blogombal Chapter 206 Kushina Uzumaki and Hikaru Uchiha
Chapter 206 Kushina Uzumaki and Hikaru Uchiha
Chapter 207 Kushina Uzumaki and Hikaru Uchiha
Kushina's words were like a pebble thrown into a deep pool.
Ripples spread out from the depths of his dark blue eyes.
He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, the turmoil in his eyes was forcibly suppressed, leaving only a deep, calm expression.
The cold light from the laboratory fell on his young profile, casting a faint shadow.
"Mom," a numb voice broke the silence, tinged with a barely perceptible hoarseness. The word still carried a slightly awkward weight as it rolled across her tongue: "I still have some questions about what happened back then."
Kushina was stroking the cool metal surface of the lab table with some curiosity, feeling this creation she had never seen before.
Upon hearing this, she immediately turned around, the spiderweb-like black cracks on her face unable to conceal the concern and seriousness in her eyes.
Her ashen face held the unique expression of a mother, a willingness to give anything for her child: "Mianma, ask away! I'll tell you everything I know!"
The word "Mom" seemed to warm her heart, which was still in her impure state.
Menma's gaze pierced through the cold air of the laboratory, as if transporting him back to that crimson night more than a decade ago: "The Nine-Tails' rampage back then..."
Why did you and Minato Namikaze both ultimately choose to die?
"With your strength, especially your Flying Thunder God Technique, do you really have absolutely no chance?"
Kushina's eyes dimmed instantly, filled with a deep sadness and helplessness.
She walked to the window, gazing at the cold, metallic outlines of the Star City military district outside, and recalled in a low voice, "It wasn't a choice to die, it was a choice we had no other option."
She shook her head bitterly: "That mysterious masked man was very strong, and his timing was perfect. He attacked me right after I gave birth, when my body and the seal were at their weakest, and he stole you and extracted the Nine-Tails."
Her voice trembled with lingering fear: "Although your father moved the Nine-Tails out of the village, I was already on my deathbed by then. The Adamantine Sealing Chains could only temporarily restrain the Nine-Tails and could collapse at any moment. Once the Nine-Tails breaks free, with its madness and power, it could rush back to the village in an instant, and Miyo would be finished!"
She clenched her fist tightly.
"The Third Hokage and the others simply didn't have time to get that far. Every second felt like dancing on a knife's edge." Kushina's voice was filled with a desperate sense of urgency.
She raised her head, her eyes, now filled with a deep, intense gray turmoil, tinged with self-reproach and pain: "Toki Seal was the only ultimate seal he could complete instantly and with absolute effectiveness at the time. It separated the Nine-Tails' chakra, sacrificing half of it to the Shinigami along with him, and sealing the other half into the only vessel present at the time, the one with the Uzumaki bloodline—that was Naruto."
Tears could not flow, but the intense sorrow almost solidified into a tangible form.
Menma listened quietly, a sharp glint flashing in the depths of her azure eyes: "Did the Third Generation know that his mother was carrying twins?"
Kushina nodded firmly: "I know, the Third Hokage personally inquired about it during the prenatal checkup. But..."
Her tone grew even heavier: "Lady Biwako and the others who were responsible for delivering the babies were killed at the very beginning of the attack. Minato and I followed suit?"
"Even if the Third Generation Lord knew they were twins, after that chaos and destruction, he probably wouldn't have been able to find the other child." She looked at Menma, her eyes filled with guilt.
"I'm sorry, Mianma, for leaving you stranded and suffering so much."
"I see—" Menma murmured, the puzzle that had been pieced together without revealing much emotion in his voice seemed complete, and the logic made sense.
But the heavy, unresolved burden in my heart did not completely disappear as a result.
Minato Namikaze's choice was a demonstration of his responsibility as Hokage and his determination to protect the village; he still trusted the Third Hokage and the others too much.
I believe that after the couple's death, the third generation will treat Naruto well, and that the village will find the other child who was kidnapped and went missing.
Kushina keenly sensed the quiet detachment in her son.
With a sigh, she tried to change the subject. She walked to the window and looked out at the wider cityscape. In the distance, the cold military zone was no longer there, but rows of modern buildings. The wide and clean streets were bustling with people, and the lampposts along the roadside lit up with a soft glow in the winter twilight, outlining the silhouette of the bustling metropolis.
"This place is so bustling." A childlike curiosity and amazement appeared on Kushina's ashen face, temporarily diluting her sadness.
"Has Konoha changed that much over the years? I remember the tallest buildings in the village used to be the Hokage Rock and the Hokage Building," she said, pointing to a sleek high-rise building in the distance with its glass curtain walls reflecting the afterglow of the setting sun.
"What's that? It's so tall!"
