"Lord Jiraiya?" Seeing the man on the sofa, Minato cried out in surprise. "When did you return to the village?"
Jiraiya waved his hand with a hearty laugh. "Sit down, sit down. I only got back today. I heard you'd become Hokage, so I came specially to congratulate you. What, you wouldn't find this old man annoying, would you?"
"Of course not, Lord Jiraiya. Minato and I couldn't be happier that you came." A burst of soft laughter followed as Kushina Uzumaki approached in an apron, carrying a dish that steamed gently in her hands.
Jiraiya continued laughing. "Kushina's gotten better and better at talking. Sure enough, marriage really does change a person."
As Kushina bent down to set the dishes on the table, he hurriedly whispered to Minato beside him, "Not bad. That little hot pepper from back then has become such a proper wife. I'm seeing you in a new light, Minato."
"Lord Jiraiya..." Minato Namikaze replied with an awkward smile, unsure how to respond.
"Lord Jiraiya, I heard that!" Kushina Uzumaki looked up and flashed Jiraiya a brilliant smile. Yet Jiraiya shuddered all over and immediately sat up straight.
Kushina gave a light snort before turning and returning to the kitchen.
"I take back what I said. Minato, things must have been hard for you lately." After she left, Jiraiya gave his disciple a sympathetic look.
"Haha... haha..." Even now, Minato had no idea what to say beyond an awkward laugh.
The pleasant time passed quickly. Before long, the three of them were seated around the dining table for dinner, speaking little as they ate.
After he had eaten his fill, Jiraiya slowly sipped a cup of tea and sighed with feeling. "Konoha really is the best, especially Kushina's cooking. I could eat it every day and