Chapter 14: The Son of a Hero

Before everyone stood a young woman of graceful and striking beauty. She wore a white embroidered blouse paired with a dark green skirt, and aside from her long, fiery red hair flowing freely, she appeared no different from an ordinary woman of the Leaf Village.

Yet no one dared underestimate her.

Her power was terrifyingly monstrous, as if capable of destroying all things in the world.

There she stood—like a humanoid tyrannosaurus, poised to strike.

Kushina’s stats were absurdly formidable.

【Name: Uzumaki Kushina (Rider. Nine-Tails Jinchuriki)】

【Total Chakra: 4,096,765 points】

Over four million chakra!

Such a vast chakra reserve—Kotone had only seen such magnitude in Naruto, the remnant of the Holy Grail.

This was the true worth of a jinchuriki. Simply facing that overwhelming, savage chakra would send chills down one’s spine and fill the heart with dread.

“The young master seems to be in trouble?” Kushina said casually, her gaze curious as she looked around. Her posture was relaxed, clearly not taking the Special Jonin seriously.

“By the way, to be reborn into this world in such a chakra form is really…” Her words suddenly stopped.

The female ninja’s eyes froze on the bruised and battered face of a blond boy.

Blond hair, blue eyes, whisker-like markings, and the aura of the Nine-Tails, herself, and Minato’s chakra?

This child was—

“Kotone!”

Naruto, who had just broken free, didn’t glance at the woman. He dashed desperately toward Kotone.

“Are you okay? Does it hurt?” His sapphire eyes held back tears.

But these tears were not from his own pain—they were from the heartbreak at her injury, and the shame of his own helplessness.

After summoning Kushina, Kotone quickly weakened from the massive chakra expenditure. Her chest ached so much she could barely speak, and blood bubbled up in her mouth.

Damn, that was almost a disaster.

The game mechanics were too free-form—her genin-level strength had somehow drawn enemies at the Special Jonin’s level.

But before she could reload to save face, she had to take down that drunken scoundrel to vent her frustration.

“Rider, kill—”

Before she finished, a series of system notifications suddenly popped up.

【Heroic Spirit summoning complete, all basic functions unlocked.】

【Beginner tutorial finished.】

【Free save function disabled; current moment is the sole save point, cannot be modified or overwritten.】

【Each subsequent defeat of a Fate-bound enemy will unlock one save slot.】

【Welcome to the world of Shinra under the Red Moon’s judgment.】

【Master’s main quest officially begins: At all costs, seize the Great Holy Grail!】

Huh?

Huh???

She had been enjoying the game so much, with such rich storylines—only to realize it was just the beginner tutorial?

The save from last night now appeared grayed out and unselectable, then shattered like glass and disappeared.

Her plan to reload vanished like a dream.

Crack.

Not just the glass broke, but her heart as well.

*

Kushina’s last memories in life remained locked in that blood-red night.

Behind her, the body of her beloved husband grew cold; the infant’s cries mournful and sorrowful, nearly breaking her heart.

Had Naruto sensed that his mother was slipping away?

She longed to do something more for her child but was powerless.

Beside her, the Third Hokage had finally breached the barrier, seeming to vow solemnly, but she no longer had the strength to hear.

In her final moments, her only concern was for the poor child who had just entered the world burdened with such a heavy destiny.

Her Naruto would surely live proudly as the hero’s son, bearing his parents’ hopes, growing up healthy... becoming an extraordinary ninja... surely, he would.

Then, the long, burning night finally passed.

Her fading gaze saw a faint light on the horizon, shining upon her slowly cooling arms, strangely bringing warmth.

In a daze, she thought... the day has finally dawned.

...

The soul of the red-haired jinchuriki returned to the pure land of the afterlife.

Time in the pure land was still; all the pains and regrets of life were soothed there.

How long this peaceful stillness lasted, no one knew, until her soul suddenly heard a distant calling, accompanied by a stronger than ever lingering will from her life.

*

Suddenly awake, her soul remembered the many warm afternoons, the red yarn entwined around her pale fingers—the scarf she had lovingly knitted—

“Servant Rider, Uzumaki Kushina, summoned and ready. Are you my Master?”

This was the miracle of a heroic spirit’s soul, long dead but still bound by will, reappearing in this world.

