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Hanataki's words sent a ripple of deep thought through Minato Namikaze.
That initial stab had pierced the man's chest, sure. But hadn't he already healed from it? So why the subsequent symptoms?
"The moment Godspear pierced you," Heshu explained calmly, "its blade turned to dust. It seeped into your body through the wound, becoming a potent toxin that dissolves cells. Corroding you from within."
Hanataki's eyes darkened. This wasn't his earlier gloom. This look was poisoned, laced with a reckless, unhinged madness.
"You think this is enough to kill me?"
Blood soaked the front of his robes, dripping from his chin and neck. A gruesome sight.
His gaze was venomous, insane. "You underestimate me, Heshu!"
Inside his body, cells tainted by the toxin were being replaced with fresh ones at lightning speed. The regeneration accelerated, outpacing the poison's spread. Finally, it didn't just neutralize the toxin. Younger, more vibrant cells flooded his entire being.
"…Impossible."
Heshu's brow furrowed. Her eyes were locked on Hanataki.
How? Poison should have coursed through every vein. Why wasn't he collapsing?
"Nothing is impossible."
Hanataki's steps were steady, light, as he closed the distance. He looked utterly at ease. No trace of a man battling a lethal poison.
"I admit, I can't deal with you myself…" His voice was soft, like a feather drifting in the air. It raised the hairs on one's neck.
"…But they'll do nicely to vent my frustration."
Golden light enveloped him once more.
A shimmering golden barrier materialized again, separating Naruto and Minato from Heshu. They lacked the power to break it.
With Kurama's help, Naruto shook off the dizziness. He snapped back to awareness, only to find himself cut off from Heshu by the radiant wall.
"Heshu-nee!"
Naruto sprang to his feet, slapping his palms against the golden light. It pulsed, growing more solid.
"Tsukimi Heshu," Hanataki said, noticing the subtle tightening of Heshu's fist. A cold smirk appeared. "You are, in fact, the weakest shinobi."
Naruto exploded.
"You're the weakest!"
"My Heshu-nee is the strongest in the whole world!"
"Don't you dare talk nonsense!"
Minato stood quietly behind his son, watching the boy shout with furious indignation.
"A shinobi with no weaknesses is the strongest," Hanataki continued, his eyes like the thick ice over a winter lake, radiating cold. "But you, Heshu… your weaknesses are many. And obvious."
"A shinobi of such personal power… who protects weaklings like ants? Who walks among them? Who would sacrifice herself to save them?" Contempt dripped from his voice. "Isn't that the definition of weakness?"
When he spoke of ordinary shinobi and civilians, disgust twisted his features. His gaze held the arrogant superiority of one looking down on the world from a great height. He saw no 'weak.' Only inferior insects unworthy of life. Human lives were ants to him. To be crushed on a whim.
Minato watched him with complex emotions. He utterly rejected this worldview. And he wanted to see how Heshu—this person who held such an important place in Naruto's heart—would respond.
His eyes shifted to her.
He was surprised. This ninja had been the picture of calm, gentleness, and unwavering resilience since her arrival. Now, he saw anger.
"You're wrong."
"Utterly, completely wrong."
Heshu's voice rang out, clear and firm.
She rebutted, "There is no such thing as a powerful individual in this world. Only an invincible collective."
"The people of Konoha are one body. Shinobi are one body. The entire shinobi world is a larger body still."
"One person's strength has limits. The strength of many is infinite."
"People should not be divided and restricted. We are all human. Some are civilians. Some are shinobi. We are equal."
"A true strong person does not belittle the weak. They shoulder their responsibility."
"With great power comes great responsibility."
Her words, spoken clearly, one by one, echoed through the underground hall.
Naruto stared at her, dumbstruck. Awe shone in his eyes.
A faint smile gradually appeared in Minato's gaze.
So this was why. This was why Naruto was so kind, so brave.
Because kindness and bravery were virtues passed down.
What an exceptional ninja, Minato thought with a surge of admiration.
"Nonsense."
"Just excuses you've made for yourself."
Hanataki was not swayed. His evaluation was laced with disdain.
"I know that in a real fight, I might not be your match. But I hold enough chips."
As his words fell, golden chains sprouted from the barrier, binding Naruto, Minato, Shibi, and Chōza firmly within. The barrier locked space-time itself. Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique was useless here.
"The power of the Dragon Vein is indeed staggering," Hanataki said, tilting his head with an infuriatingly innocent smile. "But the Nine-Tails and the others… their lives are important to you too, aren't they?"
"Either you kill me for the Dragon Vein and watch them die with me… Or, you save them and give up the Dragon Vein?"
