Chapter 90 The World Reborn - Minato Namikaze (Part 1)

Reborn - Minato Namikaze

Minato Namikaze felt he must have made a mistake.

Why did I marry Kushina in my dream?

The person he has always loved has always been Xue.

He only likes Uchiha Yuki.

He awoke with a start, drenched in sweat. The summer night was stifling, without a breath of wind; cicadas screeched hoarsely outside the window, and moonlight filtered through the thin curtains, turning the bedroom into a cage of alternating light and shadow. The dream felt as real as another life—he was smiling in it, playing the role of a gentle, almost hypocritical "Fourth Hokage," yet he watched helplessly as Yuki's figure faded from his world, walking towards someone else.

He couldn't stand it.

The boy threw back the thin blanket and got up, his bare feet touching the cool floor. The mirror reflected a face that hadn't completely lost its childishness; blond hair clung messily to his forehead, his azure eyes widened slightly in fear, and his lips appeared pale in the moonlight. It was clearly his face, yet it seemed not to be.

How could he allow... how could he allow such a thing to happen?

Everything—the way of forbearance, responsibility.

Even the entire Hidden Leaf Village—is utterly insignificant in the face of the possibility of "losing Yuki."

There is no comparison whatsoever.

Almost instinctively, he grasped the specially made Flying Thunder God kunai beside his pillow. The instant his fingers closed, a faint blue light flowed from the hilt, flickering like breath. The air distorted slightly, carrying the unique, humid heat of a summer night, rising from the vegetation. The next second, his figure vanished from the spot.

It is a space-time ninjutsu.

Uchiha Yuki paused slightly. She had just taken a bath, and her damp black hair was still scattered on the pillow. The faint scent of lilacs and the subtle, sweet warmth emanating from her skin, steamed by the heat, filled the small bedroom. The window was half-open, but no wind could get in; only moonlight spilled onto the tatami mat, spreading a silvery white.

She looked at Minato Namikaze, who had suddenly appeared on her bed.

"Minato...senpai?"

Just then, a knock sounded on the door, slow and steady.

A slightly hoarse voice, belonging to Obito who was going through puberty, came from outside the door: "Hey—Yuki, are you asleep?"

Xue reacted almost instantly. She swiftly reached out and gently covered Shuimen's slightly parted lips with her palm. Her fingertips, still warm and damp from her bath, touched the skin of his lower lip. Her other hand pressed down on his shoulder as he tried to rise, and her body unconsciously leaned towards him, forming a posture that was half protective and half confining.

Too close...

Minato could clearly smell the damp lilac shampoo in her hair, mixed with the clean scent emanating from the young girl's skin, like the interplay of fresh grass and warm sunshine after rain. Her thin nightgown stretched taut with her movements, outlining the soft, budding curves of her developing body. The summer night fabric was thin, and her body heat was transmitted almost unimpeded, warming his arm.

The boy's ears burned uncontrollably, and his heart pounded rapidly in his chest. But then he frowned slightly, as if thinking of something.

Xue is never wary of those close to her, which makes everyone's affectionate gestures towards her seem commonplace.

But holding hands, kissing, and sleeping together are things that only lovers can do...

Yuki raised her voice, speaking towards the door, her tone carrying just the right amount of sleepy nasal tone: "Yeah, time to sleep, Obito. Can we talk about it tomorrow?"

After speaking, she lowered her eyes, her dark blue pupils gazing at Minato, and shook her head slightly. Her fingertips still lightly covered his lips, her gaze clear and focused in the moonlight, silently conveying the message "Don't make a sound." She quietly got up, her bare feet stepping across the cool tatami mat, walked to the door, and with a soft "click," turned off the light.

The room was plunged into complete darkness. With sight deprived, the other senses became unusually acute.

Outside the door, Obito seemed to mutter something under his breath, but it was too soft for them to hear.

Then, the footsteps gradually faded away, the wooden corridor creaked softly, and finally fell silent.

In the thick darkness, only the two people's soft, intertwined breaths remained.

She raised her hand, and with a hiss, a small cluster of orange-red chakra flames ignited at her fingertips. The flames danced, illuminating half of both of their faces; her delicate skin resembled warm jade, and her long eyelashes cast trembling shadows beneath her eyes. By this faint light, she looked again at the boy who had inexplicably appeared in the dead of night.

"Minato-senpai," she asked softly, her voice unusually clear in the silence, "what brings you here?"

Minato gazed at her profile, softly outlined by the firelight, and the overwhelming panic of losing her from his dream washed over him once more. He opened his mouth, only to find his throat dry. The summer night remained stifling, but her presence, so close, became the only definite anchor point in this chaotic space-time.

The chakra of flames danced silently at her fingertips, scorching the air with subtle ripples.

Minato gazed at her in that small patch of warm light. The real, tangible Uchiha Yuki. Not the fading silhouette of his dream, and he hadn't died under the Nine-Tails' claws. She was right there, breathing softly, her eyes reflecting the flickering flames, and a hint of barely perceptible concern.

His Adam's apple bobbed, the churning panic and the relief of regaining what he had lost rolled over on his tongue, finally turning into a soft sigh, mingled with the dampness of the summer night: "I had a... terrible dream."

