Rin received a summons and went to the Hokage's office.
When she heard that Makoto intended to extract Sanbi from her, she was completely shocked.
"The extraction of Nibi was successful. There won't be any problems," Makoto said.
But Rin found it hard to accept.
Back then, she had put in a lot of effort to control Isobu's power, and now, she and Isobu were barely considered friends.
"Is this really necessary?" she asked.
"For the village, separating the Tailed Beasts will allow them to be of greater use than being sealed inside a human," Makoto replied.
"..."
Makoto glanced at her and added, "There's no rush. You can take your time to prepare."
Rin seemed like she wanted to say something, but seeing how busy Makoto was, she didn't want to disturb him further.
Makoto was indeed busy.
He was planning to establish an energy station that would use one of the Tailed Beast cores to provide a continuous energy supply for the future Konoha New City.
This was a complex matter that required a great deal of effort to manage.
After leaving the Hokage building, Rin thought of something and decided to visit Samui and the others.
It had been a long time since Rin last visited.
Back when she was trying to learn how to control the Tailed Beast's power, she often came here to seek guidance from Yugito Nii.
Unfortunately, Yugito wasn't home—Mabui told her that she had gone out.
With no other choice, Rin left empty-handed.
However, on her way home, she happened to run into Kushina, who was strolling down the street with Naruto.
Seeing each other, both of them felt a bit awkward, yet neither could pretend not to notice.
"Kushina-nee."
"What a coincidence, Rin."
"Yeah... such a coincidence..."
Naruto held his mother's hand, looking curiously at the young woman in front of him.
Seeing this, Rin smiled at him and asked, "Do you remember me, Naruto?"
Naruto looked confused and turned to his mother for help.
"This is Rin," Kushina said. "You can just call her... Onee-chan."
"Hello, Rin-neechan," Naruto greeted politely with a small bow.
Rin reached out and ruffled his soft hair. "You're such a good boy, Naruto! How old are you now?"
"Two and a half."
"Where's your dad?"
"Dad's at work."
"You know your dad is working? That's amazing!"
Naruto hesitated before saying, "Rin-neechan, I'm just young, not stupid."
Rin: "..."
She was just trying to tease the little guy, but now she felt even more awkward.
She straightened up and glanced at Kushina. "He's really smart."
Kushina chuckled. "Almost three now—he's starting to understand things. But at home, he's quite the troublemaker."
Rin looked at the woman she once deeply respected and suddenly asked, "Really? How... how have you been?"
As soon as she asked, she regretted it.
It wasn't really a question one could answer properly.
After all, Kushina lived in the Hokage's household—how could she possibly be doing badly?
Kushina seemed surprised for a moment, then smiled. "I'm doing fine. Do you want to sit somewhere and chat?"
The three of them entered a dessert shop.
Rin remembered how, back when she used to go shopping with Kushina, they would often stop at places like this.
After ordering, she watched as Kushina asked Naruto what he wanted.
Rin noticed that most of Kushina's attention was on her son.
Even while chatting with her, she would glance at Naruto every few moments.
They only talked about trivial things—nothing meaningful.
Rin wasn't even sure what she expected Kushina to say.
But the Kushina in her memories... didn't seem like this.
She had imagined a scenario where Kushina sat across from her, complaining about the hardships of raising a child—that would have felt more like the Kushina she knew.
But the woman in front of her exuded nothing but composure and serenity, a mature and beautiful woman at peace.
Yet, there were many women like that.
This wasn't the uniquely vibrant Kushina she had in her heart.
After some thought, Rin brought up what Makoto had told her about extracting the Tailed Beast.
Kushina finally seemed a little surprised. "Is that so?"
Back when Rin had been training hard to control her Tailed Beast's power, Kushina had always been there to guide and support her.
Rin asked, "Do you think the Hokage will eventually extract Kyuubi from you as well?"
Kushina smiled lightly. "Maybe. But if he wants it, I'll just give it to him."
Rin hesitated. "You really don't care about something like this?"
Kushina only smiled again and then reached for a napkin to gently wipe the corner of Naruto's mouth.
At that moment, Rin seemed to understand something and chose not to ask further, shifting the conversation to other topics instead.
Two days later, Rin returned to the Hokage's office.
"I'm ready."
Makoto immediately arranged for the transfer ritual, summoning the sealing team.
He personally presided over the ceremony.
The Double Four Symbols Seal on Rin had originally been placed by Minato, different from the one on Yugito.
The seal for transferring the Tailed Beast into the artificial Jinchuriki was also a completely new design, as it needed to ensure that the Tailed Beast's chakra could be released at maximum capacity.
