Kushina caught him before Minato could collapse completely to the ground.
His body was still warm, heavy, and for a moment she felt as if the entire world was about to crumble along with him. Beside her, the clone that had come to fetch her moved quickly, grabbing the enemy's lifeless body and carrying it away.
Kushina frowned, confused.
"Why are you taking his body?" she asked, her voice low but filled with tension.
The clone didn't hesitate.
"It's better not to leave it here. Later… the original will explain."
She wanted to insist, wanted to demand answers, but Minato's condition pulled her back to reality. Her eyes dropped to his wounds.
The wooden stakes.
Shock cut through Kushina like a cold blade. Wood… that wasn't normal. That wasn't something just any ninja could do.
She slowly lifted her gaze, staring at the masked man still there, motionless, hidden behind that silent mask. A heavy feeling settled in her chest.
Someone using Wood Style…?
The thought seemed impossible.
But there was no time for that now.
Kushina pressed her hand against Minato's chest, desperately searching for any sign.
Heartbeats.
Weak… but they were there.
A trembling sigh escaped her, and part of the panic consuming her dissolved, even if only a little.
He was alive.
Still.
Before she could say anything, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. A brief gesture, almost comforting… and then, in an instant, the clone vanished along with the enemy's body.
The clone returned to take Kushina and Minato.
---
Konoha's hospital had begun functioning again.
After the chaos, after the destruction and terror, the streets were slowly filling with life once more. People Minato had saved were returning to their homes… at least those that still existed.
The areas near Minato's residence, where the battle had taken place, were reduced to ruins.
Inside the hospital, medical ninja hurried around him, applying techniques, stopping the bleeding, trying to keep his body steady against the death that stubbornly insisted on drawing closer.
Kushina remained at his side, fists clenched, eyes red with strain.
After long minutes, one of the medics stepped back, his face far too serious.
"We… can't do more than this."
Kushina's heart sank.
"His chakra isn't recovering," another medical ninja continued. "And the wounds… they aren't simple."
The silence grew heavy.
"Especially the one in his abdomen," the first said carefully. "It affected several organs. There's risk even with treatment."
Kushina felt the air leave her lungs.
"Then… then what can be done?" Her voice came out almost as a whisper.
The medics exchanged glances.
And then, as if it were the only possible answer, one of them spoke:
"There is only one person who could treat this without trouble…"
Kushina already knew before she even heard the name.
"Tsunade."
The name echoed through the room like a distant hope… and at the same time, a cruel one.
Because Tsunade hadn't been seen in years.
And Minato was running out of time.
If you want, I can continue the scene with Kushina reacting to this news and deciding what to do.
Kushina remained still for a few seconds, as if her body had forgotten how to breathe.
Tsunade's name still echoed in her mind like something she couldn't reach.
She lifted her eyes to the medics, her voice firm despite the tremor trying to escape.
"Where… where can I find her?"
The medical ninja glanced at one another, and the silence that followed was worse than any answer.
One of them sighed.
"We don't know."
Another added, almost regretfully:
"Tsunade-sama hasn't been seen in years. She vanished from the shinobi world. No one is sure where she is."
The words fell like stones.
Kushina felt the ground disappear beneath her feet.
Without Tsunade… there was no guarantee.
Without a guarantee… there was only fear.
She left the hospital with Naruto in her arms, the little one so calm, so unaware of the storm consuming the world around him. The streets still carried the smell of destruction, but Konoha was alive.
Minato had saved everyone.
But who would save Minato?
When she arrived home, before she could even cross the doorway, a presence appeared in front of her.
The clone.
The same calm gaze, as if nothing that happened mattered to the original.
"I'll search," he said. "Me and the other clones. We'll find her."
Kushina held Naruto tighter against her chest, taking a deep breath.
"Alright…" she murmured. "But when you do… let me know."
The clone looked at her in silence.
Kushina continued, her voice more determined:
"I'll speak to Tsunade myself. No matter where she is."
The clone simply nodded, without arguing.
And then vanished.
---
Inside the house, Kushina tried to act as if everything were normal.
She gathered some clean clothes, prepared what she needed, and then sat down with Naruto in her arms.
She nursed him slowly, watching every small movement, every soft breath.
After laying him down carefully, Kushina returned to the hospital.
She couldn't stay away.
Minato lay there, sleeping deeply, his face pale, his body wrapped in bandages.
He seemed so distant.
As if he could disappear at any moment.
Kushina sat beside him, holding his hand.
Night fell over Konoha.
And with it, restlessness.
Hours later, a medic approached, hesitant.
"Kushina-sama…"
She lifted her eyes.
The man looked uncomfortable.
"We… want to talk about the surgery."
Her heart tightened.
"What about it?"
He took a deep breath.
"Some believe we shouldn't perform anything so invasive while waiting for Tsunade… because… because it may be impossible."
Kushina didn't respond.
"She hasn't been seen in years," the medic continued. "There's no guarantee she'll be found in time. Maybe… maybe we should act now, with what we have."
Kushina's silence was heavy.
When she finally spoke, her voice was low… but absolute.
"No."
The medic blinked, surprised.
"Kushina-sama…"
She squeezed Minato's hand.
"I don't want to be the one at fault… if something happens."
Fear spread inside her like poison.
She couldn't explain it.
Was it because of her husband's body there, so fragile?
Or was it because of the thought burning deep in her mind…
The soul inside that body…
But it didn't matter.
Either way…
That man had saved her.
He saved Konoha.
He saved Naruto.
Even if Kushina didn't fully know him. He saved them, risking the life he had just regained. She couldn't stand by and do nothing.
She would do the same for him.
She would play it safe.
She wouldn't do anything she might regret.
Of course…
She would never say that to the medics.
She simply remained there, waiting.
Waiting for Minato's clones to be fast.
Waiting for Tsunade to be found.
---
High above the hospital, without Kushina knowing, a single clone remained motionless, watching.
Assigned to her security.
Guarding.
Protecting.
Meanwhile…
In other cities, far from Konoha…
Small yellow flashes appeared and vanished quickly in the night.
Like stars moving across the land.
Clones.
Searching.
Racing against time.
Kushina's hope traveled with them.