"Compared to the Land of Rivers, the Land of Fire is far more comfortable."
Hayashi sat beside the bonfire, scooped up a handful of soil, crushed it between his fingers, brought it to his nose, then let the fine grains slip away.
Outside the cave, rain tapped steadily against the ground. In the blurred night scenery, only the emerald green pine trees stood clearly, towering through the mist like untouched mountain peaks.
Kushina said nothing. She simply watched Hayashi with a soft smile, subtly shifting her position closer to him.
It had been almost a year since she had last seen him. The familiarity was there, but so was a faint sense of shyness.
"Are you hurt?" Hayashi asked casually, glancing at her. He had noticed her small movements long ago.
"No," Kushina shook her head honestly.
During the entire kidnapping, she had not been injured at all. She had even slept for a while and was now full of energy.
Hayashi nodded, then turned the duck roasting over the fire. Under the high heat, the fat sizzled, releasing a rich, tempting aroma.
"Hayashi, weren't you supposed to be on the battlefield? How did you end up here?" Kushina asked, swallowing unconsciously as her eyes locked onto the food.
"I told Nono that if anything happened to you, she should notify me immediately," Hayashi replied. "That way, I could get here in time."
"Hehe, thank you." Kushina stuck out her tongue, her tone full of relief. "I was really worried about what would happen if I got captured. Luckily, you came."
Then, not even half a second later, her expression flipped completely, fierce and indignant.
"Uncle Third Hokage even said he sent people to protect me. He didn't even know I was kidnapped. That big liar!"
Hayashi did not immediately respond.
Every time he saw Kushina, he could clearly sense shinobi hidden nearby, watching over her in secret. It made no sense for the Third Hokage to suddenly remove that protection.
More importantly, Danzo was in charge of village security. There was no way he would fail to notice the movements of the Cloud Village.
Danzo.
Hayashi narrowed his eyes slightly as he thought about it.
Aside from the Third Hokage and Utatane Koharu, he had little personal interaction with his father's former teammates. His understanding of them mostly came from memories of the future, which were unreliable at best.
People changed.
Take Orochimaru, for example. No one looking at him now would imagine the path he would take later. At present, he was still a proper and composed shinobi.
In short, if this really was Danzo's doing, then the roots of that dark organization had rotted far earlier than anyone realized.
"Hayashi, let me tell you something," Kushina suddenly said excitedly. "A Three Color Dango shop just opened on Konoha's commercial street. It's really good."
"Nono and I have gone there a lot. On opening day, I ate fifty eight skewers and won a permanent thirty percent discount. We should go together next time."
"With you gone, the village has been so boring…"
She kept talking without pause. Hayashi did not interrupt, simply listening.
At some point, Kushina realized that he had closed his eyes.
She stopped abruptly.
Hayashi opened them again and rubbed his face. "Why did you stop?"
"You fell asleep," Kushina said, clearly annoyed.
"Even if I'm asleep, I can still hear you," Hayashi replied calmly.
"Oh… fine." She huffed. "Then you keep sleeping, and I'll keep talking."
"Do you know your weapon shop is doing really well now? I wanted to take some pocket money from it, but Teacher Nishimura refused. He said I only get pocket money if I work."
Hayashi laughed softly. "There's nothing I can do about that. The shop's already been handed over to Teacher Nishimura and Uncle Dai."
"But there should still be some money in the wallet in my hut. You can take it and use it."
Talking with Kushina was always easy for Hayashi. He never needed to think carefully about his words. He could simply speak freely.
A while later, the roast duck was finally ready.
He tore off a leg and handed it to her.
"Here."
"…Thank you," Kushina said quietly.
She pressed a hand to her stomach, which was already growling, then began eating without restraint. She had not eaten since dusk and was genuinely starving.
"Hayashi," she asked suddenly, "will you take me back to the village tomorrow?"
There was clear anticipation in her voice.
Hayashi shook his head. "I can't return to Konoha for now."
"Oh…" Kushina's shoulders drooped slightly in disappointment.
"But," Hayashi continued, "I'll take you directly to the Land of Rivers headquarters. Someone there will escort you safely back to Konoha."
"That's great!" Kushina waved the duck leg happily.
Her mood instantly soared. To her, this had not felt like a kidnapping at all, but more like an outing. If given the chance, she might even be willing to experience it again.
Hayashi leaned back, resting his hands behind his head, and glanced at her youthful face.
He shook his head unconsciously.
Time felt unbearably slow. After an entire year, Kushina still had not grown up at all.
...
Far away in Konoha, Kushina was not the only one in a good mood.
The Third Hokage was as well.
Even so, he had no intention of letting the matter end quietly. He was tolerant by nature, but that did not mean his bottom line could be crossed.
Kushina, and the Nine Tails, were that bottom line.
His gaze swept across the room, and the jonin present straightened instantly. It was already two in the morning, yet no one dared to show even a hint of fatigue.
Especially Danzo, who had just rushed back through wind and rain.
"Everyone here knows what happened tonight," the Third Hokage said coldly. "A shocking kidnapping incident occurred right inside the village."
"So tell me," his voice rose, "what were the guard teams, the barrier squads, the Anbu, and Root doing?"
"The enemy entered the village freely. Can anyone explain this to me?"
"Next time, should it be me, the Hokage, who gets kidnapped?"
Under the harsh reprimand, Danzo shifted uneasily in his seat, the chair beneath him letting out a faint creak.
His original plan had been simple.
Lure the Third Raikage into sending someone to abduct the Nine Tails Jinchuriki. Then Root would intercept them, retrieve Kushina, and take full credit.
If successful, the Third Hokage would bear full responsibility for the incident, while Danzo would emerge as the hero.
Years of war had already exhausted the villagers. With a little guidance of public opinion, even if he could not force the Third Hokage to step down, he could still cause him immense trouble.
That alone would give Danzo a massive advantage in the next Hokage election.
But everything depended on one premise.
Root had to retrieve the Nine Tails Jinchuriki.
Yet until now, Danzo had received no report from his subordinates.
Looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression, did that mean Kushina had already been rescued?
Or worse, did Hiruzen believe she was beyond saving and was preparing to strike first, forcing all blame onto him?
No.
This absolutely would not do.
---