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"Haori?"
Why did Haori go to such lengths? Why was he able to go to such lengths?
Kushina's reaction at this moment was the reason and the value of everything Haori did. People are selfish. There's no such thing as something happening for no reason.
The meaning of one person's existence to another lies in this.
Haori looked the same, half-human, half-ghost. But Kushina could tell at a glance that the person in front of her was him.
Besides her, who else could do that? No one.
"I can see you one last time, after all."
Kushina and Minato sat together, and behind them was a wooden altar.
"Kushina, can you stand up?"
Maybe there was silence, or maybe Haori just said this out loud.
He was in a state where he couldn't touch Kushina. The more "solid" and "strong" something is, the fewer death lines it will have.
In the vision that the Death God's Eye had sliced open, Haori couldn't see Kushina's appearance at all.
She looked like a ball of bright red yarn.
He couldn't control these eyes freely. So, he couldn't touch Kushina.
So… what could Haori say? What should Haori say? What could Haori say?
He didn't know.
"I'm sorry, Kushina. If I could use medical ninjutsu…"
Kushina laughed. She was probably laughing as always, but Haori could only imagine her laughter.
"Haori, you should know that a Jinchūriki who has lost their tailed beast is beyond the scope of what medical ninjutsu can solve. So… this is my end."
Did Haori not know?
He wished he didn't know. But he did know. He knew very clearly.
"Your eyes?"
"This? It's just a new jutsu…"
"Your face?"
"It'll recover soon…"
"Really? That's good… Although I've never said it before, I've always thought you had a feminine look. But you look much better than you do now."
"Yeah, I agree with you."
"So… did you encounter a powerful enemy?"
Kushina struggled to raise her right hand. She wanted to do something. Haori didn't know her intention, but he still lowered his body.
She wanted to help Haori pull out the black rod stuck in his left shoulder. It was a place that Haori couldn't reach with one hand.
But Kushina couldn't do it anymore. She didn't have the strength.
"It was a pretty ordinary opponent. I took care of him easily."
Haori also wanted to return a smile, but even though he could precisely control every nerve signal, he couldn't control the muscles in his face to make his lips curl up even a fraction of an inch.
Humans can't defy their own will. What you can't do, you can't do.
"Really? That's good."
With Haori's current state and injuries, his enemy couldn't possibly have been an ordinary opponent. But for Kushina, Haori was still alive. So, that's good.
"Haori… when we first met, you said there was something you wanted. What was it?"
"I found what I wanted."
As he spoke, Haori's gaze went over Kushina's head.
Kushina could sense this. Although Haori didn't want to mention that word that started with "hui" and ended with "zi" at all, Kushina was in this state now.
So, she laughed again. There was even a hint of playfulness and disbelief in her tone, just like the Kushina Haori had first met.
"So, you've always wanted a little boy or a little girl… Haori, I never thought you were a dangerous person in that sense…"
To tell someone something, to tell a person about something, is called "telling."
"If you have to say it, I guess I wanted someone like me."
"Not a companion. Just someone like you? Haori…"
Although Haori looked no different from ordinary people, he was actually different from everyone. The closer you got to him, the more you could sense this sense of separation and incongruity.
After all, no matter what, he was a "person from another world," an "alien," an "esper." In a way, he was also a "person from the future."
So, Kushina's surprise disappeared. She knew about Haori. She understood him. She could feel sadness.
"Haori… what kind of world do you see now, with your new eyes? What kind of world will you see in the future?"
This was the question that Kushina wanted to ask. Not the origin of the eyes. That wasn't important to her anymore.
"…The refreshing, invigorating breeze of Ito, even the summer sky feels cold. Morio City, adorned with beautiful forests, and the green pastures outside the city, shimmering with a green glow… So, I'll search for familiar scenery while recalling the peaceful Ito of that year…"
"You're saying something strange again. What's this reference? But, it's good."
Kushina often didn't understand what Haori was saying, but she understood the meaning. So, she said it was good.
No matter what, Upper白石 Haori's story would continue.
"Haori, what's the world after death like?"
"Kushina, you'll probably meet a god…"
"God, it feels like it'll be an old man like the Third Hokage."
"No… to be honest, it's more like a pervert like Jiraiya."
"Ha, it's a god, but it's a pervert?"
"Yeah… So, Kushina, don't ever leave Minato's side."
"Really?… Speaking of which, this cherry blossom forest is where I first met Minato. It's a shame it's summer now."
The "meeting" that Kushina mentioned was that meeting.
"I'll come here every spring…"
"Haori, live… Haori, I'll leave you with this…"
Leave him with what? Haori naturally knew.
It was probably to say this that Kushina had been able to hold on until now.
"I know."
So, he just said that he knew.
Kushina smiled, but her voice was barely audible.
"Kushina, do you know?"
"There are a hundred charms and a thousand graces in the human world… My life, it's probably as deep and blue as an abyss."
Haori's gaze turned to the cherry blossom forest. The part that hadn't been destroyed in the battle was actually just a small patch.
To tell someone something, to express a certain feeling to another person, is called confessing. But Haori was that kind of person. He would never say what he shouldn't say, even if no one would hear him anymore.
In some ways, he only had affection for Kushina. It wasn't less than that, and it shouldn't be more than that. But the meaning of one person's existence to another is far more than that. It's the most insignificant part of the relationship between Haori and Kushina.
"Do you know, Kushina…"
"There's regret, there's happiness. That's what life is."
"It's a shame that my wish can't continue."
"If it were spring, it would be very beautiful here. But that was last year's scenery… It's so happy, but humans are so lonely."
Birth and death are natural. Humans are that lonely.
Fate makes someone born. Fate makes someone die. Fate makes someone reborn. Fate makes someone meet. Fate gives someone hope. Fate gives someone despair.
"My story will continue, but…"
Upper白石 Haori's story will continue, but…
"So…"
To tell someone something, to express your intention to leave to another person, is called saying goodbye.
"So, Kushina…"
"Goodbye."
So…
Uzumaki Kushina was gone forever.
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