The special care ward area of Star City's First Hospital was filled with a clean scent mingling antiseptic with the faint aroma of medicinal herbs.
The corridor was wide and bright, and through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, one could overlook the skyline of most of the city, revitalized under the warm winter sun.
The door at the end, marked [Special Care Room No. 3], was slightly ajar, faint murmurs emanating from within.
Natsuhi pushed the door open gently and entered.
The light inside the room was soft, the heating having chased away the chill from outside. On the small hospital bed, Chino was sleeping soundly, her pale little face nestled in the soft pillow, her breathing even.
Only her brows occasionally furrowed unconsciously, as if she were still experiencing the battle to the death from the snowy forest in her dreams. Her injured left leg was properly bandaged and fixed on a support.
By the bed, three figures turned their heads upon hearing the sound.
Oyashiro En sat on the chair closest to his daughter, still wearing his signature diamond-shaped sunglasses, but they couldn't conceal the concern between his brows.
He was dressed in dark casual clothes, his back straight, carrying the restrained temperament characteristic of a shinobi clan.
His wife, a woman with a gentle demeanor whose eyes and brows somewhat resembled Chino's, was carefully wiping the fine sweat from Chino's temple with a moist cotton swab.
Standing by the window was a tall, sturdy young Ninja with neat black short hair. He wore the standard Star Village's flak jacket, his face resolute and his gaze steady.
It was Natsuhi's husband, Hotarubi. He was holding a thermal insulated bucket, clearly having just brought some soup.
"Natsuhi-sensei…" Oyashiro En and his wife greeted softly simultaneously, with respect.
"En-san, Madam." Natsuhi walked to the bedside, her gaze falling on Chino's bandaged leg. The stark white bandages made her heart clench.
She took a deep breath, bowed deeply to Oyashiro En and his wife, her reddish-brown long hair falling over her shoulders, her voice heavy with apology: "I am deeply sorry! I made an error in judgment on this mission, causing Chino to be so severely injured and overexert her power... As the Jonin Instructor, I am solely responsible!"
The ward fell silent for a moment, only the sound of Chino's steady breathing could be heard.
"Natsuhi-sensei…" Oyashiro En's voice was low and calm, devoid of blame, instead carrying a kind of transparency born from experiencing the vicissitudes of life: "Please, raise your head!"
Natsuhi straightened up as told.
Oyashiro En's gaze behind his sunglasses fell on Natsuhi's face, "The path of a Ninja is inherently a thorny road accompanied by blood and pain. From the moment she chose to wear the forehead protector, bleeding, injury, and even death have become a fate she must face and endure."
"If she cannot even endure this level of hardship, then she is unworthy of becoming a true Ninja! Flowers raised in a greenhouse cannot withstand real storms."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over his sleeping daughter, his tone softening, even carrying a trace of imperceptible relief: "On the contrary, this experience, though dangerous, allowed her to truly activate the power of the Ketsuryugan at a critical moment of life and death. This transformation is crucial for her, and for our Chinoike Clan. In a sense, I must even thank you, Natsuhi-sensei. You provided her with a battlefield to face life and death and break through her limits. It is Chino's fortune to be your student."
"En-san..." Natsuhi felt mixed emotions… partly relief from having a burden lifted, but even more so, deep respect for this father's open-mindedness and depth.
Chino's mother also walked over, gently taking Natsuhi's arm, her gentle face full of understanding and gratitude: "Yes, Natsuhi-sensei, please don't blame yourself too much. Our daughter was willful, insisting on graduating early to undertake missions. That she returned safely this time is all thanks to your protection and that of her teammates. As parents, we only hope she can grow from every experience."
Hotarubi also walked to Natsuhi's side, silently squeezing her hand, conveying wordless support.
Just then, the hospital door was gently knocked twice, then pushed open.
Shunji and Hazuki peeked in cautiously from the doorway. Both had changed into clean casual clothes. Shunji's left arm was wrapped in thick bandages and slung across his chest, his face sporting several bruises. He seemed somewhat uncomfortable around his waist when walking, but his spirits were good. Hazuki had a small bandage on her temple and held a large bouquet of winter cherry blossoms in full bloom.
In Shunji's other unharmed hand, he carried a fruit basket filled with fresh fruits.
Seeing so many people in the room, the two were visibly startled for a moment, then stood up straight somewhat awkwardly.
