Ch 170 : Birth

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

Minato woke up, lying on the hospital bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Aside from a general weakness, his body felt fine.

He lifted the hospital gown, revealing a sealing mark on his abdomen, rendering him completely unable to use chakra.

The ward was quiet.

The window was open, allowing a refreshing breeze to blow in occasionally.

Kushina entered from the doorway, her face lighting up with joy upon seeing Minato awake.

She hurried to his bedside.

"Minato!"

"Kushina..."

"You're okay, Minato. That's such a relief." Kushina was moved to tears.

"..."

Minato's expression remained particularly calm.

He reached out to wipe the tears from Kushina's face.

"How is the village now?" he asked.

"Right now..." Kushina hesitated.

The whole village was abuzz with rumors labeling Minato and Orochimaru as traitors.

The former hero of Konoha had become the subject of everyone's disdain.

Seeing Kushina's hesitant expression, Minato could already guess what was happening.

He figured there were probably plenty of Anbu agents stationed around the ward, keeping him under surveillance.

He had become nothing more than meat on the chopping block, waiting to be carved up.

Noticing Minato lower his head in silence, Kushina gripped his hand, trying to comfort him.

"Don't worry, Minato. Everything will be okay. You used to protect me—now it's my turn to protect you."

Minato responded with a faint, forced smile.

Given the current situation in the village, even Kushina, as a jinchuriki, would likely be reduced to a tool in the hands of those in power.

He never imagined things would come to this.

Initially, Minato had only wanted to kill Orochimaru, even at the cost of his own life.

However, after that battle, he couldn't shake the feeling that Orochimaru might not be dead.

Thinking back on everything Orochimaru had done left Minato perplexed.

After pondering for a long time, he asked, "Did Hyuga Makoto say how he plans to deal with me?"

Kushina hesitated and replied, "He said... he would protect us."

Protect them... so they could continue living in Konoha as criminals?

That would be worse than death!

Frowning deeply, Minato thought to himself.

His body had yet to fully recover, but once the opportunity arose, he would have Kushina help him undo the seal on his body.

Then he would seize the chance to escape from Konoha with her and live far away.

He knew he was a complete loser now, but as long as he could be with Kushina, nothing else mattered.

Later that morning, medical personnel came to check on Minato's condition.

Upon discovering that all the toxins in his body had been purged, they informed the ninja outside.

"Namikaze Minato, you're being moved to another location," two Anbu members said bluntly as they walked in.

"Where are you taking Minato?" Kushina quickly asked.

"He's still a criminal," one of the Anbu replied coldly.

"Naturally, he needs to be kept under strict guard. This is Lord Makoto's decision."

"I want to stay with Minato!" Kushina insisted.

"That's not possible," the Anbu said firmly.

"Until Lord Makoto makes the final decision, Namikaze Minato must be held in solitary confinement. You've already been given special permission to stay with him this long."

Minato, knowing the situation was beyond reversal, sighed quietly and reassured Kushina, "It's okay, Kushina. They won't kill me for now."

Kushina's face was filled with worry as she tightly gripped his hand.

"Minato, I'll beg Makoto to release you."

Minato smiled gently, though he held no real hope in his heart.

Minato was taken away by the Anbu, leaving Kushina feeling uneasy.

She initially planned to seek out Makoto, but since the order to imprison Minato had come from him, she figured she would only hit a dead end.

After thinking it over, Kushina changed her course and headed to the Uchiha residence.

Mikoto was a bit surprised to see Kushina, but after a brief moment, she quickly understood the reason for her visit.

"Kushina, what brings you here?"

Mikoto invited Kushina inside.

Kushina glanced toward the study and asked, "Is Fugaku not home?"

Mikoto sighed wearily. "He's busy with work outside. You know how chaotic things are in the village lately."

After pouring a cup of tea for Kushina, Mikoto noticed her friend's troubled expression and sighed. "You're here because of Minato, aren't you?"

Kushina nodded repeatedly.

Mikoto gave a bitter smile. "Kushina, there's nothing we can do to help. Who would dare plead for Minato under these circumstances?"

Early that morning, Mikoto had heard that the walls of the Nara Clan's compound had been covered in graffiti with words like "Traitor" and "Get Out of Konoha."

