"I'm back! Why isn't anyone here to greet me?"
Tsunade's grumbling voice came from the entrance hall. Minato hurried over.
"Welcome home, Teacher. Dinner is ready."
"Hmm..."
At these words, Tsunade paused mid-step while changing her shoes, giving Minato a peculiar look.
For a moment, she felt as if she were a working wife returning home to a husband who had prepared dinner for her.
The warmth of the moment was tempered by a pang of guilt at Minato's young age.
"Sorry I'm late. I had some errands to run. Have you guys eaten yet?"
"No, Sis. If you'd come home any later, I would have starved to death," Nawaki said with a hint of resentment.
"Haha, my apologies."
Tsunade quickly entered the dining room and sat down at the table.
Minato brought over the dishes kept warm on the stove. Tsunade eagerly picked up a braised chicken leg, took a bite, and sighed contentedly.
"This is wonderful! If only we could have Minato's cooking every day."
Nawaki looked puzzled. "What are you talking about? Doesn't Minato cook for us every day?"
Tsunade chuckled and tousled Nawaki's hair. "You fools! You'll find girlfriends eventually, get married, have children, and start families."
Minato smiled gently. "Then we'll just have to live closer together. That way, it'll be easier for Teacher to come over for dinner."
How kind...
Hearing Minato's words, Tsunade suddenly felt herself being healed.
Yet for some reason, she felt vaguely dissatisfied with his answer. She couldn't pinpoint why, or perhaps she was afraid to think about it too deeply.
"Ahem... let's put that aside for now. There's something more pressing I need your input on."
Tsunade cleared her throat. "Due to certain circumstances, the Whirlpool Village will be sending a girl to Konoha in a couple of days. Given the relationship between the Senju and Uzumaki Clans, we can consider her a distant cousin to both Nawaki and me."
Kushina's coming?
Minato's heart leaped with joy.
"The Third Hokage believes that since she'll be coming to Konoha alone, she might feel lonely. He wants her to stay temporarily with me."
Tsunade's gaze lingered briefly on Minato's face before she continued.
"I don't mind personally," Tsunade said, "but I need to hear your opinions as well. After all, Nawaki is the heir to this house, and Minato works hard every day cooking."
"Of course, if you disagree, that's fine too. As proof of our clan's friendship with the Uzumaki Clan, my grandfather once allocated a piece of land in the village as their clan territory..."
"I have no objections!" Nawaki interjected before Tsunade could finish, his enthusiasm shining through.
"If Nawaki has no objections, then neither do I," Minato said gently.
Now that he thought about it, in the original story, Kushina must have lived in the Uzumaki Clan territory. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so easily kidnapped by Kumogakure.
Or maybe she initially lived with Tsunade and moved out after graduation, or perhaps after Nawaki's death...
The thought struck Minato like a sudden realization.
He remembered that Nawaki had died at the age of twelve during the Second Shinobi World War.
That meant there were less than five years left...
He'd been living so comfortably that he'd almost forgotten about this.
"So that's it..."
Tsunade shook her head with a wry smile. She knew they'd agree.
Nawaki was passionate and straightforward, while Minato was gentle and courteous. Though their personalities differed, both were kind-hearted children at heart.
The old Third must have known this too!
Remembering what had just transpired, Tsunade clenched her jaw in silent fury.
She had only learned of this matter moments ago, from the Third Hokage himself.
One hour earlier, at the Hokage Building...
"What do you want with me?" Tsunade demanded, her voice tinged with irritation.
She had just finished assisting with a surgery at the hospital and was on her way home when she was intercepted by Anbu sent by the Third Hokage.
The Third sighed inwardly. I'm still the Hokage, you know. Can't you show a bit of respect?
He quickly dismissed the thought. Well, her grandfather was a Hokage too, after all.
Tsunade took the document and quickly scanned it. Her eyes narrowed. "Uzumaki Kushina? Is she the next Nine-Tailed Jinchūriki?"
"Correct," the Third Hokage nodded. "In a couple of days, Whirlpool Village will send this child to Konoha."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes, sensing something amiss. "What does this have to do with me? Was there an intelligence leak? Do you need me to escort her?"
"No," the Third replied calmly. "To prevent leaks, only Lady Mito, myself, and now you know. As for the child's future arrangements... to be frank, I intend to have her interact with Minato. You know well the suppressive power of Wood Release over the Tailed Beasts..."
"Wait a minute!" Tsunade's expression darkened as she cut off Hiruzen's words. "You old bastard! Minato is only five years old! You're actually considering binding his future to a Jinchūriki?"
"You should understand the Nine-Tailed Beast's importance to the village," Hiruzen said after a moment of silence, sighing softly. "I have no intention of forcing anything. I simply want them to interact and see if a bond develops. If it does, it would be a fortunate outcome for Konoha. After all, the First Hokage and Lady Mito were brought together in a similar way..."
Tsunade scoffed. "And what if Minato doesn't like the child, or the child doesn't like Minato? What then?"
"From both the village's and their personal perspectives, them being together is the best outcome."
"Minato's Wood Release significantly reduces the risk of the Tailed Beast going berserk, giving the child more freedom. And if Minato wants to become Hokage, the Nine-Tailed Jinchūriki would be his greatest asset."
Sarutobi Hiruzen paused. "Furthermore, I can guarantee that I won't interfere."
Tsunade rolled her eyes. "That sounds nice, but why should I believe you?"
"That's going too far..."
The corner of Hiruzen's mouth twitched. He rested his forehead in his hand in exasperation. "I'm still the Hokage. Do I really have no credibility at all?"
Tsunade snorted. "I'll believe you when you toss that damn crystal."
"Ahem..."
Hiruzen cleared his throat. "Rest assured, given Minato's demonstrated talent, no one can force him. Even I couldn't handle the combined power of Wood Release and the Nine-Tailed Beast."
Tsunade's eyebrow arched slightly. His words held some truth.
Minato was only five years old, yet his physical strength already rivaled hers.
At his current rate of cultivation, who would be able to force him to do anything in ten years?
"Though it's a bit shameless... this is all for Konoha."
Seeing Tsunade's wavering expression, Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke earnestly, "That child was chosen as the Jinchūriki for Konoha's sake in the first place. This is Konoha's debt to him. Why don't you ask Minato and Nawaki for their opinions?"
"Tsk... I'll go back and ask them."
Tsunade pursed her lips. Knowing their personalities, she already knew the answer.
"Let me make this clear: if that child proves to be of bad character... I will sweep her out without hesitation!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded vigorously. "Of course!"
Tsunade finally let out a soft snort and left with obvious reluctance.
Upon returning home, Tsunade saw Minato's warm, sun-like smile and ate the dinner he had prepared. Her mood instantly worsened.
Damn it!
He's such an outstanding, perfect disciple! How dare they give this opportunity to that red-haired girl who came out of nowhere?!
That damned old man!
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