An apartment in the Central District of Konoha.
Inside the apartment, Minato sat quietly at the table, lost in thought.
His eyes drifted toward the kitchen, where Kushina was busy cooking.
When he saw her smiling to herself as she worked, a small smile appeared on his own face.
But it faded just as quickly, his expression turning grave as another thought crossed his mind.
Kushina noticed the change immediately.
"Minato," she called.
No reply.
"Minato."
Still nothing.
Frowning slightly, Kushina stopped cooking and walked over to him.
She waved a hand in front of his eyes—but he didn't react.
A mischievous smile slowly spread across her face.
She leaned close to his ear.
"Minaaaaaatooooooooo!"
The sudden shout snapped Minato out of his thoughts.
He yelped and toppled off his chair, landing on the floor with a dull thud.
"Kushina! Why are you yelling?" he said, rubbing his back as he stood up.
Kushina crossed her arms, pouting.
"You weren't replying, no matter how many times I called you," she said grumpily.
Minato straightened himself, pulled the chair back, and sat down properly.
"Sorry, Kushina," he said softly. "I was thinking about something."
Kushina looked at him, unimpressed.
"Something more important than me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Then she started counting on her fingers. "I called you six times."
Minato met her gaze, hesitating for a moment before speaking.
His expression turned uneasy.
"Kushina… do you remember the young boy you saw at the Uchiha clan?"
Kushina tilted her head in thought.
"Which one?" she asked. "There were a lot of kids there."
"The one you warned Mikoto about," Minato said, remembering how she had mentioned him in the past.
At that, Kushina's expression sharpened.
A hint of anger flashed across her face as she recalled the memory.
"I remember," she said firmly. "The one who gave off malicious intent toward little Itachi."
She crossed her arms, clearly confident.
"I warned Mikoto about him. Don't worry—she won't let him anywhere near Itachi after that day."
Then she looked back at Minato, confusion creeping into her voice.
"But… why are you asking about him?"
Minato looked at Kushina and spoke in a low voice.
"Kushina… do you remember the day I saved you from the Cloud shinobi?"
As he asked, he unconsciously averted his gaze.
Kushina blinked in surprise—then her face lit up with a wide smile.
"Of course I do!" she said cheerfully,
throwing her arms around him. "You were like a hero who came to save a beauty like me. How could I ever forget that?"
Minato froze slightly at her enthusiasm.
Seeing her smile—
those eyes filled with deep affection—
he found himself unable to speak for a moment.
"…Cough. Yes," he finally said, clearing his throat.
"I was just thinking about how much time has passed since then."
Kushina listened carefully.
She could feel that he had relaxed a little—but not completely.
She pulled back just enough to look at his face, curiosity flickering in her eyes.
"Then why are you asking about that boy, Minato?" she asked softly.
Minato stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then he spoke slowly.
"That day… when I saw him at the Uchiha compound," he said, "something felt off."
Kushina frowned slightly.
"Off?"
Minato nodded.
"Most children, when they see me—or any jōnin—either get excited, nervous, or curious," he explained.
"Especially Uchiha children. Their emotions are… loud."
He clenched his fingers lightly.
"But that boy didn't react at all."
Kushina's playful expression faded.
"He wasn't afraid," Minato continued.
"He wasn't impressed. He didn't even look surprised."
He finally looked at her.
"It was like he already knew who I was… and had already decided I didn't matter."
Kushina's eyes widened slightly.
"That's…"
"Unnatural," Minato finished quietly.
He took a breath.
"And there was something else."
"When I passed him," Minato said, his voice lowering, "I felt the same pressure I feel from veteran shinobi."
He shook his head slowly.
"Not killing intent. Not hostility."
"Awareness."
The room fell silent.
"Children don't look at the world like that,"
Minato said.
"But Toyoma did."
Hearing this, Uzumaki Kushina felt a faint chill as well.
She had already sensed it back then—
that the boy wasn't ordinary.
He was different.
Even Nine-Tails had reacted.
For a brief moment, Toyoma's malicious intent had surfaced.
Kushina looked at Namikaze Minato, worry clear in her eyes.