No one would dare go against the will of the people now.

Kushina's expression darkened, and she murmured softly, "I understand..."

Mikoto then added, "Don't lose heart just yet. This matter isn't entirely hopeless. Although coming to us won't help, I can point you in the right direction."

Kushina looked up at her. "Who?"

"Ayari!"

Kushina was momentarily stunned. "Ayari..."

Mikoto continued, "Honestly, I don't really believe the rumors about what Minato supposedly did. If you just explain things clearly to Ayari, with how kind-hearted she is, she'll definitely help you."

Kushina's eyes lit up. "You're right, Mikoto."

Ayari was Makoto's wife, so her words undoubtedly carried more weight than most people's.

Kushina then said, "Mikoto, come with me."

"Huh?"

"I'm not good with words. I'm afraid I'll mess things up. Come and help me."

"..."

The two were close friends, and Mikoto couldn't bear to see Kushina in such a state. In the end, she agreed.

It had been some time since Kushina last saw Ayari.

She had been trapped in Orochimaru's laboratory for days and was only released yesterday.

Upon arriving at the Hyuga Clan grounds again, Kushina noticed a significant difference from before.

The place had become much livelier, with ninjas frequently passing by the corridors.

Many of them weren't even members of the Hyuga Clan.

Mikoto explained, "The village's administrative center has been moved to the Hyuga compound since the Hokage building was destroyed."

Such a bold move, yet no one dared to voice any objections.

When Ayari saw Kushina, she was delighted and held her hand, playfully complaining about how long it had been since they'd last met.

Ayari's belly had grown much larger, with her due date drawing near.

Kushina felt awkward, unsure how to broach the topic.

After what had happened with Makoto, Kushina had been reluctant to visit Ayari, not knowing how to face her.

The three sat together and chatted for a while, before Kushina finally brought up the real reason for her visit.

"Ayari, I need to ask you for a favor."

Ayari couldn't help but laugh. "Why are you saying 'ask' like that? Just tell me what you need, and I'll help."

"It's... about Minato."

"Minato?" Ayari looked puzzled.

"What happened to Minato?"

Her expression suggested she wasn't aware of what had been happening in the village recently.

Mikoto thought it might be because Ayari was pregnant and Makoto had intentionally kept her in the dark to avoid affecting her mood.

Kushina wondered if revealing this situation to Ayari could upset Makoto if he found out...

Seeing Ayari completely unaware of the situation, Kushina explained everything that had happened recently, repeatedly emphasizing that Minato was innocent and wrongly accused.

Not far away, Ayari's sister, Ayano, silently left, heading to the front yard.

After hearing what Kushina had to say, Ayari was shocked. "Such a thing happened? Makoto never told me about this..."

Kushina pleaded, "Ayari, please help me and Minato. Right now, Makoto is the one who has the final say in the village. Please, ask him to show mercy."

Ayari didn't immediately agree.

Instead, she fell silent.

She wasn't just some naive, sweet person.

She understood the gravity of the situation.

Even though her position was special and Makoto might listen to her, it didn't mean she could help her friend without limits.

Ayari then smiled at Kushina. "Kushina, didn't Makoto already promise? If he said it, he'll do it."

Kushina, still anxious about Minato's life, couldn't calm down.

She suddenly knelt in front of Ayari, adopting a humble position.

"Please, Ayari."

Seeing her friend in such a desperate state made Ayari feel uncomfortable, and Mikoto beside her also felt awkward, but both understood how Kushina was feeling.

Ayari hurriedly stood up, trying to help her, but her body wasn't cooperating. She couldn't bend down or turn her body, and her hands couldn't reach her.

"Kushina, don't do this, get up first... ugh~"

Mikoto, startled, quickly rushed over to help Ayari.

"Ayari, what's wrong?"

"Don't move, it hurts a little," Ayari said, her body stiffening as she continued to suck in cold breaths.

"Did your water break?" Mikoto, having gone through this before, quickly looked under Ayari's dress.

"It's fine, don't rush. We have doctors at home. Where's my sister?" Ayari said, forcing herself to stay calm.

Kneeling on the ground, Kushina was frozen in shock, staring at the scene before her.

She saw some unclear liquid flowing from beneath Ayari's wide dress.

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