"Reporting! Natsuhi-sensei! En-san! Madam!" They shouted in unison, their voices loud, carrying the respect of Genin facing superiors and seniors.
"It's you two, come in quickly." Natsuhi greeted them, a warm smile appearing on her face.
The two entered the room and placed the flowers and fruits on the bedside cabinet.
Hazuki looked at the sleeping Chino and said quietly, "Chino-chan still hasn't woken up yet?"
"She just fell asleep not long ago. Let her rest more." Chino's mother answered softly.
Shunji glanced with a complicated expression at Chino's pale face, then quickly scanned the bandages on her leg.
His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just awkwardly averted his gaze and muttered, "This little brat... sure can sleep."
Natsuhi took the opportunity to introduce them to Oyashiro En and his wife: "En-san, Madam, these two are Chino's teammates. Shunji, Hazuki. They both performed exceptionally well on this mission, especially at the critical moment, they exhausted their full strength to protect Chino."
Oyashiro En's gaze fell on Shunji's sling and the injuries on his face, then on the bandage on Hazuki's temple. He nodded gravely: "You've worked hard. It is Chino's good fortune to have comrades like you. Thank you for looking after her on the battlefield." His tone was sincere and solemn.
"Yes, children, thank you!" Chino's mother also quickly expressed her gratitude.
Shunji was somewhat flustered by this sudden, solemn thanks. A rare blush appeared on his dark face as he stammered, "It's… it's nothing, it's what we should do… and it was all thanks to Chino that we repelled the enemy-"
His previous disdain and rejection of Chino now seemed particularly childish and glaring in the face of her parents' sincere gratitude.
Hazuki, however, smiled generously: "Auntie, you're too kind. We're teammates! Protecting each other is what we should do! Chino-chan was amazing at the end, and if it weren't for her, we might have all-"
"Cough!"
Natsuhi cleared her throat lightly, interrupting Hazuki and changing the subject.
"Right, regarding the follow-up to this mission. The military has reassessed the mission's progress. Considering the unexpected encounter with the Land of Snow's Jonin and the intensity of the combat, the final mission rank has been elevated to A-Rank."
She looked at Shunji and Hazuki: "The corresponding mission reward and contribution points will be issued according to the A-Rank standard. Additionally, Chino needs time to recuperate and recover, and you two are also injured. For the next half month, the team will not be assigned fixed missions. You can arrange your own time for rest, basic training, whatever you need. If you want to take on missions, you can take some D-Rank or C-Rank missions. With your current skills, you should be able to handle them alone with ease."
"Or, when the military department has suitable team-based B-Rank Missions, I will notify you to participate."
"A-Rank?!" Shunji's eyes lit up, and even the pain from his injuries seemed to lessen. The reward and contribution points for an A-Rank Mission were a huge fortune for Genin like them!
"Great!" Hazuki also laughed happily: "Thank you, Natsuhi-sensei!"
"Rest well and absorb the gains from this real combat experience." Natsuhi advised, "Especially you, Shunji, don't push your luck just because you have a sturdy body."
"Got it, sensei," Shunji scratched his head, unusually refraining from talking back.
The atmosphere in the ward was warm and harmonious.
Oyashiro En and his wife thanked Natsuhi and the two children again for their visit.
After exchanging a few more words, Natsuhi and Hotarubi left the ward with Shunji and Hazuki, allowing Chino to rest quietly.
…
Almost the moment Natsuhi stepped out of the Shura's office...
In the top-floor office of the tallest building in Star City's administrative district.
Before the huge floor-to-ceiling window, Menma removed his iconic white three-eyed fox mask, revealing his handsome young face.
Beneath his black, spiky hair, his blue eyes were as deep as the sea, reflecting the magnificent sight of Star City's winter dusk outside the window: the setting sun's afterglow gilding the city with a warm golden edge, cooking smoke curling upwards, Ninjas returning from training like ants returning to their nest, and the faint, orderly shouts coming from the distant military district.
He quietly watched this city that had risen to prominence under his guidance for a while, then turned around.
On the large, modern desk lay the ancient scroll presented by Kanon, its map drawn with simple and rustic lines and annotated with the Uzumaki Clan's unique cipher text.
His fingertip lightly traced over a location on the map that was heavily circled: the forest downstream of the Naka River.
