Last Time:
"Don't stay up too late," Nawaki warned before leaving with Shizune.
"We'll stop by the convenience store on the way back and load up on junk food," Kizashi declared, and Iuka cheered.
Fugaku shook his head as he followed after a marching Kizashi. Mikoto, Mebuki, Kushina, Kiyoshi, Kakashi, and Iruka followed, and they all piled into Kizashi's van once more. As Kizashi had said before, they stopped by the convenience store near campus and loaded up on junk food before returning home.
They stayed up until five before they all fell asleep somewhere in the living room. And while they slept, they didn't have the slightest idea for what they'd be waking up to later that day.
The Konoha Life: Chapter 22 – Recovery
Kushina was the first to wake up that morning, and she let out a quiet yawn as she stretched. She had fallen asleep on their couch, and last night, Kakashi and Iruka had been snuggled up with her. However, she could see that they had moved and were now cuddling together in the large armchair with a blanket over them.
Kushina looked around the room to see where everyone had ended up, and she wasn't too surprised to see that Mikoto and Fugaku were missing. Kizashi and Mebuki, on the other hand, slept soundly on a futon mattress Kizashi had stashed in the back of his van. It didn't smell the best, but they hadn't said anything when he dragged it in.
Sleeping on the other end of the couch opposite of Kushina was her younger brother. He had been the first one to fall asleep last night, and Iruka had taken it upon himself to doodle on Kiyoshi's face. To Iruka's credit, they were nicely done, so Kushina guessed that Kiyoshi wouldn't be too mad about them.
Not wanting to get up, Kushina laid back down on the couch. She felt around the floor for her phone, and when she had no luck, she moved her hand up to the coffee table. Kushina thought it might've been easier to turn her head and look, but she had already gone this long with her blind search. After an embarrassing amount of time, Kushina picked up her phone and unlocked it.
121 notifications.
Kushina sat up quickly. She quickly scrolled through the notifications and saw most of them were from Instagram and Facebook. She checked Facebook, and that's where she saw the recording of Fire Shadow's performance from Summer Fling, or at least, the last two songs of their performance.
Kushina didn't recognize herself. The person on stage singing was brimming with light, and there was a level of confidence radiating off of her that Kushina felt she had never possessed before.
"Huh." Kushina sat dumbfounded as she watched herself perform. All that confidence and courage she had managed to muster up at that moment simply came because she knew Minato would've never forgiven himself for failing to complete their performance. She had just wanted to help, but now that it was hours later, she hadn't thought to think about what came next.
She scrolled through the comments beneath the video, and there was more praise than anything. Many of them complimented Kushina on her vocal ability, while many agreed that she was the unknown missing piece to Fire Shadow.
"'She's the best thing they never knew they needed,'" Kushina muttered as she read a comment.
"Kushina!"
Kushina sat up and saw Mikoto come tumbling out of Fugaku's room. She mistakenly tripped over Mebuki and Kizashi, and in the process, kicked Kizashi awake, but she tumble rolled forward before hanging over the couch. She shoved her phone into Kushina's face, and she saw she was on Twitter.
"What the fuck, Mikoto?" Kizashi groaned as he held his side. "People are sleeping down here."
"Sorry!" Mikoto apologized. "Fire Shadow is trending on Twitter."
"Locally?" Kizashi asked. "That's not out of the ordinary."
"Nationally," Mikoto exclaimed.
"What?" Kizashi bypassed any and all pain that was throbbing in his side and hopped up. He took the phone away from Kushina and saw Mikoto was telling the truth, "What the hell? What's going on?"
"It looks like people really enjoyed Kushina's collaboration," Fugaku answered as he walked out of his room. "She's all that they're talking about."
"This is insane," Kizashi breathed. "We've never been this popular before. People in neighboring countries are even tweeting about us. How far did the recording spread?"
"It's at three million views already," Fugaku answered.
"Ha," Kizashi huffed and rubbed the back of his head, "this is crazy."
"It looks like they're saying that Kushina was your missing link," Mebuki grumbled before tossing her phone to Mebuki. "Whatever that means."
"You have to join Fire Shadow!" Kizashi demanded as he grabbed Kushina's hands. "Fire Shadow has never been this popular before. You see what they're saying about you, you're literally our missing piece."
"Ah, well," Kushina stammered as she looked back and forth at Kizashi and Fugaku. "I only did it because I wanted to help Minato-kun. I knew he was going to be upset if he couldn't finish the set."
"I'll be honest," Fugaku folded his arms, "we had been struggling to find the right voices for those songs you sang. Sure, they were good when Minato sang them, but they were better when you sang them. Plus, we'd been hearing from Minato's parents and Orochimaru that we were missing something, but none of us could ever place our finger on what that something was. Turns out, it was you."
"But can't you get any female vocalist?" Kushina argued.
"Sure, but I can't help but get the feeling they're not going to have the impact that you had," Fugaku suggested.
"This is all a lot," Kushina confessed.
"Do whatever will make you happy," Kiyoshi mumbled as he turned over and pulled a blanket over his head. "You guys are too loud."
"We'll talk about it later," Fugaku said. "Kushina, do you think you could go down to the hospital to check on Minato?"
Kushina nodded, "Sure. I'll go."
"I'll drive you," Kizashi offered.
Once teeth were brushed and breakfast was eaten, Kizashi and Kushina left. Their car ride was quiet, and once they reached the hospital, Kizashi waited in the van. Kushina made her way to the circulation desk and got directions to where Minato was staying.
