Warm Table

The next day, Ninja Academy.

Before class began, Ikkaku Umino informed the students that Kotai, Tetsuo, and Shio had withdrawn from school, though no one seemed to care.

The three of them were not well-liked; Kotai bullied his classmates, Tetsuo acted like a lackey, and Shio was full of malice.

Aside from Shinnosuke, the son of the Hokage, everyone in the class had been harassed by those three to some degree, so not breaking into applause was already showing Ikkaku Umino enough respect.

"It's such a relief not to have those annoying eyesores around~"

Kushina giggled, lazily slumped over her desk, and tilted her head to look at Minato: "Minato is here in person for class today, too."

"Can't be helped, given what happened..." Minato smiled helplessly.

In truth, it was because his primary energy was currently focused on training nature transformation.

Training Light Release was originally just an excuse; the strength of a Devil Fruit was tied to one's physical constitution, and while it was his main means of combat, it wasn't something to be trained at this stage.

Most importantly, if he didn't come to school, he would be the only one home during the day.

Nawaki and Kushina were both at school, and although Tsunade hadn't been on any missions lately, she wasn't exactly idle.

Beyond helping out at the hospital, she had to go keep Mito Uzumaki company every few days.

Furthermore, as a Jonin, even without a mission, she had to report to the Jonin standby area daily to sit for a while in case of emergencies.

On top of that, she had to pick up and drop off Minato and accompany him to buy groceries; it had been quite a while since she had visited the gambling dens.

Tsunade seemed to have forgotten about that hobby entirely, and Minato hadn't heard her mention it in a long time.

"It's so nice. I wish every day could be like this from now on..."

Sunlight streamed into the classroom, and Kushina basked in the warmth, speaking lazily.

"Kushina, repeat what I just said."

Ikkaku Umino's voice rang out, and Kushina scrambled to her feet.

"Eh? Yes..."

Kushina stood up in a panic, casting a pleading look toward Minato.

Minato pressed his arm against his notebook and subtly slid it toward Kushina.

Kushina subconsciously read the words on the page: "When in class... you must listen carefully, okay?"

"Hahahaha..."

A roar of laughter erupted from the class upon hearing Kushina's words.

Realizing what she had said, Kushina's face flushed red, and she glared at Minato with puffed-out cheeks.

Ikkaku Umino's mouth twitched: "Forget it, as long as you know. Sit down."

"Seriously, Minato, you're so mean!"

After sitting down, Kushina waved her small fist at Minato.

Minato watched her with a smile, a flicker of mischief in his eyes; he also felt that it would be wonderful if every day could be like this.

And the days that followed were exactly as the two had hoped: peaceful and warm.

Minato went to school, cooked, and trained every day.

Kushina was like a shadow; wherever Minato went, she followed.

Yet, this unchanging rhythm of life began to make certain people in the shadows grow restless.

For instance, Danzo was desperate to make a move on Kushina, but the girl was glued to Minato's side every day, and with Tsunade picking her up and dropping her off, he couldn't find a single opportunity.

Or Fugaku, who still hadn't found a suitable chance to approach Minato.

Amidst this tranquility, two months passed by in the blink of an eye.

Sparse snowflakes drifted down from the sky, and under the cover of night, they blanketed the village in a thick, glistening white carpet.

"It's snowing!"

Coincidentally, it was the weekend. Early in the morning, Kushina ran into the courtyard, brimming with excitement, scooped up a handful of snow, and tossed it toward the sky.

"So it's snowing..."

Minato held a teacup, his legs tucked into the kotatsu, feeling perfectly at ease.

Tsunade lay across from Minato, most of her body tucked under the quilt.

Nawaki tried to squeeze in, but due to the limited space, Tsunade kicked him out, leaving him to cover his legs just like Minato.

Minato glanced at Nawaki: "I have another kotatsu at home, do you want me to bring it over?"

"No need!"

Before Nawaki could speak, Tsunade interjected.

The size of this kotatsu was just right, and as for the reason...

Tsunade turned over slightly, her soft, delicate feet resting against Minato's crossed legs as if by accident.

Minato paused mid-sip, his tea cup hovering. From his angle, he couldn't see Tsunade's expression, so he didn't know if she had done it on purpose, but he didn't move her feet away either.

Deep down, however, he felt a strange, indescribable flutter...

"This weather is perfect for tea and snow-viewing. If you're afraid of the cold, just head back to your room~" Tsunade said, her tone languid.

Nawaki looked at Minato: "Aren't you cold, Minato?"

"Not at all."

Minato smiled. He was Light, after all!

That was the advantage of a Logia-type ability; as long as the environment didn't specifically counter his element, he remained largely unaffected by it.

This was especially true for abilities like Chill-Chill, Snow-Snow, Mera-Mera, Magma-Magma, Glint-Glint, or Rumble-Rumble, which inherently possessed extreme heat or cold properties.

Minato didn't fear the cold because light itself carried immense heat; he had no need to worry about freezing.

But Nawaki was, after all, just a mortal of flesh and blood...

"It's snowing, so let's have something hot today? Maybe a hot pot?"

Minato thought for a moment and suggested.

"Yay! What kind?"

Hearing this, Nawaki stopped complaining about the cold and looked at Minato with eager eyes.

"How about... a type of hot pot you've probably never had before?" Minato asked.

"Wait a second, let me go grab a notebook!"

The moment he heard it was something new, Nawaki scurried off to fetch paper and a pen: "Go ahead."

"Mantis shrimp, dried scallops, river crabs, seaweed..."

Minato listed everything he would need.

This was a dried seafood base commonly used in the north in his past life; it was savory and delicious, perfect for dipping lamb.

"Wait, are you guys used to sesame paste?" Minato suddenly asked.

Sesame paste existed in the Shinobi World, but it was mostly used as a seasoning, and the flavor profile was slightly off, requiring other ingredients to balance it out.

"As long as you're the one making it, I'll definitely love it!" Nawaki said, thumping his chest.

"Great. Get three pounds of lamb, and that should be about it."

"I'm heading out then!"

Nawaki rushed out of the house, unable to contain his excitement.

The soft, tender feet tucked against Minato's midsection suddenly stirred, toes curling slightly as they brushed against his stomach.

"Minato, come out and build a snowman with me!"

Out in the yard, Kushina called out.

Minato was about to answer, but Tsunade suddenly hooked her toes into his pajamas and gave a gentle tug.

"I'll pass. I want to warm up with some tea, and I have to prepare the hot pot for lunch. Why don't you let a shadow clone keep you company?"

Minato set his tea cup down, his left hand moving discreetly under the kotatsu to give a light pat to the little troublemaker hooked onto his clothes, prompting her to let go obediently.

"Alright then..."

Kushina didn't press the issue, knowing Minato had to cook, so she turned and went to play with the shadow clone instead.

Under the kotatsu, Tsunade shifted slightly, glancing in the direction Kushina had left.

For some reason, she felt a strange, illicit thrill blooming in her heart...