When Uzumaki Kushina heard that Uzumaki Mito knew where Arima was, she immediately asked anxiously,
"Grandma Mito, where is he?"
"He's at the ninja hospital. Apparently, he got injured while training and has been unconscious for several days. You can—"
Before Mito could finish her sentence, Kushina had already dashed out of the room.
"Grandma Mito, I'm going out for a bit—I'll be right back!"
Mito watched Kushina leave with a warm, doting smile.
Just yesterday, Hiruzen Sarutobi had come to check on Kushina, and during the conversation, Mito had specifically asked about Arima.
When she learned that Arima had been hospitalized due to injuries from overtraining and had been unconscious for days, Mito was genuinely shocked.
Training hard enough to end up in the hospital?
Just how far must he have pushed himself to fall unconscious for days?
Still, Mito clearly noticed something different in Sarutobi's attitude.
Previously, whenever Arima came up, Hiruzen's tone was indifferent, as if the boy didn't matter.
But yesterday, there was a shift—he seemed to have started taking Arima seriously.
Mito didn't know what had changed, but in her heart, she felt it was a good thing.
She also felt a lingering sense of guilt toward Kushina.
After all, she had been brought to Konoha to become the new jinchūriki of the Nine Tails. It wasn't something Kushina had chosen—it was a duty imposed on her.
And she felt a similar guilt toward Arima.
He carried the blood of the Senju clan, yet Mito—once the wife of the Senju clan leader—had been unable to protect him.
She also understood why Hiruzen had arranged for Kushina to be placed in Arima's class.
That class had a gifted student—Minato Namikaze.
Minato was a civilian ninja with a clean background. Rumor had it that Jiraiya, one of Hiruzen's disciples, planned to take Minato as his student after graduation.
Hiruzen had told Mito before: he wanted Kushina to develop emotional ties to Konoha, to truly belong here.
And Minato was the person Hiruzen had chosen to form that bond with Kushina—to help her see Konoha as her home.
As a civilian ninja, Minato didn't belong to any of the major clans. In a way, he was part of the Hokage faction.
This also helped prevent any powerful clan from scheming to control the Nine Tails through Kushina.
Mito had no reason—or power—to oppose Hiruzen's decision.
After all, he was the Hokage now. She was merely the First Hokage's widow.
But even so, Mito had more faith in Arima than Minato.
The reason was simple—Arima was of Senju descent, and Mito saw herself as one of his elders.
If Hiruzen began to take Arima seriously, and if by chance Kushina and Arima grew closer, the opposition they'd face might be a little less intense.
Arima wasn't recognized by the Uchiha clan, and in that way, he too stood apart from the major ninja factions.
A flicker of determination crossed Mito's eyes.
Her time in this world was nearing its end—but she would live long enough to see Kushina grow up.
And if Kushina and Arima truly came together, then she'd do whatever she could to help them.
Kushina excitedly ran to the ninja hospital.
Since she didn't know which room Arima was in, she asked one of the busy medical-nin.
Surprisingly, getting his room number was easy.
But the medic's tone made Kushina extremely uncomfortable.
"Oh, you mean that little traitor? He's in the room at the end of the hallway."
The expression of disgust on the medic's face made Kushina's heart tighten with unease.
She walked down the hall and stopped in front of the room at the very end.
Since Arima was unconscious, she opened the door and stepped inside.
She found him lying flat on the hospital bed, his arms and legs wrapped in bandages.
There were no flowers, no fruit, not even a glass of water on the bedside table.
Only the cold beeping of medical machines echoed in the room.
Looking at Arima's condition, Kushina felt a dull ache in her chest.
She forced a smile and said softly,
"I came to see you, Arima."
Of course, the unconscious Arima didn't respond.
Without hesitation, Kushina turned and rushed out of the room—she was heading to the flower shop.
Although Arima was unconscious, his consciousness was fully awake—he just couldn't move his body.
His body had been taken over by the system, simulating the transformation and nature change of lightning chakra, as well as practicing all forms of Thunder Breathing. The toll it took on him was beyond anything he could've imagined.
For the first time, Arima truly understood what it meant to suffer worse than death.
Every inch of muscle, every organ in his body, was screaming in pain.
But the sheer power of Thunder Breathing's full sword form made it all seem worthwhile.
He was only nine years old—yet with chakra at that level, he could unleash such terrifying force. Just imagining the potential he'd have as an adult gave him hope.
His consciousness had already returned yesterday. He'd been replaying the feeling of using Thunder Breathing in his mind, itching to try it again as soon as he could move.
But what shocked Arima the most was that Kushina had come to visit him.
He was completely stunned.
They had only shared a desk for one day, and he had gently refused her offer of friendship after class.
By all logic, Kushina shouldn't have had any more interaction with him.
So why had she come to the hospital to see him?
And not just that—she had come specifically for him.
Arima couldn't wrap his head around it.
Just as he was getting lost in his thoughts again, the door to the hospital room opened once more.
Kushina walked in, holding a bouquet of lilies.
She found a vase, arranged the flowers carefully, then sat down in the chair beside his bed.
Looking at his sleeping face, she began to talk softly to herself:
"I didn't know what kind of flowers you're supposed to bring to someone in the hospital.
So I told the flower shop owner that my friend got hurt and is in the ninja hospital, and I wanted to bring flowers to cheer him up.
He recommended lilies—they symbolize blessings, purity, and good luck. Pretty, right?
Grandma Mito said that if I want to be your friend, a lot of people might end up hating me, and that I should be prepared for that.
I've already made up my mind.
I want to be your friend—because that day, you didn't laugh at me like everyone else.
You even knocked away the hand of that jerk who was pulling my hair.
Grandma Mito said you're a victim, caught between two ninja clans. I don't really understand what that means.
But a real friend doesn't change their mind just because of what other people think, right?"
She took a deep breath and declared firmly,
"I'm going to do everything I can to make you my friend—so get ready for it!"
As Kushina's words echoed through the room, Arima suddenly felt something stir in his chest.
It was as if his heart had begun beating more fiercely than ever before…
As if, for the first time in five long years in Konoha—
he had finally felt warmth.
..........
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