"…"
Minato was speechless. How could his girlfriend say something like that?
Unlike Kushina, he had already figured out Seiryū was a boy.
Though, he had to admit... if this little guy grew his hair out, he might really look more like a girl. He even briefly imagined what Seiryū would look like with long hair, and found—somehow—he resembled a younger Kushina?
Could it be...?
Suppressing that strange thought, Minato, ever the gentle type, apologized with a soft smile. "Sorry about that. She's just not great with words, but she didn't mean anything bad."
"…" Kushina realized she'd messed up too, and her face turned slightly red.
But with her straightforward personality, she didn't dwell on it. Instead, she burst out laughing. "Hahaha, yeah, yeah. It's just that you're too... um, too cute, that's all!"
"Sorry, sorry. Let Onee-san treat you to dango as an apology."
Maybe it was the red hair. Maybe it was his face. Whatever the reason, Kushina felt an odd fondness for Seiryū.
Good-looking kids really did get special treatment in every world.
"I'm not mad." Seiryū wasn't the type to get upset over something like this. He waved it off. "As for the treat, no need. It's not like I lost anything."
Seeing his calm attitude, Kushina's eyes lit up. She stepped forward and ruffled his head with a laugh. "Acting like a little grown-up. Are you copying your parents? So cute!"
Seiryū: "…"
He lightly slapped her hand away. He didn't mind patting others on the head, but he didn't like it done to him. He wasn't some toddler.
Frowning, he said, "Miss Onee-san, please show a little respect. Otherwise, I might start yelling. Bullying children isn't something to be proud of."
"Miss Onee-san?" Kushina blinked at the unfamiliar form of address, then giggled again. Her earlier irritation was already gone. "Hehe, what a funny little guy!"
Minato smiled too. There was something a little unusual about Seiryū. His behavior didn't match his age, and yet... somehow it did.
It gave off a strange feeling.
Not wanting to tease him anymore, Kushina smiled and asked, "Alright then, tell Onee-san your name. We've both got red hair, so that's fate!"
Seiryū didn't mind interacting with the two. Building good relations was never a bad thing.
"My name is Seiryū. You have red hair too. Are you from the Uzumaki Clan?"
The best way to start a conversation with these two?
Naturally, the Uzumaki Clan.
"You actually know about the Uzumaki Clan?" Kushina's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed slightly. "Wait... are you also from the Uzumaki Clan?"
"…" Minato's gaze sharpened a bit. So his earlier guess was right?
This little guy... was also from the Uzumaki?
Seiryū looked at Kushina and shrugged. "I don't know. But the reason I came to Konoha was that Hokage-sama thought I might be from the Uzumaki Clan. Red hair seems to be one way to identify them. So when I saw you, I wondered."
Meeting Minato and Kushina had been a coincidence.
Their conversation was natural too, so there was no need to worry about anyone suspecting anything.
It's not like he had any shady motives. At most, he just wanted to stick close to strong people.
"Red hair is definitely a trait of the Uzumaki Clan!" Kushina's voice warmed with excitement. Her fondness for Seiryū grew.
Especially since he was so cute.
"Yes I am from the Uzumaki Clan!"
Minato followed up in a timely tone. "Seiryū, you said you're not sure? Didn't Hokage-sama or your parents confirm it?"
He'd already guessed it.
Seiryū's situation was likely similar to Kushina's.
Seiryū shook his head. "I'm just a kid. Do you think adults will talk about stuff like that with someone my age? These aren't things I'm supposed to know."
"But my adoptive uncle, Shinku, thinks I'm probably an Uzumaki. Whether I actually am, I don't know."
He was a child. It wasn't his place to know too much.
He didn't even know what the Third Hokage thought of him. That was above his level right now.
Whether he was or wasn't, it didn't really matter. But if he was, that'd be even better.
"Uncle Shinku?" Minato was a little surprised. Could it be the Shinku he knew?
"Seiryū, Seiryū, I'm back!" Just then, Kurenai came trotting out of the dango shop, holding several sticks of tricolor dango.
Her eyes landed immediately on Minato and Kushina standing beside Seiryū. She looked puzzled. "Oh, Seiryū, who are they?"
Seiryū said, "No idea. They didn't say."
Kurenai was even more confused. "You don't know them? Then what do they want?"
"Uh…" Minato realized they hadn't introduced themselves. He quickly smiled. "Sorry, I forgot to introduce us. I'm Namikaze Minato, a Konoha jonin."
He gestured toward Kushina. "This is my girlfriend, also a Konoha jonin. Her name is Uzumaki Kushina."
Kushina nodded with a smile. She noticed that Kurenai was also a cute little girl.
Wait, she shouldn't say also. Seiryū wasn't a little girl...
"Uzumaki?" Kurenai perked up at that name. Her father believed Seiryū was an Uzumaki too. And now, more Uzumaki members had shown up in Konoha?
Were they here to take Seiryū away?
The moment that thought hit, Kurenai spread her arms and stepped in front of Seiryū like a mother hen protecting her chick. She stared warily at the two adults. "Are you here to take Seiryū away? I won't let you! Seiryū is my brother! He's part of the Yūhi family!"
Seiryū had just said he wouldn't leave them. And now this? Of course she was on edge.
"Wow, you're adorable too, even protecting your brother~" Kushina laughed out loud at the sight, watching Kurenai with a grin.
She smiled warmly. "But no, I'm not here to take your brother. Don't worry, we're not bad people."
"Really?" Kurenai still didn't drop her guard. She muttered suspiciously, "Like a bad person would say they're a bad person…"
Yūhi family... so it is Shinku-senpai, Minato thought. From Kurenai's words, he now understood both Seiryū and her identities.
Seiryū tugged at Kurenai's sleeve and chuckled. "Relax, they're wearing Konoha headbands. They're Konoha ninja. They won't do anything bad to us. And I'm not going anywhere."
This little girl really gets worked up...
(To be continued.)
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