Guests at the Namikaze Family Home

The sun is setting.

School was long over.

However, some people still lingered on the training field.

Here, have some water first.

Shuyuan handed the water bottle to the blond boy who was walking unsteadily and panting heavily. His golden hair was soaked with sweat and clumps of it stuck to his forehead.

Naruto had an absolutely terrible day.

Not only was he singled out by Tong as a typical example, but after completing thirty laps, he was once again forced to do an extra sixty laps because he couldn't keep his mouth shut.

As a result, the campus is now deserted, with no one in sight. Even Hitomi, a teacher, has left. However, she left Shuyuan behind to supervise Naruto's running. The meaning is clear: once everyone leaves, they can leave too, and there's no need to run sixty laps.

However, Naruto, though a fool, was exceptionally principled; he said he would run sixty laps, and he didn't skip a single one.

Shuyuan had also been waiting until now, and he couldn't leave alone first, after all, they were cousins, and despite their silly, bickering manner, the two were actually very close.

"Ha... ha... this sun is so fierce, my face is burning!"

After downing half a bottle of water, Naruto finally felt better and started yelling again.

"Who told you to be so stupid? I've lost count of how many times you've been punished by Teacher Hitomi." The red-haired boy scratched his head, shook his head, and smiled wryly. "Never mind that, Naruto, let's hurry home. If you linger any longer and miss dinner, I won't be able to help you Kushina gets angry."

A flicker of fear crossed Naruto's eyes at the mention of his mother, but he forced a nonchalant expression and said firmly, "What's there to be afraid of? I'll just sleep at your place tonight."

"As long as you can still walk out of your house, your bedding is still in the closet!"

"... Should be able to?"

Naruto finally sighed and hung his head. Then he remembered what Iruka-sensei had said about making a home visit, and his mood worsened.

He couldn't help but consider whether he should go directly to Shuyuan's house to lay low for a while, and wait until his father had appeased his mother before returning home...

The boys' shadows stretched long and thin in the setting sun.

The Namikaze Family.

Compared to the Uzumaki Clan's stronghold, it is closer to the Ninja Academy.

"Please, Shuyuan, if you don't agree, my mom will definitely break my legs." Naruto shamelessly tugged at Shuyuan's arm.

"Eh--? This is too much trouble, I don't want to."

Shuyuan looked disgusted and flatly refused.

"No!! Cousin, you can't just stand by and watch me die! I don't want to get beaten up!"

Recalling his mother's outburst, Naruto's face turned pale, and he couldn't help but shiver, gripping Shuyuan's hand even tighter.

Kushina was ruthless when disciplining her son, but she doted on her nephew, Shuyuan. If she could bring Shuyuan home, she could avoid a beating. If she could delay for a day or two, she would probably forget about the matter.

"No, this is such a hassle, I don't want to go." Shuyuan tried to pull her arm away, but Naruto, that muscle-bound idiot, had regained his energy and wouldn't let go of her arm no matter what. Xiuyuan glared at him angrily, "Naruto, let go! Iruka-sensei didn't say he was going to make a home visit today, what are you worried about?"

"Just in case, it's better to be safe than sorry."

"How come your brain works so well right now?" Shuyuan gritted her teeth in anger.

"Cousin, Shuyuan, come in with me! My mom's been saying lately that she hasn't seen you visit in ages..."

Shuyuan ultimately couldn't resist Naruto's shamelessness and dragged him inside.

"Mom, Mom, I'm home! Shuyuan came over to play today too."

After taking off his shoes in the entryway, Naruto hurriedly shouted out, spreading the news of Shuyuan's arrival in advance, fearing that his mother might suddenly launch a surprise attack.

I've learned my lesson before. Once, I got into trouble outside and hit someone's child while playing. When I got home after dark, before I even had a chance to take off my shoes, Kushina rushed out and gave me a severe beating with her iron fist right there in the entryway. I still remember it vividly.

"Huh?"

Peeking into the living room, he saw a very pretty girl sitting on the sofa. Her long, light blue-purple hair was tied in a ponytail, and her small face looked incredibly delicate. She was staring at Naruto, who had suddenly appeared, with her light orange eyes.

Their eyes met, and both were stunned for a moment.

Who are you? What are you doing in my house?

Naruto, being rather dim -Mind's Eye, reacted quickly and immediately started yelling.

"Shut up, you idiot." Shuyuan slapped Naruto's head down, then politely looked at the girl and nodded. "Um, hello, are you a friend of Aunt Kushina?"

"Hello, um... I'm here with my mother to visit Aunt Kushina."

The girl hurriedly stood up and bowed to Shuyuan in return.

"Naruto, where have you been? Why are you back so late?" Kushina, wearing an apron and carrying a kitchen knife, came out of the kitchen. "Shuyuan is here too! Come on, sit down!"

Seeing her beloved nephew arrive, Kushina beamed with joy and immediately forgot about her son.

Naruto snorted, slightly displeased with this unfair treatment, but after glancing at the gleaming kitchen knife in his mother's hand, he shut his mouth.

"Shuyuan- kun, Naruto-kun, do you still recognize me?"

An extremely gentle voice reached my ears, and following Kushina, a beautiful woman with a light purple paper flower in her hair and a gentle smile walked into the living room.

"······"

Naruto scratched his head, staring blankly at the other person.

"Aunt Konan?"

Shuyuan frowned and asked tentatively.

You got it right.

Konan nodded gently, her smile incredibly tender.

"Naruto, you idiot, why aren't you saying hello? What are you staring at like an idiot for?" Kushina walked silently to Naruto's side and immediately punched him without any mercy.

Hello, Aunt Konan!

Naruto rubbed his head, baring his teeth and making a funny face, which made Konan's smile deepen.

"Naruto, Shuyuan, you two come here. You might not remember me from before because you were too young, so let me formally introduce you." Kushina called her son and nephew to her side. "This is your Konan, from Amegakure. She's your father's and your uncle's fellow disciple."

"Dad's fellow disciple?" Naruto frowned, the term confusing him. Besides pranks, all he had was his talent for fighting; his academic performance was utterly terrible.

"Konan is Lord Jiraiya's disciple?"

Shuyuan stared wide-eyed in surprise.

Seeing the different reactions of her son and nephew, Kushina shook her head helplessly. She was utterly at a loss when it came to her son's idiotic nature. (To be continued)