In the next instant, the young man's figure instantly vanished from this office that overlooked the entire city, as if he had never been there.
…
Land of Fire, outskirts of Konoha Village.
Deep within the Naka River's forest.
Towering ancient trees blocked most of the sky's light, making the forest appear deep and gloomy even during the day. The thick layer of fallen leaves emitted a damp, decaying smell. A stream rushed over scattered rocks, creating noise. This place was far from human habitation, a natural barrier for wild beasts and Ninjutsu experiments.
Menma's figure moved through it. He had changed into dark casual clothes suitable for movement and restrained all the sharp aura belonging to [Shura], appearing like an ordinary Konoha youth.
[Mind's Eye of Kagura]
He closed his eyes. An intangible perception power, like the most precise radar wave, exploded outward from him!
Everything within a radius of over a hundred kilometers, the veins of giant trees, the course of streams, the squirming of insects underground, even the faint remnants of Chakra in the air, all this information flooded into his mind like a tide, constructing an incredibly clear holographic map.
Following the guidance of the scroll's map, he traced the path along the turbulent, cold stream of the Naka River, moving upstream, shuttle through dense woods and strange rocks.
Menma's Mind's Eye of Kagura meticulously scanned every inch of land, searching for any traces that matched an ancient barrier or abnormal Chakra Fluctuations.
Whoosh.
A small, furry head poked out from his thick black hair.
The small, dark red Nine-Tails blinked her large, watery eyes, curiously observing the gloomy forest around her. Her small nose twitched, as if she had smelled something.
"Kokyu, did you sense something?" Menma asked in a low voice, his steps not faltering. (T/N: Menma called her Little-Nine, so I made it Kokyu, which is Little-Nine in Japanese.)
"Mhmm!" The small Nine-Tails nodded vigorously, her fluffy tail gently brushing against Menma's earlobe. Her voice held a childlike wonder and a trace of instinctive wariness: "Such a strange power... cool, sticky, with a little bit of a death smell? It's different from Chakra! I've never encountered it in that world before!"
A knowing smile tugged at the corner of Menma's mouth: "That's the aura of the [Shinigami]. An ancient local deity of the Ninja World, an existence that controls part of the rules of the boundary between life and death. The target of our trip is related to him."
Deep within the forest, an extremely weak energy fluctuation, carrying a unique 'emptiness' and 'death' aura, reached them. It stood out starkly against the surrounding vibrant natural energy.
Menma landed on the ground. Before him stood a dilapidated temple-like structure. The red emblem pattern above was faintly recognizable… it was the Uzumaki Clan's symbol.
After entering the Mask Hall, the air inside was stale, filled with a strong smell of dust and mold. The sealing formulas on the structure had long since faded, but one could still feel the powerful sealing power they once contained.
And on the wall directly opposite the entrance hung densely packed rows of ferocious-looking masks!
These masks varied in form, their material resembling both wood and bone, presenting an old and worn grayish-white color.
Without exception, their expressions were fierce and twisted, the pair of horns on their foreheads varying in shape. Their hollow eye sockets and gaping mouths seemed to silently mock the insignificance of the living.
The gloomy and cold, empty, energy fluctuation carrying the aura of death rules was emanating from these countless masks!
The erosion of time had covered many masks in dust, but unlike the building itself, they were not broken. They even contained that faint, heart-palpitating aura.
"Wow! So many ugly masks!" The small Nine-Tails poked half her body out from the top of Menma's head, looking at the masks on the wall with curiosity and a bit of distaste. Her small finger pointed at one of them.
"That one! That one has the strongest aura!"
Menma's gaze also fell upon the mask indicated by the small Nine-Tails.
It was located slightly above the center of the wall. Its expression seemed somewhat 'calmer' than the other masks, but that profound aura of death was the most restrained and refined.
"The Uzumaki Clan's Mask Hall dedicated to the Shinigami is indeed well-deserving of its reputation," Menma murmured.
He quickly retrieved a specially made storage scroll from his ninja tool pouch.
Forming hand seals, the scroll unfurled.
"Seal!"
With his soft cry, powerful Chakra enveloped the entire wall of masks.
The masks on the wall, as if pulled by an invisible force, automatically detached one after another, transforming into streams of grayish-white light that were continuously sucked into the unfurled scroll!
Including the mask with the strongest aura that Kokyu had pointed out.