"Minato… is there something wrong with that boy?" she asked.
"Should I warn Uchiha Mikoto again?"
Her thoughts immediately went to Uchiha Itachi.
"No—"
Kushina suddenly stood up.
"I should tell Mikoto properly—"
Minato caught her hand before she could take a step.
"Don't worry," he said calmly.
She looked back at him.
"That boy—Toyoma—is already under watch."
Minato's expression was serious.
"The entire village is watching him now," he continued.
"Everyone important knows about him."
He squeezed her hand lightly.
"The whole village?" Uzumaki Kushina repeated, visibly shocked.
How could that even be possible?
She looked at Namikaze Minato, confusion and curiosity mixing in her expression.
"Why would everyone be watching him?" she asked.
It was the first time she had heard of someone—
other than herself—
being monitored so closely by the village.
Minato's expression darkened slightly as a memory surfaced in his mind.
"There was… an incident," he said slowly.
"That boy turned the village upside down and nearly triggered a civil conflict."
Kushina had been listening carefully, trying to understand—but the moment the words sank in, her shock deepened.
A civil conflict… because of a child?
Minato took a breath before continuing, his tone firm.
"Don't worry about him for now," he said.
Then he looked at her directly.
"But if you ever see him again, don't cause any trouble—okay?"
He knew Uzumaki Kushina well enough.
What she considered harmless fun could easily shake the entire village.
Kushina nodded in agreement, outwardly accepting Minato's words.
But inside, curiosity stirred.
Just what kind of boy is he, she wondered, that the entire village is concerned about him?
She couldn't help but feel that she needed to meet Toyoma at least once—to see for herself.
Namikaze Minato noticed her distant expression and let out a chuckle.
He already knew. Keeping Kushina away from that boy wouldn't be easy.
With a sigh, Minato headed toward the door and stepped outside the apartment.
Before leaving, he glanced back at Kushina for a brief moment—then vanished, leaping onto a nearby tall building.
"Sensei," Minato said calmly, looking ahead. "Since when were you here?"
Sitting casually on the rooftop was Jiraiya.
"Well," Jiraiya replied with a grin, "since the moment you fell off that chair."
He laughed lightly.
"That part was way too funny."
Hearing that, Namikaze Minato felt a flicker of embarrassment.
He moved over and sat beside Jiraiya, both of them gazing out over the village in silence.
A minute passed.
Then Minato finally spoke, his voice low.
"I couldn't bring myself to tell her."
Jiraiya didn't turn to look at him.
His eyes remained fixed on Konoha below.
Minato clenched his hands slightly.
"It was hard… really hard," he continued quietly.
"Sensei… did I do the right thing?"
Jiraiya remained silent after Minato finished speaking.
After a moment, he finally spoke.
"No," he said calmly. "You did the right thing."
Minato looked up at him.
"Sometimes," Jiraiya continued, "silence is the best choice—especially when the truth would only place an unnecessary burden on someone you care about."
He then turned to look at Namikaze Minato.
"You don't need to have all the answers right now," he said reassuringly.
"Just be good to her."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"That will be enough."
Namikaze Minato heard him, but didn't reply.
He continued looking out over the village, sharing the same silence.
After a while, Jiraiya spoke again, his gaze fixed on the streets of Konohagakure far below.
"The village has far more problems now, Minato," he said quietly.
He paused before adding,
"And the biggest one is trust."
"Trust between people… once broken, doesn't heal easily."
Minato listened carefully.
"What happened back then," he said slowly, "is what pushed the village into this state."
His thoughts drifted to Toyoma—and to the Uchiha clan.
"But I still don't know who was right… and who was wrong."
Jiraiya finally turned to look at him.
"Forget about assigning blame for now," he said firmly.
"What suffered the most because of all that was the village itself."
His voice softened slightly.
"And that's what we have to protect above everything else."
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Early access to 15+ chapters
Patr***n - hear_tteeth [18+]
"A lot of readers said the chapters were too short, so from Chapter 72 onward I've increased them from about 1,500 words to 2,000+ words."