"I'm.....fine. How....how did you get here?" Kushina asked, trying not to let it seem like she was too surprised.
"Fine? I see." Minato replied, taking a cloth out of his pocket and dabbing at the wound on her neck. Kushina took it from him quickly.
"I can do it myself." She said defensively, cleaning up the wound and wrapping the soft cloth around her neck. Minato sat and watched.
"You always seem to find a way to get yourself into trouble, don't you?" He said, looking amused.
"Very funny. The trouble found me this time." Kushina said, again being defensive.
Minato just laughed and examined her leg, pulling up her pant leg. She winced and gasped in pain as he pressed on certain areas. Geez buddy, at least be a little gentle. When this leg heals I'm going to twist your leg too and see how you.....OUCH!
"Your leg is badly broken. You won't be doing any more fighting for awhile. No....don't skulk. It's for your own good." Minato said, standing up and looking at her as if she was a child and he the teacher.
"And since when do you tell me when and when I can't fight?" Kushina said furiously, leaning up as much as she could without hurting her leg.
"I'm the leader of all of our defensive forces as well as your commanding officer. Besides, do you plan to fight with one leg?" Minato said calmly, crossing his arms and tilting his chin backwards. Kushina felt a strong urge to punch him in the jaw. Punch the Yellow Flash? I must be insane.
"Besides, just because I told you that you could call me Minato, doesn't mean you don't have to show me respect." He added, trying to look important.
She sighed and lay her head down on the grass as Minato examined Saizo. She thought how close she had been to dying. She had been in battles before, but never one like that, without anyone to help her. She still couldn't believe that she slipped so easily. It cost her dearly. Hell, it had almost cost her life.
"Hey, I never did get that first name."
She looked up in surprise as Minato approached her, smiling and holding the kunai with the special seal that she had used earlier. She could've spent the entire day searching in the forest for that thing, and here he turned it up in a matter of seconds. She quelled her jealousy.
"It's Kushina." She replied, looking away in anger.
"Does this Kushina have a last name? It's just.....Kushina? Well that's strange." Minato said, scratching his head and looking at her with mock curiosity.
"Uzumaki. Kushina Uzumaki is my name." She finished, trying to suppress a smile as recognition lit up Minato's features.
"I see. Well, Kushina Uzumaki, you're in luck. I'm going to get you and Saizo over here to safety. But not before I take care of these guys." Minato said.
Kushina gasped when she realized that they were surrounded by what must have been a dozen Rock shinobi. She looked back to say something to Minato, only he was gone. One of the Rock shinobi ran towards her and almost reached her, before his eyes widened and he fell in a crumpled heap on the floor. A streak of blood hung in the air where he once stood. A few others soon fell, and the rest fled, some being cut down in their retreat. She saw a streak of yellow and before she knew it, she was being lifted by someone with great strength and was speeding through the forest.
Suddenly, she was on top of Konoha's outer wall, behind the battle cluster, Leaf shinobi moving here and there. It took her a while to realize that Minato was holding her, and he gently put her down on a blanket next to another wounded shinobi, who had a towel shading his eyes. Saizo was set down next to her as well. How Minato managed to get both of them out, she had no idea.
"Rest now Kushina, I have some business to attend to." Minato said, disappearing before she could say even two words to the guy.
She lay her head back and found she had a pillow already set beneath it. Finally realizing how tired she really was, she welcomed the soft bed. Her leg still throbbed, but it was almost as if it wasn't even a part of her. It started to feel cold, and she felt a hand going over it. She raised her head to see Tsunade, in all her beauty, with a hand on her leg, apparently healing the break. She was shaking her head and mumbling something under her breath. Kushina barely caught more than a few words at a time, but it was something about "damn Yellow Flash" and "stupid reckless kids". Kushina slowly drifted into a quiet slumber. The sealed kunai lay right next to her pillow, the last thing she saw before sleep took her.
****************
Night was falling, visibility was low. The fighting had died down. Minato had not had to assist any squad for about half an hour and the Iwagakure forces seemed to be retreating. None had reached the wall on this day. Tomorrow might be a different story. Strangely, before he could even fight, his enemies had begun retreating as soon as he arrived. Even if they had all but defeated almost every Konoha shinobi in the area and Minato had arrived late, they still ran, as if they were following some strange order that the Leaf shinobi knew nothing about.
Minato made one last scan of the forest before teleporting to the outer wall. It was quiet even here. The shinobi on patrol did not speak to each other, and the sleeping wounded did not stir. He located Kushina's pallet and examined her leg, which was wrapped and set in bandages. Tsunade had done her work well, as well as the other medic shinobi that took part in the healing. He smiled as he watched her sleeping....and stopped smiling when he realized what he was doing. Why did he come to her bed specifically? He got up and walked down the pathway, away from her bed, shaking his head in confusion. I must be sick or something.