Uzumaki Namikaze Estate.
The members of the Uzumaki Namikaze family sit in the living room in silence as disbelief stuns them. Minato had arrived not too long ago and informed them about Naruto's return after completing the mission he and his team took.
With Kushina's relentless pursuit of asking about the information surrounding Naruto's team mission, Minato informed them about what transpired in the Land of Waves.
Minato focuses on informing his family about the fact that Naruto manages to fight one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Village Hidden in the Mist on equal footing, or more specifically, the fact that Zabuza had to push himself beyond his limits just in order to keep up with Naruto.
Minato also informed them about the fact that Naruto killed Gato and freed the entire nation from the crime boss's tyrannical rule.
Minato added that Fugaku mentioned that their team's name became the basis of the naming of the bridge, which the latter heard from other travelers on the way back.
"No way... Big brother really did all that?!" Yayoi asks, her voice tinted in disbelief.
She and everyone in the class believe that Naruto is the weakest of their entire class, and yet here is her father informing them about his accomplishments, especially defeating Zabuza.
After digesting the information she learned, a feeling of pride swells up inside her and a smile appears on her face.
'Naruto was that strong? How?! '
Mito shakes her head in disbelief and recognizes the burn of a little jealousy. Naruto, the dead last, had faced one of the most feared men in the Ninja World and managed to win.
Mito had to accept that there's more to her eldest brother than she first thought.
Menma scoffs to himself inwardly. He didn't believe the news he heard from his father. In his mind there's no way the deadlast, the loser Naruto, can win against Zabuza, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Yet here is his father informing everyone what he heard from Fugaku.
Menma frowns. Perhaps it must have been due to luck, and it was greatly exaggerated.
'So the loser has actually improved for the first time in his life.' Menma chuckles inwardly. Naruto can enjoy doing something of note for once in his life; it doesn't matter to him.
He still doesn't compare to someone like Menma, who's the best damn Genin in the whole village and the best leaf ninja of his generation.
'I don't care what he did. He still doesn't hold a candle to me'
Kushina, on the other hand, had different feelings than her children. Her hair begins moving as though it has a life of its own, and rage slowly overtakes her.
The others in the room, seeing Kushina, know what it means and grow nervous.
"What?! You mean to tell me that the bastard Fugaku put my baby boy in danger?!" Kushina exclaims so loud that the clear glass cup on the table in front of them started to form cracks in the corner.
Kushina begins to make a beeline for the door with intent on making her way to the Uchiha Clan compound and meeting Fugaku.
"Kushina, calm down," Minato said calmly as he stood in her way.
"Get out of my way, Minato. I'm going to give that smug asshole a lesson!" Kushina yells, raising her fist. Minato helplessly smiles at this.
"Calm down. I've already spoken to Fugaku. Naruto is perfectly fine and safe. Nothing like this will ever happen again," Minato pleads.
Kushina stared at Minato's eyes for a few moments, trying to decipher if there's any falsehood in his words, and found nothing at all.
She sighs deeply as her hair straightens out. The trio who had been watching the entire time finally breathed a collective sigh of relief as the potential disaster had been averted.
Just as Kushina and Minato were about to return to the living room, an ANBU suddenly appeared, kneeling on one knee on the ground, attracting everyone's attention.
"Lord Hokage," the ANBU said in a respectful and professional manner.
"Yes, what is it?" Minato asks, and a foreboding feeling starts to spark within him.
"There's been a terrible incident. Jonin Kakashi Hatake was found gravely injured in the middle of the street."
"What?!" Minato stared at the ANBU with a shocked expression. Not only him but also Kushina and the three teenagers in the room.
"What happened?" Kushina asks, voice tinted with worries. She has known Kakashi since the latter became a genin under Minato's care back then and knows the regrets he had after failing to save his teammates during war.
This is also the reason why they occasionally invite Kakashi to heal his broken and injured heart.
So the fact that they heard the news about his situation was greatly worrying for both her and Minato.