A moment later, the entire wall was bare, leaving only some rotten wooden nails used to hang the masks.
The gloomy aura that had lingered in the stone chamber also dissipated significantly.
The scroll closed automatically.
Menma stored it away, took one last look at this stone chamber that held the ancient secrets of the Uzumaki Clan, and his figure vanished.
…
Star City, deep underground in the military district, advanced laboratory area.
The air here was constantly cool, filled with the scent of antiseptic and the faint hum of precision instruments in operation.
Cold white lights illuminated the spotless alloy corridors and heavy isolation doors.
In the innermost core laboratory, Menma stood quietly before a wide alloy experiment table.
In his hand, he toyed with that particularly unique Shinigami Mask he had brought back from the Uzumaki Clan's Mask Hall.
The grayish-white mask felt cold to the touch, its material neither metallic nor wooden.
He tried injecting Chakra into the mask, even using his mental power to sense it, but the feedback he received was only an even deeper 'emptiness' and a faint sense of rejection.
"The rules of local deities are indeed different from the pure Chakra System," Menma's brows furrowed slightly.
Directly communicating with the Shinigami through the mask, or locating and contacting souls devoured by the Shinigami, seemed more difficult than he had anticipated.
'The Shinigami's power rules seemed to form their own system, with extremely strong isolation properties.'
'It seems I'll have to use Orochimaru's method from the Fourth Great Ninja War.'
'Use the Shinigami Mask to sacrifice a fairly capable Ninja to summon the Shinigami, then open the Shinigami's stomach to release the sealed soul of Minato.'
'Then, use the Impure World Reincarnation Technique, the forbidden technique pioneered by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, and improved by Orochimaru, to reanimate Minato.'
Menma had many questions he wanted to ask Minato and Kushina. For example, why they had chosen to both die back then when a child had been kidnapped, why the Third Hokage, Hiruzen, seemed unaware of the other child's existence and hadn't searched for that child.
But, he was also hesitant, unsure how to communicate with Minato.
In the [Limited Tsukuyomi World] where he had spent fifteen years, that Minato valued family more.
But in this world, Minato valued Konoha more.
'Would the cheap father try to stop the things I was doing, the things I was about to do?'
Menma put down the Shinigami mask and thought for a moment: 'It seems before releasing Minato's soul and reanimating this cheap father, I should first reanimate Kushina and ask her.'
After all, whether in that world or this one, Kushina's personality was roughly the same.
Menma no longer hesitated. First, through the imprinted Chakra Network, he ordered the Star Anbu Commander, Hoshigaki Kisame, to bring a prisoner from the prison area.
Then, he extended the index finger of his right hand. His fingertip condensed highly concentrated dark red Chakra, like the most precise engraving tool, and he began to carve on the ground.
Complex technique formulas and symbols quickly took shape under the outline of the Chakra Flame, their lines smooth, emitting a gloomy and ominous aura.
After finishing the carving, he took out the storage scroll and retrieved a special test tube. Inside, soaked in a solution, was a tissue sample only the size of a fingernail.
It was the small amount of cell tissue belonging to Kushina that he had obtained from Orochimaru in a transaction.
Speaking of that guy Orochimaru, he had tissue cells from the First Hokage to the Fourth Hokage. He actually had taken Kushina's tissue cells as well.
Menma gently placed this precious sample at the center of the summoning array.
Click-
Not long after, the door opened.
"Sir!" Kisame, wearing his Anbu's flak jacket and carrying the Samehada bestowed by Menma, entered the laboratory dragging a bound, black-haired Ninja.
"This is the prisoner you requested," Kisame said, tossing Shiso onto the ground.
This guy was one of the three former traitors from Hoshigakure, with roughly Special Jonin-level strength. He had been imprisoned ever since and now had came in handy.
"Mmm, you may leave now." Menma said without turning around.
"Yes!" Kisame was efficient and never asked unnecessary questions.
After Kisame left and the door closed, Menma dragged Shiso to the center of the summoning array, placing him over the cell sample.
"Sir! Spare me, sir!" Shiso, who had been imprisoned for over a year and was barely clinging to life, pleaded for mercy.
Menma, following the Impure World Reincarnation Technique provided by Orochimaru, began forming hand seals.
Tiger - Snake - Dog - Dragon!
He slammed his right hand onto the ground.
"Impure World Reincarnation Technique!