Smoke filled the clearing.
Thick.
Burning.
Kushina hit the ground hard, dirt and splintered wood scattering beneath her as the shockwave rolled through the trees.
For a second—
everything rang.
Noise without sound.
Then—
her breathing returned all at once.
Sharp.
Uneven.
"…move…"
She forced herself up immediately.
The clearing was barely recognizable now.
Half the trees near the edge had been torn apart.
The fire pit was gone completely.
Smoke drifted through the shattered remains of the camp.
"Kushina!"
Daichi's voice cut through the haze.
"I'm fine!" she shouted back automatically, coughing immediately afterward.
"…liar…"
She ignored that.
Her eyes moved quickly through the smoke.
Searching.
Minato emerged first through the haze, steadying himself against one of the broken roots.
Minor injuries.
Still moving.
Good.
Daichi appeared a moment later, already scanning the treeline again.
Still focused.
Still calm.
That helped more than Kushina wanted to admit.
Then—
she remembered.
"The old man—"
A weak coughing sound answered her.
To the left.
Near the collapsed edge of the clearing.
Kushina moved instantly.
Ignoring Daichi's sharp:
"Wait—"
Too late.
She dropped beside the older man just as another violent cough shook through him.
Blood stained the front of his clothes now.
Dark.
Fresh.
Kushina's chest tightened immediately.
"…damn…"
The man's breathing trembled unevenly.
His chains were cracked now, pieces hanging loosely from his wrists.
Not decorative.
Seal chains.
Kushina recognized them instantly.
"…Uzumaki…"
That got his attention.
Slowly—
painfully—
he lifted his head.
And when he saw her clearly—
his eyes widened slightly.
"…red hair…"
A faint breath escaped him.
"…just like her…"
Kushina frowned immediately.
"…Akane?"
The man froze for a second.
Then gave the smallest nod.
Daichi appeared beside them almost instantly.
His expression changed the moment he saw the chains.
Subtle.
But real.
"…you know him," Kushina said immediately.
Silence.
The old man let out a weak laugh that turned into another cough.
"…Daichi…"
A pause.
"…still alive…"
Daichi crouched beside him carefully.
"…barely."
Kushina looked between them instantly.
"You seriously know him?"
The old man's shaking hand tightened slightly against the ground.
"…Rei…"
His breathing hitched again.
"…Rei Uzumaki…"
Kushina's eyes widened slightly.
An Uzumaki.
A real one.
Not stories.
Not memories.
Real.
"…you're from Uzushiogakure…"
A faint smile touched Rei's face for just a moment.
Sad.
Broken.
"…what's left of it…"
Silence settled heavily around them.
Minato stepped closer now, his gaze moving briefly over the damaged seal chains.
"…they held him for a long time…"
Rei laughed weakly again.
"…long enough…"
Kushina leaned slightly closer.
"What did they do to you?"
The question hung in the air.
Rei's eyes lowered.
"…they wanted knowledge…"
A pause.
"…seals…"
Another cough shook through him violently.
"…containment…"
Daichi's expression darkened further.
"They used you."
"…yes…"
Rei's gaze slowly lifted toward Kushina again.
And something in his expression shifted.
Recognition.
Fear.
Regret.
"…you shouldn't be here…"
Kushina frowned.
"Bit late for that."
"…they'll do it again…"
A pause.
"…they always do…"
The forest around them stayed silent.
Too silent.
Kushina could feel it now.
Pressure.
Watching.
Waiting.
"…they're still here…"
"…of course they are…"
Rei's breathing grew rougher.
"They studied her first too…"
Kushina's chest tightened instantly.
"…Akane."
Rei nodded weakly.
"…she was strong…"
A beat.
"…too strong…"
Daichi's jaw tightened slightly.
Kushina noticed immediately.
"…you trained her too?"
Rei looked toward Daichi briefly before answering.
"…we both tried…"
That changed something.
The air between them shifted subtly.
Kushina looked at Daichi again.
"…you never said that."
"…it wasn't important."
"Seems important now."
Daichi didn't answer.
Of course he didn't.
Rei coughed again, harsher this time.
Blood hit the ground beside him.
Kushina immediately steadied him slightly.
"Hey—"
His hand grabbed her wrist suddenly.
Weak.
But urgent.
"…listen carefully…"
The pressure inside her shifted instantly.
"…important…"
Kushina leaned closer.
Rei's breathing trembled.
"They don't break people immediately…"
A pause.
"They wait…"
Another.
"They learn what hurts you first."
Silence.
Cold.
Heavy.
Kushina's stomach tightened.
"…that's why they showed me him…"
"…yes…"
Rei's fingers tightened slightly around her wrist.
"They want you unstable…"
A cough interrupted him again.
Violent.
Painful.
"…because unstable power is easier to shape…"
Kushina's chest tightened harder.
"…I won't let them."
Rei's eyes softened slightly.
"…she said that too…"
That hit harder than anything else.
Kushina froze.
"…Akane…"
Rei nodded weakly.
"…she wanted to protect everyone…"
A faint breath.
"…and forgot herself…"
Silence settled again.
The wind shifted lightly through the broken clearing.
Then—
Minato's posture changed instantly.
Sharp.
Focused.
"…movement."
Daichi was already standing.
"Where?"
"…three directions."
Kushina's eyes widened slightly.
"…already?"
Rei's grip weakened slightly against her wrist.
Fear entered his expression immediately.
Not for himself.
For her.
"…they came back…"
Daichi's voice hardened.
"We move now."
Kushina hesitated.
Just for a second.
Looking down at Rei.
The old man's breathing was getting worse.
Much worse.
"…he can't move…"
"We don't have time."
The forest shifted again.
Closer now.
The hunters weren't hiding anymore.
And somewhere beyond the trees—
something else moved too.
Something heavier.
Something unstable.
Rei's eyes widened in terror.
"…no…"
Kushina's chest tightened instantly.
"…what?"
Rei looked toward the darkness between the trees.
Shaking.
"…they brought him back…"
Silence.
Then—
the forest trembled.
And this time—
everyone felt it.