The rain fell heavily, hammering the asphalt and forming puddles that reflected the city's distorted lights. The constant sound of the drops mixed with the hurried murmur of voices, shouts, and phone calls to emergency services. In the center of a small circle formed by distressed people, a young man lay on the cold ground, his body stretched out and his eyes fixed on the cloudy sky, trying to focus on the lights flashing in the distance — but they became more and more blurred, weaker, as if they were drifting away. Darkness, slow and relentless, began to close in around his vision.
Water streamed down his face without stopping. He could feel the cold of the drops, but he couldn't tell if all that liquid came from the rain or if part of it was his own tears. On his chest, the white shirt was stained with a vivid red, the blotch expanding by the second as if it had a life of its own, spreading beyond the fabric, warm and sticky. The blood seeped into every fiber, contrasting with the cold that was taking over his fingers.
"What the hell…" he thought, with a bitter smile that looked more like a grimace of pain. "Bastard… so much to do, and he comes to shoot me. And the worst part… I'm not even guilty of anything."
The metallic taste of blood began to mix with his saliva. Each breath seemed to demand an effort that drained a bit more of his strength.
"Damn… besides being a cuckold, he's blind…" he continued in thought, the bitterness growing. "How can he mistake me for someone else? And he didn't even help me… the coward still ran away."
He never imagined he would one day end up like this: mistaken for someone else and paying the price in their place. And even while bleeding, he couldn't help but wish that the shooter would continue to be cheated on for the rest of his life, just to feel a fraction of the injustice he himself felt now.
"What an unfair life…" he murmured internally. "The guy who slept with another man's wife is alive and well… and I'm here, all messed up."
The only thing that brought him any comfort were the city lights. Funny… he had always thought they were ugly, aggressive, without any charm. But now, even blurred and flickering, they had a strange glow… almost beautiful. Maybe it was a sign that he really was dying.
"Don't sleep! The ambulance is on its way!" — a female voice shouted nearby, muffled by the noise of the rain.
Hands tried to hold his shoulder, shaking him slightly, as if that could keep life from escaping him. He knew he couldn't close his eyes. He was fully aware that if he did, he would never open them again. He tried to say something, but nothing more than a faint groan escaped his throat. The air grew heavier, his body weaker.
"No strength… not even to speak…" he thought, feeling the numbness advance. "And this sleep… it's so… inviting…"
His vision dissolved, like ink being diluted in water. The outlines around him faded, the voices turned into distant echoes. A dark mantle began to swallow everything, leaving only one last thread of consciousness.
"I wanted… to see her… at least… one last time…" he murmured, his voice failing.
The final thought that cut deeper into his chest than the pain of the wound itself was knowing that he would die without seeing his mother. That woman who had always been by his side, in both the good and the worst moments, who had never abandoned him. And now… he wouldn't even be able to say a last goodbye.
The rain kept falling, washing the blood off the asphalt, as the city lights went out for him for good.
"… How strange. I was saved?"
He opened his eyes. In front of him was a beautiful fair-skinned woman, with red hair spread over the place where she was lying. Candles could be seen in the room, along with two women dressed in white who were beside the red-haired woman he recognized instantly.
"If that's Kushina… then I am?" he thought, as he reached out to touch two strands of blond hair that hung beside his head. He could only be Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki's husband, and also the current Fourth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village.
"Minato…" Kushina said with a worried look, gazing at Minato, who stood frozen, staring at his own hands. She wondered to herself if he was alright.
Minato came out of his thoughts. He saw that she had extended her hand for him to hold, so she could feel safe during childbirth. Minato stood still. Having a child is very important for both the mother and the father, but he only had the father's body.
Looking at that beautiful hand, Minato felt he shouldn't touch it. Even though he had turned into Minato, taking over his body was already too much; and now, his wife as well? Minato felt quite uncomfortable.
Even feeling that he shouldn't, he was now Minato. Whether he liked it or not, the fairest thing he could do was to take on his responsibilities.
After a second of hesitation, Minato held Kushina's hand.
"So soft," Minato thought. He felt her blue eyes on him, which made him turn his face away without reacting.
"Are you anxious to see your child? I am… Oh my! How embarrassing, me talking about this. We've been talking about his birth for months." Kushina said, trying to hide her red face. A smile wouldn't leave her lips because of the happiness; she couldn't be happier than she was today.
Kushina squeezed Minato's hand while smiling at him — a smile that was engraved in Minato's mind, but also made him feel worse.
But deep down, he felt happy — although it wasn't his own emotion, but the original Minato's. Even without Minato's memories, he had his emotions.
A smile spread across Minato's face as he said:
"Yes, I'm also very happy. Our little one will be born."
A lie. Happy? He was. But was it him? No, just the feelings of the other Minato, feelings that came with the body.
"I'm anxious too. I can't wait… Oh! I can't stand so much excitement!" Kushina said, emotional, while mentally creating several possible things she wanted to do.
While she was lost in her happy thoughts, Minato placed both hands on the shoulders of the women who would assist in Kushina's childbirth, before removing them.
"Hokage-sama?" The two women looked at him in confusion.
"I just want to thank you for what you're doing. Thank you."
"It's our duty, Hokage-sama."
A dark feeling descended over him, as if some beast were staring at him, ready to devour him.
For Minato, it was the first time he had felt this, but he was certain it was a common occurrence, from what it seemed the original received this kind of look quite often.
"Minato… what are you doing?" These words came out of Kushina's mouth as if they were mere casual words, but her hair, which was raised as if it had a life of its own, conveyed nothing that could be considered ordinary.
"I just thanked them," he played down.
Kushina fell silent. She understood, but turning her face away, she muttered with a pout:
"It better be just that."
Minato heard her complaint, but said nothing. Even if the original Minato were there, he wouldn't have said anything either.
"Ouch!" Kushina groaned in pain from her belly, which had started hurting, and the women began preparing for the delivery.
Minato became alert. Even tho
ugh he wasn't the original Minato, he would take on the responsibilities of the body.