"What? Kushina has disappeared?"
The news of the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki's disappearance traveled through Konoha's most secure channels at lightning speed. By the time it reached Minato Namikaze, who was currently on a classified mission near the Land of Earth, over half a day had passed.
Minato didn't hesitate. Abandoning his current mission as a matter of strategic priority, he used his space-time ninjutsu to appear instantly in the Hokage's office.
"She hasn't just vanished; she was teleported away during the battle," the Third Hokage said, puffing on his pipe, his face etched with worry. He couldn't help but wonder if sending Kushina to the front lines had been a mistake—though no one could have predicted she'd refuse to return to the village or that Tsunade would cover for her.
"You're the only one who can find her quickly, Minato. Go to the border of the Land of Wind immediately. Find her and bring her back to the village at once," Sarutobi ordered.
In the eyes of the village leadership, Hagoromo was, at best, a secondary concern.
"I understand," Minato replied. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.
Through several high-speed jumps, Minato appeared before Tsunade at the command center. Using the Flying Thunder God (Hiraishin) to travel such vast distances placed a significant strain on his body, but he didn't care. His heart was heavy with anxiety for Kushina.
"Minato, you're here," Tsunade said. The camp was still on high alert, but the sight of the "Yellow Flash" brought an immediate wave of relief to the exhausted troops.
"Tsunade-sama, what happened? Where is Kushina?" Minato's usual calm was replaced by a rare, sharp urgency.
Tsunade quickly summarized the events of the previous night.
"So, Hagoromo made the call?" Minato mused. "His judgment was sound, but it's a pity he had to rely on such a crude method to escape."
"I think she's alright," Minato continued. "Now that I'm closer, I can sense the Hiraishin formula I left on her. I'm going to her now."
The range of Minato's spatial sensing depends on his chakra output, but it has its limits. It was only upon arriving at the HQ that he finally picked up the faint "signal" of his mark. Without another word, he vanished again.
He reappeared in a strange, desolate space.
"The Land of Rain?" Minato muttered, adjusting his internal compass. Then, he saw her. "Kushina! Are you okay?"
Kushina jumped, nearly losing her footing in the silent environment. "Minato?! Could you give a girl a warning next time? If I weren't so familiar with your chakra, I would have punched you!"
Minato offered a wry, apologetic smile. "Are you hurt?"
"Me? No. But suppressing the Nine-Tails again drained a lot of my chakra. More importantly... it's Hagoromo."
"What about him?" While Hagoromo wasn't his primary mission, Minato knew the boy was his student's pupil—and a ninja of Konoha. He couldn't just abandon him.
"We were separated during the jump," Kushina explained, her voice tinged with worry. "I can't sense him anywhere within my immediate range. He was already badly injured on the battlefield. This place feels... wrong. It's not safe."
Minato sighed inwardly. He knew Kushina's personality; there was no way she would leave without finding her student.
"I'll take you back to the village first, then come back to find him," Minato suggested.
"And how will you find him? You've never been here, the terrain is bizarre, and your sensing range isn't as good as mine. He's my disciple; I'm not leaving him behind."
Minato knew he couldn't win this argument. "Fine. Wait here for a moment. I need to report back to Tsunade-sama so they know you're safe. I'll be back in five minutes, and then we'll find him together."
True to his word, Minato returned in less than five minutes.
"Too slow, Minato!" Kushina grumbled.
"I came as fast as I could," he said gently. He didn't mind the complaining; when it came to the people he loved, Minato had infinite patience.