"Kushina?"
Kushina Uzumaki heard someone calling her name in a daze.
The voice was familiar yet tired.
She opened her eyes and saw Minato Namikaze covered in blood.
Kushina was stunned. Was she dreaming?
But she quickly recalled what had happened.
Someone had pretended to be Haruki and poisoned her.
"How did you...?"
Kushina quickly sat up and noticed three corpses lying around.
They were wearing the clothes of Amegakure Village, two Jonin and one Chunin.
"Did you... kill them?"
"Yeah."
Minato pushed aside his golden bangs and smiled. "It was a bit of a fluke."
"Why didn't you wait for Mikoto? Where's your usual smartness?"
Kushina was a bit annoyed. She gently patted his shoulder and said, "Taking on three of them alone. What were you thinking?"
"I couldn't hold back when I saw you in danger."
Minato scratched his head awkwardly.
Although he knew Haruki was nearby, he still chose to take the risk.
Kushina was slightly stunned.
She looked at Minato.
The summer sun shone on his golden hair.
Combined with his faint smile.
He was quite handsome.
It was just that embarrassed expression, so stupid.
Kushina couldn't help but chuckle.
Like cherry blossoms suddenly blooming in spring, in the evening breeze, they were as bright and charming as rosy clouds.
Minato was instantly stunned.
"Idiot, snap out of it."
Kushina waved her hand in front of his eyes. "The most urgent thing now is to find Mikoto and then get you treated."
"O-oh, okay." Minato struggled to get up.
"Still showing off? Give me your hand." Kushina glared at him, grabbed his arm, and used his body for support to help him walk.
"Um..."
Minato's heart was pounding. It was the first time he was so close to Kushina, close enough to hear her breathing and smell the fragrance of her red hair.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"Nothing! Nothing!" Minato quickly shook his head, afraid that she would worry about him.
"Where's your former calmness?" Kushina was amused by his nervous and reserved appearance.
"Ah... this... I..." Minato stammered and didn't know how to answer.
"If you could learn just a little from Teacher Haruki, you wouldn't be at a loss for words."
Kushina noticed his suddenly somewhat disappointed expression and then smiled. "But, I kind of like what you're like now."
"Huh?" Minato didn't react at first.
"Do you know which way Mikoto went?" Kushina didn't say more and asked about Mikoto.
"This way." Minato was a bit disappointed but still forced himself to cheer up and pointed the way.
The two fell silent again. Kushina didn't speak, and Minato didn't know what to say.
But walking shoulder to shoulder like this was quite nice.
He even lost awareness of the pain in his body.
It wasn't until they saw Haruki and Mikoto that he reluctantly let go of Kushina.
But what puzzled Minato was that the scene in front of them was unexpectedly harmonious.
"Teacher?"
When Kushina saw Haruki, she immediately showed a surprised and delighted expression.
Just as Minato showed an envious expression, Kushina grabbed his hand and led him in front of Haruki. "Teacher, quickly treat this guy," she said.
Minato's body immediately went stiff.
Sweat seemed to appear on the palm of his left hand, which was being held.
"Sure."
Haruki's Wood Clone, which had been tracking them, had already witnessed Minato's heroic act of saving the girl in trouble. The reason he hadn't shown up was, of course, that he didn't want to spoil the mood.
Green chakra emerged from his hands and circled around the wounds on Minato's body. In a moment, the wounds were healed.
"Phew."
Kushina let out a sigh of relief and released Minato's left hand. "Thank goodness the teacher came in time," she said.
Minato gradually came to his senses. Hearing her words, he looked at Haruki.
He hadn't told Kushina the truth.
But Mikoto should have known. When his gaze met Mikoto's eyes, he suddenly trembled.
He felt a cold and powerful chakra.
Could this be the Mangekyo Sharingan that the teacher had mentioned?
This sense of danger was almost as intense as that of the Third Hokage - sama.
"Minato, let's have a spar when we reach the big city in the Land of Fire," Mikoto said in a colder tone than usual.
Minato's smile instantly froze. Why didn't she pick on the teacher?
He was the main culprit!
What a raw deal! It's so unfair!
"A spar between teammates should just be a friendly one," Haruki said, patting him on the shoulder. "Go and change your clothes."
"O...Okay."
Minato understood what Haruki meant.
Being an apprentice is really a pain in the neck!
He went to a secluded place to change out of his torn ninja outfit. In less than a minute, he was back with the group.
Haruki had already started a campfire to roast meat.
He skewered the little white rabbit that Mikoto had caught. Staring at the campfire, he unconsciously recalled what she had said about the abilities of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
The left eye had an ability similar to a weakened version of [Izanagi], a mutual conversion between the illusory and the real, known as Ifunayasaka (a Dojutsu related to the conversion between reality and illusion).
The right eye could nullify any Dojutsu of the same or lower level, called Yomitsu (a Dojutsu that can nullify other Dojutsu).
The Dojutsu of the Mangekyo Sharingan was a reflection of the eye - opener's soul.
Mikoto witnessed the tragic fate of the Uchiha clan under Itachi Uchiha's Dojutsu in a Genjutsu. As a result, she awakened Yomitsu in an attempt to erase his Dojutsu.
Haruki had deceived her twice, causing her to be confused about reality and illusion. She wanted to see clearly and master them, thus awakening Ifunayasaka.
Ifunayasaka corresponded to the fictional path to the underworld in Japanese mythology, the otsutsuki Teleportation, but it was a real - world place name, signifying the conversion between the real and the illusory.
This chapter isn't over yet!
Yomitsu was another name for [Izanami], the mother goddess in Japanese mythology and the goddess of the filth of the underworld, representing the highest authority.
Of course, although the abilities of the Mangekyo Sharingan were powerful, they also had significant drawbacks.
According to Mikoto's explanation, both Dojutsu placed a heavy burden on her and were Kinjutsu that couldn't be used frequently.
As for the specific situation, Haruki didn't ask Mikoto to elaborate.
After all, once it was known, it would become a fatal weakness.
To be honest, Haruki was also a bit surprised.
He hadn't expected that his two actions had given rise to another Dojutsu in Mikoto.
But there's no doubt that her Mangekyo Sharingan can be regarded as the bane of the Uchiha clan.
For those who don't understand, it's like an instant kill upon first sight.
He could imagine that in the future, when Itachi Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha face their mother, they might have no power to fight back.
"Here, Mikoto."
Haruki handed the roasted rabbit meat to Mikoto first.
After a brief pause, Mikoto silently ate the rabbit meat.
She still harbored some resentment towards Haruki.
Kushina glanced at the two of them. She always felt that the atmosphere was a bit off. She tugged on Minato's sleeve and whispered, "Do you know what happened?"
"Nothing. What could happen?"
Minato shook his head. It was clearly he who was going to be in trouble.
Kushina gave him a suspicious look but didn't press any further.
The three people in front of her were all the most important people in her life. She believed that they wouldn't harm her.
After lunch, Haruki led the three of them towards the Metropolis of the Land of Fire.
They enjoyed the scenery along the way.
Mikoto's mood returned to normal, except that the sparring with Minato was not cancelled.
By observing Minato and Kushina, Haruki could basically confirm that their relationship was about to be made clear.