job. You can leave the rest to us." 

Chapter 110: Shindai's Sarcasm 

Because Kushina Uzumaki's status as a jinchuriki was a closely guarded secret, only a handful of people in Konoha knew about it. Kakashi and the others only knew because they were Minato Namikaze's students. Otherwise, even Kakashi, as a Special Jonin, wouldn't have been privy to Kushina being a jinchuriki. 

When Jiraiya saw Rin Nohara arrive with other ninja, and realizing the danger was over, he explained to them that Minato's new jutsu had caused the mess. He instructed them to immediately take the severely injured Minato and Shindai, along with the unconscious Kushina, to the Ninja Hospital for treatment. While Kakashi and Obito had been knocked out of commission by Kushina's uncontrolled punch, their injuries were much less severe than Minato's and Shindai's. After resting for a bit, they were much better, at least able to walk normally, and headed straight to the hospital with Rin's assistance. 

After all that, Training Ground Three was empty except for Jiraiya. He looked at the chaos Kushina's rampage had caused, wiped a bead of cold sweat from his forehead, and let out a long sigh of relief. "That scared me half to death! This happened so soon after I left. Minato and that kid sure have rotten luck. But Minato is also lucky; it's a good thing he learned sealing jutsu from Kushina, otherwise it would have been truly dangerous. Oh well, the mission can wait. I'll talk about it after Minato wakes up." 

Calming down, Jiraiya was filled with dread and left Training Ground Three to report the situation to Hiruzen Sarutobi. 

Three days later, Minato Namikaze opened his eyes, then suddenly sat up in bed. "Kushina!" 

He looked at his surroundings, realizing he wasn't at Training Ground Three anymore. When he saw Jiraiya, Tsunade, Kushina Uzumaki, Rin Nohara, Kakashi, and Obito all in the room, watching him, Minato let out a surprised "Huh." 

Kushina bit her lip, her eyes welling up with tears, then she practically launched herself into Minato's arms, hugging him tightly. 

"Ow, ow, ow!" Minato, in pain all over, cried out. 

Jiraiya smiled. "You're finally awake! If you hadn't woken up soon, Kushina would have worried herself sick." 

Minato relaxed his body, reaching out to gently pat Kushina's back. "Don't cry. I'm just glad you're alright." 

Just as Jiraiya and the others were unconsciously smiling at this touching scene, a jarring, sarcastic voice broke the moment. 

"As soon as he wakes up, it's 'Lady Kushina,' but no mention of my name. How come nobody hugged me when I woke up? And 'Don't cry, I'm just glad you're alright~' Aren't I the one who's hurt?" 

On the bed next to Minato's, Shindai, completely wrapped in bandages, glared resentfully at Kushina and Minato. 

Minato looked at the bandaged Shindai, asking worriedly, "Shindai, are you okay?" 

Shindai's voice was sour. "Only just remembering me now? Too late! Go on, keep fussing over your girlfriend. I'm clearly not important at all." 

Rin tried to reason with him, "Shindai, don't say that! We've been watching over you this whole time. And you only woke up five minutes before Lord Minato. We were worried about you when you woke up, weren't we?" 

Since he couldn't move his body, Shindai could only turn his head, grumbling, "Who knows if you were watching over me or Lord Minato!" 

Minato spoke to Shindai with genuine sincerity. "I'm truly sorry, Shindai. I'm so grateful to you this time. Thanks to you helping Kushina and me buy time, I had a chance to reseal her." 

"Tch~" 

Minato scratched his head, not sure what to do. 

Shindai continued to complain by himself. "It's all Obito's fault. I wasn't even planning on going out that day, then I ran into that troublesome Kakashi and Rin when I did, and after that, Lady Kushina. I didn't say anything, but I got a huge smack on the head. I wanted to see Lord Minato and Lady Kushina kiss, but I didn't see any kissing, and instead, I got beaten up again. I'm seriously done for." 

Everyone in the room had dark lines across their faces from Shindai's complaints. 

Obito walked to Shindai's bed, spreading his arms. "Alright, alright, stop complaining already! How about I give you a hug, huh?" 

Shindai turned his head, looking at Obito as if he were an idiot. "Rin would have to think about it if she hugged me. You hugging me? Ha." 

Obito immediately bristled. "Hey, Shindai, what do you mean by that? What's wrong with me hugging you?!" 

Rin's expression was as sour as if she'd swallowed a fly. What did he mean, she'd have to think about it if she hugged him?! She didn't want to hug Shindai anyway! 

Tsunade's eye twitched as she muttered, "This kid is still so irritating when he talks." 

Jiraiya's eye was also twitching in sync with Tsunade's. "Yeah, tell me about it~" 

Kushina suddenly stood up and walked to Shindai's bedside. Shindai, seeing Kushina staring intently at him without saying a word, immediately cowered. After all, this person really does hit people. 

Shindai forced a smile. "Uh... I was just kidding. You can definitely sense the humor in my words, right? You guys aren't that humorless, are you...?" 

Tsunade's mouth twitched now. "And still just as shameless." 

Jiraiya was in perfect sync with Tsunade, twitching his mouth as he agreed, "Tell me about it~" 

"Thank you, Shindai!" Kushina gave a perfect ninety-degree bow, thanking Shindai. 

Shindai was stunned. Why did this scene feel so familiar? Oh, right, Kushina had apologized to Minato in the same way that day. 

After straightening up, Kushina earnestly told Shindai, "I'll take good care of both you and Minato until you've fully recovered and are discharged!" 

"Ah, oh." Shindai, recovering from his surprise, shrank back a bit. He'd been startled, thinking he was about to get another beating. But then Shindai showed a sly grin. Hmph, his head wasn't punched for nothing, and his injuries weren't for naught! 

Minato sighed in relief, a smile returning to his face. Even he sometimes found Shindai difficult to deal with. 

Minato asked, "Jiraiya-sensei, weren't you on a mission? And Lady Tsunade, weren't you in the Land of Grass?" 

Jiraiya sighed helplessly. "You're still talking! I had barely left when all this happened. How could I go on my mission?" 

Minato looked a bit embarrassed; he hadn't expected something like this to occur. 

Then Tsunade spoke. "The situation in the Land of Grass has stabilized. With Shikaku and the others there, I didn't need to stay anymore, as my role is quite limited, and I can't participate in combat. So, I returned. When I came back, Jiraiya immediately found me. I was the one who directed the medical ninja in treating your and that kid's injuries." 

"So that's how it was." Minato glanced at Kushina beside him. It was truly a relief that she was alright. 

It seems everyone is slowly recovering from the chaos, though Shindai's sharp tongue is definitely making things interesting! What do you think will happen next for Minato and Kushina, especially with their strengthened bond?