Called—

Edo Tensei.

*

The vast unknown chakra body instantly endowed Kushina with all knowledge—her relationship with the red-haired young girl, and the Command Seals on the Master’s hand that gave absolute control.

But now, Uzumaki Kushina had no time to analyze or marvel.

Her focus was on the bruised blond boy nearby.

She immediately recognized him.

“Who are you?” Naruto spread his arms, desperately shielding the injured Kotone, eyes wary as he stared at Kushina. “Are you an accomplice of that big bad guy?!”

“...” Kushina wanted to speak but choked.

Was she dreaming in the pure land?

Yet the vivid sensations around her, and the continuous massive chakra flowing back, proved this was no illusion.

The drunken Jonin staggered to his feet, brandishing a kunai viciously.

“Hey! Get out of the way, woman! If you don’t want to die, move!”

Bang!!!

His punch met with crushing force, his entire body slammed into the wall, creating a human-shaped dent. Sand and dust cascaded down.

“Ahhhh!!” The drunk screamed, bones cracking in unknown places.

Kushina slowly withdrew her fist, the terrifying power clear.

She smiled kindly: “Are you the one looking for death, you bastard?”

Yet she was not satisfied.

Recalling how Naruto almost killed him with a kunai, and the pitiful state of the young Master, Kushina’s anger flared uncontrollably.

“You scum who trample the three sacred ninja laws and even attack children—”

“Aren’t there any adults in this family!?”

Another punch followed.

Luckily, Kushina noticed his Leaf Village forehead protector, but the Jonin was quickly running out of breath.

Kushina did not strike children.

She chose to beat up the worthless old man.

“This, this...” Naruto trembled in fear, teeth chattering.

“That strange big sister is so strong, help, help!!”

Though he cried out, he bravely stood in front of Kotone, refusing to retreat.

Whether facing the drunken Jonin or the seemingly more powerful red-haired woman.

“It’s okay, Naruto. She’s Rider, my Servant—not an enemy,” Kotone’s voice grew weaker.

Kushina’s punches had been restrained just now, but instantly drew three hundred chakra, the intense weakness making Kotone want to vomit.

After finishing the beginner tutorial, the game’s realism increased.

Seeing the danger passed, Kotone forced herself to end the summoning contract with Rider.

No natural reload was possible now; the situation was strange, so she had to conserve chakra and the Command Seals.

Originally softening her gaze, Kushina’s expression suddenly changed, urgently saying, “Wait! Naruto, I—”

Before finishing, she vanished into a golden light.

Kotone leaned weakly against Naruto.

At this moment, even breathing hurt her; she could only moan.

Most likely, her ribs were broken.

Kotone thought miserably.

Naruto supported her, somewhat distracted.

“That red-haired big sister just called my name. Does she know me?”

“She probably heard me call yours,” Kotone glanced at the system panel where Kushina was now on standby in the background.

In this state, she barely consumed chakra—a small mercy.

Once a Heroic Spirit is summoned, the contract cannot be easily broken, as the chakra cost of Edo Tensei accumulates each time.

【Heroic Spirit Summon. Edo Tensei (1/2): Current Servant - Uzumaki Kushina [Nine-Tails Jinchuriki].】

Kotone groaned, “She should be one of our kind.”

“Naruto-kun,” Hinata, trembling nearby, finally dared to approach. Her voice was soft, “I’ll go find a doctor for you both...”

“What did you say? I can’t hear. If you’re not busy, come help me support Kotone—she’s badly hurt!”

Hinata nodded vigorously, wiped tears from her eyes, and hurried over to help.

Hinata and Naruto lifted Kotone’s arms to support her; just as they tried to help her stand, Kotone gasped sharply.

The muscle pain from internal injuries was so severe her vision darkened; she almost heard the grinding of broken ribs.

“Stop! Are you two trying to kill her?!”

At that moment, a stern male voice came from the alley entrance, followed by a shadow swiftly appearing before them.

“Are you conscious?” It was a somewhat familiar deep voice.

Kotone struggled to open her eyes and saw Kakashi.

He carried groceries, likely passing by nearby and noticing the commotion, having dropped them mid-stride.

His expression was serious as he quickly assessed her condition and decisively said, “I’m taking you to the hospital.”

Naruto recognized him too.

