"Ahhhhhhh!"
Kushina's scream echoed through the stifling place, shrill, laden with pain and effort. Sweat was already running down her forehead, glistening under the dim candlelight, while her muscles trembled with the force she exerted. The air felt dense, heavy, mixed with the burnt oil scent of the lamps and the faint metallic aroma that lingered in the environment.
"It's all right, Kushina-sama, take a deep breath…" said one of the women at her side, with a calm yet firm tone, as if wanting to convey reassurance.
Kushina obeyed. She drew in a deep breath, feeling her lungs fill, but the expected relief did not come. As she exhaled, her face tightened even more, betraying the wave of pain that coursed through her body. Her eyes, slightly teary, sought Minato's. And that look… made his heart tighten. He could clearly see — it was very painful for her.
He didn't need to lower his eyes to notice her gesture. Kushina's hand was extended, trembling, asking for his. And even with her face marked by suffering, she offered him a smile — weak, painful, but genuine. A smile that said "it's all right" even when her body screamed the opposite.
Minato held that hand firmly, enveloping it with his own as if wanting to pass all his strength to her. He squeezed lightly, without letting go for even an instant. And upon feeling his touch, her smile widened. Minato, however, still carried in his chest a strange mixture of discomfort and guilt. He didn't want to think too much about it. Not now. This moment was far too important to be tainted by his internal dilemmas.
"It's going to be all right…" he murmured, looking straight at her. "Just breathe deeply like they said. I will always be by your side, so don't worry."
The words were for her… but they were also for himself, like a silent vow. A price he was willing to pay for being in Minato's body, even without having chosen it.
"I know… I know…" Kushina replied, panting between contractions, still finding space to tease. "Before, you wouldn't be by my side? Suspicious…"
She tried to muster another smile, but another wave of pain stole her breath. Beads of sweat slid along the contour of her face, down to her neck.
"As you promised me at our wedding…" she continued, her voice trembling but laden with conviction. "In sickness and in health, you would always be with me. Not that this is… exactly what I imagined when I said that — but it doesn't matter!"
Her eyes, even teary, sparkled. "You have to be with me, no matter what it is… and never leave me, heheh…"
She laughed softly, but her laughter mingled with a painful sigh. Even in the midst of pain, she hadn't lost her strength, nor the faith she placed in him.
Minato remained silent. To be honest, he had no idea how he could respond.
Yes, he was now Minato — he had taken on everything: the house, the wife, and even the child who, technically, he could say was his. But deep down, he knew it wasn't. This fine line between truth and imposture left him strangely confused, as if carrying a burden that didn't belong to him.
Kushina, looking into her husband's face, interpreted that silence differently. She thought it was nervousness about the situation, not realizing it was, in truth, confusion and uncertainty.
Suddenly, a more intense pain took over her body. She grimaced, clenching her teeth, while her fingers closed tightly around Minato's hand.
The pressure was so great that he, even keeping an expressionless face, couldn't help but wonder if his hand would come out of there intact.
A few minutes later, the tension finally eased. Kushina began to pant, sweaty and exhausted. And then, one of the women assisting with the birth approached with a small bundle in her arms.
The sharp, fragile cry filled the stuffy air, and a broad smile bloomed on Kushina's face as she saw her son for the first time. She received him with all the care possible, as if he were made of porcelain.
With tenderness, she ran her hand through the baby's fine blond hair, admiring every detail.
"I lost the bet we made… He came with your hair color."
Minato returned the smile. His eyes began to fill with tears, not his, but those of the body he inhabited. The emotion of becoming a father, even if inherited, was strong enough to make his chest tighten.
"Kushina-sama, please…" one of the midwives asked, extending her hands to take the baby. The birth had weakened the Nine-Tails' seal, and Minato needed to reinforce it.
"Wait a minute. I want to see him a little longer."
Without giving room for objections, he took the child in his arms. The midwife hesitated, but remained silent. After all, it was the father asking, and more than that, the Hokage. It would be rude to refuse.
She merely cast a quick glance at Kushina, who watched her with a serene smile. However, the woman's gaze eventually fell to Kushina's exposed belly, where the seal glowed faintly.
She hoped it wasn't as weakened as it seemed.
Before she could say anything, a different sound echoed from the cave's entrance — the muffled groan of the other midwife who had gone out. Everyone turned.
There, in the dimness, a man held her under his control, pressing his arm firmly against her neck.
He wore an orange mask with a single hole for one eye and a black robe that hid his body.