Menma walked to her side, also gazing out the window at his city, his voice calm and undisturbed: "This is not Konoha, nor the Land of Fire. This is the country I founded, the Land of Stars. We are currently in the administrative building of the Star Capital, its heart."
"The Land of Stars?" Kushina turned her head sharply, her reanimated face showing shock and confusion, her red hair seemingly moving even without wind.
"You—your country? Mianma, you, you are now...?"
"It's a long story," Menma interrupted her potential questions, turning to walk towards a storage cabinet in the corner of the laboratory.
"That's all for now. I'll contact you again if I have any further questions. Now," he said, opening the cabinet door and taking out a brand-new, thick, dark gray wool cloak. It was simple and elegant in style, without any markings.
He unfolded his cloak, walked behind Kushina, and carefully draped it over her, covering part of the crack, though his movements weren't particularly gentle.
Menma said, "Mom hasn't been to any city outside of Miyo yet, has she? Would you like to see my city?"
Kushina paused for a moment, looked down at the soft wool cloak on her body, then at her son's profile, and noticed a hint of tenderness in his eyes.
She nodded vigorously, a radiant smile blooming on her ashen face: "Yes!"
Although the cracks made the smile seem somewhat broken.
The "Vientiane Avenue" in the Star City commercial district is the most bustling pulse of the city. Even on a winter evening, it is still bustling with people and brightly lit.
Kushina, like a country girl visiting the city for the first time, seemed to have become a bit lighter in her reanimated body.
Wrapped in that dark gray cloak, she looked around curiously, her eyes, which had a purple halo, gleaming with an unprecedented light.
"Wow! Menma, look! That lamp changes color by itself!" She pointed to a chakra lamppost floating by the roadside, constantly and gently flowing between blue, white, and warm yellow, and excitedly tugged at Menma's sleeve.
Mianma was pulled up by her and looked up, rubbing his forehead in exasperation, but still managed to hum in response.
"Oh my god! What is this? There are little figures inside that move?!" Kushina rushed to the floor-to-ceiling window of a large shopping mall, staring in disbelief at the dolls on display, which were powered by electricity and were practicing basic physical movements.
Her face was almost pressed against the glass.
"A puppet demonstration toy," Menma explained, his voice not loud, but still clear in the noisy environment.
"Wow, amazing!" Kushina exclaimed, then was drawn to a nearby shop wafting an enticing sweet aroma.
"It smells so good! It's the smell of red bean soup! And three-colored meatballs!" Like a little animal following the scent, she immediately pulled Mianma and squeezed over.
"Boss! Two bowls of red bean soup, double portions of rice cakes, and five skewers of tricolor dumplings!" Kushina ordered generously, completely ignoring Menma's "you can't eat this" look that reminded her that Edo Tensei resurrected individuals couldn't actually eat. But the longing for the familiar taste and the excitement of the moment made her carefree.
"Alright! Please wait a moment!" The busy shop owner was a chubby middle-aged man who deftly ladled out soup and plated it.
He looked up and saw Kushina's ashen face and the fine cracks on her skin. He was visibly taken aback, a flicker of surprise and pity crossing his eyes, but his professionalism quickly brought back a smile as he handed her the food: "Here's your red bean soup and dumplings, please take them!"
When Mianma stepped forward to pay, the shopkeeper couldn't help but take another look.
This handsome, dark-haired boy with an extraordinary air about him seemed vaguely familiar, yet I couldn't quite place where I'd seen him before.
Kushina held a steaming bowl of red bean soup. Although she couldn't actually taste it, she leaned in and took a deep breath of its sweet and warm aroma.
A look of utter satisfaction appeared on his face.
She picked up a skewer of three-colored meatballs, took a bite with a serious expression, and mumbled to Mianma, "Mmm, it tastes just like I remember! Mianma, you should have some too!"
As he spoke, he stuffed another string of noodles into Mianma's mouth.
Mianma turned her head away, saying, "I'm not hungry."
But I still accepted the string of meatballs.
The two walked along the bustling street.
Kushina was fascinated by all sorts of novel things: the exquisite shops selling various ninja tool models and chakra toys; the huge LCD screen playing promotional videos for Star Ninja, and when she saw the ninja figures flashing across the screen, Kushina even exclaimed in surprise.
There was even a boutique that specialized in high-end kimonos and modified ninja costumes. Kushina lingered there, touching a red furisode kimono embroidered with flame patterns again and again, her eyes filled with affection.
"Try it if you like it." Menma leaned against the shop entrance, looking at her mother who seemed to want to touch it but was afraid of breaking it, and said calmly.
"Huh? Me... I look like this." Kushina looked down at her pale hands and the cracks on her body, and withdrew her hands with a sense of inferiority.
"Try it on." Menma gestured to the shop assistant to take the kimono off without further ado.
