Kenji and Kazuma proudly ushered Kushina into their small home. The musty, damp smell immediately greeted her, but Kushina didn't seem bothered. They didn't have any chairs, so they pulled a worn, but still comfortable, sofa into the center of the room and invited her to sit down.
"Please sit down, Aunt Kushina!" Kenji exclaimed cheerfully, patting the sagging sofa cushions. "It may not be like Auntie's palace, but this is our best place!"
Kushina smiled. "Thank you, Kenji. This is very comfortable." She sat down carefully.
Kazuma, with his sharp red eyes, immediately took control of the conversation, sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of Kushina. "You must be hungry, right? Or thirsty? You look really tired after chasing us all this way!" he said in a cheerful tone, but with a hint of testing in it. "So, are you sure you want to help us? We're really troublesome, you know. We can eat a lot, and we also like to play pranks!"
Kenji chuckled, then suddenly remembered something. "Oh, Auntie must be thirsty! Wait a minute, I'll get you some water!" Without waiting for Kushina's reply, Kenji headed for the small, dark kitchen in the corner of the room.
Kazuma continued chatting with Kushina, recounting their adventures in the market, peppered with jokes and exaggerated expressions, occasionally interjecting a heartbreaking tale of their struggle to survive. He tried to elicit a reaction from Kushina, wanting to see how far she would go.
"We tried street dancing too, Auntie!" Kazuma said, waving his hands dramatically. "But people said our dancing was more like that of possessed monkeys! Hahaha!" He laughed heartily, his smile infectious.
A moment later, Kenji returned with a glass of water in his hand. His dark eyes shone with innocence as he offered it to Kushina. "Here, Auntie! Fresh water! I drew it from the well this morning, it was crystal clear!"
What Kushina didn't know was that the water in the glass had been mixed with something by Kenji.
A few days earlier, while Kenji and Kazuma were 'shopping' at the village pharmacy, Kenji accidentally dropped a small, unlabeled bottle. Afraid of being caught, he quickly picked it up and hid it. He had no idea what the medicine inside was or what its effects were. He simply assumed it was some kind of supplement or vitamin that might be good for Kushina's health. He simply mixed a little into it, hoping it would make her feel better.
Kushina took the glass, glanced at the clear water inside, and drank it slowly. "Thank you, Kenji," she said. "You guys are really good kids."
They continued chatting and telling stories. Kushina told of her mischievous childhood in Uzushiogakure and how she learned to control her anger. Kenji and Kazuma listened intently, occasionally interjecting with humorous comments or intelligent questions. The atmosphere became warm and friendly.
After a while, Kushina began to feel strange. Her body felt hot, as if she had developed a mild fever. Her chest rose and fell faster, her breathing became shallow, and her face quickly turned red. Cold sweat began to bead on her forehead. She tried to ignore it, perhaps due to exhaustion or the rather hot weather that day.
Kenji and Kazuma, too engrossed in their conversation to notice Kushina's significant physical changes, continued their conversation.
"Did you know, Auntie?" Kazuma asked, his eyes sparkling. "We once tried to make a 'love potion' from the flowers in the forest! But instead, we were itchy all night!" He laughed out loud, followed by Kenji.
Kushina tried to laugh, but all that came out were heavy gasps. The heat was getting stronger, burning from within. Her mind was starting to get a little fuzzy, her focus fading. She felt like a strange energy was churning inside her, searching for an outlet. Her eyes involuntarily fixed on Kazuma, who was sitting closest to her. Her skin felt like it was on fire, and an uncontrollable instinct was taking over.
Without warning, and completely out of her control, Kushina suddenly moved swiftly. She lunged towards Kazuma, reached out, and pulled him into a wild embrace. Before Kazuma or Kenji could react or even comprehend what was happening, Kushina fiercely kissed him on the lips, as if all her pent-up energy had exploded in one impulsive act. Kazuma's red eyes widened in surprise, as did Kenji's dark ones. Confusion and fear clouded their innocent faces.
A flash of disbelief flashed across Kazuma's red eyes as Kushina's lips suddenly landed on his. His body stiffened, frozen in shock. His sharp eyes widened, staring blankly at Kushina's flushed, disheveled face. He couldn't move, his mind blank.
Kenji, watching from the side, dropped his jaw. His black eyes widened in fear and confusion. The entire room was silent, only Kushina's ragged breathing broke the silence.
The kiss lasted for a few seconds that felt like an eternity, wild and uncontrollable.
Kushina gripped Kazuma's shoulders tightly, as if seeking support, or perhaps even pulling him closer to the strange vortex engulfing her. Slowly, Kushina pulled away, but her eyes still glinted strangely, filled with a desire he didn't understand. Her face grew even redder, and sweat beaded on her temples.