He was stunned for a moment as soon as he said it. The reason sounded so naive and so weak.

But what else could he say?

He said he experienced another life, lost her in a dream, and was then awakened by a huge emptiness, desperately wanting to confirm her existence.

Xue merely tilted her head slightly, her wet hair sliding down her shoulder with the movement. She didn't press him about the dream's content, nor did she show any further surprise at his sudden intrusion in the middle of the night. The flame at her fingertips brightened a little more, steady and warm.

“Dreams are always the opposite of reality, senior.” She said softly, “I’m here, senior can relax a bit here.”

Minato gave a wry smile. Could she be thinking he had some kind of post-traumatic stress disorder?

Although, in a sense, they are almost the same.

However... he suddenly reached out, not with his usual calm and restraint, but with a youthful, reckless eagerness, and grasped her hand that had not yet ignited a flame.

Her fingers were slightly cool, with delicate knuckles.

She trembled almost imperceptibly when enveloped by the scorching heat of his palm.

"Xue..." he called her name, his voice low and hoarse, "I...miss you."

He regretted it as soon as he said it.

Doesn't Xue think she's being too frivolous?

Yuki was clearly stunned. In the dim firelight, Minato could see the tips of her rosy ears. A thought flashed through his mind—that's right, at this moment, Yuki liked him. It's just that he had previously postponed these feelings due to the war on the front lines and his so-called ideals.

After a while, she suddenly curled her fingers and gently squeezed his hand back.

"Minato...senpai, I'm here..."

Just as he was about to say something more, a muffled clap of thunder suddenly came from outside the window, rolling across the sky as it approached. Immediately afterward, the rain that had been brewing all night finally began to pelt down, pounding against the eaves and leaves, instantly drowning out the cicadas' chirping and bringing with it a fresh, earthy scent.

A cool breeze, carrying raindrops, rushed in through the half-open window, dispelling the stuffiness inside and extinguishing the flame at Xue's fingertips.

She let go of his hand, got up, walked to the window, and closed it slightly.

"It's raining." She said to him with her back to him, her voice muffled by the sound of the rain. "Looks like it's going to rain all night."

Minato sat on her bed, the cool touch of her fingertips still lingering in his palm. He watched her back, her slender figure, yet unwavering despite everything she had been through. The coldness and anxiety brought on by that dream were gradually washed away and soothed by the real sound of the rain and the real her.

He came here perhaps without needing any clear answers.

Seeing her, confirming her existence, feeling the rhythm of her breath—that's enough; she truly exists beside him.

"Snow." He spoke again, his voice much calmer, carrying the gentle warmth unique to the rainy night.

"Um?"

"I used the Flying Thunder God Technique to get here, and it drained my chakra quite a bit." He paused, his azure eyes gazing at her in the dim light, his frankness bordering on joking. "The rain outside is too heavy. I... can I rest here for a bit? I'll leave before dawn."

Minato's heart was pounding; he knew this was a lie that could be exposed at any moment.

However, there was no Snow, a ninja who could earn the title of Yellow Flash on the battlefield.

How could one Flying Thunder God Technique possibly deplete all the chakra needed to return?

A clap of thunder boomed, and a flash of lightning briefly illuminated the room.

The reflection showed the boy's somewhat pale face and his determined, bright blue eyes.

And Xue's slightly flushed cheeks—no matter what, a fifteen-year-old girl would understand the inappropriateness of being in the same room as a nineteen-year-old boy.

After a long while, she finally made a move.

She walked to the closet, opened the door, and took out a clean, thin blanket and pillow, silently spreading them on the tatami mat some distance from her own bed. Then, she returned to her own bed, lifted the blanket, lay down, and faced the wall with her back to him.

"Tonight."

Minato's heart, like a bird finally finding its landing spot, gently settled, only to be enveloped by a warm tide. He walked to the prepared "bed" and lay down. Beneath him was the hard tatami mat, yet his nose was filled with the unique scent of her room—lilac mixed with clean cotton fabric—and the heavy sound of rain outside the window.

"Hmm," he replied.

No one spoke again. Only the patter of rain washed away the summer night's heat and the secrets of the heart.

Two boys, one lying down and the other reclining, an arm's length apart, shared the sudden summer night rain under the same roof. Minato closed her eyes. This time, there were no nightmares. Only the sound of rain and her soft, rhythmic breathing.

The sound of rain gradually pattered down, like an endless background noise, enveloping this small space.

Minato wasn't asleep. He lay there with his eyes open, listening intently to the breathing coming from the other direction in the darkness. Steady, long, and relaxed with complete trust—Yuki was asleep. This realization warmed and tingled in his chest.

She's always like that; once she decides to trust, she gives it her all.

Just like now, he was allowed to stay simply because he said he had "a terrible dream".

He must change.

It's not just about changing the "future" that might lead to tragedy, but also about changing the seemingly close yet always distant "senior-junior" relationship between him and Xue. What he wants is far more than just friendship, and certainly not just the regretful missed opportunity in his dream and... those complicated emotional entanglements.

He wanted her gaze to linger only on him, and her heart to soften only for him.

This thought grew wildly in the rainy night, carrying the unique fervor and uncompromising nature of youth.

And, an almost obsessive determination forged through loss—

This time, he will definitely not let go.