Minato's gaze returned to Fugaku's house, and he fell silent, saying nothing more.
"I won't risk talking too much. Kushina somehow noticed that I'm not her real husband—who knows if Fugaku might be able to tell us apart too," Minato thought, not wanting to take any chances.
"It's kind of strange, isn't it? When you have a child, it's something frightening. Even for us who went to war," Fugaku commented as he looked at his house. His expression remained hard, yet in his eyes one could see affection.
"We've seen people die, we've killed others, and yet a child can make us afraid—afraid of how we should act, how their upbringing should be. Will I be a good father? These questions come to my mind from time to time," Fugaku said in an apprehensive tone.
Minato said nothing. He was about to let out an "yeah," but he didn't. He didn't know what to say. He hadn't really thought about what Fugaku was saying, but he knew he would have to start thinking about it because of Naruto.
He had become the father of a child, and at the very least he had to be a good father. He at least wanted to see if he could reach an agreement with Kushina or if he could make peace with her. Maybe even have something more with her—being himself, even if it was in another person's body. Okay… that was a little bizarre for Minato.
He couldn't help but scratch his head because of that thought.
Suddenly, Minato relaxed. He had just received the memories of one of the clones that had already captured all the ninjas, and the other two ninjas who had escaped from prison—this took Minato by surprise. He had expected the two to have fled, but they hadn't done so.
Minato formed a hand seal, and soon a shadow clone appeared before disappearing. Fugaku merely gave it a brief glance before looking away.
The clone already knew what he wanted to do with all the captives, before anything could go wrong.
And so the night passed until Kushina went out and Minato followed.
It was morning. The sky was covered with thick clouds, and rain fell steadily, as if the world itself were crying. It wasn't a strong storm, but it wasn't a light drizzle either; it was a persistent, silent, heavy rain that soaked the ground of Konoha's cemetery.
In front of a newly closed grave, several ninjas gathered wearing black attire. Most of them belonged to the Yamanaka clan. Silence dominated the environment, broken only by the sound of rain hitting the gravestones and the damp earth.
Minato was among those present. Beside him, Kushina held Naruto in her arms, protecting the baby as much as she could. Minato kept an umbrella open over the two of them, his expression serious and tired.
In front of them, crying openly, was a woman with blond hair. Beside her, her husband remained silent, his fist clenched and his eyes fixed on the grave. The rain soaked them completely, but neither of them seemed to care.
When the ceremony came to an end, the crowd began to disperse. Before leaving, the blond woman turned to Minato, wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hand.
"Thank you for coming, Hokage-sama."
Minato inclined his head slightly.
"It's nothing. This is the least I could do."
He hesitated for a moment before continuing, his voice lower and heavier.
"I… I'm sorry. If I had been more careful, your son would still be alive. I apologize for not being able to prevent this."
The woman stared at him for a few seconds, her expression tired and empty. Then she simply nodded her head.
"…"
She didn't say anything else. It wasn't clear whether there was forgiveness in that gesture or merely resignation. That was something only she and her husband knew.
Minato felt his stomach churn. Guilt burned inside him. In his mind, the thought repeated over and over: if he had left a clone, if he had made a different decision, that death would not have happened.
People began to leave the cemetery, passing by the couple.
"My condolences."
"May he rest in peace."
"If you need anything, we're here."
One by one, the ninjas moved away, until the cemetery was almost empty. In the end, only Minato and Kushina remained.
Minato placed his hand on Kushina's shoulder. In the next second, the two of them disappeared in a yellow flash, leaving the cemetery behind.
They appeared in Minato's house. The silence of the place contrasted with the weight of what they had just experienced. Kushina went straight to the bedroom and carefully laid Naruto in the crib. The baby slept peacefully, oblivious to everything.
Meanwhile, Minato already seemed ready to leave again, adjusting his posture as if he were about to disappear once more. Before he could do so, Kushina's voice echoed through the house.
"Stay for breakfast."
She said this without looking at him. Then she turned and walked toward the kitchen, her steps firm but carrying something hard to define.
Minato stood there, surprised. That wasn't what he had expected. He looked at Kushina, confused, trying to understand, but she didn't turn around even once.
In the kitchen, Kushina began preparing breakfast. Her movements were automatic, almost mechanical, while a mix of emotions stirred inside her. Part of her told herself that it meant nothing, that she was only repaying what he had done for her. He had saved her. That was all. It was the least she could do.
Minato ended up sitting at the table in silence, watching Kushina's back as she cooked. The sound of utensils filled the room.
Suddenly, she stopped.
"Stop staring at me."
Without turning around, Kushina resumed what she was doing, as if nothing had happened.
Minato frowned slightly and opened his mouth to speak.
"I don't—"
"Please, let's not start with this," she interrupted him, her voice firm but tired. "We'll talk later."
Minato fell silent. Saying he wasn't even a little irritated would be a lie. It wasn't as if it were his fault that he had died and his soul had ended up in that body. Even so, he swallowed his words and remained quiet.
Minutes passed. Little by little, the smell of hot food filled the house. Soon, a plate was placed on the table, forming a beautiful breakfast.
Minato began to eat in silence.
Kushina left the kitchen without saying anything else and went to the bedroom, leaving him alone.
After finishing his meal, Minato stood up. Before disappearing, he murmured:
"Thank you."
Then his body dissolved into a yellow flash, vanishing from the house as suddenly as he had arrived.