Bab 25: Chapter 24 - You can't avoid your wife
Chapter 24 - You can't avoid your wife
Minato woke up hours later. The house was quiet, too quiet. He could not hear the familiar sound of his little whirlwind whipping through the house. For a second he panicked. He feared the worst then he reached out and found his tag. Naruto was within the village limits. He just wasn't home. Minato relaxed a little. He noticed that Naruto wasn't with Kushina. She was still in the house. What is going on? He thought as he went downstairs to talk to her.
Kushina was making dinner. Her cooking wafted over to him. She was making Sukiyaki, his favorite dish. Minato loved her Sukiyaki. She was a fiery cook. It flavored her dishes to perfection. Minato was a competent cook, but not a great one. He was much too precise. He lacked that flare that made food great. It smells great, but why isn't Naruto here?
Kushina turned to her husband. She gave him one of her best smiles then said, "Dinner is almost ready. I was going to wake you in a few minutes, but I was going to let you sleep a little more."
Minato smiled at her. "Thanks." He still had the same question burning in his mind, "Kushina, where's Naruto?"
Kushina didn't immediately answer. Instead, she turned off the stove and started to plate the food. Minato became irritated. She wasn't answering him and he didn't like it. Minato knew that he couldn't really order his wife around but he needed to know. Naruto was their son and he had the right to know what was going on. Especially after last night. Minato was still reeling over it. A part of him was afraid of something was wrong with Naruto. Minato knew that it was stupid, but couldn't help it.
"Kushina, where is he?" He couldn't help the anger that slipped into his tone. The moment those words slipped out Minato knew he had made a mistake.
She gave him a cold stare, "Don't take that tone with me." Minato knew his wife was mad for sure now. "I did not lose our son. Kakashi is babysitting him for a few hours. I asked him to watch him."
Minato was confused. Why is Kakashi babysitting? Shouldn't he be home with us? Minato desperately wanted to ask her those questions, but didn't dare risk it. Kushina was on the edge. It was best not question her - especially now. He could hear how close she was to killing him. She made that clear as she added, "Figured we could use some alone time. Is that is okay with you?" She dared him to disagree.
Minato panicked. If he didn't act soon, he'd get clobbered. "No, no, no! That's fine. I was just worried where he was, that's all!"
Truth be told, Minato didn't want his son out of his sight right now. He wanted him home where it was safe. Where the ANBU watched him 24 hours a day. He wanted to put up a barrier around him so that none of his enemies could reach him. He really didn't want him running around the Leaf right now.
Kushina tried to calm herself down.. She really didn't plan to blow up on her husband. She sent Naruto away for a reason, but right now she didn't want to tell him why. She wanted to enjoy their dinner in peace. Later they could get to the unpleasant talk they needed to have. One she didn't want Naruto to overhear. She wanted to protect him just as much as Minato did. That included this. Naruto was way too young to hear such things. Kushina was determined to keep that way.
She knew her husband well. She knew that he wasn't really questioning her parenting skills. He was just scared like she was. "Don't worry, he's safe. I made sure of that. I'm not letting anyone hurt my baby again."
He stared at his wife for a while. How could I be so blind? Of course, Kushina feels the same way. He is our son after all. Minato broke eye contact then looked down. His emotions got the better of him and he made things worse. "I'm sorry, Kushina." He truly meant it too. "I failed to protect our son. Because of my negligence he was kidnapped . . ."
Kushina placed her hand in his."We both failed him, Minato. It's my duty too, y'know. I'm just as much to blame as you."
Silence hung over the pair as the minutes ticked away. No one was hungry anymore. No one moved and no one spoke. Both were absorbed into their own pain. Finally, Kushina summoned the courage to ask, "Minato?"
Minato looked at her. He could see her pain written all over her face. It hurt him to see her like this. He had a feeling on what she wanted to ask, but he had to ask anyway, "What is it?"
Kushina looked down. "Was . . . Was . . . Was Naruto the target?"
Minato said nothing. How could he tell her the truth? It was too horrible. He wanted to protect both of them, not just his son. He was her husband and his father. If that meant bearing the pain of the family then so be it. He would gladly do that for them. He loved them more than life itself.
"Minato!"
She cut through his thoughts yet again. His head snapped to her as he saw tears roll down her cheek. Suddenly, he felt so, so guilty. I am a bad husband. He tried to speak but the words got caught in his throat and nothing came out.
Kushina begged him, "Please tell me: Was he the target or not?"
"Kushina, I . . ."
"Minato, for the love of god - tell me!"
There was no point in hiding the truth now. It was hurting her more not to know. He could see that now. He had forgotten that she was there to help shoulder his burden. He wasn't alone. He was extremely grateful. Minato was uncertain of what he would do if he didn't have her. Thank you god, for keeping her by my side.
When he was finished silence returned to the house. It was clear that Kushina was angry, but Minato was uncertain as to who she was angry at. Was it the Raikage, his men, Minato, or herself? Minato couldn't it figure out. Then again he didn't press either. They both needed time to recover.
However, time was something Minato didn't have a lot of it. He needed to respond to the Raikage's actions soon. Yet, he still didn't know what to do. Part of him wanted to skin them all alive. The other told him to hold back. He needed an advisor that he could trust. He loved Kushina but she couldn't be objective in this. The Raikage attacked their son. was far too close to the matter. He needed someone else to talk to.
He needed to talk to Lord Third.
Please note that this chapter originally had answers to your reviews. That has since been removed. It worked at the time, but now seems redundant. This story is complete and there is no need for this anymore. I thank you for reading and reviewing. Please go on to the next chapter!
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