"I understand."
Kushina's voice was soft but steady—firm in a way that left no room for argument.
Those two simple words struck Minato Namikaze harder than any physical blow ever could. He stood at her bedside, mouth slightly open, but no words came. There was nothing left for him to say.
Kushina—once known throughout the village as "Little Pepper"—had always been a vibrant spark in the Konoha crowds. Her flaming red hair made her instantly recognizable, a living flame against the gray stone of the village.
Even after the fall of the Whirlpool Clan, she didn't break down. She didn't cry publicly or show despair. Because she knew—in a place like Konoha, vulnerability was a luxury few could afford.
She had no one to rely on.
So she chose to become strong.
To survive.
To endure.
But now, after years of holding it in, something had finally cracked. She had seen her clansmen again—seen her sister—and all those repressed feelings came flooding out.
She had always known someone in the village was watching her. The ANBU shadows were never subtle, but she endured it. She lived her life quietly, unobtrusively.
Until now.
Now, the dam had broken.
And the man standing in front of her—the one person she had trusted most—was the same one who had tried to kill her.
Even under the influence of the Nine-Tails, her consciousness hadn't been completely lost. She remembered everything.
The fear.
The betrayal.
The hesitation in Minato's eyes before he made his choice.
Silence blanketed the hospital room again, heavy as stone. Minato stood still, his hands nervously wringing together. His expression was one of helplessness and regret, yet he still seemed unwilling to truly confront what had happened.
To him, the safety of the village would always outweigh personal feelings.
Before either of them could break the silence, the door creaked open.
Footsteps echoed through the quiet room.
"Oh? As expected of the Uzumaki Clan—your recovery speed really is something else."
The voice was cool and confident.
Tsunade entered the room, still in her white medical coat, stained faintly with blood—proof that she had come straight from the battlefield.
Outside Konoha, war was still raging. Wounded shinobi streamed into the hospital by the hour. Even Tsunade, with her legendary healing abilities, could barely keep up with the tide of death and injury.
But she had still come here.
"Lady Tsunade!" Minato quickly turned and bowed, respectfully acknowledging her presence.
Tsunade didn't even glance at him. She waved her hand dismissively and walked directly toward Kushina's bed.
Her face was tired, her eyes sharp, but her heart weighed heavily as she looked down at Kushina.
Without a word, she pulled back the corner of the quilt.
Her brows knit in concern.
Kushina's body was worse than she had expected. Both arms were wrapped in thick bandages, and even beneath the sheets, Tsunade could see her torso was similarly covered. Apart from her face and neck, there wasn't a patch of uninjured skin.
Just looking at it made Tsunade's chest tighten.
She reached out and gently rested her hand on Kushina's shoulder. Her chakra flowed smoothly into the injured girl's body, inspecting every torn muscle, every cracked bone, every scorched cell.
Several minutes passed.
Finally, Tsunade withdrew her hand and let out a small sigh of relief.
"There's no major danger," she said. "Your injuries are serious, yes, but with your Uzumaki bloodline and that immense chakra inside you, I'd say you'll recover fully in about half a month."
Her words were meant to reassure.
But Kushina didn't even flinch.
Her eyes stared at the ceiling—lifeless, empty. Her voice, when it finally came, was barely above a whisper.
"Maybe… it would've been better to just die."
The words were quiet, but they echoed louder than anything else in the room.
Tsunade stiffened.
Minato looked crushed.
Kushina's once bright, mischievous face now looked dull and gray, as if all the color had been drained from her soul.
Tsunade bit her lip. She understood this feeling all too well.
She had seen this before—seen it in the eyes of soldiers on the brink of giving up, seen it in orphans who had lost everything, and once, long ago, seen it in herself.
It was the look of someone whose cage had finally grown too small.
And now, for the first time, Kushina had seen the world outside that cage.
"You're overthinking," Tsunade said softly, flicking Kushina's forehead like an older sister might scold a stubborn younger one.
She hesitated, then added, "This world isn't as beautiful as you once imagined. But it's also not as terrible as you think. It's cruel, yes—but sometimes… it surprises us."
Her voice trailed off.
There was more she wanted to say, but what words could ease a pain like this? What apology could erase betrayal from a friend… or a village?
Tsunade sighed again and stood up.
She didn't have the luxury to linger. The hospital was still overflowing with patients, and she had to keep moving.
As she turned, her gaze brushed briefly across Minato.
Her eyes lingered on him for only a moment—cold, disappointed—and then moved on as if he weren't even there.
She bent slightly to speak to Kushina again. "Is there anything you need me to help you with?"
Kushina hesitated.
Her lips parted.
A pause.
Then, with some effort, she asked, "Can you… help me find that man… Jaxon?"
The name came out slowly, as if unsure whether it was safe to say aloud. After a pause, she amended herself, lowering her gaze.
"I mean… can I see him?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, then gave a knowing smile.
"So… it's about the Uzumaki Clan, huh?"
Her tone was casual, but her mind was already racing.
She knew what Kushina really meant. The moment Jaxon arrived in Konoha with two surviving members of the Whirlpool Clan, the higher-ups had taken notice. Konoha's intelligence division had launched an immediate investigation.
After all, the world had believed for six long years that the Uzumaki Clan was extinct.
And now… survivors?
The implications were huge.
And Jaxon—mysterious, resourceful, and rich—was at the center of it.
Tsunade had her own suspicions about Jaxon's involvement. The name "Jaxon" was already being whispered across the village's leadership halls, and with good reason. No one had expected the Whirlpool bloodline to resurface like this—much less under the protection of a foreign merchant turned political force.
And if Kushina, of all people, was asking to see him…
Well, that made things even more complicated.
But Tsunade didn't let her inner thoughts show. She simply nodded and said, "I'll see what I can do."
She paused, placing a hand gently on Kushina's shoulder once more.
"Rest. Recover. You'll need your strength—for whatever comes next."