Naruto: Wooing Tsunade from Day One!

"Sensei, Kushina is gone!"

Minato arrived at the Hatake Clan in the blink of an eye, and Kawakaze was shocked to hear the news. After returning from the battlefield, how could he have forgotten about this?

He clearly remembered urging Minato to confess his love. He had even pushed their marriage timeline forward by several years, but this kidnapping incident had been unavoidable.

It was too late to regret now, but fortunately, Kawakaze had an idea of who had taken her. Even if she couldn't be recovered, there were still places to look.

"It's possible they were captured by the ninja from Kumo Ninja Village," Kawakaze said, putting down the magazine in his hands without offering further details.

Minato didn't suspect him, nor did he offer much input with the elders present.

"Where are we going to chase?" he asked, not even considering how his Sensei knew the information.

"Leave the village and head toward the border. We'll have to take our chances and see if we run into them," Kawakaze replied, though he didn't sound confident. After all, they didn't even know when Kushina had been taken, let alone where the Kumo ninja had gone.

"We'll go too!" The three Ame kids, listening on the side, were terrified but determined to help.

"No need. You stay home," Kawakaze said firmly. "Tell your uncle I'm leaving first."

He refused their help, knowing they weren't strong enough yet. Taking them along wouldn't be of much assistance. If one of them were already as powerful as Pain of the Deva Path, Kawakaze wouldn't hesitate to march into Kumogakure and demand Kushina back. If they refused, he would destroy Kumogakure. Unfortunately, he was far from having that level of strength.

With that, Kawakaze wrapped an arm around Minato's shoulders, and the two disappeared on the spot. When they reappeared, they were already outside Konohagakure.

"Split up," Kawakaze instructed, and the two spread out, heading in different directions.

"Kushina, wait for me," Minato thought, his feet moving swiftly.

...

As soon as Tsunade received the news, she went to see Hiruzen. Kushina had been brought to Konoha to be trained as the next generation of Jinchūriki, and Hiruzen was fully aware of this. He would never ignore Kushina's life or death.

As Tsunade had anticipated, he immediately dispatched a large number of people to search for her. The entire Konoha was turned upside down.

Soon, all the spies who had come into contact with the three Kumo ninja were located. Even the fruit store owner wasn't spared. However, before the Konoha ninja could reach him, he took his own life, leaving no message behind. The Konoha ninja were left scrambling, searching aimlessly like headless flies.

Meanwhile, the unconscious Kushina was unable to provide a guide, unlike in the original story. Minato had no opportunity to stage another heroic rescue.

At that moment, she was being carried at the waist by a Kumo ninja just beyond the borders of Konohagakure.

"Don't let your guard down. It's not safe yet," the leading Kumo ninja warned as the three maintained their high speed, continuing on their way. They didn't take the shortest route but instead made a wide detour to avoid being easily tracked by Konoha's forces.

Kawakaze and Minato pressed on relentlessly, but they didn't even catch a glimpse of the Kumo ninja. Minato's anxiety grew with every passing moment, and the horrifying images flashing through his mind almost drove him to the brink of collapse. If Kushina died, he didn't know how he would face the rest of his life.

The Konoha ninja, having found no trace of Kushina in the village, expanded their search beyond the borders. They began following every path leading from the Land of Fire to the Land of Lightning. With the spies' identities confirmed, it was certain the Kumo ninja would eventually head back to the Land of Lightning.

...

The three Kumo ninja had traveled safely so far, without encountering any Konoha ninja. They couldn't help but feel a bit smug.

"We really chose the right route."

"It looks like this mission will come to a successful conclusion," one of them remarked.

The Kumo ninja carrying Kushina even let out a laugh. "They probably never imagined we wouldn't return to the Land of Lightning."

Even the leading Kumo ninja had lowered his guard by now, as they got further and further away from Konohagakure.

"Haha, we'll go back when things calm down," he said. "I'm sure Lord Raikage won't blame us."

Another Kumo ninja joined in, their disdain for Konoha evident in their tone. In their eyes, successfully abducting someone from Konohagakure was a source of pride.

Their plan had been meticulous. They intended to head to the Land of Tea, moving in the opposite direction of the Land of Lightning, to take refuge for the time being. Once the storm passed, they would return to the Land of Lightning.

They were indeed worthy of being handpicked by Blue B!

...

The three of them hurried along the road, exchanging flattering remarks. However, they failed to notice a pair of snake-like pupils watching them from the darkness.

The man with the snake pupils muttered to himself, "Kushina?"

As soon as the words fell, he disappeared behind a tree, heading off to an unknown destination.

After enduring a long period of rough handling, the aftereffects of the earlier beating began to wear off. Kushina slowly regained consciousness. Instead of struggling immediately, she carefully opened her eyes and observed her surroundings.

