Sixteen Years Old, The Fourth Generation of Mizukage

"Naruto... Naruto... People..."

In the temporarily arranged ward, Uzumaki Kushina, who was already so angry, was gently stroking the face of Naruto, who was tired from crying, with his weak eyes, full of reluctance and tenderness kindness.

When Kyuubi's Tailed Beast Jade was about to explode, Namikaze Minato's appearance rescued Uzumaki Kushina in time, but because the reaction time left for him was too short, even though he took Kushina with him, he successfully transferred He got out, but Namikaze Minato himself was still affected by the explosion of Tailed Beast Jade. As soon as he landed, he vomited blood and passed out.

And when Namakaze Minato finally woke up relying on his concern for his wife and the village, the night on the horizon had already faintly revealed a little fish-belly paleness, and he hurriedly took the same comatose whirlpool Jiuxin with him. Nai moved back to the village, but what he saw was ruins, and Jiraiya who had already started to lead the Konoha ninjas to search for the injured.

Through the conversation with Jiraiya, after learning about what happened during his coma and the location of Konoha's temporary hospital, Namikaze Minato immediately rushed to the hospital with Kushina who was still alive for some reason , and with the joint efforts of Mizuki and Tsunade, who were forced to work part-time, Kushina Uzumaki was successfully revived.

However, this is the limit.

Even Tsunade Hime, who is known as the pinnacle of medical ninjas, feels helpless about Uzumaki Kushina's life like a candle in the wind. Simply relying on his obsession to hold his breath, he recovered to the point where he barely had two breaths left.

Kushina, who knew that she was hopeless, shook her head and rejected Tsunade's idea of ​​continuing to treat her. After expressing that she only wanted to see the newborn child before she died, her whole body was wrapped in bandages. Namikaze Minato held back tears and took her to the small room where Naruto was placed, so that the mother and son could experience each other for the last time.

Looking at the parent-child interaction with no warmth at all but endless sadness and regret, Namikaze Minato clenched his fists tightly, not noticing that the wound on his palm that had just been treated had opened again and flowed out blood.

He didn't protect the village well, his wife didn't protect him, and he didn't even protect the last disciple... How could there be such an incompetent Hokage as himself?

For the first time, he had regrets and doubts about taking over the position of Hokage from the third Hokage.

Looking at Namikaze Minato's trembling back, Hatake Kakashi, who had one eye taken away and was stabbed in the waist by the poisoned Kunai, silently stopped his knocking on the door, trying not to make a sound backed out.

He knew very well that Namikaze Minato's current reaction was actually very similar to his mood when he killed Nohara Lin.

Regret, self-blame, strong sense of guilt, infinitely magnifying the mistakes one has made in known actions, and sinking deeply into it, unable to extricate themselves.

For this kind of thing, the first comfort is useless. You have to wait for an opportunity, an opportunity that makes people have to move forward, and then subsequent persuasion and comfort will have positive meaning.

And just as he was about to leave, he staggered, making him, who was still weak in every way, bump into a person who happened to be walking over.

"Hug, sorry..."

Subconsciously thinking that the other party was also a patient in the hospital, Hatake Kakashi hurriedly took two steps back, and nervously cast a concerned look at the other party, but what caught his right eye was a picture of him Very reluctant to recall, to face the face.

"Hatake Kakashi?" Kaguya Rei looked at the white-haired hapless guy who was using the face-changing technique in front of him, and asked casually: "The Fourth Hokage-sama, should he be in this house?"

"What did you do with the teacher, Mizukage... my lord?"

Reluctantly, at the end of his words, he added the honorific title to the Kirigakure people who came all the way to support Konoha. Hatake Kakashi ignored the weakness of the body and the difference in strength, and watched Kaguya Rei's face vigilantly. Blindfold and Face asked.

"Talk to him about Kirigakure's reward for accepting this support mission, and..." Kaguya Rei paused for a moment, and after watching Hatake Kakashi's expression change again and again, he used a slightly more relaxed expression. Said in a tone of voice: "Let's see if Nine-Tails Jinchuriki still has hope of being saved."

"Can you save Kushina-sama!?" Kakashi Hatake had doubts all over his face.

"Maybe I can, maybe I can't. After all, it's the first time I've seen Jinchuriki who has had the tailed beast taken away." Kaguya shrugged, and walked into him with Uchiha Shisui who looked a little more harmless. The temporary ward behind him, "But try it, the result won't be worse, will it?"

Hatake Kakashi gritted his teeth, turned around and followed the figures of the two into the small ward.

"Long time no see, Hokage-sama." Seeing Namikaze Minato with injuries all over his body, Kaguya Rei restrained his relaxed emotions a little, and said in a deep voice.

"Mizukage-sama...for the previous matter, on behalf of Konoha, thank you here."

Namikaze Minato turned around, looked at Rei Kaguya who came to the door with a complicated expression, slowly stretched out his hand, and made a gesture to shake hands with the other party.

Although he knows that Konoha has become the ruins it is now, it is indispensable to have Kaguya Rei's "credit" in it, but his reason tells him that if there is no Kaguya Rei's participation in the battle, then those who are waiting for Konoha are manipulating He could still see this kind of thing very clearly.

Not to mention, before Kaguya Rei himself left the field, "Akatsuki", who was funded by Kirigakure, and his avatar who was lurking in Konoha Village for some unknown purpose, had already provided Konoha with a huge help Well, if at this time the two sides are still hostile to Kirigakure because of the war that ended two years ago, then the only thing left waiting for the current Konoha, who is paralyzed, is destruction.

"I won't talk nonsense. As the shadow of the same village, you should be very clear that Kirigakure's assistance will not be free. Although we will not ask the current Konoha to pay all the remuneration in one go, we will also will demand more long-term equity as compensation.”

Seeing Namikaze Minato holding back his grief and showing a serious attitude, Kaguya Rei no longer had the idea of ​​being too polite with the other party. After singing Namikaze Minato's helpless black face, he turned slightly, Looking at Uzumaki Kushina who was also looking towards him, he said calmly:

"Zhishui, is there any leftover of the secret medicine I gave you earlier?"

"Yes," Uchiha Shisui swiftly took out the [biscuit] that was familiar to Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, and handed it to Uzumaki Kushina who looked surprised, "Ku Shinnai-dono, Nagato...do you remember?"

"Unexpectedly, is it you?" Uzumaki Kushina looked at the Uchiha boy wearing Kirigakure's forehead with a complicated expression, "Don't you...don't resent us, don't you resent Konoha?"

"I should know the outcome of the choice I make myself," Uchiha Shisui shook his head, "Eat it first, Your Excellency Kushina... Although it can't completely save your life, but leave a little Hopefully, it can still be done.”

"You guys have a way to save Kushina!?" Namikaze Minato's expression showed surprise at first, but then immediately turned into hesitation and worry, "But, the price won't be low, right?"

"Actually, I got the solution from you, Konoha," Kaguya shrugged, and said with a relaxed expression, "But looking at the entire ninja world, we are the only ones who can do this now, as long as We set a price, and you, or you, will pay anyway, won't you?"

Today is also a day to catch up with full attendance, eh