"Push, Kushina! Push! I can see him already! It will be over soon!"
"Ugh, aaaaaah—!"
"He is out!"
The cry filled with pain and a trace of relief stopped abruptly, drawing a relatively successful end to this delivery that could be called a race against life and death.
Kushina Uzumaki lay weakly on the bed, her entire body limp.
Her clothes and hair were soaked as if she had just climbed out of the water.
But when she saw Biwako Sarutobi, who had helped deliver the child, bring the swaddled infant before her eyes and tell her in a voice carrying some relief that it was a boy, Kushina, who originally could not even move her fingers, somehow squeezed out a bit more strength from somewhere.
Carefully.
Gently.
She pulled the golden-haired child into her arms.
"Naruto… Naruto… I finally get to see you…"
Looking at his wife's relieved expression, Minato Namikaze could not help relaxing as well.
He looked at the now-empty pouch in his hand and shook his head with a bitter smile.
"This means I now owe an incredible favor as both Hokage and husband."
What Shisui Uchiha had sent over was the special version of [Biscuit] that Rei had given him.
It was the highest-grade healing medicine capable of triggering the Keystone talent [Wind Speaker's Blessing] regardless of distance, providing the user with an enormous shield based on Rei's level of vitality.
Under the shield's effect, the Nine-Tails, which had been constantly causing trouble inside Kushina's body, was immediately restricted and could no longer inflict harm or interference on her.
After losing the Nine-Tails' interference, Kushina, who had recovered some stamina because of [Biscuit], did not struggle for long before successfully giving birth to a healthy baby boy.
The incomparably dangerous situation was resolved in an instant.
For this enormous kindness, one that could almost be said to have changed Konoha's and Kushina's future, Minato silently engraved it in his heart.
He swore that in this life, he would do everything in his power to repay the other party for extending aid in their darkest hour.
"Minato…"
"I am here, Kushina."
Hearing his wife call him, Minato immediately appeared by her side.
He gently held Kushina's hand and met her eyes, which were now filled with indescribable tenderness and satisfaction.
"I am… fine now… You can go protect the others in the village."
Hearing Kushina say that, Minato first tightened his grip on her hand, unable to stop himself from biting his lip at his wife's understanding.
Then he shook his head and said in a deep voice:
"No. Not yet… The enemy is attacking Konoha Village outside. Leaving you and Naruto here together is too dangerous. I must bring you back to the village and settle you in an absolutely safe place."
"But…"
"No buts, Kushina."
Minato raised his hand and pressed it against Kushina's colorless lips, speaking with absolute seriousness.
"This is not a judgment I made as a husband or father. It is a conclusion I reached after thinking seriously as the Fourth Hokage…"
"If you say it is, then it is."
Kushina looked at Minato's eyes with helpless indulgence.
"Since you put it that way, Minato."
"Mm. Lady Biwako, may I trouble you to take care of Kushina next?"
Minato nodded, then turned to look at Biwako Sarutobi, the wife of the Third Hokage.
"Her body is still very weak. She needs care and attention, and she cannot immediately participate in battle…"
"Then send both me and her to Konoha Hospital."
Biwako Sarutobi thought for a moment and made this suggestion.
"Kushina has already finished giving birth, so she can use her chakra to suppress the Nine-Tails. In that case, letting her go to Konoha Hospital should not create any danger. Although this might take up some of the medical-nin's time and energy, she is still the village's important Jinchuriki. I am sure everyone will understand that."
"Konoha Hospital?"
Minato thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
"True. Because the hospital needs to receive wounded people from every part of the village, it should actually be one of the more heavily guarded places… In that case, I will trouble you, Lady Biwako."
"No matter how hard things are on my side, that does not matter. The key is still your battle, Minato."
Biwako Sarutobi sighed and spoke in a tone quite similar to Hiruzen Sarutobi's.
"If we cannot repel the invading enemies, there will be no truly safe place in all of Konoha. The lives of us people who cannot participate in battle all depend on you."
"I swear on the name of the Fourth Hokage, I will not give the enemy another chance."
Minato nodded.
He signaled for Biwako Sarutobi and Kushina to lean together, then placed his hands on their shoulders and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
He brought them from the temporary delivery room outside the village directly to the Namikaze residence.
Then, after several consecutive jumps, he successfully brought them to the hospital room where he had once stayed.
At this moment, Konoha Hospital was already filled with the painful groans of the wounded and the clamor of medical-nin so busy their feet barely touched the ground.
Even the hospital room once specially arranged for Minato alone was now occupied by three poisoned Konoha shinobi.
Looking at the three wounded shinobi in the room, whose faces were purple, whose breathing was difficult, and whose capillaries beneath the skin were bulging abnormally, Minato's expression immediately turned serious.
He casually grabbed a passing medical-nin and asked anxiously:
"Excuse me, is there a shinobi among the enemies skilled in poison? Does anyone know which area he is in?"
"Sorry, we are very busy. For now, we do not…"
The female shinobi who had been grabbed instinctively tried to brush off Minato's hand on her shoulder.
But from the corner of her eye, she suddenly recognized the face carved into the Hokage Rock.
The young woman could not help inhaling sharply, asking in disbelief:
"F-Fourth-sama!? Is that you?"
"Yes. It is me."
Looking at the mixture of surprise and slight astonishment in her eyes, Minato shook his head with a bitter smile.
"I was held back by some matters earlier and could not participate in the suppression of the enemies who infiltrated the village… How is the current situation? Do you need me to provide support?"
"No. As for that poison-using shinobi, Lady Tsunade has already stopped him."
The pleasantly surprised female shinobi slapped her own cheeks hard, then hurriedly said:
"It seems Lord Jiraiya invited Lady Tsunade back in advance. The situation over there has not reached the point where you need to rescue them yet…"
"I understand."
Hearing Tsunade's name, Minato's expression relaxed considerably.
He instinctively turned his head and glanced at Kushina, whose face was also filled with worry, making a reassuring gesture at her.
Then he turned back to the female shinobi he had stopped and said:
"Sorry for wasting your time…"
"N-No, no, nothing like that. Being able to see you, Fourth-sama, lets us treat the wounded with peace of mind as well."
The female shinobi first waved her hands repeatedly, denying that her time had been wasted.
Then she grabbed Minato's arm and bowed very sincerely.
"Fourth-sama, please drive back the enemy as soon as possible… There are too many wounded. If the number keeps increasing, many people will die because they cannot receive treatment in time."
"Leave it to me."
Minato nodded.
His gaze turned cold as he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to rush toward the battlefield ahead.
Outside the door, a figure passing by unsteadily looked into the room with somewhat stunned, even pleasantly surprised eyes.
They were… actually here?
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