"What did you bring to eat? It smells so good- I'm starving," Nawaki said, finally letting go of his worries about Xin's resignation after being reassured it wouldn't go through.
Only then did he realize he hadn't eaten all day, too preoccupied with worrying about Xin.
Kushina, ever thoughtful, opened the food box, saying, "Xin told me that your blood levels are low. Eating more venison and drinking the broth will help replenish your blood and speed up your recovery."
"Hehe, I knew Xin wouldn't forget about me," Nawaki chuckled. "This is delicious."
Since Nawaki was unable to feed himself, Kushina had to help, feeding him directly. No one thought twice about it-after all, they were practically like siblings.
Besides, everyone in Konoha knew that Kushina had eyes only for Xin, the handsome white-haired guy.
After a few bites of venison and some broth, Nawaki felt much better, his body warming up from the inside.
As he ate, he noticed Minato had been unusually quiet ever since they entered the hospital room.
"Minato, why aren't you saying anything?" Nawaki asked.
"Yeah, you've been acting strange since we were at Xin's house. Your face looked off too," Kushina chimed in, now remembering Minato's odd behavior and pressing him for answers.
Uchiha Mikoto also turned her gaze toward Minato.
Under the pressure of their collective stares, Minato scratched his head in frustration. "You've all known Xin for a long time now. Haven't you noticed his personality? Even if today's situation gets resolved, if anything happens later, with Xin's temperament, he's not the type to stay quiet. I'm worried he might end up doing something drastic... like leaving the village."
"Then let him leave! If he's really fed up, he should-"Kushina started but abruptly stopped mid-sentence.
Leaving the village?
The implications hit her like a ton of bricks.
Leaving the village meant becoming a rogue ninja.
"Clatter!"
The food box fell to the floor, scattering the venison and broth everywhere. But no one was paying attention to the mess. All eyes were now on Minato.
"Don't talk nonsense. Xin would never do something like that," Nawaki said, his face darkening as he resisted the urge to curse Minato out for saying such things aloud.
Uchiha Mikoto, after a moment of shock, smiled faintly, her thoughts simple:
If Xin were to defect, what reason would I have to stay in the village? What's the point of staying in Konoha if he's not here?
Kushina, on the other hand, was completely stunned.
"Ahem! I'm just saying it's a possibility," Minato quickly backtracked, trying to calm them down.
"The village has all of us here, plus Mikoto and you, Kushina. Xin wouldn't do something like that. Besides, if he tried, Lady Tsunade would hunt him down, even if it meant searching the whole world."
Minato was desperately trying to cover his slip, fearing that his comment might make Kushina overthink and cause unnecessary trouble.
"Auntie always said she was grateful to have grown up in Konoha. Konoha is her home, and it's Xin's home too. He won't leave," Uchiha Mikoto reassured Kushina with a warm smile.
"Even if he wanted to leave, he wouldn't be able to leave you behind, Kushina. Isn't that right?" Mikoto added with a playful nudge.