"..."
Minato Namikaze was also speechless. How could his girlfriend say something like that?
He wasn't as careless as Kushina Uzumaki. He could tell Akira's gender at a glance.
Mm… although he also felt that if this little boy grew his hair long, he might look even more like a girl…
He even imagined it in his mind—and discovered that Akira with long red hair somewhat resembled Kushina when she was young?
Could it be…
Suppressing that strange thought, Minato—gentle by nature—smiled apologetically at Akira. "Sorry, she's just not very good at expressing herself. She didn't mean any harm…"
"..." Kushina also realized she had misspoken and couldn't help blushing.
However, she had a bold personality and didn't dwell on it. Instead, she laughed. "Hahaha, yes, yes. It's just that you're too… well, very cute, so I thought…"
"Sorry, sorry. Big sister will treat you to dango as an apology."
Perhaps because they were both redheads, Kushina felt an inexplicable fondness toward Akira.
Of course, it might also be because of his appearance. Good-looking and cute people tended to receive preferential treatment.
That was true in any world.
"I'm not angry." Akira waved his hand. "As for treating me, that's not necessary. I haven't suffered any loss."
Watching Akira's mannerisms, Kushina's eyes lit up. She stepped forward and ruffled his hair, laughing. "Putting on such a little adult act—are you copying your parents? So cute!"
Akira: "..."
He slapped away Kushina's hand. He liked head-patting others, but didn't like being head-patted. He wasn't really a child.
Frowning, he said, "Miss, please show me some respect. Otherwise, I'll start shouting. Bullying a child isn't something honorable."
"Miss?" Kushina had never heard that form of address before and found Akira even more amusing. She couldn't help laughing again, her previous frustration completely gone. "Hehe, what an interesting little guy!"
Minato also smiled, finding Akira somewhat special. His behavior didn't quite match his age—yet somehow it still did.
A strange feeling.
Not teasing him further, Kushina asked with a smile, "Come on, tell big sister your name. We're both redheads—that's fate!"
Building a good relationship with these two wasn't a bad thing. Akira didn't mind getting acquainted. "My name is Akira. Miss, since you have red hair, are you from the Uzumaki clan?"
What was the best way to approach them?
Of course, starting with the Uzumaki clan!
"You actually know about the Uzumaki clan?" Kushina was startled. Her gaze changed slightly as she asked, "Could it be… you're also from the Uzumaki clan?"
Minato's eyes flickered as well. Was his earlier guess correct?
The little boy in front of them—was he also from the Uzumaki clan like Kushina?
Akira shrugged at Kushina. "I don't know. I was able to come to Konoha because the Third Hokage thought I might be from the Uzumaki clan. Red hair seems to be one of the distinguishing features, so when I saw you, I had that question."
Meeting Minato and Kushina was a coincidence.
The topic had come up naturally. No one would suspect he had ulterior motives.
He didn't really have any ulterior motives—at most, he just wanted to latch onto a strong thigh…
"Red hair is indeed one of the traits of the Uzumaki clan!" Kushina felt even closer to Akira now—someone who might also be from the Uzumaki clan.
How could she not be excited?
Especially since he was that cute!
Kushina said, "Big sister really is from the Uzumaki clan!"
Minato spoke up at the right moment. "Akira, you said you don't know whether you're from the Uzumaki clan? Has Lord Hokage not confirmed it with your guardian?"
He had already guessed roughly.
Akira's situation was probably similar to Kushina's…
Akira shook his head. "I'm just a child. Do you think adults would discuss these things with me? That's not something I'm supposed to know."
"However, Uncle Shinku, who adopted me, believes I'm a descendant of the Uzumaki clan. As for whether that's true, I don't know."
He was just a child—he wouldn't know too much.
He didn't even know what the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, truly thought of him. That wasn't something he could access at his current level.
If he wasn't Uzumaki, it didn't matter. If he was, even better.
"Uncle Shinku?" Minato was slightly startled when he heard the name. Was it the senior he knew—Yuhi Shinku?
"Akira, Akira, I'm back!"
At that moment, Kurenai Yuhi ran out of the shop holding several sticks of tricolor dango.
At first glance, she saw Minato and Kushina standing beside Akira and looked surprised. "Oh? Akira, who are they?"
Akira replied, "I don't know. They didn't say."
Kurenai grew even more confused. "You don't know them? Then what do they want?"
"Um…" Minato realized he and Kushina hadn't introduced themselves yet. Smiling, he said, "Sorry, we almost forgot to introduce ourselves. I'm a Konoha Jonin, Minato Namikaze."
Pointing to Kushina, he introduced, "This is my girlfriend, also a Konoha Jonin. Her name is Kushina Uzumaki."
Kushina smiled and nodded, noticing that Kurenai was also a cute little girl.
Mm, not "also." Akira wasn't a little sister.
"Uzumaki?" Kurenai was sensitive to that surname. Her father believed Akira was from the Uzumaki clan. Were these people here to take Akira away?
Thinking of that, Kurenai spread her arms and shielded Akira behind her like a little hen protecting her chick, glaring vigilantly at the two of them. "Are you here to take Akira away? I won't let you take him! Akira is my brother—he's a member of the Yuhi family!!"
Akira had just promised he wouldn't leave them, and now something like this happened. How could she not be wary?
"Wow, you're adorable too—protecting your brother like that~~" Kushina couldn't help laughing again at Kurenai's actions.
Kushina said, "But I'm not here to take your brother away. Don't worry—we're not bad people."
"Is that so?" Kurenai still didn't lower her guard and muttered, "What kind of bad person would say they're a bad person?"
'Yuhi family? So it really is Senior Shinku?' Minato now understood Akira and Kurenai's identities.
Akira tugged at Kurenai and couldn't help smiling. "Don't worry. They're wearing Konoha headbands. They're Konoha shinobi—they won't do anything harmful to us. And I'm not going to
leave…"
This little girl was really tense about this matter…
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