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Minato Namikaze and Shinnosuke looked confused.
"Kushina's right... There's a reason it feels familiar. I developed it based on the Tailed Beast Ball." Manji said.
Inside Kushina, Kurama curled his lip.
"Knew it." Kushina's confusion cleared, and she quickly looked rather pleased with herself.
"So it's a budget Tailed Beast Ball!"
"You could say that," Manji agreed with a nod.
The Rasengan was inspired by the Tailed Beast Ball in the original story. In some ways, it was basically a lighter version of the Tailed Beast Ball.
"Hehe. You two had better practice hard. Maybe you'll manage to beat me if you team up." Kushina told the boys.
Neither Minato nor Shinnosuke was about to let that slide.
"Hmph. Minato and I could take you if we teamed up!" Shinnosuke shot back.
Manji watched the three of them with a small smile. Kushina wasn't kidding. Even together, Minato and Shinnosuke might not be able to beat her.
Kurama was cooperating with her wholeheartedly now, making her a perfect jinchūriki.
Naruto had managed that golden chakra mode with only half the Nine-Tails. Kushina had the whole package. Give her a few more years, and they might be looking at Golden Kushina.
So, Minato and Shinnosuke could easily lose. In fact, if Kushina really went all out, probably only the three Sannin together or Manji himself could stop her.
"What are you brats making such a racket for this early in the morning?" Tsunade emerged from the house in loose silk pajamas, one hand on her hip. Her bare feet met the cool wooden floor, and her long blond hair lay in a messy tangle over her shoulders.
"Good morning, Lady Tsunade!"
All three immediately stopped fooling around and straightened up to greet her, their voices dropping without them even noticing.
Everyone knew Manji was a gentleman. They could joke around with him, and he never really got mad. His wife was a different story. Konoha's famously hotheaded princess was even more explosive and more overbearing than Kushina.
Tsunade glanced at the brand-new black jōnin uniforms in their hands, one eyebrow lifting.
"Oh? You all made jōnin? At sixteen? Not bad. You've got a knack for teaching, Manji."
"They're talented and willing to work hard. They would have grown into shinobi Konoha could rely on, even without me," Manji said, smiling as he shook his head.
Tsunade couldn't be bothered with the modesty. She grabbed his wrist and started pulling him toward the house. "Yeah, yeah. Enough chitchat. Come inside with me. They can figure things out in the yard."
"Hold on." Manji patted the back of her hand, then turned to his students. "Stay out here and get a feel for how the chakra moves in the Rasengan. I'll go make you some tea and bake a few cupcakes."
"Yes! You're the best, Sensei! I love your matcha and red bean cupcakes!" Kushina bounced on the spot, practically glowing at the prospect.
Minato had already headed into the bamboo grove in the courtyard, too eager to wait any longer before trying the Rasengan. Shinnosuke hurried after him and crouched nearby, carefully working through the pattern of chakra movement Manji had demonstrated.
..............
Inside, warm yellow sunlight streamed through the windows onto the natural wood kitchen counter.
Manji tied on a checkered apron. He had just taken out a bag of cake flour when a warm, soft body pressed against his back.
"Tch. You're really making those for them?" Tsunade rested her chin lightly on his shoulder, her warm breath brushing his ear.
"What, you don't like having them over?" Manji asked, pausing to look at her.
"I do, but…" Tsunade pouted and slowly slipped her arms around his waist. Her fingertips traced lightly across his lower stomach.
"I didn't drag you inside so you could play chef for them."
"Then what did you have in mind?" Manji asked, sounding a little resigned.
He set down the flour. He could try playing dumb, but Tsunade wasn't about to fall for it.
She didn't answer. Instead, she hugged him tighter, buried her face against his back, and gave a wicked little laugh.
Manji frowned a little and looked outside. Through the clean window, he could see all three students working hard under the bamboo. The grove was only fifty meters away, and shinobi had very good hearing.
"Come on, behave. My students are right outside,"
Tsunade lifted her head and leaned close to his ear, lightly licking his earlobe. Her eyes were soft with desire.
"Doesn't that… make it more exciting?" She gave his waist a small squeeze, pleased with herself. "Besides, didn't you insist on buying an estate way out here because you were worried I'd get too loud and bother the neighbors?"
Manji rubbed his forehead. She had only become more shameless since they got married.
Hokage Rock.
Konoha's cemetery.
ANBU headquarters.
Even in front of the tomb of the First Hokage—and inside the Temple of the Sage of Six Paths…
One of the regular memorial ceremonies came to mind. He'd taken Tsunade along to pay their respects to the First Hokage. When she'd noticed nobody else was around, she'd pulled him over, right in front of the First's grave, and…
Tsunade had even less respect for the gods than Sa Uchiha. At least Sa had kept it to suggestive remarks, then erased them once she realized she'd crossed a line.
Tsunade? No respect whatsoever.
..............
In the bamboo grove, Kushina squinted at the window of the house. She reached over and shook Minato and Shinnosuke beside her.
"Minato, is Sensei making cupcakes? It kind of looks like he and Lady Tsunade are fighting. Are they okay? Do you think they had an argument?" Kushina peered toward the house, worried.
Between the glass and the decorations in the way, she couldn't make out what the two of them were doing.
"Don't distract me, Kushina. I'm working on the Rasengan." Minato didn't even glance up. Shinnosuke ignored her altogether, fully occupied with his own practice.
"What the heck are they doing?" Kushina muttered with a small pout.
..............
At the Mountains' Graveyard, Tobi emerged inside the cavern.
"Lord Madara, Lord Tobirama, Lord Izuna... Danzō Shimura is Konoha's Sixth Hokage. He took power in a coup, but Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't resist. According to our intelligence, there are signs that the Sixth intends to clear Lord Madara's and Lord Tobirama's names…"
Madara raised an eyebrow and turned to Izuna.
"Oh? Interesting. This Danzō was one of your students too, wasn't he?"
The news that Danzō had seized power in a coup left Izuna looking worried.
"Those two kids… Is Hiruzen all right?"
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