"Jiraiya, let's get this straight. Isn't Kushina my 'sister'? Right. And what's Kushina's relationship with Minato? Can you say Minato isn't my 'brother' now?"
Tsunade first argued logically, then looked at Jiraiya with contempt again. "And then there's your so-called 'guidance'. Don't think I don't know you've barely taught Minato anything these past few years."
"My 'brother' is such a genius, he's practically self-taught. You just gave him a few ninjutsu, stuff anyone could have given him."
Jiraiya didn't refute Tsunade's words, because the facts spoke for themselves. He wasn't shameless enough to deny it, although, while not completely shameless, he was thick-skinned.
Because he only had one line: Minato was his disciple. That was an unchangeable fact.
But Tsunade's next words silenced Jiraiya: Unless Minato didn't want Kushina, then Minato being her 'brother' was also an unchangeable fact.
"Alright, you two, stop fighting over him," Hatake Sakumo quickly stepped in to mediate when he saw them arguing. "Whether Minato is Jiraiya's disciple or Tsunade's 'brother', he is a future pillar of Konoha."
With Hatake Sakumo mediating, Jiraiya and Tsunade finally stopped bickering.
Minato watched from the side for a long time, finally understanding why Jiraiya could chase Tsunade his whole life and never catch her.
He argued with Tsunade daily just for the sake of pride and went around peeping at bathhouses. It would be strange if Tsunade ever took a liking to him.
"It's been a hard journey. Let's rest for a day before returning to Konoha," Hatake Sakumo suggested.
Jiraiya and the others didn't refuse. They had been rushing for days and were indeed tired.
Because space was limited, Hatake Sakumo gave the supply team one tent per person, but for the others, they had no choice but to squeeze in together.
After the tents were assigned, Tsunade went to find Minato to ask about Senju Nawaki.
It couldn't be helped; that problem child wasn't usually worry-free, so Tsunade naturally had to check. If he was being mischievous, she'd give him a 'loving iron fist' when she got back.
Perhaps spurred on by Minato and Kushina, Senju Nawaki had been training very hard recently. This made Tsunade very relieved; her little brother had finally seen the light and knew how to work hard.
After chatting with Tsunade for a little longer, she left. She had things to do and couldn't waste too much time.
At night, Minato lay in his tent, unable to sleep. It couldn't be helped, his body felt too sticky and uncomfortable.
After yesterday's big battle, he hadn't cleaned up properly, so naturally, he couldn't sleep now.
He looked around and noticed Uchiha Mikoto wasn't there. Only Jiraiya and Gekkō Nagakaze were fast asleep in the tent, snoring away. Minato sighed; it was good to be able to get used to things and fall asleep so easily.
Minato walked out of the tent and ran into a patrol ninja. He asked if there was a spring or pool nearby where he could take a bath.
The patrol ninja gave him a general location and didn't say much more. He recognized Minato.
The iconic yellow hair let everyone know he was Lord Jiraiya's disciple, the famous super-genius, Namikaze Minato.
Only after Minato left did the ninja mutter, "Does Lord Jiraiya's disciple also like being clean so much? That girl from the Uchiha Clan just asked too... well, it has nothing to do with me."
If Minato had walked a step slower, he would have heard the patrol ninja's muttering and probably wouldn't have hurried off so quickly.
When Minato reached the place the patrol ninja mentioned, he found a small lake. Although it was called a small lake, it was quite large, but it was no problem for taking a bath.
He was overjoyed, took off his clothes, and slowly walked into the water. However, Minato didn't notice that a few meters away from where he undressed, a set of Uchiha Clan clothing was neatly folded.
He first washed his dirty clothes on the bank, then began to wash the grime off his body.
After cleaning his whole body, he looked at the lake. An idea struck Minato. He hadn't swum in a long time. It was rare to have such peace and quiet, and the place was nice.
With that, Minato began to swim towards the opposite shore, planning to swim a lap and then return to the tent.
However, Minato didn't know that after he entered the water, a delicate girl was silently swimming towards the opposite shore. Her movements were extremely careful, not making a single sound.
At most, there were only faint ripples on the water's surface, which Minato didn't pay any attention to at the time.
Minato didn't sense any killing intent. With his spiritual energy developed to such an extent, his perception of auras was very keen. If someone had killing intent towards him, he would have felt it immediately.
Therefore, from beginning to end, Minato never discovered that someone else had already been in the lake before him. She had just seen him coming and quietly hid to avoid embarrassment and unnecessary trouble.
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