"We still don't have any concrete information, but according to the eyewitness, Kakashi just suddenly appeared on the street gravely injured," ANBU responds.
"Where is he?" Minato asks in a serious tone, slightly surprising Yayoi, Mito, and Menma since they rarely hear their father this serious.
"He was currently in the Leaf Hospital under Lady Tsunade's care."
Kushina's eyes slightly show signs of relief, but she knew that Kakashi was still in a critical situation, and they could only be fully relieved when knowing his condition.
Kushina turned towards Minato and urged, "Minato, we have to go see him. We need to know his situation."
Minato nodded, understanding the urgency. "You're right. Let's go."
Minato already mentally prepared himself for any situation, be it bad or good. Still, Minato wanted to see a good outcome for his students more than anything else, but as someone who had been a ninja for years, he knew he had to be mentally prepared for the worst outcome.
Yayoi, Mito, and Menma stared at each other before looking at their parents with great resolve in their faces.
"Mom, Dad, can we come too?" Yayoi asks.
"Of course," Minato responds with a small smile. "We all go together."
With that, Minato extended his hand and summoned his chakra. In an instant, a golden light enveloped the family, and the Uzumaki Namikaze family vanished from their estate.
Leaf Hospital.
After arriving, the Uzumaki-Namikaze family quickly made their way through the halls. Nurses and patients stepped aside as they saw the Hokage. It did not take long before they reached Kakashi's room.
Tsunade was standing near the bed, her arms crossed, her expression serious. Shizune stood beside her.
"Tsunade..." Kushina said, cutting the silence in the room like a hot knife through butter.
This attracted Tsunade's and Shizune's attention, and they turned to see Kushina and her family—except for Naruto—step into the room.
"What is Kakashi's condition?" Kushina added, and her voice carried great worries, which Tsunade and Shizune felt.
"He's alive," Tsunade firmly said. "His condition is stable for now, but he still remains unconscious."
Minato, Kushina, and their three children let out a sigh of relief. Their worries about Kakashi finally resolve.
"When will he wake up?" Minato asks in a soft tone.
Tsunade's expression slightly darkened, which attracted everyone's attention, especially Minato, who had been staring intently at Tsunade.
"I don't know."
"What do you mean?" Minato's eyes narrowed slightly.
Tsunade looked at him with a serious expression. "According to one of the Yamanaka Clan members, Kakashi was most likely tortured before this. We don't know how long, but his mind shows signs of extreme trauma. If he had not been brought to the hospital quickly, he would have died without a doubt."
Kushina covered her mouth in shock. Yayoi and Mito stiffened, while Menma's expression grew tense.
"His arms and legs had been broken, several of the bones fractured multiple times. Several ribs were shattered, and his internal organs suffered significant damage. There was extensive internal bleeding, and we believe it was caused by being stabbed multiple times," Tsunade continued, her voice calm but heavy.
Silence filled the room.
Minato clenched his fists so tightly that blood began to flow from his fists. Despite the calm expression he had, if anyone who is close to him sees this, they will without a doubt know that Minato is currently angry beyond belief.
Kushina stared at Kakashi and began to wonder about the reason behind Kakashi's tragedy. From what she previously knew, Kakashi didn't leave the village to complete a mission.
'Did he discover a spy from other villages? If so, how in the world did they manage to deal with Kakashi? 'Kushina thoughts.
This was the conclusion she reached after thinking deeply, but she was still unable to answer how in the world Kakashi was defeated.
Kakashi's strength is at the high Jonin level and infinitely close to reaching the Kage level. Defeating Kakashi without anyone noticing is without a doubt the work of a Kage-level ninja.
Yet the question remains: how in the world did Kakashi suffer a terrible defeat without anyone knowing, especially within the village?
"Kushina, I need to leave," Minato said calmly, and Kushina nodded.
She knows that Minato, without a doubt, will begin investigating the reason behind Kakashi's situation.