Uchiha Chen and Might Guy exchanged a knowing look and smiled.
Uchiha Chen raised an eyebrow and nodded toward Namikaze Minato and the others, who were deep in discussion.
Might Guy nodded.
Uchiha Chen got out of bed and walked over to the group with Might Guy.
"Jiraiya, your plan won't work. And you're deliberately avoiding Kushina. A surprise? You call that a surprise?"
Tsunade was clearly unhappy with Jiraiya's proposal plan.
"Tsunade, you asked me for advice, so I gave it. Now you don't like this, you don't like that. You're not Kushina, so how do you know she won't like it?"
Jiraiya glared at Tsunade, clearly just as unhappy with her.
Namikaze Minato could only smile awkwardly from the side, not knowing what to say.
He was feeling pretty helpless, too. Who was actually proposing here?
Why were these two arguing about it?
"Hmph. I knew a lecher like you wouldn't come up with anything good. And I was right!"
Tsunade folded her arms across her chest and turned her face away, speaking with disdain.
"Cut the crap, you flat-chested, washboard-dead Tsunade! What do you know?! (▼皿▼#)"
Jiraiya was even angrier now, and the insults came tumbling straight out of his mouth!
"What did you say, you damn pervert? Believe it or not, I'll punch you into next week!"
A huge "＃" appeared on Tsunade's forehead as she clenched her fist, ready to strike.
Flat-chested washboard? That was years ago! She wasn't like that anymore... was she?
"Hmph. You think I'm still the dead-last I was back then? I'm not afraid of you!"
Jiraiya chuckled and turned his head away with a look of disdain, completely unafraid.
(￣ε(#￣)☆╰╮o(￣皿￣///)
Seeing how smug Jiraiya looked, Tsunade finally unleashed the full force of her rage and punched him square in the face.
"Bam!!"
Jiraiya went flying, crashing straight through the wall of Uchiha Chen's room and leaving a person-shaped hole behind!
"My house! My new house! I haven't even had it for a year!"
Uchiha Chen was stunned. He never expected Tsunade to actually hit him!
Namikaze Minato, Hatake Kakashi, and Might Guy were just as dumbfounded. It had all happened too fast for them to stop it!
"Uchiha Chen, don't worry..."
Tsunade had noticed the pained expression on Uchiha Chen's face and was about to say something when Jiraiya's taunting voice came from beyond the hole.
"You damn Tsunade! You old hag! You took advantage of me and attacked while I wasn't looking! If you've got the guts, come out and fight me again!"
Tsunade couldn't possibly let that slide. She didn't even finish what she was saying before turning and chasing after him.
"Bam!!"
The hole got even bigger!
"My house! There's a door right next to the hole! Why don't you use it?!"
Uchiha Chen wished he could slap himself. That was what he got for running his mouth and bringing up marriage!
Look at this mess! His perfectly good room was wrecked just like that!
"Ahem. Um, Uncle Chen, Teacher Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade are always like this. They're used to bickering and fighting, so try not to take it to heart."
Seeing Uchiha Chen looking utterly dejected, Namikaze Minato could only walk over with an awkward smile and try to comfort him.
"I'm fine..."
But Uchiha Chen's twitching eyelid made it clear just how much it hurt.
"By the way, Big Brother Minato, you haven't decided how you're going to propose yet, right?"
Uchiha Chen forced himself to push aside his "grief" and turned to ask Namikaze Minato.
"Right. Teacher Jiraiya suggested a few plans just now, and I actually thought they were pretty good. But after Lady Tsunade shot them all down, I don't know what to do anymore. It's all a mess now."
Namikaze Minato smiled helplessly. He never expected things to turn out this way.
"Hey, when it comes to proposing, all those fancy methods are just formalities.
"What matters most is your sincerity!
"As long as you let Sister-in-law Kushina feel how sincere you are, she'll say yes no matter how you propose."
As he spoke, Uchiha Chen patted Namikaze Minato on the shoulder, looking as if he had complete faith in him.
As for sweet talk, Uchiha Chen figured Namikaze Minato was far better at it than he was, so there was no need for him to embarrass himself.
"Hmm..."
Namikaze Minato nodded thoughtfully.
Rumble!!!
Suddenly, another loud crash rang out...
"Damn it! Those two idiots are going at it again? Are they trying to tear my house down?"
"No! I have to stop them!!"
Uchiha Chen's expression changed drastically, and he bolted outside without another word.
Namikaze Minato, Hatake Kakashi, and Might Guy were left exchanging baffled looks.
"Rumble!!"
Another crash sounded, and only then did the three snap out of it and hurry outside...
Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had gone by. The densely packed forest was full of protruding rocks, all riddled with holes of different sizes.
This was where Jiraiya had taught Uchiha Chen the Rasengan. At that moment, Uchiha Chen was sitting on a broad rock, deep in thought.
"If wind and fire chakra natures combine to produce a new change, they create the Kekkei Genkai Scorch Release.
"Then if I combine water and wind chakra natures, could I create another Kekkei Genkai?"
As he spoke, Uchiha Chen began practicing how to combine the two chakra natures.
He practiced for several hours, and explosions kept going off the whole time...
But to Uchiha Chen's frustration, Max-Level Comprehension didn't kick in. Every time he reached the crucial point in the fusion, it failed and ended in an explosion.
"Ugh. Do I really have to get beaten half to death before I can learn a new technique? But that really hurts!"
Uchiha Chen looked at his charred-black palm and grumbled helplessly.
Suddenly, faint rustling sounds came from the forest.
"Who's there? Come out!"
Uchiha Chen frowned. Was someone clueless enough to come looking for trouble again?
"Uncle Chen? What are you doing here?"
A familiar voice called out. Uchiha Chen looked over and saw that it was Namikaze Minato.
Namikaze Minato was walking toward him, looking delighted.
"This is where Big Brother Jiraiya taught me the Rasengan. And, Big Brother Minato, you don't have to call me 'uncle' when it's just us."
Seeing that it was Namikaze Minato, Uchiha Chen smiled too. This was where Namikaze Minato had created the Rasengan, so it made sense for him to be here.
"Well..."
Namikaze Minato seemed tempted, but also hesitant.
"Hey, what's there to be unsure about? Besides, you're about to become the Fourth Hokage, so it wouldn't make sense to keep calling me that.
"Oh, and congratulations, Big Brother Minato—or rather, Fourth Hokage!"
Uchiha Chen smiled and cupped his hands toward Namikaze Minato.