Yes? What kind of answer was that? If something had happened to Kushina, the last thing he'd expected was a truth as blunt as that one, and--

Wait. Had she just called him by his surname?

He paused, watching her retreating back for a moment while his mind processed the information he'd soaked up. After the debacle of the last few days, and the missive from Gai clutched in his other hand, this could only mean...

"Who are you? Or, should I say, where is Kushina-sama?"