The Double Four Symbols Seal was stable but suppressed this function.
Rin was nervous, and Makoto told her to relax.
She could clearly feel the immense chakra inside her being slowly pulled away bit by bit.
As the power completely left her body, an overwhelming sense of weakness flooded in.
Even breathing became difficult before she lost consciousness.
............
She woke up in the hospital, in a private room.
On the table beside her were some fruits—someone had come to visit.
After a check-up, the doctors confirmed that her condition was stable, and she just needed to rest and recover for a while.
In the afternoon, a group of friends arrived, all expressing concern and asking what had happened to her.
Since the matter involved a Tailed Beast, it had to remain confidential.
Rin simply said that she hadn't been feeling well.
Obito, however, was particularly anxious, bombarding her with questions.
Helpless, Rin asked, "Obito, don't you have work to do?"
"I took half a day off."
"I'm fine now. The doctor said I just need to rest for a few days. You should go back to work—the village expansion is a big deal. Don't let me delay you."
Obito scratched his head, reluctant to leave. "But..."
Eventually, she convinced the rest of her friends to leave as well.
Only Shizune insisted on staying to take care of her.
..........
That evening, Makoto finally appeared at the door of her hospital room.
Seeing him, Rin felt a surge of joy, but she masked it with a calm expression and simply said, "I thought you weren't coming."
Makoto sighed helplessly. "I had work to do."
Rin couldn't help but say, "Even Obito took time off just to see me."
But as soon as she said it, she regretted it.
That tone of complaint—it wasn't right.
She glanced at Makoto and saw him looking at her with a strange expression.
Her face turned slightly red, and she averted her gaze.
Makoto said, "Why are you even comparing me to him?"
Rin huffed, "Why can't I? Aren't you both the same to me?"
She was, of course, referring to their relationship as friends.
She knew it wasn't fair to expect someone to go out of their way for her, but she still couldn't help but say it.
Then, noticing that Makoto had come empty-handed, she remarked, "You came empty-handed?"
Makoto gestured toward a bottle on the table. "I sent that."
"...Oh."
That was expected.
With just the two of them in the room, the atmosphere grew somewhat ambiguous.
"Lord Hokage?"
Just then, Shizune walked in.
"You came to visit Rin?"
Makoto said he had already visited and was about to leave.
He then bid farewell to both of them.
After seeing Makoto off, Shizune was just about to comment on how surprising it was that Makoto could take time out of his busy schedule to come visit.
But when she turned her head, she saw Rin looking at her with a face full of grievance.
"W-What's wrong?"
.............
The Next Day
A letter arrived from the capital, jointly signed by several ministers.
The content of the letter was a formal request urging Makoto to take power.
After reading it, Makoto couldn't help but find it amusing.
These old men were quite perceptive—they knew exactly what he was planning and were now scrambling to pledge their loyalty to him.
Too bad the information they had was only what Makoto had deliberately allowed to be known.
As for taking things a step further, Makoto was in no hurry.
There were indeed countries in the world ruled by ninja, but they were all small nations.
Throughout history, none of the Five Great Nations had ever been ruled by a ninja.
For a ninja, constant self-improvement and honing one's skills already consumed a lifetime.
Managing a vast country on top of that would stretch one's time and energy too thin.
Having Konoha take control of the Land of Fire might bring enormous power and resources to the village, but many would not see it as a good thing.
Moreover, Makoto had noticed a recent surge in spies infiltrating the Land of Fire.
Word had spread about the country's upheaval, and many were sneaking in to assess whether there were any opportunities to exploit.
The Land of Earth's Iwagakure was particularly active—among the spies Makoto had captured, Iwa ninja accounted for the majority.
It seemed that Ohnoki was still unwilling to accept his past defeat and was eager for a comeback.
But Konoha was not to be trifled with.
During the previous war with Kumogakure, most believed that Konoha was doomed to lose, yet the final outcome had shocked everyone.
Konoha had survived against all odds.
Throughout the Third Great Ninja War, Konoha had achieved one miracle after another, earning the fear and respect of many.
Although Ohnoki harbored ambitions, he never dared to act rashly.
Instead, he resorted to sending wave after wave of ninja to infiltrate the Land of Fire, hoping to find a decisive opportunity.
..........
Konoha Hospital
At night, the hospital became much quieter.
Aside from the nurses on duty, the corridors of the inpatient ward were nearly empty.
Rin was just about to lie down and rest when someone suddenly knocked on the door.
