The mocking sneer on Akashō's face stood in stark contrast to the gentle smile he usually wore. His eyes were filled with cold indifference and ridicule toward the two of them.
At the brink of death, to suddenly realize that the person you treated as family had torn off their mask—and was actually a ruthless enemy who wanted to kill you with their own hands…
How much pain, sorrow, and anger would that bring?
The more Akashō thought about it, the more delighted he became. That faint sneer gradually twisted into something bold and grotesque.
Beside him, Minato Namikaze was almost no longer breathing. He stared blankly at Akashō, fury rapidly gathering in his eyes.
Akashō… is Neferpitou!?
"No… you're not Akashō. You're a fake! You took the real Akashō away and disguised yourself as him—yes, that must be it! It has to be!"
Minato himself might have been able to endure it, but he knew all too well how much space Akashō occupied in Kushina's heart.
And now, everything had shattered into nothing. It was all lies, all deception—how could Kushina possibly bear that?
This can't be real. Even if it is… it has to be denied!
"Where did you hide Akashō!?"
Watching Minato, whose face had twisted into something feral as he desperately tried to deny reality, a trace of amusement flickered in Akashō's cold eyes.
It worked.
"Face reality, Minato Namikaze. I am Akashō—the very same Uzumaki Akashō you know."
Akashō reached out and gently touched Kushina's cheek.
"Don't listen to him. I never lied to you. After all, I never said I wasn't part of the Dark Council. Heh heh heh…"
"Kushina, close your eyes! Don't listen to him!!"
Minato shouted in panic, nearly losing control of the seal on the Nine-Tails as he fought the urge to pull Kushina into his arms.
Amid the crying of a baby, the unwilling roars of the Nine-Tails, and the chaos of the surroundings, Kushina reached out and grasped Akashō's hand.
"Thank goodness."
Tears shimmered in her eyes, and a smile—somewhere between relief and peace—appeared on her face.
Akashō froze. The twisted grin on his face stiffened.
What did she mean?
"I was worried… if Minato and I died, whether you'd be in danger staying in the Hidden Leaf Village alone. Thank goodness… you have the strength to protect yourself. Thank goodness…"
"Kushina…"
Minato stood there in a daze. He never expected that at this moment—right before death, after realizing everything had been a lie—what Kushina would say wouldn't be curses or regret, but… concern?
And just like Minato, Akashō was equally stunned.
What kind of thinking was this woman operating on?
Did something in her head snap!?
This wasn't how it was supposed to go. She should've been in pain, she should've broken down—and then dragged Minato into that same despair!
Akashō's breathing quickened. A thread shot out from his fingertip. Enraged, he was about to slice off Kushina's head to completely enrage Minato—
But before he could act, Kushina's hand slipped weakly from the back of his hand. Her head drooped, and her breathing stopped.
Dead?
She's dead!?
Almost at the same moment, Minato Namikaze's Dead Demon Consuming Seal finally completed. The Nine-Tails was split in two and completely sealed away.
Looking at the two bodies that collapsed to the ground after the Nine-Tails disappeared, Akashō blankly raised his hand.
"That's it… it's over?"
"Damn it… all that effort for nothing. What a waste of emotion."
Akashō turned his gaze toward Naruto nearby. A father's debt is paid by the son—there was no point venting on corpses, so he might as well take it out on their kid.
But at that moment, his Observation Haki and En, spread across the surroundings, sent him a warning—large numbers of Hidden Leaf Village shinobi were approaching.
Makes sense. Minato hadn't teleported the Nine-Tails very far. Reinforcements were bound to arrive.
"Lucky you, kid. When you're a bit older, I'll come play with you properly."
Akashō turned and sprinted in the opposite direction of the incoming reinforcements. After circling around, he returned to the Hidden Leaf Village, quietly sat in his home, and pretended to know nothing, waiting for the turmoil to fully settle.
"Phew…"
Akashō let out a breath and formed hand seals, dispelling the Doflamingo shadow clone he had long since sent elsewhere.
A flood of fragmented memories and exhaustion washed over him, and sweat instantly broke out across his body.
"Compared to last time, the backlash is much weaker. Seems training the main body really is necessary."
He stood up, stretched his limbs, and rubbed his growling stomach before pulling out a scroll.
"Time for a midnight snack…"
...
At dawn, the Hidden Leaf Village—its houses destroyed for thousands of meters—gradually grew noisy.
Collecting corpses. Rebuilding homes. Treating the wounded. Consoling the families of the dead.
But above all, the most important matter—
The funeral of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and his wife.
"My condolences."
Kakashi, dressed in a black suit, walked into the mourning hall and patted Akashō on the shoulder.
----------------
Fanfic is finished on Patreon (188 chapters in total.)
Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)