Kushina ultimately gave in and, under the somewhat strange but polite gaze of the shop assistant, tried on the fiery red kimono, then happily hugged it to her arms.
Then she spotted a wool scarf with a cute little fox pattern and bought it without hesitation.
"This is for Menma!" Kushina said, her eyes sparkling.
Mianma silently took out her money and resignedly accepted the ever-growing pile of shopping bags handed to her by the shop assistant.
Exquisite kimono gift boxes, well-packaged scarves, several boxes of Star City specialty sweets, and even a uniquely shaped chakra wind chime. As the sun completely sank below the horizon and the lights came on, Fangxiang Avenue was adorned with dazzling lights.
Kushina finally got a little tired of "strolling around". Although her reanimated body wouldn't get tired, her mental excitement gradually subsided.
She sighed contentedly, looking at the huge bags and purses that Menma was carrying, which almost overwhelmed him, and finally showed a slightly embarrassed expression: "It seems like I bought too much?"
With a blank expression, Mianma weighed the item in his hand: "It's alright."
He turned and walked towards the administrative district: "Let's go home."
After passing through the relatively quiet tree-lined avenues of the administrative district, you arrive at a tranquil upscale residential area.
Menma stopped in front of a mansion that blended Japanese and modern styles and featured a charming little courtyard.
"arrive."
Kushina curiously surveyed the residence, which clearly belonged to her son. Her gaze swept over the meticulously trimmed pines and stone lanterns in the courtyard. Just as she was about to offer a few words of praise, her eyes suddenly fixed on the heavy wooden door of the courtyard gate directly opposite the mansion, across a quiet path. The crest of the Uzumaki clan was clearly carved on it!
"Uzumaki?!" Kushina exclaimed in shock, her resurrected face filled with disbelief and excitement. She grabbed Menma's arm tightly.
"Damn it! Over there! That's the emblem of our Uzumaki clan! Are there other Uzumaki clan members here? Who are they?"
Menma followed her gaze to the tightly closed gate opposite, and said in a calm tone, "Yes, the clansmen who were separated from their clan, Uzumaki Kaori and her daughter Kaori. When I found them, they were having a hard time in Kusagakure, so I brought them to the Land of Stars. You might see them later."
"The scent of vanilla—" Kushina murmured the two unfamiliar names.
"That's wonderful!" She couldn't wait to get to know the two surviving members of her tribe.
Pushing open the gate to my own yard, I walked along a short gravel path and arrived at the veranda of the main house.
Just as Menma was about to step onto the stairs, she paused slightly.
On the veranda, a figure stood quietly.
Uchiha Hikari was wearing her signature dark blue high-necked clan uniform.
Her long, ink-black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, a few strands gently lifted by the evening breeze.
She crossed her arms, her delicate chin slightly raised, and her clear, cold eyes, like cold stars, were now fixed on the woman behind Menma, who was wearing a dark gray cloak and had striking red hair, with undisguised scrutiny and displeasure.
An invisible, chilly low pressure permeated the air.
Kushina immediately noticed the intense gaze directed at her.
Curious, she peeked halfway out from behind Menma, her gaze meeting Uchiha Hikaru's clear, sharp eyes.
With a pale face and a hint of curiosity and doubt, he wondered who this pretty girl was who had appeared in his son's house.
This arrogance seems to be from the Uchiha clan?
She looks...
You seem a little unhappy?
Mianma seemed oblivious to the subtle atmosphere, or rather, completely indifferent.
He dumped the mountain of shopping bags he was carrying onto the clean wooden floor of the veranda, making a series of soft, disorderly noises.
Then he straightened up, looked calmly at Uchiha Hikaru, pointed to Kushina beside him, and spoke as naturally as if he were describing the weather:
"Hikari, this is my mother, Kushina Uzumaki."
Then, he turned his head and introduced Kushina, who was blinking and curiously looking at Uchiha Hikaru, to her: "Mom, this is Uchiha Hikaru, he lives here."
The air seemed to freeze at that moment.
The cool, slightly displeased expression on Uchiha Hikaru's face instantly shattered!
Her eyes, which always exuded calmness and even a hint of indifference, suddenly widened to their limit, filled with shock and bewilderment!
"Mother-·?!"
A stuttering, completely devoid of his usual cool tone, and even tinged with a crack in his voice, escaped uncontrollably from Uchiha Hikaru's slightly parted lips.
Her arms, which had been wrapped around her chest, loosened and hung limply at her sides. She stood frozen in place, staring blankly at the "woman" under the eaves with a pale face, long red hair, and cracks on her face.
Then he looked at Menma next to him, who had a calm expression and seemed to have said something as ordinary as "I'm having ramen today."
A huge question mark almost materialized above her head.
Maple-faced mother?!
Uchiha Hikaru's previous imposing aura collapsed instantly, and a slight blush appeared on her small face.