The Third Great Ninja War had finally subsided. Though frictions among the Five Great Villages still flared up from time to time, large-scale battles were now a thing of the past.
For the residents of Konoha, the war's shadow had all but faded.
However, as Uzumaki Kushina's belly grew rounder by the day, Hyuga Satoru could clearly feel the tension in Konoha's leadership beginning to rise.
Over the months he'd been studying the Flying Thunder God Technique under Kushina, Satoru had seen no small number of Konoha's top figures come and go from the Namikaze household.
Among them was Jiraiya, who returned from his travels after hearing news that Kushina's due date was drawing near. The wandering Sannin came to visit his beloved student and his student's wife in person.
After a checkup confirmed that the baby was a boy, Minato, upon reading Jiraiya's latest novel, asked his master if he could borrow the protagonist's name for his son—thus, Naruto was chosen.
During the days Jiraiya stayed at Minato's home, Satoru continued his afternoon training sessions there. Yet his contact with the legendary Sannin remained minimal.
Though Jiraiya did acknowledge Satoru's rare talent, a man who had seen the wielder of the Rinnegan himself was hardly impressed by yet another "gifted" child of the Hyuga Clan.
For his part, Satoru wasn't talkative and had no intention of currying favor. His current studies already left him with more than enough on his plate—he would be busy for a very long time to come.
Besides Jiraiya's return, even the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and his wife, Biwako, had come several times to visit Kushina. Tsunade, who had long left the village, even returned briefly to personally perform a prenatal examination.
After confirming that both mother and child were perfectly healthy, Tsunade didn't linger in the village. The memories here were still too painful for her—so she resumed her "lucky-streak pilgrimage" soon after.
Though young, Minato and Kushina's influence in Konoha was nothing to scoff at. Their power came not only from their own ability, but also from the vast network of relationships that surrounded them.
Jiraiya's return to the village had, in truth, been prompted by concern—he knew the risks of a jinchuriki giving birth and came hoping he could be of use.
But despite his good intentions, Hiruzen Sarutobi's meticulously arranged security plan quietly excluded him.
The delivery site had already been chosen. The ANBU unit assigned to guard Kushina was fully assembled. With elite members of the Hyuga added to the team, they had run several combat drills—each earning the Third's satisfaction.
Though Jiraiya's strength was unquestionable, Hiruzen had complete confidence in his own arrangements. Bringing in Jiraiya at this late stage would mean redrafting the entire security plan.
And truth be told, the old Hokage didn't believe Jiraiya could do a better job than the ANBU anyway.
After all, Jiraiya's most renowned feat was his youthful battle—alongside Tsunade and Orochimaru—against Hanzo the Salamander, earning the title of the "Legendary Sannin." Since then, he'd gained power but rarely shown his true might. Even Hiruzen himself didn't know the full extent of his student's abilities.
In the Hokage's eyes, with the Yellow Flash personally guarding Kushina and an ANBU squad in support, nothing could possibly go wrong.
Knowing he wouldn't be needed, Jiraiya stayed in the village only briefly before his wanderer's heart itched once again, and he departed.
Even Hyuga Satoru, who knew all too well the tragedy that would soon unfold, had no convincing reason—or power—to intervene.
As Kushina's due date approached, Satoru was officially given a "break" from training in mid-September.
That evening, the sun hung low in the west.
Kushina rose slowly from the sofa, stretched, and walked toward the dining table.
Satoru sat there, surrounded by dozens of kunai. In his hand, one such blade gleamed faintly as he painstakingly carved his personal Flying Thunder God seal into its handle.
A week earlier, he had already technically mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique—able to mark and teleport between seals.
But compared to Minato, who could mark an opponent with a mere touch, Satoru's mastery was still immature.
It took him roughly fifteen seconds to inscribe a single seal—though, after intense training, he'd managed to halve that time to about seven and a half seconds. Still, that was far too slow for real combat.
Such precision work was like forming hand seals for ninjutsu—the faster and more familiar one became, the more efficient it grew. Talent could only take him so far; the rest would require time and repetition.
After all, not everyone could weave forty-four hand signs for a Water Dragon Bullet like a novice—some could do it in three, some in a second, and the true prodigies could perform it with a single clap.
As Kushina walked up behind him, Satoru finally opened his eyes, exhaled deeply, and set the kunai down.
The handle now bore the characters "Hyuga." Another Flying Thunder God kunai completed.
But instead of joy, disappointment clouded his young face.
The progress was still far from satisfactory.
"Satoru, why that face again?" Kushina said, smiling brightly. "Didn't I tell you? You're doing wonderfully."
"You should know—you're the third person in Konoha's history to successfully learn the Flying Thunder God."
"When Minato first mastered it, he needed almost a full minute just to leave a single mark."
"What you need now is practice—over and over again, until it becomes instinct."
"Even a genius can't rush perfection."
She chuckled and affectionately pinched his cheeks, forcing a grin onto his small, sulking face.
She'd watched his progress day by day, and her fondness for the well-behaved, gifted boy had grown deeper.
To Kushina, Satoru was already one of her own.
The only problem, she thought, was that the boy lacked confidence. No matter how impressive his achievements, he never seemed proud of them.
"Relax a little, Satoru. Don't push yourself so hard."
"My due date's coming up, so I'll be resting for a while."
"You should take a break too. You're still just a kid—don't frown all the time like your father."
Kushina's impending confinement wasn't a secret to him. Though still young, Satoru's identity earned him Minato and Kushina's full trust. Even Kakashi, stationed outside on guard duty, knew the truth.
"Alright," Satoru nodded. "Teacher Kushina, please accept this—as a gift for baby Naruto."
He rubbed his cheeks, then picked up one of the marked kunai and handed it to her.
Kushina's eyes curved with laughter. She ruffled his hair and teased,
"Worried about me, huh?"
"Hahaha, relax! It's just childbirth!"
"I already talked to Hanako and Mikoto—they say it's not so bad!"
Hanako—Satoru's mother—and Uchiha Mikoto—Itachi's mother—were both Kushina's close friends. Unlike her, they already had children, and though Kushina tried to appear calm, she had secretly sought their advice many times.
"But still, I'll gladly accept this gift!" she said warmly.
"You're Naruto's big brother before he's even born. He's going to grow up to be an amazing ninja—better than Minato, better than you!"
Hearing her light-hearted words, Satoru couldn't help but smile.
"Of course," he replied. "After all, he's your son, Teacher Kushina."
The sunset streamed through the window, bathing teacher and student alike in its golden glow.
The two shared a quiet smile—one warm, one small—yet both filled with an unspoken bond.
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