When she made it to his room, she saw his uncle, Senju Nawaki, sitting by Minato's bedside. He had his feet propped up on the side of the bed, and he wore a pair of baggy black pants with a distressed heather grey t-shirt.
"Oh, you're his girlfriend, aren't you?" Nawaki asked. "What was it, again?" Nawaki rubbed his chin as he eyed Kushina, then he snapped his fingers, "Uzumaki Kushina!"
Kushina smiled and nodded, "That's right. It's nice to see you again, Senju-san."
"Nawaki, please," Nawaki requested. "My sister asked that I come and sit with Minato for a bit before I go on about my day."
"Has there been any changes?" Kushina asked as she walked over and held Minato's hand.
Nawaki shook his head, "No. He's stable but still unconscious. The doctor said that he's not sure when Minato will wake up, but hopefully, it's within the next week or so."
Kushina sighed and took a seat, "Is that so?"
"Don't look so dreary," Nawaki chuckled. "Minato's a fighter. I'm sure he'll wake up in a few days and be demanding to be let out of here so he can get some work done."
"Overworking himself is what landed him in the hospital in the first place," Kushina mumbled.
Nawaki shrugged, "Minato's always been the type to work hard. Unfortunately, with that hardworking nature, he tends to overwork himself every once in a while. He's always bounced back, though. I remember the first time when he worked himself to collapse."
"The first time?" Kushina asked.
Nawaki chuckled, "Yeah. This happens every once in a while. Last time was about two years ago when Fire Shadow was asked to take the main stage at the Konoha City Academy End of the Year Festival. They were only first-year students, but they'd been allowed to close out the school's biggest festival. A lot of third-year students put a lot of pressure on them, and Minato felt obligated to put on the best show possible."
"Doesn't he feel that way about all his performances?" Kushina asked.
"Yes, but this was his first time performing on the main stage," Nawaki explained. "Trust me, those individuals in the performing arts department at Konoha City Academy only dream of performing of the main stage. Only about ten percent of them get to actually do it, and Minato and Fire Shadow had been giving the privilege to do so when they were first-year students. It was the first time that had happened.
"A lot of people were saying he only got the main stage because of Tsunade and Jiraiya, and Minato was determined that that wasn't the case. From what Fugaku and Kizashi told us back then, Minato barely slept that month before the performance," Nawaki chuckled. "It worked out though, it was that performance that put Fire Shadow on the local map."
"That it was."
Kushina looked over her shoulder, and she saw an unidentified man standing at the door. He was tall, with long pale blue hair and dark green eyes. He strolled into the room wearing a fitted suit, and his shoes clicked against the linoleum.
"Dan," Nawaki waved, "how did you hear about Minato?"
"I have my ways," Dan answered. He turned his attention to Kushina and smiled, "Good morning, my dear. My name is Katou Dan, CEO, and Founder of Heiwa Entertainment."
Kushina's eyes widened.
Heiwa Entertainment was the largest entertainment producer in Fire Country. Unlike many companies that focused on one particular form of entertainment, Heiwa dabbled in all types. They published books, produced TV shows and movies, represented actors and artists, and, most importantly, produced music. If there was anywhere that an entertainer wanted to work or be represented, it was Heiwa Entertainment.
"He-Hello." Kushina stood up. She wasn't sure if she should bow or extend her hand, so she did both.
Dan chuckled, but took Kushina's hand, "Please, there's no need to bow. I take it that you're Uzumaki Kushina, yes?"
Kushina stood upright and nodded, "Y-yes. Uzumaki Kushina of Uzushiogakure. I'm a first-year student at Konoha City Academy with a focus in fashion design."
"Oh?" Dan raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? After that performance last night, I would've thought you were in the performing arts department."
Kushina scratched her cheek, "That was kind of a spur of the moment thing."
"Nevertheless, it was quite the performance," Dan complimented.
"You've been blowing up all over the place," Nawaki added as he waved his phone. "Personally, the two songs you sang were my favorite."
"Mine as well," Dan agreed. "But, that's not why I came here. At least not today. I just wanted to come and check on Minato."
"Have you spoken to Tsunade?" Nawaki asked.
Dan nodded, "Briefly."
"And what did she say?" Nawaki asked.
Dan simply smiled.
"Kushina," Dan looked at Kushina again, "when Minato wakes up, would you tell him that I'd like to speak with the lot of you?"
"Ah, sure," Kushina agreed. "What is it pertaining too?"
"I'll explain that once we get the chance to meet all together," Dan explained. "In the meantime," Dan looked at Nawaki, "if there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to contact me directly. I've always held a special place for Minato, so if there's anything I can do, please let me know."
Nawaki nodded, "Sure."
"But before then," Dan turned towards the door, "make sure you get those pages done and turned in, Nawaki. We can't afford any more delays."
Nawaki flinched.
Dan chuckled, and he waved the back of his hand, "Bye now."
Dan left, and Nawaki deflated in his seat. Kushina laughed a little.
"I'll probably be spending most of my time here until Minato wakes up," Nawaki confessed as he pulled out his phone. "Let's exchange numbers, so I can let you know if anything changes."
"I don't mind sitting with you," Kushina said.
"Aren't you watching Minato's boys?" Nawaki asked. "You won't be able to spend all your time here if his boys are at home. Like I said, I'll keep you updated. Plus, it'll be best if I stayed here, it's quiet. Also, Tsunade said she'd kill me if I didn't update her every hour, on the house, and I'm utterly terrified of my sister."
Kushina smiled a bit, "Is that so?"
"You've never seen her when she's angry," Nawaki said.
To Be Continued…