[Starting in Naruto with a Daily Login System] Chapter 49 The Part That Hurts

Kushina was dying.

Again.

The hospital was doing everything they could, but after getting a literal tailed beast ripped out of her, even her Uzumaki genes could only take her so far. She was barely conscious, her breathing shallow, and I could hear the hushed whispers of the medics—

“She won’t last the night.”

No.

No, that wasn’t happening.

Because unlike them, I had a cheat code.

I slipped into the hospital room like a shadow, my footsteps silent. The only other person there was Biwako Sarutobi, who had been tending to Kushina since last night. She gave me a sharp look but didn’t stop me as I knelt beside the bed.

"Kakashi?" Kushina’s voice was barely a whisper, her violet eyes half-lidded.

I didn't answer. Instead, I pulled out the answer.

A Senzu Bean.

This little green miracle that could heal anything.

A part of me hesitated. If I did this, I would be rewriting history again.

But I’d already lost Minato.

I wasn’t losing her too.

"Eat this," I ordered, my voice firm as I pressed the tiny bean against her lips.

She blinked at it sluggishly. "...A bean?"

"Trust me."

To my relief, she didn’t argue. She was too weak to chew, so I gently tilted her head up and placed it on her tongue.

The effect was instantaneous.

Kushina’s entire body shuddered. Her chakra—weak, flickering, barely there—exploded back to life. Her wounds closed in an instant, her skin regaining color, and—

"Holy crap."

Her eyes snapped open fully. She took a huge gasp of air, sitting up so fast she nearly headbutted me.

I barely managed to lean back before she crushed my ribs in a hug.

"Kakashi!" she shouted, her grip way too strong for someone who was literally dying five seconds ago.

I wheezed. "Kushina—air—"

She pulled back, blinking rapidly. "I—I feel amazing! What the hell did you just give me?"

"...Medicine."

"Medicine my ass!" she grabbed my face and squished my cheeks. "Kakashi. What. Was. That."

I barely managed to pry her fingers off before she cracked my skull. "A very good pill. You're welcome."

Kushina turned to look at herself, patting her arms, her stomach—not a single injury left. Even the medics, who had been watching in stunned silence, were now in full panic mode.

I casually stood up. "Well. Looks like you’re fine now."

Biwako was staring at me like I had just committed war crimes. "Kakashi. What did you do?"

"I fixed the problem."

"THAT’S NOT AN ANSWER."

Kushina, meanwhile, was still flexing her arms in awe. "I feel like I could fight a mountain!"

I backed away immediately. "Please don’t."

"Or punch a boulder!"

"Kushina, no—"

Too late.

With a laugh, she leapt out of bed, cracked her knuckles—

—and punched the hospital wall straight through to the next room.

I sighed.

Biwako buried her face in her hands.

"I should not have lived through this just to die of medical debt," Kushina groaned.

And just like that—she was back.

But now I had a huge issue.

Because everyone wanted to know how she made a full recovery overnight.

I needed a cover story. Fast.

So, when Hiruzen called me in for questioning, I gave him the best possible answer:

"Uzumaki genes are crazy, huh?"

He stared at me for a full minute.

Then he sighed. "...You’re dismissed, Kakashi."

Crisis averted.

Kushina was safe.

Naruto was alive.

And for once, just for once, I had actually won.

—

Night had fallen, and the hospital had finally quieted down.

Kushina sat on the bed, knees drawn to her chest, her wild red hair falling over her face. She wasn’t laughing now. She wasn’t shouting or cracking jokes or threatening to punch another hole in the wall.

She was just… quiet.

Rin and Obito were there too, sitting on either side of her. Rin held Kushina’s hand, her own eyes red-rimmed, while Obito stared blankly at the floor, his usual energy completely gone. None of us had spoken for a while.

Then, Kushina whispered, "He should be here."

I swallowed. There was no point asking who she meant.

"...Yeah."

"He was supposed to see Naruto grow up." Her voice wavered. "He was supposed to be Hokage for decades, not— not just a few years—"

Obito clenched his fists. "It’s not fair."

It wasn’t. It never was.

