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Chapter 24: For the Child's Sake, I'll Choose to Trust You for Now!
Hearing Oborotsuki's reply, Kushina looked somewhat skeptical.
She couldn't confirm whether his words were true or not.
"Right! The enemy is still in Konoha! The Nine-Tails is destroying the village!!"
"I have to go back immediately to protect everyone—I must stop the Nine-Tails!!"
"Thank you for saving me. If there's a chance in the future, I'll—"
As Kushina spoke, she tried to channel chakra to leap onto a tree and leave, but before she could finish, she suddenly stumbled forward and nearly fell.
"Oh no… I can't gather any chakra at all…"
Kushina frowned deeply.
Oborotsuki reacted instantly—flashing forward to catch her gently before she hit the ground, steadying her back on her feet.
"Your body has only just recovered. You're still far too weak."
"Going back now would be no different from suicide."
Oborotsuki spoke calmly and rationally.
Hearing this, Kushina fell silent for a moment. She lowered her head and looked at the baby in her arms, her expression turning hesitant.
She knew he was right.
The mysterious enemy who had killed her guards, broken into the barrier, and attacked her was clearly terrifyingly powerful.
Moreover, Kushina remembered clearly: after extracting the Nine-Tails from her body, that man had used his Sharingan to control it!
She understood better than anyone just how terrifying the Nine-Tails' power was.
In her current state, rushing back would be nothing short of suicide.
All she could do now was place her hopes in the village—on Minato, the Third Hokage, and the other elite shinobi.
She prayed they could suppress the unleashed Nine-Tails and capture that mysterious enemy.
While Kushina was lost in thought, little Naruto suddenly began to cry.
"He's hungry."
Oborotsuki reminded her gently.
Remembering how Naruto had been sucking on Oborotsuki's finger earlier, Kushina frowned even more deeply.
The current situation didn't allow her to return to Konoha.
Even setting aside her extreme weakness and inability to reseal the Nine-Tails—going back would only cause trouble for everyone else.
Moreover, little Naruto really did need to be fed now.
But… not here.
Oborotsuki watched the silent Kushina and immediately understood her hesitation.
"It's not safe here. That enemy likely has accomplices—there could be more of them nearby waiting to meet up."
"If you trust me, come with me."
With that, he looked down at little Naruto in her arms.
Hearing his words, Kushina also instinctively glanced at her crying, hungry son.
The cries would easily give away their position.
Staying here really wasn't safe.
And the man before her truly didn't seem like a bad person—otherwise he wouldn't have bothered saving her.
After a moment's thought, Kushina nodded—but her guard remained up.
…
Oborotsuki used Flying Thunder God to swiftly bring Kushina and Naruto back to the Hōzuki clan grounds in Kirigakure.
The moment they landed, Kushina immediately retreated several steps while holding Naruto, staring at Oborotsuki in shock and suspicion.
"You… how do you know that technique?"
"What technique?"
Oborotsuki blinked innocently, already expecting Kushina to notice and question his Flying Thunder God.
But he pretended not to understand.
"The Flying Thunder God Technique! How do you know that technique?"
Kushina asked warily, voice low and serious.
"Flying Thunder God… you mean the signature technique of Konoha's 'Yellow Flash' Minato Namikaze?"
"I think you've misunderstood. This is a space-time ninjutsu I developed myself. I call it 'Instant Transmission.'"
"Though speaking of which, I've heard plenty about the Yellow Flash's reputation. I've always wanted to find a chance to spar with Minato Namikaze and see whose space-time ninjutsu is better."
Oborotsuki pinched his chin and spoke with complete seriousness—pure nonsense.
His words left Kushina half-believing, half-doubting.
She racked her brain, trying to recall if there were any well-known powerful shinobi in the ninja world who had mastered such a technique—but of course she drew a blank.
Still, thinking about it, Oborotsuki looked several years younger than both Minato and herself. Perhaps he was one of the young talents who had risen in the past couple of years.
Like the Uchiha's "Shisui of the Body Flicker"…
The Third Great Ninja War had already ended.
Even if young shinobi were incredibly powerful, without major battles to spread their fame, it was only natural that other villages wouldn't recognize them.
After all, her husband had become renowned across the ninja world during the Third War—enemies were even told: "If you encounter Minato Namikaze, abandon the mission and flee immediately."
Thinking of this, Kushina gradually relaxed.
"By the way—this is my home."
"If you don't mind, stay here for now to recover."
"It's much safer here than outside."
With that, Oborotsuki turned and walked toward the main gate of his house.
Kushina looked around the unfamiliar surroundings, hesitated briefly, then chose to follow him.
She had already sensed the enormous chakra within Oborotsuki—far surpassing her own.
It was the strongest human chakra she had ever perceived.
Combined with the space-time ninjutsu he had just displayed—similar to Flying Thunder God—it proved how powerful this man truly was.
If he truly meant her harm, he would have acted long ago. There would have been no need for so many tricks.
…
When Oborotsuki returned to the courtyard, Mayumi and Red were just about to step outside to check on the situation.
They had sensed the powerful chakra signatures nearby.
"Oborotsuki? So it really was you who came back…"
"I thought I heard a baby crying earlier… Hm?"
Before Mayumi could finish, she noticed Kushina following behind Oborotsuki—and the infant in her arms. Her eyes widened in shock.
Red hair, beautiful features, graceful figure, and that distinctive chakra signature…
There was no mistake—this woman was also from the Uzumaki clan!
Mayumi instantly recognized it.
Similarly, Kushina was staring in surprise at Mayumi.
In just one glance, she knew—this pregnant young beauty was also an Uzumaki!
But before Kushina could recover from her shock, her gaze shifted to Red standing beside Mayumi.
Seeing Yūhi Kurenai, Kushina's body trembled slightly in disbelief.
She had clearly recognized Red's identity.
Then she turned a questioning look toward Oborotsuki.
"Let me introduce them. This is Mayumi, my concubine, and this is Red…"
"Oh, right—I still don't know your name?"
Oborotsuki turned curiously toward Kushina.
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