25 Chapter 25

Sunshine locks swayed as Minato hurriedly walked down the hallways of the Jounin HQ, Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi falling into step with him.

It had been a rather abrupt confrontation: Minato found them, they exchanged quick pleasantries, and then the blonde told them that he needed their help.

"Er, so…" Inoichi began, only to be silenced by a raised hand from Minato.

"Not now, Inoichi. Thinking."

Shikaku let out an amused snort. "But what about? Your wife or your student?" The Nara did not miss the minute stiffening of the short-haired blonde's shoulders. "We understand that you are stressed, Minato, but we are worried about Kushina as well. We just want to know how she is doing."

Minato's fists clenched. "She's… Physically speaking, she's fine."

This left Inoichi somewhat alarmed. "And mentally…?"

"Fine," Minato replied tersely, earning him a relieved yet confused look from the other blonde. "The doctors found nothing wrong with her after a quick scan, which is why she is to remain in the hospital for the time being. Her levels are normal, pulse, blood pressure, temperature, everything. They're hoping to find the cause after more thorough tests have been run, but for the time being, it's a waiting game."

Shikaku frowned. "What alerted you to a problem to begin with? All we heard was that Kushina was admitted to the hospital." Inoichi nodded at the Nara's comment.

The dark look that passed over the shorter blonde made the two members of Ino-Shika-Cho worried.

"... Her stomach. She fainted after a sharp pain in her stomach knocked her out." Minato noticed the immediate understanding that flickered through Shikaku's eyes and nodded.

"… Her stomach?" Inoichi asked incredulously.

"What's wrong with that? If there were no physical abnormalities, then she should be… Fine… " He paused at the serious looks the other two gave him.

As realization hit him, he paled to a color lighter than his platinum blonde hair. "… No… Is it…?"

"That's just the thing," Minato sighed, combing a hand through his hair. "The seal was untouched. There were no abnormalities, and aside from a slight disruption in her chakra, there were no signs of tampering. It's chakra was still held tightly behind the seal, and if anything, the stream of it's own chakra was actually thinner than before."

Shikaku and Inoichi shared a look, neither of them as well-versed in Fūinjutsu as their friend, but still worried about the implications.

Finally, the Nara voice his question in a careful tone. "… What could that mean?"

"… I don't know." The words were spoken in such a dejected tone that his two companions could practically feel the frustration evident.

"I have my suspicions, a few hypotheses, but all of them are unheard of. It's unheard of, and the seal, while restraining, shouldn't cause such a reaction. I wouldn't know the results or effects it would have on the host, since this has never happened before…" He trailed off, his voice falling just below a whisper. "… A Bijū dying within it's Jinchūriki."

A tense silence fell, and remained for the handful of seconds it took the group to finally reach their destination.

Minato sighed while shaking his head, clearly planning to move on from the subject.

"… But for now, we will not focus on that. I called you two for a different issue," Minato opened the large doors with ease and walked into the records room with purpose in every step. "Help me look for anything with the mention of 'Kaguya'. Tell me if you find anyone that goes by that, or if you find even a mention of the name."

"… Kaguya?" Shikaku questioned, bemused at the fact that Minato didn't even notice the way the other Jounin present immediately cleared the way for him as though clearing for a Hokage.

He could already tell that the man's charisma and power would net him that position in the near future, and it gave Shikaku a sense of pride that he had been one of the first few to see past the 'sissy' facade to see the real Minato.

The blonde nodded. "Yes. That is the name Obito had shouted at the hospital, and I had remembered it last night. I want all documents that list the name found and brought to me. We will reconvene in four hours to compare our findings."

Shikaku raised an eyebrow as he followed his friend further into the room. "… The Hokage approved of this?" Minato halted in his steps abruptly and gave a sheepish smile.

Both Inoichi and Shikaku sighed before the latter gave a bemused smirk. "I know you plan on becoming Hokage one day, Minato, but aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself? You still need the Hokage's permission for this kind of thing, in case you have forgotten."

"Wait, no, it's not that," Minato quickly replied, denying the accusation with a nervous chuckle. "I did gain Hokage-sama's permission, it's just… Well, I didn't mean to command you guys like that, I know that you are only doing this as a favor for a friend, and—"

"It's okay, Minato," Inoichi interrupted with an amused chuckle.

It was quite funny how their friend could go from an oppressive leader to a nervous sap that tripped over his words.

"We get that you're stressed and somewhere between work mode and mission mode, while also trying to keep calm. Your default in tense situations is to take up the role of leadership to help diffuse said tense situations, so it's only natural that you would behave as such—in the presence of friends or otherwise."

Minato sighed before offering the mind-specialist a grateful smile.

"Well then," Shikaku began with his usual drawl. "It'll be troublesome, but we should get to work if we can to finish this."

It was four hours later that the trio finally reconvened at a desk off to the corner of the room to compare their findings. Inoichi was the first to present.

"First of all, I found a 'Kawasaki Kaguya' who was well-known for Genjutsu despite being a Bukijutsu specialist." This got the attention of the other two, and Inoichi continued with a sigh, "… But she died a decade ago, during the Second War."

Minato and Shikaku frowned, but signaled the man to continue.

He laid out a few files, each with detailed notes on individual people. "I also found multiple entries about individuals with the surname Kaguya, all of which were labeled anywhere between C-Rank and A-Rank offensive threats."

The other blonde nodded as he perused the dog-eared papers. "I found similar files, with the same ranking. Enemies of Konoha, then; that matches. I also found some other individuals with the first name 'Kaguya,' but similar to your findings, they have either been dead for a while or have shown no aptitude in the Shinobi arts." He sighed. "There really wasn't much that I managed to find."

After Minato finished his spiel, the two turned to Shikaku, who had his arms crossed as he leaned back in his chair.

"… I found some old documents about a clan, and I think it has to do with your findings on the individuals with the surname 'Kaguya'." He slid a manila folder in the middle of the table and the two blondes flipped it open, inspecting it of it's contents.

"They are an independent, nomadic clan known for their savage ways, love of war and bloodshed, and over all bloodlust. Select few of the clan possess a kekkei genkai called Shikotsumyaku that appears to be some sort of bone-manipulation technique."

"Oh, I noticed that!" Inoichi started in an excited tone, apparently pleased that their little investigation was going somewhere.

"One of the entries I found of a Kaguya autopsy stated that the bone structure was odd, as though constructed to accommodate chakra." He shivered.

"Apparently, the individual literally had to be dismembered and separated into several different parts to successfully neutralize him. I can see how that could scar a young child."

Shikaku tapped his chin, absently noting the rather blank look Minato had. "Do any of us know where they tend to stay? Their habits? Now that I think about it, I've heard some whispers in the Jōnin HQ about the Kaguya clan and brief encounters with individuals from the clan. They were always on the move, but surely there is a way to track down—"

A rather out-of-place laugh made the Nara halt his words, and both he and Inoichi turned to Minato. The man was laughing, and as such, Inoichi and Shikaku couldn't quite help the strange looks they gave him.

Minato, seemingly sensing their unease, gave a small shrug and a questionable smile. "Oh well."

The other blonde gaped as Shikaku's eyes widened, the two exchanging worried glances. "Er… Minato?" Inoichi finally began, hoping that the stress hadn't finally gotten to his friend.

It was unlike him to give up so easily, especially concerning the people he cared for so dearly.

"You're not… You're not giving up are you? I mean, just because the clan is constantly moving and difficult to track doesn't mean that—"

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