"Minato, you're hiding something, aren't you?" Mikoto asked as they left Xin's house.
Minato was planning to visit Nawaki in the hospital and discuss what had happened today, but Kushina and Mikoto had stopped him.
If even Kushina could sense that something was bothering Minato, how could someone as perceptive as Mikoto not notice?
Xin had been too preoccupied with his resignation to notice, but that didn't mean Kushina
and Mikoto hadn't picked up on it.
"I..."
Minato looked back at Xin's house, where the lights were still on, and smiled bitterly.
"Forget it. Let's talk at the hospital. I was planning to discuss it with Nawaki anyway."
"Then let's go!" Kushina, eager as ever, grabbed Mikoto and dashed toward the hospital, with Minato hurrying to catch up.
"How did it go? Is everything sorted out?" Nawaki was lying in his hospital bed, anxious for news.
When Minato arrived with a food box in hand, Nawaki couldn't even focus on eating, immediately bombarding him with questions.
"Nawaki, don't worry. Xin said his resignation is just a way of expressing his frustration. The Hokage won't approve it. There's nothing to worry about," Kushina reassured him, pushing Nawaki back down onto the bed to keep him from moving too much.
With his injuries, he needed to stay still. Too much movement could reopen his wounds.
"That's a relief."
Nawaki sighed in relief and then laughed, cursing, "That damn Xin, he really scared me. I thought he was serious about quitting as a ninja. But seriously, why does the Hokage keep targeting him when he hasn't done anything to harm the village?"
"One or two times is tolerable, but after repeatedly being pushed like this, anyone would snap. I wouldn't be able to hold back either," Minato said with a sigh.
"It seems this is somehow connected to the Uchiha. I heard it all started with the Elder Council," Uchiha Mikoto added, frustrated.
But there wasn't much she could do. She didn't have the power to intervene in such matters, so all she could do was silently support Xin from behind.
"Damn it!!"
Because of Xin's influence and his knowledge of the darker side of things, Nawaki had long since lost any respect for the members of the Elder Council. Hearing this just made him curse under his breath, mentally berating Koharu and the others countless times.
Unfortunately, no matter how angry he was, it didn't change anything. Even if he wasn't injured, there wasn't much he could do about the situation.
"My sister should be back in a few days. When she returns, I'll have her give those people a good scolding. They're always targeting someone, stirring up trouble for no reason."
I can't do anything, but my sister sure can! When she gets back, they'll be sorry.
It was probably for the best that Tsunade wasn't around to hear Nawaki say these things. If she had, she'd definitely give him a good smack for his cheekiness.
After all, there's truth in the saying: "It's best to discipline your brother early."