"I'm back! Why is nobody here to welcome me?"
Tsunade's complaining voice came from the entryway, and Minato quickly walked over.
"Welcome back, Teacher. Dinner is ready."
"Uh..."
Hearing this, Tsunade's movement to change into slippers paused slightly, and she gave Minato a strange look.
At that moment, she actually had a sense of déjà vu, as if a husband had prepared a meal to welcome his wife home from work.
It felt very warm, but Minato's age caused a sense of guilt to rise in her heart.
"Sorry, I'm back late because of some business. Have you guys eaten yet?"
"Not yet. If you didn't come back soon, Older Sister, I would've starved to death," Nawaki said with a slightly resentful tone.
"Haha, sorry, sorry."
Tsunade quickly walked into the room and sat down at the dining table.
Minato brought the dishes kept warm in the pot to the table. Tsunade couldn't wait to pick up a piece of braised chicken leg, and after taking a bite, she let out a sigh of satisfaction.
"This is great. It would be wonderful if I could eat meals made by Minato every day in the future."
Hearing this, Nawaki was a bit confused: "What are you talking about? Isn't Minato making them every day?"
Tsunade smiled and rubbed Nawaki's hair: "Idiot! Sooner or later, you'll find girlfriends, get married, have children, and start your own families."
Minato gave a gentle smile: "Then we'll just live close by. That way, it'll be more convenient for Teacher to come to my house for dinner."
So gentle... Hearing Minato's words, Tsunade instantly felt healed.
For some reason, she was slightly dissatisfied with Minato's answer, but she couldn't say why, or perhaps she didn't dare to think too deeply about it.
"Cough... Let's talk about that later. Right now, there's something I need to get your opinions on."
Tsunade cleared her throat: "For certain reasons, Uzushiogakure will send a girl to Konoha in a couple of days. Given the relationship between the Senju and Uzumaki Clan, that child can tentatively be considered a distant younger sister to Nawaki and me."
Kushina is coming?
Minato felt a surge of joy in his heart.
"The Third Hokage's idea is that since the child is coming to Konoha alone and might be lonely, he wants her to stay with me for the time being."
Tsunade's gaze lingered on Minato's face for a moment before she continued.
"I personally don't mind, but I still need to ask for your opinions. After all, Nawaki is the heir to this house, and Minato works hard cooking every day."
"Of course, it's fine if you don't agree. As proof of our friendship with the Uzumaki Clan, Grandpa once set aside a piece of land in the Village as the Uzumaki Clan's territory..."
"I have no objection!"
Before Tsunade could finish, Nawaki spoke up without hesitation; he had always been a warm-hearted person.
"If Nawaki has no objection, then I don't either," Minato said gently.
It seems that in the original story, Kushina must have lived in the Uzumaki territory; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so easily kidnapped by Kumogakure.
Or maybe she lived at Tsunade's house initially and moved out after graduation, or after Nawaki passed away... Thinking of this, Minato was suddenly startled.
He remembered that Nawaki died at the age of twelve during the Second Great Ninja War.
In other words, there's less than five years left... Life has been so comfortable lately that he almost forgot about this.
"As I thought..."
Tsunade shook her head and chuckled; she knew these two would definitely agree.
Nawaki was passionate and straightforward, while Minato was gentle and polite. Although their personalities were different, they were both kind-hearted children.
Come to think of it, that stinky Old Man, the Third Hokage, must have counted on this!
Thinking of what had just happened, Tsunade gritted her teeth in anger.
She had also just learned this news from the Third Hokage.
Rewinding to an hour ago, at the Hokage Building.
"Why did you call me here?"
Having just helped complete a surgery at the hospital, Tsunade was about to go home when she was invited to the Hokage Building by an Anbu sent by the Third Hokage.
This added a bit of fire to her tone.
"Well... there's just something I want to discuss with you. It won't take up too much of your time."
The Third Hokage was somewhat helpless. "I'm a Hokage after all, can't you show a little respect?"
He thought about it and decided to let it go. Who told her grandfathers to both be Hokage?
Tsunade took the document, her eyes quickly scanning it, and her gaze narrowed slightly: "Uzumaki Kushina? This is the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"
"That's right."
The Third Hokage nodded: "In a couple of days, Uzushiogakure will send someone to bring the child to Konoha."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes, instinctively feeling something was off: "What does this have to do with me? Has the intel leaked? Do you want me to rendezvous with them?"
"No, to prevent leaks, currently only you know, besides me and Lady Mito."
The Third Hokage said calmly: "As for the arrangements for the child... to be honest, I intend for her to have more contact with Minato. After all, you know the suppression power of Wood Release over Tailed Beasts..."
"Wait a minute!"
Tsunade's face darkened, and she waved her hand to interrupt Hiruzen Sarutobi: "You stinky Old Man! Minato is only five years old! You actually want to use a Jinchuriki to bind his future?"
"You should understand the importance of the Nine-Tailed to the Village."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was silent for a moment and sighed softly: "I don't mean to bind the two of them either. I just want to try letting them interact. If they can truly establish a bond, it would be a good thing for Konoha. After all, the First Hokage and Lady Mito were like that..."
Tsunade sneered: "Then what if... Minato doesn't like that child, or that child doesn't like Minato, what are you going to do?"
"Whether from the Village's perspective or a personal one, them being together is the best outcome."
"Minato's Wood Release can greatly reduce the risk of the Tailed Beast going berserk, allowing the child to be relatively more free. And if Minato wants to become Hokage, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki would be his strongest support."
Hiruzen Sarutobi paused: "In addition, I can guarantee that I won't actively interfere."
Tsunade rolled her eyes: "Talk is cheap. Why should I believe you?"
"That's a bit much..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth twitched, and he helplessly held his forehead: "I'm the Hokage after all. Do I not even have this much credibility?"
Tsunade scoffed: "I'll believe you once you throw away that damn crystal."
"Cough..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed lightly: "Don't worry, with the talent Minato has shown, no one can force him. After all, even I can't face the power of Wood Release and the Nine-Tailed at the same time."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow; his words actually made sense.
Minato is only five years old now, and his raw strength is already not weaker than hers.
At his current cultivation speed, who would be able to force him in ten years?
"Although it's a bit shameless... it's all for Konoha."
Seeing Tsunade's expression waver, Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone became earnest: "Furthermore, that child was chosen as a Jinchuriki for the sake of Konoha, so the Village owes her. Why don't you ask for Minato and Nawaki's opinions?"
"Tsk... I'll go back and ask."
Tsunade curled her lip; thinking of their personalities, she already knew the result in her heart.
"Let me state this beforehand: if that child's character is bad... I will definitely kick her out without hesitation!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded repeatedly: "Of course!"
Only then did Tsunade give a light hum and leave with a reluctant look on her face.
Returning home, seeing Minato's gentle and sunny smile and eating the dinner he prepared, Tsunade's mood instantly became worse.
Damn it!
My Disciple is so excellent and perfect! Why should he be given away so easily to some red-haired brat from who knows where?!foreign
That damn Old Man!
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