"I keep thinking he's going to walk in and scold me for scaring the nurses," Kushina murmured. "I keep expecting him to be standing right there, smiling, like always."

None of us could look at her.

Then, after a long moment, she asked, so softly I almost didn’t hear her, "Did I make a mistake?"

I turned to her, frowning. "What?"

"Minato." She stared down at her lap. "I was the one who dragged him into my life. If he had never met me, he wouldn’t have— he wouldn’t have died protecting me—"

"Don't," I said sharply.

She blinked at me, startled.

I exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair. "Minato-sensei loved you. He would’ve fought a thousand battles if it meant keeping you safe. And I—" My throat felt tight. "I would’ve done the same."

"You didn’t make a mistake," Rin added gently, squeezing Kushina’s hand. "You made him happy."

Obito nodded, his voice rough. "Minato-sensei wouldn't change a thing. You know that, right?"

Kushina looked away, and I saw the tears in her eyes.

We sat there in silence, mourning in our own way.

Then, after a long time, Kushina whispered, "I miss him."

I closed my eyes. "...Me too."

Obito inhaled shakily. "Yeah."

Rin wiped her eyes. "All of us do."

And for the first time in a long time, we just let ourselves grieve.

—

Days passed.

Kushina stayed strong for Naruto. Rin and Obito stuck close, making sure she wasn’t alone. The village was quiet, mourning the loss of its Hokage. And me?

I couldn’t stop thinking.

The timeline had changed. There was no masked Uchiha attacking the village. No rampaging Nine-Tails destroying everything in sight. No Minato sacrificing himself to seal the beast.

But Minato was still gone.

And I still didn’t know if that was better or worse.

Because someone had attacked. Someone wearing a mask.

But it wasn’t Obito.

And that terrified me more than anything.

I sat on the roof of my apartment, watching the sun sink behind the Hokage Monument. My mind kept circling the same questions.

Who was he?

How did he know about Kushina?

How did he know when to strike?

If it wasn’t Obito, was it still someone connected to Madara? To Zetsu?

The Kyuubi attack never happened, but could it still happen later? Could there still be someone out there plotting in the shadows?

Would history still try to correct itself?

I sighed, rubbing my face.

For all my supposed knowledge of the future, I was still flying blind.

And that scared me more than I cared to admit.

I let arrogance creep in. I grew complacent, thinking I had changed everything—when in truth, I couldn't change a damn thing.

Fuck.

----

That next morning, I went to visit Kushina.

I found her sitting by the window, rocking Naruto in her arms. She looked tired, but there was something steady in her expression—something determined.

She glanced up at me and smiled, just barely. "Hey, Kakashi."

"Hey," I said, stepping inside.

I sat down next to her, watching the tiny bundle in her arms. Naruto was fast asleep, his little face scrunched up as he dreamed about… whatever it was babies dreamed about.

"He has Minato’s hair," I said.

Kushina huffed out a laugh. "Yeah. I was hoping he’d have more of my side, but nope. All Minato."

I hesitated. Then, quietly, I said, "You holding up okay?"

She was silent for a long time.

Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, she said, "I don’t know."

I looked at her.

She let out a slow breath, gaze still on Naruto. "I thought… I thought I’d have more time with him. I thought we’d raise Naruto together. That we’d argue about dumb things, like his first word or what he’d be when he grew up." Her fingers curled slightly around the blanket. "But now it’s just me."

I didn’t know what to say.

Kushina sighed and shook her head. "I have to be strong. For him. I will be strong." She looked up at me then, and her expression was firm. "Naruto’s going to be happy. He’s going to be loved. I won’t let him grow up feeling alone."

I nodded, throat tight. "I know."

Kushina gave me a small smile. "And that goes for you, too, y'know. You’re family, Kakashi. You, Rin, Obito… you’re all stuck with me now."

I blinked. "...I was already stuck with you."

She laughed—really laughed, for the first time in days. "Damn right you were."

Naruto stirred in her arms, and she quickly adjusted him, shushing softly until he settled.

We sat there in silence for a while, just watching over the tiny life Minato left behind.

A future waiting to be written.

And I swore to myself, right then and there, that I’d protect it.