His eyes curved into crescents as he looked at Heshu, full of expectation. He was curious about her choice. Even though he already knew the answer. But… just in case.
"You shameless bastard!"
Naruto couldn't hold back. Three years on the road with Jiraiya had exposed him to every corner of the world, every kind of foul language, every imaginable scene. Right now, he forgot the man beside him was his father from the past. Every curse word he'd learned came tumbling out.
Beside him, Minato's expression gradually stiffened, then went numb.
Thank goodness Kushina isn't here, he thought. Otherwise, we wouldn't need this Hanataki guy. Naruto wouldn't live to see tomorrow.
Hanataki's face cooled. He flicked his wrist.
A ball of golden light forced its way into Naruto's mouth.
"Mmph! Mmmph mmmph!"
Silence.
Heshu was silent for a moment.
"Get out."
She looked at Hanataki.
"The power of the Dragon Vein isn't so easily controlled."
She had made her choice. Between the Dragon Vein and Naruto's group, she chose them.
"Hah… Hahaha!"
Hanataki laughed outright. "Just as I predicted."
The golden light began to fade from his feet, his entire figure growing translucent.
"We'll meet again, Tsukimi Heshu…"
The last speck of golden light vanished from the hall. Only his voice lingered.
The bindings on Naruto and the others dissolved.
The boy, eyes rimmed red, ran to Heshu.
"I'm sorry…"
The words were heavy with guilt.
Heshu shook her head, ruffling the hair of the boy who now looked like a dejected golden retriever.
"Those words aren't necessary, Naruto."
"In my public duty, I am the Hokage. Protecting you is my responsibility."
"In my private heart, I am your family. Protecting you is what I want to do."
Naruto's head jerked up.
A single tear traced an abrupt path down his cheek.
"…You're the best."
His lips quivered like a child's.
"You're the best…"
He buried his head against Heshu's shoulder, nuzzling in with pure dependency.
Heshu: "…"
Your father is right there.
Minato's feelings were complicated. He could see the depth of Naruto's attachment to Heshu at a glance. There was the bittersweet ache of a father seeing his child find another anchor… and a profound sense of relief.
After I was gone, someone was good to him.
"Then why save us?" Minato stepped forward. "We're just strangers."
If saving Naruto was for family and village, what about them? Tsukimi Heshu didn't know them. Had never met them. That's what Minato thought. Chōza and Shibi also looked at Heshu.
Heshu looked at Minato, her eyes holding a touch of nostalgia.
"To me, you are not a stranger, Senpai."
Minato was taken aback. The nostalgia in her gaze confused him. Was there something he didn't know?
"You are a respected senior to me, and a shinobi revered by Konoha."
"Even if you were ordinary civilians, I would have chosen to save you."
"The Dragon Vein was our mission, our responsibility to bear. That you were dragged into it is our failing. For that, I am truly sorry."
The apology in her eyes was like the surface of a lake gently brushed by willow branches in spring—encompassing, warm.
"What comes next is our fight. Please believe that we will stop those with ill intent from using the Dragon Vein."
She didn't make grand, passionate vows. Her tone was serious, resolute, stating her determination.
Minato's eyes softened. He nodded. "If it's you saying it… we believe."
…
Yellow sand whipped between the high towers. From the swirling storm, a familiar figure emerged.
Sasori, standing amidst the dunes, saw the state of the arriving man and immediately stepped forward. "Hanataki. You're injured?"
Hanataki looked thoroughly disheveled. The blood staining his chest and neck screamed of severe wounds.
"It's nothing."
A heavy, dark cloud seemed to hang between Hanataki's brows.
"Shall we return?" Sasori ventured, sensing the foul mood. He didn't ask about the Dragon Vein. When Hanataki made a move, he didn't fail. Originally, Hanataki had planned to extract the Dragon Vein alone, but Sasori had stubbornly insisted on accompanying him.
"Return?" Hanataki laughed. The ice in his expression melted. "We're going to Konoha."
"Isn't the Two-Tails still lounging around there?"
Yugito had been living her ideal, carefree life in Konoha, only returning to Kumogakure for special occasions. Fortunately, the villages were now allied, or Cloud would have kicked up a fuss over their Jinchūriki's long-term absence.
Sasori understood instantly.
Translating based on his knowledge of Hanataki, that statement meant:
In a bad mood. Going to Konoha to take it out on the Two-Tails.
Might as well bring it back.
Using a Tailed Beast as a punching bag to vent frustration? For Hanataki, that was perfectly normal, wasn't it?
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