Uzumaki Kushina

The next day, noon.

The shopping street was bustling with people, and the cries of vendors rose and fell.

Namikaze Minato, dressed in casual clothes, had his hands in his pockets, his steps deliberately slowed to match the person beside him.

Walking beside him was a young girl with a cascade of bright red hair like a waterfall—Uzumaki Kushina.

At this moment, she held two skewers of tri-colored dango, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster eating.

As she chewed the soft, sticky rice balls, she curiously surveyed the shops lining the street, her long red hair swaying gently behind her with her movements.

"Eat slower, no one's going to snatch it from you."

Minato turned his head, his gaze falling on a smear of sweet soy sauce on the corner of her mouth.

He very naturally took a neatly folded handkerchief from his pocket, not to hand it over, but reached out directly and gently wiped the sauce from her lips.

Kushina's body stiffened abruptly, her chewing momentarily halted.

"So... so annoying! It's rare to get out, of course I have to eat my fill!"

She flusteredly turned her head away, her earlobes visibly blushing. To hide her shyness, she deliberately increased the force with which she bit the dango, mumbling indistinctly.

As they passed a jewelry store, Kushina's steps faltered.

Her gaze fell on a hair clip displayed in a prominent position.

It was a deep red hair clip, exquisitely made, but to Kushina, the color was too similar to her own "strange" red hair.

She subconsciously touched her hair, a shadow of childhood mockery flashing in her eyes. The hand she had just extended retracted, and she pretended to be nonchalant, preparing to walk away.

"Owner, that hair clip, I'll take it."

A gentle voice sounded beside her ear.

Before Kushina could react, a flash of gold flickered.

Minato was already holding the hair clip, standing before her.

"I don't..."

"It suits you very well." Minato interrupted her refusal, his azure eyes as clear as the bottom of a lake in the sunlight, gazing at her earnestly. "Red hair is beautiful, and this will make it even more vibrant."

Without Kushina's consent, he gently lifted the stray hairs by her ear and clipped the hair accessory in.

"See, it looks great." Minato took a step back, a satisfied smile on his face.

Kushina touched the hair clip, looking at the smile of the young man before her, her heart skipping a beat it shouldn't have.

However, this sweetness didn't last long.

About fifty meters behind them, in the shadow of a rooftop, two masked Anbu ninjas silently shifted their positions. The feeling of being watched was a constant companion.

As the future vessel of the Nine-Tails, Kushina's movements were strictly limited.

Strolling openly with a friend like this was a luxury for her.

Sensing the gaze from behind, Kushina's initially excited expression dimmed slightly. The blush faded, and a flicker of disgust and loneliness crossed her eyes.

"Like I'm a prisoner..." she muttered softly, subconsciously wanting to distance herself from Minato, not wanting to implicate him in being watched like this.

But as her hand started to retract, it was caught from behind by a warm, strong hand.

"Don't mind them."

Minato subtly stepped to her side, his body blocking the prying gaze and the shadows.

He held her hand tightly, the warmth of his palm transferring through her skin.

"The Hokage specifically instructed that as long as I'm with you today, the Anbu won't get too close."

Minato's voice was gentle and firm, carrying a reassuring power. "He said he's at ease if I'm the one accompanying you."

Kushina froze, looking at their joined hands.

Once upon a time, that boy who seemed a bit effeminate in the Ninja Academy had now grown into a reliable ninja trusted by the Hokage himself. He could even use this method to create a sliver of freedom for her within this cage of surveillance.

"Tch..."

Kushina turned her face away, not wanting Minato to see her reddened eyes, and said stubbornly, "Who... who needs you to protect me? I'm very strong! If they dare to come over, I'll knock them flying!"

Even so, her fingers secretly tightened their grip, holding Minato's hand firmly.

As they were about to turn into a nearby alley, a shortcut to the park.

"Based on my observations, your spacing is negative, and Minato's heart rate is estimated to be twenty percent higher than usual, with facial capillary dilation. From a biological perspective, this indicates a state of high dopamine secretion during the mating period."

A flat, unmodulated voice suddenly came from the mouth of the alley.

Minato and Kushina stopped simultaneously as if electrocuted.

Nishikawa Tetsu stood there, holding a bag of freshly bought experimental materials—several lively frogs.

He was leaning against the wall, looking at the two of them with a teasing expression.

"Tetsu?" Minato sounded surprised but didn't release Kushina's hand. "What are you doing here?"

"Replenishing supplies." Nishikawa Tetsu jiggled the frogs in his hand. "And observing Konoha's ecosystem. I didn't expect to stumble upon your date."

"A... a date?!"

Kushina jumped as if her tail had been stepped on, nearly leaping up and trying to shake off Minato's hand, only to find he was holding on even tighter.

Her face instantly turned crimson, like a ripe tomato. "Who... who's dating him! We were just... just on the way! On the way to buy things!"

"On the way?"

Nishikawa Tetsu pointed expressionlessly at the brand-new red hairpin on Kushina's head.

"If I recall correctly, you didn't have a habit of wearing hairpins before, and besides..."

Nishikawa Tetsu looked at Minato, his gaze lingering on his clasped hands for a second, a mischievous smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Minato, it seems your talent for speed isn't just on the battlefield; you're making pretty quick progress in other areas too. At this rate, should I start preparing money for the full moon celebration in advance?"

Jokes with such adult implications were like a nuclear strike to the pure young boy and girl.

Minato's handsome face instantly turned bright red, even his neck flushing. He scratched his head and laughed awkwardly, his eyes darting around. "Well... Tetsu, stop joking, this is too far ahead..."

As for Kushina, she was already on the verge of exploding.

Her hair stood on end, and the background behind her seemed to erupt in flames. She was completely furious.

"Ni! Shi! Ka! Wa! Te! T-s-u!"

A roar echoed through the street, startling pigeons from the rooftops.

"You trash-brained idiot! Shut up!"

"Bang!"

Before Nishikawa Tetsu could react, a fist shadow rapidly enlarged in his vision.

It was the furious iron fist known as "Blood Red Pepper."

Nishikawa Tetsu felt a sharp pain on the top of his head. He was hammered halfway into the ground like a planted onion, only his smoking head sticking out.

"Hmph!"

Kushina retracted her fist, blew the dust off it, and placed her hands on her hips, her red hair whipping wildly like an enraged war goddess.

"That's the consequence of speaking nonsense! If you dare to spout such rubbish again, I'll turn you into a specimen and put you with those frogs!"

With that, she blushed and yanked the still-stunned Minato, her strength astonishing.

"Minato, let's go! Ignore that annoying guy, we're going to eat ramen!"

Minato stumbled a couple of steps, being dragged along. He could only turn his head and give Nishikawa Tetsu, who was still stuck in the ground like a radish, an apologetic and helpless wry smile, mouthing "Take care."

The two of them walked away, bickering. In the setting sun, their shadows stretched long, eventually merging into one.

Several Anbu members not far away were quite impressed with the black-haired kid. Daring to provoke "Blood Red Pepper," he was quite something.

Nishikawa Tetsu struggled to pull himself out of the dirt pit, patting the dirt off his head and hissing as he rubbed the large bump.

"Hiss... Is this the physique of the Uzumaki Clan? Such strength."

He looked in the direction they had left, his eyes not showing anger, but a flicker of a faint smile.

To see these two bickering so vibrantly in this village full of surveillance and oppression wasn't so bad.

"Still, they seem quite spirited."

Nishikawa Tetsu picked up the frog bag that had fallen on the ground and brushed off the dust.

"Alright, I've had my fill of dog food. Time to get back to work."

He turned and walked in the opposite direction, his expression returning to calm and profound.