Shutout to Mubin Noushad for becoming my first ever Patron!
By the way, this chapter should've been released 16 hours ago. However... I think I make a miss in scheduling it. So here you go.
Hiruzen turned away from the window, the light from the window dropped onto his back, darkening his countenance even further.
He exhaled a long, heavy plume of smoke. "Minato… the ANBU stationed around Kushina have reported something unusual. Something I can't ignore."
Minato's expression remained still, but his heartbeat picked up, a quiet pulse behind the calm. "Unusual, sir?"
Hiruzen's gaze met his, sharp, tired, and heavy all at once. "They overheard her speaking with one of her acquaintances about leaving the village this weekend."
Minato frowned. "Acquitances? Is it Mikoto Uchiha? And about her leaving… Kushina hardly ever goes outside the barrier lines without clearance."
"It is indeed Mikoto Uchiha." Hiruzen tapped ash into the tray, voice lowering. "For your second question, she didn't mean leaving the village, Minato. She meant leaving this world."
Silence filled the room. The kind that pressed against the ears until it felt like sound itself was afraid to exist.
Minato blinked, slowly. "Are you certain, Hokage-sama?"
Rather than wasting his breath on the answer, the Hokage just nodded.
The office felt completely silent. The words sank between them, heavy as stone.
From his visit to the restaurant, he knew about its capabilities. A restaurant that connected to many different worlds. He even told the Hokage about it the very same night he went to the restaurant.
But Kushina leaves for another world through the restaurant? Didn't that mean she had become quite a friend to the owner?
It had been a few months since he left Konoha. Through the blood and kills, he hadn't even heard about the restaurant, not even a syllable. So how come Kushina became so close to the restaurant?
"Hokage-sama." Minato called for the leader of Konoha, his voice calm. "Can you tell me about the restaurant? How come Kushina became so close to being able to leave the world through it?"
Hiruzen let out another set of smoke. At the same time, he turned his head slightly towards the window and gazed at the horizon. "As you told me that night, the restaurant is a place where worlds come together. A nexus, a checkpoint. Ever since you left, Kushina often went there. Just a week ago, she brought Mikoto Uchiha there."
Minato nodded, his eyes refusing to leave the old man.
"What you don't know is…" Hiruzen stopped for a moment, inhaling and exhaling the acrid smoke Minato never liked. "When Danzo went behind my back to investigate the restaurant, two Root operatives came back not like when they went in. One became as young as the student of the Ninja Academy, while another one became so old, it made Danzo look like a freshly graduated Genin."
Minato's eyes went wide at the explanation. As a high-ranked Ninja, he thought he had seen quite a diverse things in the world, making him impervious to more surprise. However, that piece of intel sent his confidence to the floors. No matter how deep he dived into the wealth of his knowledge, he couldn't find any Ninjutsu that could have the same effect as it. Well, the closest Ninjutsu which had that kind of effect was Lady Tsunade's Jutsu.
But before Minato could ask for confirmation regarding the intel, the Third Hokage opened his mouth again.
"Don't be too surprised yet, I haven't told you everything." Hiruzen let out a dry chuckle. "After Danzo's blunder, I went to the restaurant personally. But rather than contempt and malice, I was treated just like any other customer. The chef, Ludwig, let me sit in his restaurant, fed me, and offered great hospitality.
"But…" Hiruzen sighed, clearly weighed down by what he was currently thinking.
"What worries me more is the fact that just beyond that door, there's a place with a population so much higher than ours. It's no mere village or town. It hints at a nation on par or even superior to us."
Minato's brows twitched. He was well aware of the implication. Even their rival nation on this world kept attacking them when they were separated by so many distances. Yet, just beyond the door of a restaurant, there's a nation so big and powerful?
What if they decide to invade?
"H-Hokage-sama…" Minato let the words out, uncertainty and fear creeping to his tone.
The Hokage looked at him, eyes glinting with surprise. He was probably taken aback by how weak he looked right now. "Don't worry Minato, I will do whatever it should to stop that from happening. For now, I have explicitly told Danzo to not do anything stupid. And soon, I'll open a talk with them. Maybe, we can agree to some beneficial agreement."
Minato swallowed the words he wanted to say back in. The leader in front of him had never disappointed him and any other villagers for the matter. So, even though he's scared for the well being of the village, he decided to trust him.
With a renewed state of mind, Minato opened his mouth. "Anything I can help you with, Hokage-sama?"
"Hmm…" Hiruzen put his pipe down to the desk, then stroked his goatee. "For now, maybe coax Kushina to not go to the other world?"
Minato let out a dry chuckle at his order. In Konoha, he might be the only one who knew Kushina so well. Coaxing her to not do something she had set his sight on? Impossible.
"I don't think I can do that, Hokage-sama."
The Hokage let out a genuine chuckle for the first time since their discussion started. "I expected that answer. Then maybe, accompany her to that world? Make sure she is fine?"
"I certainly can do that, Hokage-sama." Minato answered.
Hiruzen nodded, his face telling Minato about the satisfaction he felt from his answer. "Good."
But then, Hiruzen continued.
"I remembered you telling me about how Ludwig is open to give you some pointers regarding your Flying Thunder God Jutsu. How about using that opportunity to invite him to Konoha to have a sparring match? You know my reasoning right?"
Minato's focus slipped into contemplation.
Bringing Ludwig to Konoha was easy enough with the excuse of trading pointers, just like what the Hokage said. But when the question changed into, would it be wise? The answer was easy. No.
Not because he thought the restaurant owner would bore ill thoughts to Konoha. But more because he knew there's a certain advisor in Konoha that would willingly go behind Hokage's back to do whatever he wanted.
