Chapter 60 (Patreon)

At that moment, Kaorui could see Roy standing across from her in the courtyard. She could also see the hilt of the blade protruding from her body.

There was no pain. Trusting that Roy would never harm her, Kaorui felt no fear. Instead, anticipation filled her eyes as she wondered what would happen once he drew the blade.

The instant Roy wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the Zanpakutō, knowledge of a new Shikai technique surfaced in his mind.

“Kyōka: Drizzle.”

The moment he spoke, a gentle drizzle began falling over the courtyard. As soon as the droplets touched Roy, the small amount of spiritual power he had expended to release his Shikai was completely restored. Even the energy he had spent the previous night gradually began to return.

Kushina felt the effects even more clearly. This healing power was completely different from medical ninjutsu. It felt as though her entire body had been enveloped in warm sunlight. Minor scratches and mental fatigue faded away, while every cell in her body became noticeably more active.

Even the mental strain caused by the negative emotions contained within the Nine-Tails’ chakra was considerably reduced.

“Amazing, Roy-kun! Is this your new ability? Its healing effect is even stronger than medical ninjutsu, and it covers such a large area. If you used this on a battlefield…”

Before Kushina could finish, Kaorui’s legs gave out beneath her, and she collapsed onto her knees. Her cheeks were flushed, and faint tremors occasionally ran through her body.

“Kaorui-chan, are you all right?”

Kushina hurriedly supported her. Although Kushina knew what it felt like to have the blade drawn from inside her, she had never expected Kaorui to be so sensitive to it. Her reaction was far stronger than Kushina’s had been.

“I-I’m fine.”

Kaorui lowered her head, unable to bring herself to look at either of them.

“That reaction is normal. You’ll be fine once you get used to it,” Kushina reassured her with a quiet laugh.

Roy asked Kushina to help Kaorui back to her room and let her rest. He remained in the courtyard, organizing everything he had learned about the rules governing his Shikai.

Drawing a blade from Kushina had awakened chains similar to the Adamantine Sealing Chains, though they were far more suited to direct attacks. Drawing one from Kaorui had instead awakened a healing drizzle.

Clearly, each ability was connected to the nature and abilities of the “Scabbard” from whom the blade had been drawn.

In other words, if Roy obtained enough Scabbards, he might eventually become a true all-rounder, possessing an ability for almost every possible situation.

The problem was that Scabbards were not so easy to obtain. He could hardly walk down the street, take possession of every person who caught his attention, and then forcibly drive a blade into the manifestation of their consciousness.

Roy had discovered another restriction as well. While his Zanpakutō was in Shikai, it could only use one ability at a time. If he wanted to switch abilities, he had to release his Shikai again and draw another blade.

He could only hope that this restriction would disappear as his power developed. Otherwise, changing abilities in the middle of a battle would be far too troublesome.

When he found a moment, Roy entered the consciousness space. Sure enough, a projection of Kaorui had appeared beside Kushina’s.

At the same time, the previously colorless frames surrounding their projections had gained color.

Kushina’s frame was golden, while Kaorui’s was light green. What those colors represented remained unclear for now.

Inside the bedroom, Kaorui’s occasional trembling had already stopped, although her arms and legs were still somewhat weak.

“Kaorui-chan, what do you think of Roy-kun?”

“Eh? Roy-sama is a wonderful person!”

Kaorui did not understand why Kushina had suddenly asked her such a question.

She knew perfectly well that Kushina and Roy were together. Unease immediately rose within her, and she began to worry that Kushina intended to send her away.

“Your husband’s name was Kazuki, wasn’t it?”

The sudden mention of her deceased husband made Kaorui even more anxious. She wondered whether Kushina was warning her.

Although widows in the shinobi world rarely remarried, it was not an absolute rule. Customs like that generally restrained ordinary people more than those of high standing, and Kushina held a special position within the Uzumaki clan. Kaorui could hardly compare her own circumstances to Kushina’s.

Her hands clasped together nervously. She did not know what Kushina would say next or how she should answer without causing her any concern.

“Kazuki-san has been gone for almost a year now, hasn’t he? Have you ever considered finding another partner who could help you raise Karin?”

Kaorui’s head snapped up. A possibility she hardly dared to believe surfaced in her mind, but she was afraid that she had misunderstood Kushina’s intentions.

“Kushina-sama, I…”

“I think Roy-kun would be a very good choice. He’s gentle, and he truly loves children. What do you think?”

Hearing Kushina voice the very possibility she had imagined, Kaorui wanted to agree immediately.

However, she still had concerns.

“Kushina-sama, could someone like me truly be worthy of Roy-sama? He…”

“If you say that, then what does that make me?”

Kushina raised a hand to interrupt her before continuing in a more serious tone.

“What has already happened cannot be changed. The only way to keep things fair for everyone is for me to stop insisting that Roy-kun belongs to me alone.”

“Is that why you’re willing to let Roy-sama and me be together?”

Kushina sighed.

“That’s right. If I’m being selfish, then of course I want the person I love all to myself. But that wouldn’t be fair to Roy-kun. When two people are together, forcing one side to make all the sacrifices will eventually create resentment between them. I’ve already lost someone precious to me once. I don’t want to lose Roy-kun as well.”

Kushina held nothing back and revealed everything she had been thinking.

“Of course, if you can’t accept this, I won’t blame you. After all, something like this…”

“I have no objections!”

Kaorui answered without the slightest hesitation.

“If Roy-sama is willing to accept me, it would be more than I could ever ask for. Besides, I want Karin to grow up with a father’s love in her life.”

After receiving the answer she had hoped for, Kushina visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

Outside, Roy could not understand why Kushina had been in the bedroom for so long. Only yesterday, she had been so enthusiastic about developing the Water Release Mode.

His attention was soon drawn to Yugito as she entered the courtyard.

After changing her clothes and removing her forehead protector, Yugito looked like a completely different person.

Roy had initially wanted to observe the training methods used by Kumogakure shinobi. In the end, however, he discovered that Yugito’s routine consisted of ordinary stretches, turns, and leaps.

He quickly lost interest.

Elsewhere, Danzō had kept a low profile for the past several days. However, when he learned that Kushina had brought several people to live in the First Hokage’s former residence—and had even taken Kumogakure’s jinchūriki there—he repeatedly cursed Hiruzen for his foolishness.

Danzō could hardly object to Kushina moving into the residence, but what right did someone from Kumogakure have to stay there? The First Hokage’s former home was not a place where just anyone could live.

Anyone unaware of the circumstances might assume that Kumogakure had already conquered Konoha.

This time, however, Danzō did not confront Hiruzen. Rather than waste his time arguing, it would be better to take concrete action.

The disposable puppet he had requested from Orochimaru was finally going to prove useful.

As long as the Two-Tails’ jinchūriki destroyed the First Hokage’s former residence, Hiruzen would be unable to explain the incident to the villagers. Kushina would inevitably be implicated as well.

Danzō chose a puppet capable of using Fire Release, issued his command, and quietly waited for nightfall.

Meanwhile, one of Konoha’s main streets had descended into utter chaos. An old man with white hair fled ahead in a panic while several barefoot women wearing nothing but bath towels chased after him. A number of guards followed close behind, hurling whatever they could grab at the fleeing man.

The nearby street vendors appeared to be accustomed to such scenes. The other civilians, however, eagerly joined the pursuit.