The same door, the same scene, but the person was completely different.
Kushina leaned against the door, staring blankly at Uchiha Kai.
After the misunderstanding this morning, Kushina thought that Uchiha Kai wouldn't come looking for her again for a while.
Just like before, every time Uchiha Kai sought her out, it was driven by desire.
There would always be a few days in between, as if he needed to replenish his ammunition.
Kushina never expected that not long after Minato Namikaze left, Uchiha Kai would arrive.
But this time, for the first time, Kushina saw concern and hesitation in Uchiha Kai's eyes.
In that instant, Kushina seemed to understand something, and an infinite sense of grievance surged in her heart.
"You're here?"
"How dare you?"
"Do you know what will happen if I tell Minato Namikaze what you've done?"
"Huh? Do you know... Wuwuwu..."
Kushina didn't know what was wrong with her. Before she could finish her words, she threw herself into Uchiha Kai's arms, her hands continuously pounding on his upper body.
Seeing Kushina pounce, Uchiha Kai subconsciously wanted to use Goshintai.
Over the past month, Uchiha Kai had almost developed a conditioned reflex. After all, in the beginning, Kushina had been extremely violent!
But when Kushina's soft fists landed on his body, Uchiha Kai was stunned and at a loss for words. His hands hovered behind Kushina's back, unsure whether he should hug her or not.
If he were asked to directly "write," or directly "do evil," he would know what to do. But the current situation was clearly beyond Uchiha Kai's scope of understanding.
Before, he had faced Kushina's curses, imprecations, and reprimands.
Kushina had even lashed out at him. He never imagined that Kushina would also cry like a helpless child.
For a time, only Kushina's sobs remained in the corridor.
After an unknown amount of time, perhaps Kushina had cried herself tired, she fell asleep in Uchiha Kai's arms without any defenses.
Uchiha Kai closed the door with one hand, carried the soft and boneless Kushina to the bed in the bedroom, covered her with a blanket, and then sat down by the bedside.
At this moment, Uchiha Kai looked down at Kushina, who was curled up on the bed like a person made of tears, and felt a headache coming on.
'This... is simply a sin.'
But on the other hand, Kushina's future days with Minato Namikaze were not good.
Or rather, there was something strange about Minato Namikaze's relationship with Kushina from the very beginning.
For example, when Kushina first came to Konoha.
Her red hair was clearly beautiful, so why did everyone think it was a sign of misfortune?
One must know that at that time, Kushina had not yet become the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails!
There were all sorts of hair colors in Naruto. Did other people not encounter the same thing?
This familiar operation made Uchiha Kai feel that it was more like Hiruzen Sarutobi's handiwork.
Just like the future Naruto, who was regarded as a monster by everyone, Hiruzen Sarutobi easily gained Naruto's goodwill.
Another example was when Kushina was abducted, and Minato Namikaze played the hero saving the damsel.
This matter was even more outrageous. Kushina was Konoha's reserve Tailed Beast Jinchuriki.
How could she be abducted from Konoha?
It was simply a joke.
Minato Namikaze's rescue was even more of a child's play. It was as if the entire Konoha Anbu had died out.
Everything seemed more like a conspiracy.
It was as if Hiruzen Sarutobi had arranged the plot, specifically to let Minato Namikaze gain Kushina's favor.
Even if Minato Namikaze really liked Kushina, wasn't it because Kushina was good-looking and had a good personality?
Then what was the difference between him and Uchiha Kai?
Moreover, Uchiha Kai didn't believe for a second that Minato Namikaze's affection for Kushina was not mixed with any political considerations.
Minato Namikaze himself was even more laughable. He was known as the fastest ninja in the ninja world, yet he was always late.
For Uchiha Obito, he was late.
For Nohara Rin, he was also late.
When Kushina was giving birth, he was also late.
At this point, Uchiha Kai's embarrassment about stealing his love faded.
No matter how you looked at it, Kushina would be much better off with him than with Minato Namikaze.
'Yes, that's right!'
After Kushina's breathing stabilized, Uchiha Kai quietly left.
...
Hokage's Office.
After Minato Namikaze finished his report, he stared blankly out the window, his mind in a trance.
That direction was where Kushina currently lived.
At this moment, Minato Namikaze's thoughts were completely consumed by the scene of his encounter with Kushina in the morning.
Recalling the scenes from the morning, Minato Namikaze's heart was filled with an inexplicable restlessness.
It was as if he understood what had happened, but also didn't know what had happened.
Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly noticed Minato Namikaze's abnormality and asked with concern.
"Minato, what happened?"
Hearing the voice, Minato Namikaze immediately snapped back to his senses and said respectfully.
"Lord Hokage, I... I'm fine."
"You don't look well, Minato."
"Maybe... I've been too tired lately..."
Minato Namikaze subconsciously told a lie.
For more than a year, Minato Namikaze had been busy running around on various battlefronts without feeling tired, but at this moment, he felt a deep sense of mental exhaustion.
For the first time, Minato Namikaze felt a sense of disgust for the war and longed for it to end soon.
He even thought...
'If the war ends, maybe everything will go back to normal...'
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't say much. During this period, Minato Namikaze was indeed exhausted.
But the results were also extremely significant.
Minato Namikaze's prestige in Konoha was now at its peak, and he was gradually showing a trend of surpassing Orochimaru.
He believed that it wouldn't be long before even Orochimaru, who had his sights set on the Hokage position, would be powerless to turn the tide.
Some people had even started to call for Minato Namikaze to be the next Hokage, not Orochimaru.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was happy to see this situation.
"Minato, just hang in there a little longer. This is the final stretch."
"When the war is over, you will be the next Hokage."
Hiruzen Sarutobi said solemnly, for the first time personally promising the position of Hokage to Minato Namikaze.
Hearing this, Minato Namikaze's spirits were lifted, and he looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi in disbelief.
"Me...? The Hokage?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled gently.
"Yes, you are the Hokage. The Fourth Hokage of Konoha."
Hiruzen Sarutobi said, looking out the window, his eyes filled with emotions that Minato Namikaze couldn't understand.
After a heart-to-heart talk, Minato Namikaze's fighting spirit was rekindled as if he had been injected with chicken blood. He seriously accepted the new mission from Hiruzen's hands.
Then, he began to rush around Konoha, gathering the ninjas who would be heading to the front lines this time.
Konoha had now entered a full-scale war, fighting against Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure at the same time, under immense pressure.
Konoha had to quickly resolve the threat from Iwagakure so that they could concentrate their efforts on the battle with Kumogakure.
While Kirigakure was still observing, they had to repel Kumogakure.
Time was tight, and Minato Namikaze did not stay in Konoha for long.
In addition, Kushina's abnormality made Minato Namikaze even more eager to escape Konoha.
When Minato and his group left Konoha, they did not notice a figure on the high tower inside the Konoha gate.
This person silently watched their entire departure.
On his back, a fan, red on the top and white on the bottom, marked his identity...