She realized she was being held around the waist, moving quickly through the forest. Towering trees surrounded her on all sides, leaving her completely disoriented. A fleeting image of a blonde-haired figure crossed her mind, and she desperately wished Minato would appear beside her at this moment. But she quickly dismissed the thought as unrealistic, focusing instead on how to save herself.

Kushina was about to get a good look at her captors when she was discovered.

"It seems the girl has woken up," the Kumo ninja carrying her noted, detecting the change in her breathing.

"Just knock her out again—it'll save us trouble," the Kumo ninja in charge said indifferently.

Upon hearing this, Kushina violently resisted. Twisting her body frantically, she tried to break free.

"Haha, save your strength," the Kumo ninja sneered, his grip like steel as he held her tightly.

Just as he raised his hand to knock her unconscious again—

"Ah!" Kushina let out a startled cry as a sudden wave of weightlessness overwhelmed her.

In the next moment, she was caught firmly in a strong arm.

"How did you end up getting caught here?"

A gloomy voice spoke above her. Startled, Kushina looked up, and her heart leaped with joy.

"Lord Orochimaru." Kushina tightly embraced Orochimaru.

"Good girl, it's okay," Orochimaru said softly, momentarily stunned before letting out a quiet laugh. He stroked Kushina's head, whispering words of comfort.

"Orochimaru, I thought you weren't in Konohagakure?!"

"Do I need to report my whereabouts to you?" Orochimaru replied, looking up.

Above him, the three Kumo ninja were entangled in the coils of three large snakes, unable to move as they hung from the tree. The identical snakes hissed, spitting venomously, ready to strike at any moment.

The three Jōnin hadn't even managed to counter Orochimaru's ambush.

"It's our bad luck to run into you," the Kumo leader admitted, his voice trembling. He couldn't suppress his physical fear, tilting his head in vain to avoid the blood-filled mouths of the snakes.

"I'm too lazy to waste any more words with you," Orochimaru said coldly.

With a single glance from him, the three snakes swallowed the Kumo ninja whole before dissolving into smoke.

"Let's go back," Orochimaru said, pulling Kushina along. His presence alone ensured her safety.

"Hm," Kushina murmured, meekly following him.

"You still haven't told me how you got captured," Orochimaru said, breaking the silence. "Do you know where this is?"

"I don't know either," Kushina replied. "I was on my way home from school when those three knocked me out. Not long after I woke up, you rescued me."

She spoke truthfully, as that was all she knew.

"Okay," Orochimaru said, his tone tinged with resignation. It seemed like a long-planned operation.

There's a problem with the Tailed Beast in Kumo, he thought. That was his first reaction—he couldn't see any other reason for capturing Kushina.

Although Kushina's role in Konoha was limited to the upper echelons, it wasn't impossible for such information to have leaked.

"Can you hurry up? The village is probably looking for you like crazy," Orochimaru said.

After a moment of thought, he decided not to press Kushina with more questions. She was just a confused little girl.

"I'll try my best to keep up," Kushina replied. She understood the vast difference between her and Orochimaru, akin to an ant trying to match an elephant, and could only agree with a stiff upper lip.

"Then you have to work hard," Orochimaru said with a faint smile, his snake-like pupils softening slightly in Kushina's eyes.

"Okay."

The two quickened their pace toward Konohagakure.

As they approached the village, they encountered Konoha ninja who had been searching for them.

"Lord Orochimaru! Excellent, you've saved Kushina," a Konoha Jōnin said, stepping forward to greet him.

"Hm." Orochimaru nodded. "Take these three back."

He summoned the three large snakes from earlier, and as they opened their mouths, they spat out the three unconscious Kumo ninja.

"Yes," the Jōnin responded promptly, escorting the captives away. The news of Kushina's rescue quickly spread.

Meanwhile, Minato and Kawakaze were still searching aimlessly. Fortunately, Tsunade relayed the news to them through Lady Katsuyu. Otherwise, the two might have continued searching indefinitely.

When Kawakaze and Minato reunited, they immediately noticed Minato's red, swollen eyes. He had clearly cried more than once.

"Kushina has returned safely to the village. Sensei will help you take revenge," Kawakaze said, patting Minato's shoulder.

A real man doesn't cry easily—he just hasn't been touched by deep sorrow yet.

"Hm," Minato replied with a firm nod. He wanted to see Kushina as soon as possible.

"Let's go," Kawakaze said, placing a hand on Minato's shoulder. Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, they returned to Konohagakure and then to the Senju mansion.

The moment Minato and Kushina saw each other, Kushina couldn't hold back her tears. They embraced tightly, while Nawaki, standing nearby, quietly squeezed Misaki's hand. If something like this had happened to Misaki, he would probably have been no better off than Minato.

"I'm sorry. I didn't watch you closely enough," Minato said once they parted, taking the initiative to apologize.

"It's not your fault—they had this planned long ago," Kushina replied, gently wiping the tears from Minato's eyes.

As their eyes met, both let out a light laugh.

As long as you're okay!