CHAPTER 177
As the sun gradually set beyond the horizon, Guy, Ebisu, and Genma followed Kakashi, Obito, and Rin toward the residential area behind the Konoha camp.
Rows of wooden houses stood neatly arranged there, each separated by a comfortable distance.
One of those houses belonged to Minato Namikaze.
The Konoha outpost in the Land of Grass had been established during the early stages of the Third Shinobi World War.
More than three years had already passed.
With the frontlines becoming relatively stable, the camp had gradually evolved into a permanent base.
After all, it wasn't practical for Shinobi to spend years living inside tents.
Fortunately, constructing houses wasn't difficult for Ninja proficient in Earth Release and other construction related Ninjutsu.
Within a relatively short period, the residential district had taken shape and eventually became what it was today.
The six of them soon arrived at Minato's residence.
Knock. Knock.
The front door opened.
Standing there was Minato Namikaze himself.
A warm smile naturally rested upon his handsome face.
He stepped aside and welcomed everyone inside.
"Come in."
"Kushina is still preparing dinner."
Then he looked directly at Obito with a smile.
"She even made your favourite."
"Oden and fried eggs."
"Woohoo!"
Obito's eyes immediately lit up.
"Long live Kushina-san!"
Without waiting for anyone else, he dashed straight into the house.
His excited voice echoed all the way inside.
"Kushina-san!"
"I'm here!"
Minato merely smiled helplessly.
He had long grown accustomed to Obito's energetic personality.
Turning back toward the others, he warmly invited them inside.
"Please make yourselves comfortable."
"There's some juice on the table."
"I'll go help Kushina."
After speaking, he walked toward the kitchen.
Ebisu and Genma quietly looked around the house before whispering to one another.
"Obito really seems close to Captain Minato and Kushina-san."
Standing nearby, Rin overheard them and smiled.
"That's right."
"Kushina-san likes Obito very much."
"She always says Obito is full of passion and never loses his optimism."
"More than once, she's even joked that if she has children in the future..."
"She hopes they'll grow up as cheerful and energetic as Obito."
After saying that...
Rin suddenly noticed something unusual.
Ever since entering the house...
Guy had hardly spoken.
He simply stood there quietly, seemingly lost in thought.
"Eh?"
"Guy-kun?"
"What's wrong?"
"You've been awfully quiet."
She looked at him curiously.
Hearing her question...
Kakashi also turned toward Guy.
As though realizing what Rin might be thinking...
He quietly shook his head at her.
Rin immediately understood.
She assumed she had accidentally reminded Guy of something painful.
Feeling somewhat guilty...
She hurriedly picked up a glass of juice from the table and handed it over.
"Here."
"Have some juice."
Inside her heart, she quietly blamed herself.
"Come to think of it..."
"I've never heard Guy-kun mention his mother before."
"Maybe..."
"He's thinking about her."
Unfortunately...
Rin's guess couldn't have been further from the truth.
Guy was indeed thinking about a woman.
But...
It wasn't his own mother.
It was...
Uzumaki Kushina.
The future mother of Uzumaki Naruto.
The Nine Tails Jinchuriki.
Unlike the other known Jinchuriki of the Five Great Nations...
Kushina's identity had always remained one of Konoha's highest secrets.
Only a handful of the village's highest ranking officials knew that the Nine Tails had been sealed inside her.
Before arriving at the Land of Grass...
Guy's attention had remained focused almost entirely on Minato, Kakashi, Obito, and the ongoing war.
Only now did he suddenly remember...
That Kushina was also stationed here.
Thinking carefully...
The reason Akimichi Torifu had hurriedly led reinforcements to the Land of Grass probably wasn't solely because of Sakumo Hatake's apparent death and the pressure placed upon Konoha's military forces.
There was likely another reason as well.
Protecting Konoha's Nine Tails Jinchuriki.
However...
That wasn't what occupied Guy's thoughts now.
Instead...
He was thinking about Kushina's future.
After the Third Shinobi World War ended...
Minato would eventually become the Fourth Hokage.
Kushina would become pregnant.
Then...
Naruto would be born.
On the night of his birth...
Because childbirth naturally weakened the Eight Trigrams Seal suppressing the Nine Tails...
The masked man suddenly launched his attack.
He extracted Kurama from Kushina's body.
Kushina ultimately lost her life.
Minato also sacrificed himself by using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to divide and seal the Nine Tails.
And the identity of that masked man...
Was the very person Kushina had always treated like one of her own children.
Obito.
Thinking of that future...
Guy couldn't help letting out a quiet sigh.
His emotions became extremely complicated.
Judging from everything that had happened today...
And from Rin's earlier words...
It was obvious that the relationship between Obito and Kushina was exceptionally close.
Obito had lost both of his parents while still very young.
Within the Uchiha Clan...
He had never received much recognition.
Perhaps...
He had never truly experienced genuine maternal warmth.
Kushina had unknowingly filled that emptiness.
Likewise...
Kushina sincerely cared about this loud, straightforward, and optimistic boy.
The bond between them was genuine.
Yet...
During the future...
At the very moment Kushina was at her weakest after giving birth...
When she most needed protection...
Obito personally extracted the Nine Tails from her body.
In a sense...
He had personally caused Kushina's death.
He also directly brought about the Nine Tails Disaster that devastated Konoha and countless tragedies that followed.
Thinking about Obito during that period...
Only two words appeared in Guy's mind.
A monster.
Calling him a monster wasn't an exaggeration.
However...
That was still the future.
The Obito standing here now...
Had not yet become that person.
According to the original timeline...
Everything would begin during the Kannabi Bridge mission.
After witnessing Kakashi seemingly kill Rin with his own Chidori...
Obito's heart completely collapsed.
Under Madara Uchiha's manipulation...
Along with Black Zetsu's schemes...
And the naturally intense emotions possessed by the Uchiha Clan...
He eventually descended into darkness.
Step by step...
He walked onto that inhuman path.
But...
That was still two years away.
More importantly...
This timeline was already different.
Sakumo Hatake was still alive.
Guy himself was also here.
Whether those future tragedies would still happen...
No one could say for certain.
Just as Guy's thoughts reached this point...
The curtain separating the kitchen from the dining room was gently lifted aside.
A woman wearing an apron walked out carrying a large plate filled with steaming food.
Her long crimson hair was dazzlingly beautiful.
A bright smile illuminated her face.
She radiated warmth and vitality.
It was...
Uzumaki Kushina.