Kushina looked at Minato in surprise, as he sat up in the pile of stuffed animals. In midst of the surprise of finding out the fearless Yellow Flash acted out various scenes involving vegetables and stuffed animals, she had completely forgotten why she was seeking him out in the first place.

"Let me guess...you were coming to visit me? " Minato said, standing up and brushing himself off while smiling at her slyly.

"No....well....I needed to talk to you about a few things." She said, rising to meet him. He looked at her for a minute before he spoke.

"What do you need?" He asked, expression unreadable.

"I need to know if you've found any trace of Whirlpool shinobi. It's been about...two weeks since you told me you'd search for them, right?" Kushina asked anxiously, but politely.

"Yeah...it'd probably be best if we talked about this over some drinks. Follow me." Minato said, heading towards the stairs that led out of the basement.

After they had gotten drinks in the kitchen, they both sat in the living room. Minato stared into the small flame going in the fireplace. Kushina was on the edges of its warmth. Minato's house was cozy, if a little freakishly clean. She looked around again and wondered how he kept everything so perfect. After a moment, Minato turned to her and smiled kindly.

"I know you came here to ask about the Whirlpool shinobi. You don't need to worry. I've already found one of the missing squads." Minato said, watching Kushina's eyes light up.

"You...what? You found them? Where? When? Where are they now?" Kushina asked hurriedly.

"They were being held captive at a small Mist shinobi camp. I infiltrated the camp and recovered them a few nights ago. Right now they're staying at a hotel near the Hokage monument. I think it'd be best if you go and see them as soon as you can. They're in a land of strangers and it'd definitely do them good to see a fellow Whirlpool shinobi. There are Whirlpool refugees here too. They're morale could also be raised by a visit from a fine shinobi like yourself." Minato said, sipping his drink. He nearly spilled his drink in surprise when Kushina gave him a fierce hug.

"I can't tell you how much this means to me Minato! Thank you so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'll go and see them right away!" Kushina said excitedly, drawing back and heading for the door.

"Kushina...wait a moment." Minato said, causing her to stop with the door half open. She turned to regard him, blue eyes full of excitement. "You obviously know by now but...I put your name up for Jounin. From what I saw in the battle, you were ready. I wanted to make sure you were comfortable with that." Minato said, dreading her reply. Her blue eyes just twinkled and her smile grew wider.

"Of course I am. We'll talk more about that later, I promise. I'll stop by tomorrow morning." Kushina said, nearly out of breath.

"Alright, we can talk over breakfast." Minato said, looking amused.

"Sounds good! I'll see you tomorrow! Thanks again!" Kushina said, dashing out the door. Minato followed her through the window as she sprinted out into the moonlit night, heading in the direction of the hotel where her Whirlpool comrades were staying. He couldn't help but let a smile creep over his face as her figure faded from sight into the night. Such beautiful eyes, he thought.

200 miles away

The Mizukage stood at the window in his office, looking out over the Village Hidden in the Mist. His village, his dominion, and it was being threatened. He nearly seethed with rage, as about an hour ago, his brother, his right hand man, had come informing him that some of the Whirlpool shinobi they had taken hostage in battle had been rescued and a good number of Kirigakure ninja had been killed in the process. Including one of his stronger jounin.

"Who the...who the fuck is responsible for this?" He had demanded.

"Who do you think?" His brother had replied, watching the Mizukage warily. The Kage's control on his temper left something to be desired.

"The...Yellow Flash....that bastard again." He said, shaking with rage.

"Yes, our intel has not been able to keep tabs on him. Scouts have reported the loss of several patrols, as well as an entire platoon that ventured close to the Konoha border. The platoon was engaging Konoha forces when...as a surviving shinobi put it...the entire front line fell simultaneously. By the time they knew what was going on, a yellow haired shinobi had a kunai to the commander's neck and his bodyguards had all been floored. Sir...this Yellow Flash...if he keeps this up, we will lose this war." His brother warned, not flinching when the Mizukage punched a hole in his office wall.

"THIS BASTARD! First the battle at Whirlpool, then the invasion at Konoha, now this shit!! You're right, Jab. The Yellow Flash needs to die if we're going to have any chance to win this war, and he needs to die soon. Conventional forces won't work though....no....this is a special case." The Mizukage said, seeming to regain his temper for a moment.

"What would you recommend, my brother?" Jab asked cautiously. The Mizukage was silent for a moment, going back to the window and looking out into the mist, watching the silhouettes of his people moving throughout the village. He looked, to Jab, to be silently brooding.

"I must fight him. I must engage him one on one. In the meantime, keep our forces away from him. If he shows up on the battlefield, tell the commanders to order an instant retreat, even if we are winning. Engaging him head on would just result in a massacre. In the meantime, I will devise a way to meet him on the battlefield, one on one."

"Are you sure brother? You are the strongest in this village by far, but the Leaf has its own Hokage. What if the Sandaime insists on facing you, and the Yellow Flash withdraws?" Jab asked, thinking his brother insane for wanting to go into battle when so much was at stake.

"Don't question me dammit! I'll kill that old bastard too, after I'm done with this yellow haired piece of shit! Konoha will perish! Every bit of Konoha will be wiped from the history books! I'll slaughter EVERYONE in that fucking village! I WILL BURN THE LEAF VILLAGE TO THE GROUND!"