Kushina Uzumaki heard Mito Uzumaki say she knew where Chinya was.
Kushina asked eagerly, "Grandma Mito, where is Chinya?"
"He's at the Ninja Hospital. He seems to have gotten injured during training and has been unconscious for several days. You could..."
Before Mito Uzumaki could finish speaking, Kushina Uzumaki had already burst out of the room with excitement.
"Grandma Mito, I'm going out for a bit—I'll be back soon!"
Mito Uzumaki watched Kushina leave with affectionate amusement.
Yesterday, Hiruzen Sarutobi had come to visit and inquire about Kushina Uzumaki's condition, so Mito Uzumaki specifically asked him about Chinya.
When she learned that Chinya had apparently injured himself training to the point of needing hospitalization—and had remained unconscious for several days—Mito couldn't help but feel astonished.
Just how much effort did he put into training that he ended up hospitalized? It must have been beyond intense.
Still, Mito clearly noticed something different about Hiruzen's attitude this time.
Previously, when Hiruzen spoke of Chinya, it had always seemed like he didn't care much.
But yesterday, when they talked about Chinya, Mito sensed that Hiruzen had started taking the boy more seriously.
She didn't know exactly what had changed Hiruzen's stance, but whatever it was, Mito felt it was a good thing.
As for Kushina, Mito secretly felt a deep sense of guilt toward her.
After all, Kushina had come to Konoha for one main reason—to become the new Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails—and had been brought here because of that duty.
To Mito, Chinya also carried some personal responsibility.
Because he carried within him blood from the Senju Clan.
As the wife of the First Hokage and a powerful ninja in her own right, she believed she should have been able to protect Chinya—but hadn't.
Mito also understood perfectly why Hiruzen had arranged for Kushina to transfer into Chinya's class.
In that class was a prodigy ninja, Minato Namikaze.
Minato came from a civilian background with no ties to any major clan, and rumor had it that Jiraiya—one of Hiruzen's students—planned to take Minato as his apprentice after graduation.
Hiruzen had once told Mito that he wanted Kushina to form bonds with Konoha, to truly embrace the village and feel like part of it.
And Minato Namikaze was the person Hiruzen had chosen to help Kushina develop those attachments.
Since Minato came from a civilian background with no ties to any major clan, he was effectively part of the Hokage's faction.
This also ensured none of the shinobi clans would try to use the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki for their own schemes.
Mito had neither reason nor power to object to Hiruzen's plan.
After all, Hiruzen was the Hokage, while she was only the widow of the First—but once a formidable kunoichi in her time.
Yet when it came to favoring one over the other, Mito leaned more toward Chinya than Minato.
The reason was simple—he was a descendant of the Senju Clan, and in a way, she considered herself Chinya's elder.
If Hiruzen recognized Chinya's potential, then there'd be less resistance if Kushina ever chose to walk life's path alongside him.
Unlike most in the village, Chinya was not even acknowledged by the Uchiha Clan—nor did he belong to any other shinobi clan.
Mito Uzumaki's eyes gleamed with resolve.
Her time was drawing near, but she would at least live to see Kushina Uzumaki grow up.
If Kushina and Chinya truly ended up together, then she wouldn't mind giving them a helping hand.
...
Kushina Uzumaki excitedly ran toward the ninja hospital.
Since she didn't know which ward Chinya was staying in, Kushina approached a busy medical ninja to ask.
The inquiry went surprisingly smoothly, but the medical ninja's attitude left Kushina with a heavy feeling in her chest.
"Oh, that little traitor? Down the hall, last room on the end."
That disgusted expression and tone left Kushina feeling suffocated inside.
Kushina walked toward the final room at the end of the corridor.
Since Chinya was unconscious, she simply opened the door and stepped inside.
She saw Chinya lying flat on the bed, his hands and feet wrapped in bandages. On the bedside table, there wasn't even a single flower or piece of fruit—let alone water.
The only sounds were the persistent beeping of the machines.
Looking at Chinya's condition brought a pang of sadness to her heart.
Putting on a forced smile, Kushina said, "I came to visit you, Chinya."
Unconscious Chinya naturally gave no response.
Kushina immediately ran out of the room, planning to go buy a bouquet of flowers.
Though unconscious, Chinya remained fully aware—he just couldn't move his body at all.
The System had taken over his body to run Thunder-Natured Chakra Shape Transformation, Nature Transformation, and [Full Sword Forms of Thunder Breathing]. The physical burden exceeded anything Chinya could have imagined.
For the first time in his life, Chinya felt pain that made death seem preferable.
Every muscle and organ in his body hurt beyond comprehension.
Yet the power behind [Full Sword Forms of Thunder Breathing] made those pains bearable.
Chinya was only nine years old now. To wield such a powerful Thunder Breathing technique with the chakra capacity of a nine-year-old—if he were an adult, how much stronger would its power become?
Chinya had regained consciousness yesterday. Ever since, he'd been replaying the feeling of using [Full Sword Forms of Thunder Breathing], longing to move and try it out again.
However, he never expected that Kushina Uzumaki would actually come to the ninja hospital to visit him. He was absolutely stunned.
He and Kushina had merely sat next to each other for one day in class, and after school that day, he had clearly and politely declined her offer of friendship.
According to logic, Kushina shouldn't interact with him anymore, so why would she come to the hospital to see him?
And from the looks of it, she had specifically come to visit him.
Chinya couldn't figure it out.
Just as Chinya prepared to resume recalling Thunder Breathing, the ward door opened once again.
Kushina Uzumaki carried a bouquet of lilies and looked around for a vase to put them in.
After carefully arranging the lilies, Kushina Uzumaki sat down on a chair and gazed at Chinya's sleeping face as she murmured to herself, "I wasn't sure what kind of flowers to bring when visiting someone in the hospital. I told the florist my friend had been injured and was hospitalized at the Shinobi Medical Center, and I wanted to get some flowers to visit him.
The florist recommended lilies—they symbolize blessings, purity, and good fortune. They're really beautiful, don't you think?
Grandma Mito warned me that if I wanted to be your friend, many people might come to hate me for it. She told me to be ready for that.
But I've already decided. I want to be your friend because back then, you were the only one who didn't laugh at me. You even helped me by shoving that annoying guy's hand off my hair.
Grandma Mito also called you, Chinya, a sacrifice caught between two ninja clans. I don't fully understand what that means, but as true friends, shouldn't we stick to our own beliefs regardless of what others say?"
Kushina Uzumaki declared with all her strength, "I'm gonna make you my friend! Just you wait and see!"
Upon hearing Kushina Uzumaki's declaration, Chinya suddenly felt his heart pounding violently. He felt a warmth unlike anything he had known in his five years in Konoha.
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