"Who is it?"
The door was pushed open without waiting for a response, and Makoto walked in.
Rin's eyes lit up. "It's so late—why are you here?"
Makoto walked over and sat on the chair beside her bed. "What, am I not welcome?"
Rin pressed her lips together. "It's already late, I was about to sleep."
Makoto stretched lazily. "I just finished work and came to check on you."
Rin couldn't help but say, "Why so late? Everyone should've finished work ages ago."
Makoto chuckled. "I'm the Hokage. I don't have a fixed schedule."
"But you shouldn't always stay up so late… it's bad for your health."
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Makoto looking at her with an amused expression, which made her blush slightly.
She hurriedly explained, "You're the Hokage, it's only natural for me to be concerned."
Makoto didn't respond to that and instead asked, "Is Shizune still here?"
"She went home… Why are you asking about her?"
"Didn't she interrupt us yesterday?"
Rin's face instantly turned red. She stammered, "I-Idiot! W-What nonsense are you talking about?! There's nothing going on between us, how could that be considered an interruption?!"
Makoto, however, simply stared at her, his gaze unwavering.
This made Rin turn her head away in embarrassment.
"What are you looking at?!"
"I want to kiss you."
Rin's mind went completely blank.
She didn't recall their relationship ever being this intimate, yet his direct and shameless words caught her completely off guard.
Shyness, anger, panic, anticipation—her emotions clashed chaotically in her heart.
Good thing I just brushed my teeth…
The thought crossed her mind out of nowhere, and she immediately became even more flustered.
What the hell?! Why am I even thinking about that?!
They had kissed before—every time, it was Makoto who took the initiative, and every time, Rin found herself enjoying it.
Looking back, she never felt anger, only a lingering nostalgia for those moments.
As she was lost in thought, Makoto suddenly leaned in closer.
Rin's heart pounded violently.
Instinctively, she backed away, retreating to the edge of the bed.
Then, as if realizing something, she quickly lay down and pulled the blanket over her head, hiding underneath.
"I'm going to sleep."
Under the covers, it was dark and stuffy, and she could hear her own ragged breathing.
A moment later, Makoto's voice rang out from outside.
"Oh? Are you inviting me to sleep with you? Alright then, I'll take off my clothes and get in."
Rin panicked.
She immediately flung the blanket aside and tried to sit up—only for a dark figure to suddenly pounce on her the moment she saw light.
"Mmph—!"
The hospital room fell into silence.
Rin suddenly remembered the last time Makoto had forcefully kissed her.
She had been furious back then, even resenting him for his irresponsible behavior.
She had been troubled for days after that.
During those days, Makoto never came to find her.
He was always like this, leaving her alone to swallow all her emotions and deal with them herself.
A man like this—one who wasn't responsible, who never cared about what she truly thought, who had a family, a wife, and children—what exactly was so good about him?
Sure, she could list plenty of his good qualities, but none of them should have been what attracted her.
She could also name countless flaws, ones she should absolutely despise.
She didn't understand.
Why was she so drawn to him?
Every time she thought she had finally let go, he would suddenly appear, shattering the cold indifference she had built up over time, turning it all into longing and passion in an instant.
She didn't know how long had passed before Makoto finally stood up.
Rin, snapping back to reality, hurriedly straightened her clothes and smoothed her hair, keeping her head down, too flustered to look at him.
"I'm leaving. Get some rest early."
What the hell… Did he come here just to steal a kiss?
Rin thought to herself, her heartbeat still racing.
She licked her lips, wanting to ask if he would come again tomorrow—but the words felt too shameless to say out loud.
"See you tomorrow."
Makoto's words made her heart tremble again.
She lifted her head to look at him but quickly dropped her gaze in a fluster.
"Tomorrow… You're really… coming again?"
Makoto gave her a smile. "Well, it's partly my fault you're in the hospital. I'll be coming to see you every day while you're here."
He turned to leave.
Just before stepping out, he seemed to want to kiss her on the cheek again, but she dodged in a panic.
The hospital room fell silent once more.
Lying in bed, Rin's mind was a complete mess.
What time does he get off work again?
Maybe I should brush my teeth earlier tomorrow.
Maybe I should take a shower tomorrow.
Maybe I should make sure Shizune leaves early tomorrow.
Tomorrow… Tomorrow…
Tossing and turning, feeling shy and restless, she curled up tightly under her blanket.
Half an hour later, she got up again, pulled the curtains shut, locked the door, and changed into a fresh set of underwear…
Then turned off the lights and went to sleep.
--------------
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