Chapter 19: The Newly Born Second Pillar!
After breakfast, Amamiya Rei returned to his room, picked up his umbrella, and followed Kushina out the door, stepping into the sunlight.
Kushina didn't find it strange at all that Rei was carrying an umbrella — after all, for a girl, being afraid of getting tanned was the most normal thing in the world.
What's more, Rei's skin was so fair and delicate that using an umbrella was absolutely the correct choice.
It would be such a pity if she got tanned!
Kushina confidently placed Rei's hand in the crook of her arm, and the two of them walked down the main street together, looking like a pair of sisters.
According to Kushina's plan, they first went to a clothing store to buy Rei several sets of clothes, shoes, and daily necessities. Then, not far from the hospital entrance, they stopped by a fruit shop to purchase a fruit basket before heading inside.
Today, Kushina, who had come out for her prenatal check-up, was wearing a new dress. Her rounded belly looked noticeably larger than it had the day before, making it clear that she was well into her pregnancy.
Rei accompanied Kushina into the examination room. On the monitor, the small embryo appeared, and Kushina's face shone with a soft maternal glow, her eyes sparkling as she stared at the screen.
Rei also stared at the screen, but apart from making out the vague shape of a tiny human figure, he couldn't see anything else.
He had no idea how Kushina could keep looking at it for so long.
When they received the news that the baby was very healthy, Kushina left the examination room in high spirits with Rei, but instead of heading straight out of the hospital, she led Rei somewhere else.
Rei looked at her curiously, not understanding where Kushina was taking him.
"A friend of mine from the Ninja Academy just had her baby. Since we're at the hospital today, we should go and visit her."
She lifted the fruit basket in her other hand, her face carrying an expectant smile.
It only took Rei three seconds to guess who Kushina's friend might be.
Could it be... the newborn "Second Pillar"?
Rei swallowed hard. He was about to see one of his "food rations" again — how exciting.
At that moment, Rei's steps came to a halt. Directly ahead, Kushina knocked on a ward door.
From inside came a soft "Please come in," and Kushina, beaming, pushed open the door with Rei following behind.
A faint floral fragrance filled Rei's nose as he trailed after the cheerful Kushina into the room.
It was a single-patient room. On the bed lay a woman with long black hair and a slightly pale complexion. Beside her was a small cradle.
Inside the cradle, a newborn baby lay sound asleep. Next to it stood a child about half as tall as an adult.
The distinctive tear troughs under his eyes made it so obvious that Rei could guess his identity with his big toe.
— Uchiha Itachi.
One of the "rations."
Standing on the other side of the bed was none other than the head of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Fugaku.
Another "ration."
Because his wife had given birth smoothly, even this normally reserved, expressionless man now wore a faint, gentle smile.
"Kushina?"
On the bed, Uchiha Mikoto looked surprised.
She hadn't expected Kushina to come in person.
Glancing at Kushina's prominent belly, Mikoto said helplessly, "You're already so far along in your pregnancy, why did you still come here yourself?"
Kushina's face lit up with a radiant smile. As Fugaku took the fruit basket from her hands, she walked over to the cradle, looking at the baby inside as she said to Mikoto, "I just happened to be here for my own prenatal check-up! I wanted to see the baby you gave birth to!"
She pulled Rei over to look together, letting out little exclamations of wonder from time to time.
Rei stared at the bundle of white, tender flesh in the cradle, using every ounce of willpower to hold back his drool.
He was afraid his saliva would drip onto "Second Pillar's" face.
If that happened, Fugaku might just cut his down on the spot.
Speaking of which, the older brother, Uchiha Itachi, standing beside them—he smelled wonderful too!
Rei really wanted to just throw caution to the wind and sink his teeth into both of them.
But now wasn't the right time. It would be more worthwhile to wait until their "stats" were maxed out before eating them for maximum nutritional value.
"He's so tiny!"
Kushina marveled, feeling deeply moved by the miracle of new life.
Rei agreed with her, nodding sincerely.
Indeed, he was tiny — Rei felt he could swallow half of "Second Pillar's" body in a single bite.
Wow...
Too bloody!
Rei forcibly reined in his wild, unrestrained thoughts.
"And who might this be?"
Mikoto looked politely at Rei, then glanced at Kushina with a questioning expression.
"Ah!"
Only then did Kushina realize she had forgotten to introduce her companion. She placed a hand on Rei's shoulder apologetically and said, "This is my younger sister! Her name is Rei!"
"Rei!"
A familiar voice came from the doorway, overlapping with Kushina's words.
Everyone in the room turned toward the hospital door.
Rei: "..."
Of all people to run into...?
She could recognize that voice even if it turned to ash.
It was none other than his second most unfortunate underling — Uchiha Shisui.
As for who was the first?
Need that even be asked?
Of course, it was Black Zetsu.
Shisui was also carrying a gift in his hands.
His reason for being here was obvious.
The moment he saw Rei, his eyes lit up with joy. After greeting Fugaku and Mikoto, his gaze began to linger on Rei with quiet persistence.
Rei subtly moved to Kushina's other side, putting some distance between himself and Shisui.
This evasive gesture did not escape Shisui's notice, and his dark eyes dimmed slightly.
"You two know each other?"
Mikoto was slightly surprised.
Her gaze moved between the boy and girl, who appeared to be about the same age.
"Mm."
Shisui nodded.
While Mikoto shared her pregnancy experiences with Kushina — who in turn had countless questions to ask — Rei patiently sat on the sofa in the hospital room, quietly waiting for Kushina.
Shisui cautiously sat down one seat away from him. When he saw no rejection or displeasure on Rei's face, he finally let out a silent breath of relief.
"Rei, I'm leaving Konoha tomorrow for a mission. Is there anything you'd like? I can bring it back for you."
After a moment of silence, unsure of how to begin, Shisui spoke softly.
"..."
With Shisui's level of emotional intelligence, Rei thought, if he had lived in his previous life, he would've been single for his entire life.
Still, Rei firmly believed in the principle of "after enough slaps, you give a sweet smile."
He'd been slapped plenty — maybe it was time to let him taste something sweet.
Hearing his words, Rei's expression unintentionally revealed a trace of concern. "A mission? Like last time?"
Realizing that she had, without thinking, expressed worry for him, Rei quickly pressed her lips together and averted her gaze.
Shisui immediately caught the meaning behind her words.
Last time, he had returned from a mission covered in blood, collapsing near her home. So... Rei was worried about him?
A mix of gratitude and joy welled up inside him, along with a faint tinge of guilt.
Even after everything he had done to her — those excessive things — Rei still instinctively worried about him.
"Don't worry. I won't get injured like last time."
Shisui spoke with gentle reassurance.
Rei turned his head away stiffly and said, "It has nothing to do with me."
Eugh~
Without making it obvious, Rei rubbed at the goosebumps that had risen on his skin.
***