Late at night.
The moon shone bright, and the stars were scattered faintly in the vast sky.
The white gauze curtain was stirred by the night breeze, swaying ever so lightly.
The clear, silvery moonlight spread across the bedroom floor like a layer of white frost.
In the pitch-black bedroom, a pair of blood-red pupils gleamed with a piercing light.
Amamiya Rei, who had the bad habit of staying awake until the dead of night before sleeping, sat cross-legged on the bed, engrossed in studying the Spore Technique he had obtained from a fragment of Black Zetsu's flesh.
In his previous life, Rei had at least been a proper student at a distinguished university, and thus he possessed a clear understanding of what spores were.
For the Rei of the present, cultivating spores posed no significant difficulty.
The true challenge of the Spore Technique lay in placing the spores upon a host in such a way that not a single soul would be aware of it.
To plant spores on a host's body, physical contact was necessary.
However, physical contact required a legitimate reason.
For example, Kushina often liked to walk with her arm linked through Rei's, a habit that provided an excellent opportunity for him to place spores upon her.
However, Rei had no intention, at least for now, of parasitizing Kushina with spores.
Although Kushina possessed an astonishing amount of chakra, Rei could not be certain whether the Kyūbi would notice the spores' presence.
Thus, for the sake of safety, Kushina was temporarily excluded from his list of potential hosts.
When Uchiha Shisui returned from his mission to Konoha, Rei planned to place spores upon him as well.
The only troublesome part was the retrieval process—he would have to take back each spore from the host one by one.
While Rei was arranging the "future homes" for his spores, his gaze suddenly shifted toward the bedroom door.
It was as though his eyes had pierced through the door and the corridor beyond.
Within the range of Rei's sensory perception—
The bedroom directly across the corridor opened.
Namikaze Minato stepped out into the hallway.
At this late hour?
What could Minato be doing so late at night?
Rei arched an eyebrow, curiosity surging within him, and cautiously expanded the reach of his senses.
Another chakra signature appeared outside the living room.
It did not move—it simply lingered there, unmoving, as if waiting for someone to come out from inside.
"..."
A secret lover's meeting, perhaps?
Rei's eyes widened in astonishment.
He truly hadn't expected Minato to be that kind of person.
Minato had utterly let him down!
Excited, Rei instantly moved to stand behind his own door, continuing to wait for what would happen next.
Namikaze Minato, simply draped in an outer robe, stepped soundlessly out of the living room and gently opened the front door.
Outside stood a masked figure whose presence seemed to melt into the night itself—Hatake Kakashi.
Minato stepped outside, closing the door with meticulous care so as not to make even the faintest sound.
The two walked together toward the staircase at one side of the corridor, ascending to the rooftop terrace of the second floor.
The world around them was hushed and still; Konoha lay cradled in the embrace of the night.
Leaning against the railing, Minato looked at Kakashi, who had removed his mask to reveal a face set in solemn seriousness, and let out a quiet sigh in his heart.
Ever since Obito and Rin had both left, Kakashi had become the way he was now.
Once, there had still been traces of childishness in Kakashi, but now, not a single flicker of emotion could be found.
He had turned himself entirely into a mission-executing machine without feelings—as if that way, he would never feel sorrow.
"What is it, Kakashi?"
Before going to bed, Minato had sensed Kakashi's chakra outside the door and had immediately left his room. For Kakashi to come find him at such a late hour could only mean there was an important matter to report.
Recalling what he had seen that afternoon, Kakashi reported truthfully:
"This afternoon, Amamiya Rei participated in a training match between Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi. In their shuriken duel, she developed a Mokuton ninjutsu technique."
Kakashi's mission, aside from protecting Kushina, also included watching over Amamiya Rei. Once he had confirmed that Lady Kushina would be safe at the hospital that afternoon, he had followed Rei, focusing his full attention on observing her.
Since it was part of his mission, Kakashi would report any unusual actions Rei took directly to Namikaze Minato.
At these words, Minato's expression shifted ever so slightly.
He sighed quietly.
In his heart, he naturally understood what Kakashi's statement implied.
The ability to so easily develop a Mokuton technique just by watching others' sparring meant Rei's aptitude for Mokuton was extremely high.
More precisely, it meant she was very well-suited to becoming a shinobi.
Yet Minato knew all too well her aversion to the shinobi world and to the life of a shinobi.
Her remaining in Konoha at all was already the result of reluctant compromise—she surely had no wish to become a shinobi again.
"Follow her will," he said at last.
"She doesn't want to be a shinobi."
His answer came quietly on the night wind.
Minato had not forgotten his promise.
Back in the Hokage's office, he had personally promised Rei that as long as she stayed in Konoha, he would do his utmost to give her the freedom to choose her own path.
Kakashi nodded silently. He was not surprised to receive this answer from his sensei.
His role was simply to deliver the facts and information he observed—the final decision was not his to make.
"But I will still do my best to train her, so that she has the ability to protect herself."
After a brief moment of thought, Minato spoke with serious resolve.
He could not be certain that the truth of Rei's Mokuton bloodline could be concealed forever.
If, one day, the truth could no longer be concealed, then at the very least Rei should have strength great enough to defend herself—so she would not become a lamb to be slaughtered.
The future could not be predicted, but overwhelming strength would always remain a powerful shield, and the truest confidence with which to face it.
At that moment, Kakashi suddenly turned sharply, his gaze shifting behind him.
At the other end of the rooftop terrace stood a slender figure.
Amamiya Rei, wearing the nightdress Kushina had bought for her that very day, appeared all the more delicate and frail beneath the moonlight.
Minato looked at her in surprise, clearly not expecting her to appear here.
"Rei, why did you come out?"
Rei pressed her lips together, lowering her gaze.
"I sensed your voices... so I came out..."
Her voice was soft, almost hesitant.
Minato was slightly taken aback.
What Rei called "sensing" should be a form of sensory ability.
Minato remembered that the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, who possessed the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, had also possessed an extremely powerful sensory ability.
So it was not strange for Rei to have such a gift—after all, this was Mokuton.
Even without having undergone true shinobi training, she had already displayed such innate talent.
If she were to receive the harsh and rigorous training of a shinobi, there was no doubt that she would grow into one of exceptional power.
Under the temptation of producing another shinobi as formidable as the First Hokage, even Minato himself, as Hokage, would be powerless to stop the higher-ups of Konoha from forcing her onto the path of a shinobi.
Therefore, if Rei was to have the freedom to make her own choices in the future, she would have to grow stronger—
Strong enough that no one could so easily control her when that day came.
***