Chapter 98: Arrival of the Hot Water Ninja

That force was far more powerful than Minato's own, yet it seemed suppressed, not only unable to harm his body but instead seeping through some non-physical vessel to continuously heal his injuries.

Under the onslaught of this power, Minato's own chakra seemed to grow stronger bit by bit, both in quality and quantity. 

Within Minato's body now, a faint, imperceptible sound reverberated - the defiant roar of something unwilling, yet too damaged to even leak the slightest presence.

With heavy eyelids, Minato slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a brown patterned ceiling. 

Then a surprised voice reached his ears: "You woke up so quickly."

Toriumi Jun's beautiful face suddenly came into view, her expression unlike any Minato had seen from her before. But this was how a normal person should look.

"So quickly?" Another shocked voice rang out as Sakumo appeared moments later, followed soon after by Uchiha Homura's face.

Being stared at by the three made Minato feel incredibly awkward, yet he didn't know how to avoid their gazes.

Turning his attention inward, a stabbing pain shot from the left side of his body.

"Ow ow ow, so painful!" Minato sucked in a sharp breath, finally recalling taking a blade for Toriumi yesterday, injuring his left arm. By the end of the battle with the Cloud ninja though, that arm had gone numb. But now the agony returned, making him grit his teeth.

"This is too strange..." After the initial surprise, Sakumo frowned. Logically, Minato should not have recovered so rapidly. This pain also seemed abnormal.

He had lost too much blood from that arm, gradually numbing the nerves and causing temporary sensory loss. Based on Sakumo's experience, regaining sensation should not happen overnight.

However, Toriumi shot him a disapproving glance, making Sakumo realize his thoughtless comment. Regardless, Minato's swift recovery was good news.

Toriumi refocused, opening her perception. As an experienced ninja, she shared Sakumo's concern that something was amiss with Minato's condition.

Upon carefully examining him with her sensory abilities, her expression shifted slightly.

"What's wrong with Minato's body?" Sakumo noticed the change and asked worriedly, Uchiha Homura also looking concerned.

Toriumi shook her head and told Minato: "Not only are your injuries healing rapidly, but your chakra has mostly replenished too. It's automatically congregating at the damaged areas to mend your wounds."

After losing so much blood yesterday, Minato's chakra reserves should have been severely depleted. Yet the opposite was occurring. 

Chakra is formed from physical and spiritual energy, with the physical portion coming from the body's 130 trillion cells.

Conversely, chakra can also accelerate bodily healing, since the human form is essentially composed of various types of energy.

"At this rate, you'll likely regain full mobility within a day," Toriumi stated. Minato's chakra was almost fully restored - once it stabilized the injured areas, his movement would be unimpeded.

As for the arm wound, the regenerating flesh would probably require 1-2 weeks or more to fully heal, since that cut had gone so deep.

"This constitution is simply..." Sakumo sighed inwardly. Some could achieve this, like the once mighty Senju clan who were born with incredible vitality, allowing far greater healing than normal.

However, Minato's file listed him as having civilian parents, making it hard to fathom his body possessing such powerful regenerative abilities. 

Yet if Toriumi had sensed it, then there were no abnormalities - this was simply the natural extent of Minato's recovery. Incredible stamina coupled with unparalleled talent - the kid was a natural-born ninja. 

Lying there, Minato seemed to recall something, his right arm searching under the covers until he revealed a relieved smile.

In his palm was a yellow hair clip with a red streak on the end - the gift he had planned to give Kushina. Thankfully the previous night's battle hadn't lost it.

"Getting so worked up over a cheap hair clip? Worry about your own injuries instead," Uchiha Homura scoffed, though his tone betrayed underlying concern.

Minato smiled warmly. "Thank you for your concern." 

"Hmph!" Uchiha Homura turned away, arms crossed. "Concern? I just won't allow you to die before I defeat you myself."

Minato chuckled - that was simply Uchiha Homura's personality. Despite the aloofness, he had a kind heart.

Nearby, Toriumi looked a bit flustered before telling Minato: "Thank you for yesterday."

Clearly unaccustomed to expressing such sentiments, her phrasing was awkward. The other three froze at her words.

"I only did what I'm supposed to - protecting comrades is my duty," Minato replied with a smile.

Toriumi's pupils shrank slightly. The word "comrade" felt so unfamiliar to her, yet hearing Minato say it filled her with warmth - an emotion she hadn't felt in years.

Turning to Sakumo, Minato asked: "What about that guy Kuriyama Shinzo? Is he dead?"

"I severed his head, but whether he's truly dead or alive, I don't know," Sakumo admitted.

Minato nodded understandingly. Last night, Toriumi had struck nearly all of Kuriyama's vital points yet he still lived.

Even if Sakumo didn't elaborate, Minato understood that in such a situation, confirming the target's death was impossible. After all, none of them had ever encountered someone so hard to kill before.

"So does that mean our mission was a success or failure?" Minato asked.

"Unclear," Sakumo shook his head, then glanced out the window. "But I think someone may give us the answer."

Following his gaze, Toriumi frowned while Uchiha Homura tensed warily. 

"We have company."

The balcony door slid open, and three figures entered wearing forehead protectors identifying them as ninja - but not from Konoha or the Cloud Village. 

Their forehead protectors bore the emblem of three slanted lines.

Sakumo smiled slightly. "You three are ninja from the Hidden Hot Water Village, aren't you?"

(End of chapter)