Scarlet Squad
"Thump~ Thump~"
"Big Sister, what do you need me to do?"
Shirō knocked on the door, set down the things in his hands, and asked.
"Hm~ You can wash those. And what did you bring? Why did you bring a gift?"
"Oh, that's honey my grandpa sent. My mom told me to share some with you all, so I brought it along. By the way, one of them is for Katsuki—don't forget to take it later."
"I have some too? Thank you, Shirō!"
Hearing that she also had a share, Katsuki's eyes lit up. She bowed quickly, nearly dropping the things in her arms.
"Ah—it's nothing, really. It's not anything valuable."
Her excitement startled him. From the outside, one might think he'd brought a rare treasure.
But Shirō understood. Katsuki had been wandering alone for so long. After her mother's death, she had no one to trust, no one who cared for her. For someone like her, even the simplest kindness could feel overwhelming.
Unlike the Third Hokage—who, though gentle, always seemed interested in her bloodline and abilities—Shirō and Kushina treated her as just a person. Their concern wasn't tied to what she could do. And that difference touched her deeply.
"Thud."
"Shirō's here?"
With a soft landing, Minato appeared in the doorway, setting down groceries.
"Yes. Minato-bro, you're in charge of shopping?"
"Of course, who else would go? I can't waste this speed. By the way—Kushina, we're out of seasoning. I'll grab some more."
"Okay, hurry back!" Kushina called, waving a spoon while wearing a green apron.
Minato and Shirō exchanged a helpless glance before Minato vanished in a yellow flash.
Shirō sighed, resisting the urge to complain, and went back to chopping vegetables. The spoon in Kushina's hand wasn't just for stirring pots—it was a weapon of discipline too.
Yes, Kushina was cooking. When Shirō first discovered that she could cook—and that it was actually edible—he had earned a punch to the face for expressing too much surprise.
It wasn't that he underestimated her; rather, too many fanfics back in his old world had painted Kushina as a terrible cook, leaving Minato to handle the kitchen. But that was far from the truth. Kushina had been raised with traditional homemaker lessons in Uzushio. While her temper often strayed from that path, her cooking remained solid.
No, she wasn't a master chef—but her meals were tasty and leagues above "dark cuisine." As for why Minato usually cooked in the anime? In Shirō's eyes, it was simple: Minato loved (and feared) his fiery wife, so he happily took on kitchen duty.
"Bang!"
"What are you spacing out for? Focus on cooking—don't keep everyone waiting."
Kushina rapped his head with her spoon, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Got it, got it."
Sniffling, Shirō bent back over the ingredients. Still, his mind wandered again. He recalled the saying: 'High-end ingredients only need the simplest cooking to bring out their flavor.' In his head, he pictured a chef standing proudly in sunlight… with a cow behind him.
Shuddering, Shirō shook his head violently to erase the ridiculous image.
Katsuki, standing nearby, shuffled a little farther away from his antics.
Soon Minato returned, groceries in hand, and the three worked together. With his help, the prep sped up, and before long, everything was ready.
But since it wasn't dinnertime yet, and Minato could fetch everyone quickly when needed, the group collapsed onto the living room floor in lazy sprawls.
Suddenly, Kushina shot upright. "Oh! By the way—Katsuki, do you want to join our Scarlet Squad?"
"Scarlet Squad? What's that?"
Kushina grinned wide. "It's a team I organized. Only people with certain traits can join. Like me, I've got red hair. Minato's husband to the 'Red Hot-Blooded Habanero.' Shirō uses red weapons. And you—you've got red hair too. So you qualify!"
"That's right," Shirō added with mock seriousness. "So, what do you say? Want to join?"
Katsuki hesitated. "Uh… joining is fine, but… what do we even do? And is it really just us?"
"For now, yes," Kushina said proudly. "We're exclusive. As for what we do—Shirō, explain!"
"Right." Shirō leaned forward. "You know the Security Force, right? The Uchiha police?"
"Yes, I learned about them yesterday. Why?"
"Our Scarlet Squad can be summed up like this: what the Security Force doesn't dare to do—we dare to do! Who they don't dare to confront—we'll confront! What they don't manage—we'll handle! In short—what they do, we do too. And what they don't do, we'll still do!"
Kushina planted her fists on her hips, beaming. "So? Want in?"
Katsuki bit her lip. Something about this didn't sound entirely reliable. And she was right—Shirō's boast was mostly hot air. In reality, the Scarlet Squad was a small, harmless "gang." They mostly quarreled with the Uchiha over trivial things. Kushina wasn't a delinquent—just restless and easily bored. She couldn't stand the Uchiha's arrogance, so she created the Scarlet Squad to spite them.
But still… they weren't just some aimless group. They had connections.
Seeing Katsuki's hesitation, Kushina winked at Shirō. "Show her."
"…Show her what?"
Katsuki tilted her head curiously.
Shirō reached into his pocket, pulled out a folded piece of paper, and handed it over.
"What's this?" Katsuki asked, unfolding it.
"You'll know once you read it!"
Kushina watched her proudly, arms crossed. Katsuki's eyes scanned the page—and then widened in shock.
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