“That strong big brother who helps us!”

Kakashi scanned Naruto quickly, then without hesitation used the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

The second Kakashi clone prepared to carry Naruto: “You need to go to the hospital too.”

The third clone said, “You’re from the Hyuga family, right? I’ll take you home.”

The fourth Kakashi clone stayed behind, watching over the three troublemakers and the badly injured criminal ninja.

As an elite Anbu captain, Kakashi handled the situation with efficiency, sorting out the chaos in just a few words.

Naruto said, “Don’t worry, Hinata, this big brother is a good guy.”

Only then did Hinata nod timidly.

“What happened here?”

“Lady Hinata!”

At the same time, other ninja had detected the violent, malignant chakra fluctuations from Kushina and hurried to investigate.

On one side, the Hyuga family’s guards nearly fainted when they lost sight of Hinata; on the other, elite Uchiha Guards arrived.

The powerful and terrifying chakra just unleashed reminded them of the Nine-Tails’ rampage!

They arrived to find Kakashi already on site.

“This girl was attacked by that ninja and is seriously injured. I must get her to a hospital first,” Kakashi briefly explained.

“As for this drunken lawbreaker—”

“The Guards will handle him,” an Uchiha ninja added, “But the Nine-Tails... this blond boy cannot go to the hospital.”

No Leaf ninja could forget the Nine-Tails’ chaos six years ago. Though the Third Hokage forbade revealing the jinchuriki’s identity, who knew if the fox demon’s seal had loosened?

Allowing him into the Leaf hospital was irresponsible for everyone.

“No, why can’t I go? I want to be with Kotone!” Naruto protested loudly.

Kakashi hesitated briefly.

“Kakashi!” The Uchiha Captain’s voice turned stern, “Until the sealing squad arrives, he can’t go anywhere!”

Kakashi’s gaze fell on Naruto’s face. In the brief moment of distraction, the boy’s injuries had already healed more than half.

That was the jinchuriki’s incredible regenerative ability...

A word of reassurance was absolutely necessary.

Kakashi said calmly, “Naruto, can you stay here quietly and wait for Kotone? Arguing now will only delay her treatment.”

The silver-haired Jonin’s words hit the mark, quickly silencing Naruto’s urge to protest.

Naruto looked anxiously at the pale Kotone, now half-faint.

He silently clenched his fists, gritting his teeth.

“…I will.”

Kakashi forced himself to ignore the flicker of tears in the boy’s eyes.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take her for treatment right now.”

With that, he vanished into the shadows.

“What are you waiting for?” the Guard Captain barked.

“Immediately notify the sealing squad and barrier squad to come here, and send someone to inform Lord Fugaku and the Third Hokage of this situation!”

“Captain, what about this man?” another guard nodded toward the Special Jonin.

The Uchiha Captain glared at the man with disgust—this idiot had caused havoc and was now in utter panic and pain.

Beyond violating countless rules, just provoking the Nine-Tails jinchuriki could have caused a disaster!

“Wait for Lord Fugaku and the Third Hokage to deal with him.” That fool was done for.

The Hyuga ninja, pulling Lady Hinata away nervously, tried to leave the scene but were stopped.

“Sorry, no one may leave before the truth is fully investigated.”

The Hyuga were a noble family, but the proud Uchiha Guards never yielded to any clan.

After meeting those cold, arrogant black eyes, the guards reluctantly lowered their heads and silently pulled Lady Hinata far from the fox demon boy.

He had come looking with a white glare; the wild, powerful chakra earlier was not normal for a child.

The Nine-Tails seal was loosening!

Hadn’t the five guards sealing the scene, though appearing casual, been positioned to fiercely guard the blond brat at the center?

Help... If the clan’s young lady were to fall by his hand...

Yet no matter how seriously the adults treated this threat, the blond boy simply kept his promise, standing quietly in place.

Kotone would be fine.

Kotone would definitely be fine.

He silently wiped away his tears and looked up at the broken silver moon.

On the tender face of this seven-year-old, a resolve beyond his years gradually appeared, as if suddenly matured.

There would be no next time.

—Sworn with this moment’s pain and humiliation.

He would never again stand helplessly by while Kotone was hurt.

No one, nothing, would ever separate him from Kotone.

Absolutely... absolutely!!