"Will it be okay, Hokage-sama? After what Danzo-sama did…" Minato deliberately let his words trail.
Hiruzen looked at him, his eyes telling Minato he also shared the same concern. But then, "Don't worry about that. I'll tell Danzo myself not to do anything funny."
"I see." Minato nodded. "Then, I'll as I'm told, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen's lips stretch towards his ears. "Good. Now go, have a good rest."
"Well…" Minato scratched his cheeks rather than just walking. "Do you know where Kushina is right now, Hokage-sama? And, can I go to the restaurant? The Ramen I ate there still lingered in my mind…"
* * *
"Ugh! I can't wait! Can we just go today?" Kushina's muffled voice carried through the bar. Her cheek pressed flat against the polished wood, arms sprawled dramatically like a defeated cat. Her crimson hair spilled over the counter, the strands catching the warm golden light from the runes overhead.
Ludwig chuckled as he filled another three tankards with the dark liquid of the Stonebrew Kin. Even without seeing her with his own eyes, he could picture her face clearly. Pouting while sending puppy eyes towards Claire, just like any other time when she needed support.
"The promised time is tomorrow, Kushina." Ludwig said, the smile audible in his tone. "You said that yesterday, too."
Her head shot up. "That's because yesterday wasn't today! And today's so close to tomorrow it might as well be tomorrow!"
Beside her, Claire sighed. That long-suffering, half-amused sigh that she seemed to reserve solely for Kushina's antics. "You do realize you've repeated that line three times in the last hour, right?"
"Eh?" Kushina tilted her head. "Have I?"
"Yes," Claire said flatly, sipping her whiskey. "You even asked Rimuru if Tempest's sky smells different yesterday. Whatever that means."
"It does matter!" Kushina said, sitting up straighter now, pointing a chopstick like it was a matter of life and death.
Claire threw her head to the other way, eyes rolling at her answer. "Whatever."
At that moment, Valeire joined the pointless conversation. Adding her own brand of anticipation to read-to-bolt-to-Tempest Kushina. "You're gonna bring back souvenirs, right? Oh! Maybe slime soap? Rimuru has to sell something weird like that!"
"Slime soap?!" Kushina barked a laugh. "That's so gross! But also kinda genius!"
Ludwig couldn't help but snort as he settled the last tankard on a tray. He offered nothing more to the conversation between the two girls with boundless energy. Everyone in this restaurant knew, when Valerie talked with either the kids, the dragon, the cats, or Kushina, better steer clear if they didn't want to be dragged into a chaotic conversation with no tangible meaning.
Their conversation continued until duty called for Valerie. Kushina spun on her seat towards Claire, obviously ready to pounce on her next target. "Do you think they have floating carriages there? Oh! Or a festival? If there's food stalls, I'm buying everything!"
Claire sighed again. "You are aware Konoha's Ryo can't be used there, right?"
The air stilled right after Claire dropped that fact. Ludwig chuckled as he shuffled closer towards the pair, seeing how surprised Kushina was in the process.
But just as sudden as her silence came, she exploded again out of nowhere. "That's why I have Ludwig!"
Looking at her who spun towards him while saying that, Ludwig answered, feigning horror. "Oh no, no,no. You're not using me as your walking wallet."
"But you love me too much to say no~," Kushina sing-songed, spinning her glass.
Ludwig could only chuckled at her words. She might not mean much by saying that, but if that Blonde Sun of Konoha was here, he was sure he would drown himself in alcohol. Maybe even turned to the darkness, like his character in a few fanfics.
Claire set her cup down as Ludwig let his mind wander. "You're insufferable when you're happy, you know that?"
"Mhmm! And you're grumpy when I'm happy! Which means I'm winning!"
The whole restaurant seemed lighter now. The laughter, the glow, the way even the runes flickered a little brighter when she smiled.
But just as Ludwig turned to refill the pitcher behind the bar, a buzz invaded his mind. And what the restaurant told him made him pause. Minato Namikaze was at the door.
Was it a coincidence, or a carefully laid plan?
To be honest, Ludwig, Claire, and Rimuru had expected Konoha to know about their trip. Kushina was simply too excited for it to keep it under wraps. Stubborn too as she kept telling them it's alright even if the Hokage knew as she would surely give the old man a piece of her mind if he tried to stop her.
If Kushina could think about something like that, it meant the Hokage was also aware about it. From their brain storming session, one of the moves he could pull from his arsenal was Minato.
Now that he had seen what moves the Hokage made, he could foresight what would happen next. But then again, knowing how kind-hearted Minato was and how stubborn Kushina was when it came to her own desire, there's only one obvious ending.
Minato ended up accompanying Kushina to Tempest.
Back in their brain-storming session, Claire called this conclusion a dangerous gamble. People's nature was fickle, she said. In front of an enormous gain, someone so kind could turn into a greedy man.
But Rimuru just shrugged her concern away. His reasoning was solid as well. No matter how much Intel Minato came to get, and no matter how strong he became after entering his world, as long as the gatekeeper that stood on the gate that connects the world held strong, there's nothing Konoha could do.
When Claire heard that, she relented. A flattering gesture from someone who was ever so logical and precise.
The door finally opened with its usual gentle swing, and there, a familiar figure stood framed in the doorway.
Minato Namikaze.
His expression was calm as ever, but Ludwig's trained eye saw the faint crease at the edge of his mouth, the kind that came with words too heavy to speak in public.
For the second time that night, Kushina froze mid-sentence, her laughter caught halfway in her throat.
"Minato…?"
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