"Auntie...?" Kenji finally spoke, his voice small and trembling. He took a step back, bumping into the wall behind him. "What's wrong, Auntie...? Are you okay?"
Kushina staggered slightly, her hands still gripping Kazuma. Her breath was still ragged. She tried to speak, but the words caught in her throat. "Hot... so hot..." She sighed, her voice hoarse and unfamiliar. Her hands moved involuntarily, feeling for her own neck, trying to loosen the collar of her shirt. "I... I don't know..." Her eyes returned to Kazuma, her gaze strange, as if something was pressing inside her.
Kazuma, who had now managed to pull himself together a bit, stared at Kushina with a mixture of fear and confusion. He didn't know how to react. His red eyes scanned her face, searching for an explanation. "Auntie... Are you sick? What happened?" He tried to keep his voice calm, trying to hide his shock. His cunning instincts told him to be wary, but there was honest panic beneath it.
Kenji, recovering from his shock, ran over. "Auntie! Your face is so red! Do you have a fever?" He touched Kushina's forehead with the back of his hand. "Oh my gosh, you're so hot! We have to call a doctor!"
Kushina shook her head weakly, her hands now free from Kazuma's and clutching her stomach. "No... it's not a normal fever... This... this is strange..." She staggered again, almost falling if Kazuma hadn't been there to support her.
"Water... that water?" Kazuma muttered softly, his gaze shifting to the empty glass on the floor. A glint of suspicion appeared in his red eyes. "Kenji! What did you put in that water?!" His voice rose slightly, no longer cheerful.
Kenji jumped. "I... I didn't know! I just... I just put in some medicine we got from the pharmacy! I thought it was vitamins! Auntie said you'd be tired after chasing us, so I wanted you to have some energy!" Kenji looked panicked, his black eyes filled with guilt. "I didn't know it would turn out like this! I swear!"
"Vitamins?!" Kazuma exclaimed, his voice barely a hiss. He glared at Kenji. "You idiot! Why would you give someone something you don't know about?! Look what happened to Aunt Kushina!"
Kushina couldn't listen to their argument anymore. Her entire body felt like it was burning from the inside. Her thoughts were becoming increasingly disoriented, and the strange sensations were growing stronger. She knew something was terribly wrong. She tried to focus, trying to gather her chakra, but it felt like it was being blocked by a thick, hot veil.
"I... I have to go home..." Kushina whispered, her voice choked. She tried to take a step, but her legs gave out. "Minato... Minato will be able to..."
"No, Auntie can't go home like this!" Kenji exclaimed, realizing the seriousness of the situation. "What if you faint on the way?"
Kazuma moved closer to Kushina, trying to support her more firmly. Despite being a child, there was a strange determination in his eyes. "We have to find out what that medicine is! Kenji, remember which pharmacy you picked it up from?"
Kenji frowned, trying to remember. Images of the pharmacy swirled in his mind. "A small bottle... no label... near... Maybe near the sleeping pills..." He sighed, trying to remember.
Suddenly, Kazuma's bloodshot eyes widened. "Sleeping pills?! Kenji, are you crazy?!" He turned to Kenji with a shocked and angry expression. "What if Auntie falls asleep forever?!"
"I don't know!" Kenji was almost in tears. "I just remember having that bottle and thinking it was something that could make people better! I'm sorry, Kazuma! I'm sorry, Aunt Kushina!"
Kushina gripped Kazuma's arm tightly, her nails digging slightly. The burning sensation drove her to seek physical contact, whatever it might be. "It's cold... I need something cold..." She mumbled, her vision blurring. "It's hot... Minato..."
Kazuma tried to break free from Kushina's grip, but Kushina's strength, even in her unstable state, far exceeded that of a child her age. "Kenji, we have to do something! Auntie can't keep this up!"
Seeing Kazuma's panic and Kushina's worsening condition, Kenji began searching around the house for something. His eyes caught a bucket of water that had been filling for some time. "Water! Cold water!" He ran to get it.
"What are you going to do?!" Kazuma shouted, trying to hold Kushina who was starting to sway uncontrollably.
"Maybe... maybe it will cool Auntie down a bit!" Kenji splashed some water from the bucket on Kushina's face.
Kushina gasped, feeling the cold water. However, the burning sensation didn't subside; in fact, it seemed to worsen. She sighed in frustration, her vision becoming increasingly blurry. Her mind kept screaming Minato's name, searching for someone who could calm her down. However, all she saw before her were the faces of two frightened and confused children.
"I... I have to... Minato..." Her lips trembled, and without warning, she pulled Kazuma closer again. This time, the kiss was deeper and more desperate, as if seeking an escape from the pain and confusion that gripped her.
Kazuma could barely breathe, his entire body stiffening in Kushina's grip.
Kenji could only look on in horror, not knowing what to do to stop this.