"I'm home!"
Minato smiled as Kushina opened the door, stepping forward to give his beloved wife a gentle hug, and whispered,
"How was it? Did Naruto make trouble today?"
"No, he was very well-behaved today."
Kushina buried her head in her husband's embrace, her usual fiery demeanor replaced by an unusual tenderness.
"Tsk tsk tsk."
Just as the two were lost in their affection, an untimely voice suddenly broke through.
"I say, you two, it's still daytime. Can you consider those of us who are still here?"
The two looked up in surprise, only to see the three people who were supposed to be cooking in the kitchen now standing at the doorway, watching them. Even Hidan, who was sitting on the sofa nearby, was looking over with a gossipy expression. Their faces instantly turned crimson.
"This is..."
Minato was momentarily stunned, then looked at the people in front of him, falling into a brief state of confusion.
He recognized Kakashi and Ren, but he didn't know the silver-haired child sitting on the sofa who looked like a delinquent. As for the woman...
Seeing the same red hair as his wife, Minato's gaze immediately sharpened. He instantly recalled the intelligence Anbu had just delivered. At that moment, Kushina's voice followed.
"None of your business! This is our home."
Kushina first retorted to Ren, then raised her hand to point at Mihui, smiling at her husband.
"Minato, let me introduce you. This is Mihui, she's also from the Uzumaki Clan."
Minato also reacted at this point, nodding and smiling at her.
"Hello, welcome to Konoha."
"Hello, I'm sorry to bother you..."
Mihui, who was raising her hand to greet him, suddenly spoke in a softer voice. She looked at Minato's face and immediately felt a sense of déjà vu, muttering,
"I feel like I've seen him somewhere..."
"What's wrong, Mihui?"
Seeing her standing there in a daze, Kushina tilted her head in confusion, while taking off Minato's Hokage robe and hanging it on the nearby hanger. The characters on it instantly made Mihui's eyes widen.
"Fourth Hokage..."
Hidan, who was nearby, unconsciously read it aloud. He was stunned for a moment, then suddenly stood up, ignoring the melon seed shells stuck to his mouth, and exclaimed in shock,
"Hokage?!"
And Mihui, who was beside him, was even more shocked. She truly hadn't expected that her long-unseen friend had married the Hokage!
The one known as the "Yellow Flash," Minato Namikaze, ranked No. 1 on the Ninja World's most desired husband list!
This shock was no less than when she was on a mission outside and learned of Land of Whirlpools's destruction.
"Cough cough."
Seeing everyone standing there in a daze, Ren coughed twice. Under everyone's gaze, he raised his hand and pointed to the kitchen, carefully saying,
"Uh, how about we order takeout?"
It was already dinnertime, and they were still washing vegetables. By the time the food was ready, the daylilies would be cold.
However, Ren's words did not receive a response from the others, who just looked at him silently. In exasperation, he gritted his teeth and said,
"My treat!"
"Yay!"
As soon as he said this, everyone's faces instantly lit up with smiles, and the previously stagnant atmosphere vanished without a trace.
"Thank you, Ren." (x2)
Minato and Kushina looked at Ren, thanking him in unison.
"You're too kind."
Kakashi, who was beside him, took off his apron, patted Ren's shoulder, and said indifferently.
"..."
Noticing Hidan's admiring gaze from nearby, Ren's mouth twitched twice, and he couldn't help but sigh helplessly.
Goodness, it's so hard to save some money...
They didn't have to wait long before the doorbell rang again.
"Coming!"
A moment later, Kakashi and Hidan walked in, carrying several gift boxes. Ren walked alone at the back, holding the bill in his hand, looking dazed.
Various sushi platters, along with fish, shrimp, and other seafood, quickly filled the table. The dishes were incredibly abundant and dazzling.
"Wah wah wah, it's so delicious!"
Hidan put a piece of tuna sushi into his mouth, and the long-lost deliciousness instantly brought tears to his eyes.
During his time trapped in the Evil God Cult, he had lost several pounds. He had been drinking porridge every day, and his mouth was almost tasteless. After coming out with Ren, he had only eaten a few Soldier Ration Pills and one eel rice meal for a day and a night, until he was starving now.
"Look at this child, he's so hungry."
Mihui, feeling a little distressed, pushed the eel rice in front of her towards Hidan. The latter was also not picky, and after a moment of daze, he picked up his chopsticks and began to devour it.
"This kid..."
Ren looked at him helplessly, but he had no intention of stopping him. This kid had indeed been starving for the past two days. Let him eat if he can; it's not like he couldn't afford to feed him.
"Ren."
Just then, Minato's call brought Ren back to his senses. He turned his head and saw Minato looking at Hidan with a questioning gaze. He immediately understood and raised his hand to introduce him.
"I forgot to mention, this is Hidan. He was originally from the Land of Hot Springs and was inadvertently captured by the Evil God Cult. When I destroyed their headquarters, I saw him being used for experiments by those guys, so I rescued him along the way.
He's my subordinate now."
After Ren finished speaking, Kushina, who was beside him, tapped him on the forehead, scolding him,
"Brat, you're not one of those thugs or hooligans. Why are you taking on subordinates?"
After scolding him, she frowned and scrutinized Ren from head to toe, saying,
"Evil God Cult? You weren't hurt, were you?"
"Don't worry, Kushina-nee."
Ren chewed the sushi in his mouth while patting his chest, assuring her,
"Those guys aren't even enough for my clones to fight."
The Evil God Cult mainly relied on slaughtering ordinary people to gain their notoriety, but in terms of actual strength, they were just a bunch of weaklings.
Ren didn't even need to lift a finger; two ice clones were enough to wipe them all out.
Meanwhile, Hidan, upon hearing his name, stood up and, while bowing, said somewhat nervously,
"I am Hidan. Please take care of me from now on."
He didn't dare to be too presumptuous in front of him, after all, he was the Hokage in.
"No need to be so polite, please sit down first."
Minato raised his hand, smiling and gesturing for him to sit down, then turned his gaze to Ren, saying softly,
"Ren, have you arranged a place for Hidan to stay?"
"Yes."
Ren swallowed the sushi in his mouth, then spread his hands and nodded.
"He's staying with me, so the Village doesn't need to arrange a house."
"Good."
Minato nodded. He had thought the same. This child had Chakra, and there was a high possibility that he was a Ninja from Yugakure who was captured by the Evil God Cult and then rescued by Ren.
Although he didn't know why Ren brought this child to Konoha, he trusted Ren and believed he would give him a perfect explanation later.