Hearing Danzo's harsh command, Minato knew this was no joke. He stepped forward, positioning himself protectively in front of Kushina. One hand shielded her while the other drew a kunai from his pouch. His voice was grave as he faced Danzo.
"I'm sorry, Lord Danzo. Without a direct order from the Hokage, I won't execute this mission."
"What if I told you this isSarutobi's order? Would you carry it out then?" Danzo's tone turned ice-cold.
"The Hokage's order... That's impossible!"
Shock flashed across Minato Namikaze's face, but it quickly hardened into unwavering resolve. "No matter whose order it is, Kushina is my comrade. I won't raise a hand against her, and I won't let anyone else hurt her either!"
"That's not your choice to make! Attack!"
At Danzo's command, several Root operatives in animal masks lunged at Minato!
Anyone selected for Danzo's Root was an elite-level ninja. The weakest among them possessed elite chūnin strength, while the strongest had reached full jōnin level. Though Minato's abilities had reached jōnin standards, his youth still left him at a stamina disadvantage against seasoned adult jōnin—especially when facing multiple opponents simultaneously.
Within minutes, Minato was already showing signs of defeat.
"Minato! Look out!" Kushina cried out as a Root member's kunai sliced across Minato's shoulder, blood streaming down his arm.
"Damn it! What can I do? Am I really going to let them... to Kushina...?!"
Fighting desperately against the Root squad, Minato's face filled with panic. He didn't know what to do, and despair slowly crept into his eyes.
His stamina began to fail. In a moment of distraction, a Root operative's kick connected with his back, sending him flying into a nearby tree.
Blood from his shoulder wound had soaked through most of his shirt, but Minato seemed oblivious to the pain.
He scrambled to his feet and looked toward Kushina—only to witness a scene that made his blood run cold. A Root member's kunai was about to pierce straight through Kushina's heart!
"NOOO!!"
Minato screamed with everything he had, his heart seemingly stopping as he squeezed his eyes shut in absolute despair.
But silence followed.
Slowly, Minato opened his eyes. The bizarre sight before him rekindled a spark of hope.
The Root operative attacking Kushina stood frozen like a marionette, motionless before her.
Danzo's face, which had been twisted in a cold smile, went rigid. His expression darkened ominously as four words escaped his lips:
"Kai Mitarashi?!"
Though he hadn't seen Kai with his own eyes, in the entire ninja world, only this mysterious Kai Mitarashi possessed such uncanny abilities.
"Danzo... it's been quite a while. I never expected to see you again."
Been a while? Could he have met this man before? Danzo frantically searched his memories but found no trace of Kai. He stared at him in confusion.
"Don't bother thinking about it. You'll never remember," Kai said with casual indifference.
"Kai Mitarashi, what's your scheme in collecting the Tailed Beasts?" Danzo watched Kai warily, fully aware he was no match for him. The moment Kai made any suspicious move, Danzo was prepared to flee.
"A scheme?" Kai chuckled, regarding Danzo with the contempt one might show a crawling insect. "Whether it's a scheme or not isn't your concern. You don't need to know, because... you're about to die."
Kai felt an instinctive revulsion toward people like Danzo. If he hadn't encountered him, that would be one thing. But now that fate had brought them together, even though this timeline's Danzo had no personal connection to him, Kai had no intention of letting him live. It was simply a matter of convenience.
"You—!"
Fury flashed across Danzo's features, but in the next instant, he was gone—completely erased by Kai'sTruth-Seeking Orb, leaving not even a trace behind.
...
After swiftly eliminating the remaining Root members, Kai approached Kushina.
"Thank you for saving me, mister," Kushina said, looking up at Kai.
Gazing at Kushina's adorably round face, Kai found her utterly endearing. He smiled warmly. "Kushina, since I saved you, don't you think you should repay me somehow?"
Kushina blinked in surprise. It wasn't that she disagreed with Kai, but something felt off. Wasn't this usually when people said, "Don't mention it"?
After a moment's consideration, little Kushina nodded earnestly. "You're absolutely right, mister. If there's anything I can do, I'll definitely repay you."
...
Kushina glanced worriedly at Minato, then turned back to Kai. "Mister, could you please help me get Minato to the village hospital first?"
Fearing Kai might refuse, Kushina quickly added, "Don't worry, mister—I promise I'll repay you!"
Minato, his face deathly pale from blood loss, still managed to struggle over to Kai. "Thank you, sir, for saving Kushina."
Kai smiled as a gentle green glow emanated from his palm. He placed it over Minato's wound, which began healing rapidly. Then he infused Minato's body with vibrant life force.
Seeing Minato's color return to normal, Kushina breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much, mister! Now, how would you like me to repay you?"
She gazed at Kai with genuine curiosity, truly unable to imagine what someone so powerful could possibly need from her.
"Give me the Nine-Tails. Would that be alright?" Kai pointed toward Kushina's stomach.
Before Kushina could respond, Minato quickly interjected, "Sir, that's impossible! If Kushina loses her Tailed Beast, she'll die!"
"Of course I know that," Kai replied calmly. "But I can guarantee Kushina won't die. So... what do you say?"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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