Minato Succeeds as Hokage

"But he still looks like a baby to me." Kushina came over to Yin Xiang and gazed at him as he slept. Her maternal instincts took over again, and she gently kissed his cheek.

Still asleep, Yin Xiang raised a little hand and rubbed his cheek.

"Yin Xiang really is adorable," Kushina said, returning to her seat.

"Speaking of which, in three days, Minato-sensei will succeed as the Fourth Hokage." Rin smiled with her eyes narrowed. "It's a shame I won't get to see it."

"I won't get to see it either," Kakashi said regretfully.

"Don't be so disappointed. It's not all good news. There'll be even more headaches to deal with from now on," Minato said with a smile.

After they finished eating, Kushina and Kakashi cleared the table. Rin had been playing with Yin Xiang and accidentally woke him up.

Though Yin Xiang had been woken, he didn't cry like other babies. Instead, he looked at Rin and smiled.

"Aw? Now that I'm looking closely, Yin Xiang's eyes are a pale purple. They're so pretty." Rin leaned closer to look at Yin Xiang's eyes. She was enjoying herself when he kissed her on the cheek.

"Huh?!" Rin jumped, surprised that Yin Xiang would do that. After the kiss, he looked delighted.

"Oh my, little Yin Xiang hasn't even kissed me before. Looks like he really likes Rin," Kushina said with a hint of jealousy as she watched from the kitchen.

"What? I've never even been kissed by anyone before." Rin blushed. She'd actually been made bashful by a baby.

"Obito would be furious if he knew," Kakashi said. The mood immediately turned somber, and Rin stopped blushing.

"Honestly." A moment later, Kushina punched Kakashi. "Why would you say something like that right now?"

"Mm-hmm..." Yin Xiang clapped his little hands and nodded, seeming delighted to see Kakashi get hit.

"This little guy..." Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he watched Yin Xiang looking so pleased.

Afterward, Minato saw Kakashi and Rin off. Once Kushina had washed the dishes, she changed Yin Xiang into fresh clothes, then took him out in his stroller. It was only just after lunch.

They ran into quite a few people Yin Xiang recognized along the way. Everyone greeted Kushina and played with Yin Xiang, and of course, he happily charmed them in return. Among them were Might Guy and Minato's contemporaries, Hyuga Hiashi and Shikaku Nara.

As for the other members of the Konoha 12, only Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee had been born so far. They were the same age as Yin Xiang.

That trip around the village made everyone in Konoha aware that Minato Namikaze and Kushina had adopted Yin Xiang, who was now known as the Fourth Hokage's little boy.

After buying a few baby supplies that Minato had overlooked, Kushina took Yin Xiang home.

It wasn't that Minato was careless, really. Aside from the stroller and crib, he'd bought two of everything, preparing for Naruto, who was due to be born soon.

Minato didn't come home until evening.

"What were you doing?" Kushina asked him right away.

"The Third Hokage called me over and went through some things I needed to know. He couldn't help getting a little sentimental, too." Minato scratched his head and smiled.

"I see. That old man really does still treat us like children!"

"Well, you can't really say that. The Third Hokage was looking out for me. He also told me a few things about Yin Xiang."

"Really? What did he say?" Hearing that it was about Yin Xiang, Kushina hurried to ask.

"They still haven't figured out who did it. But his clan members were all killed in their sleep, without time to fight back. They'd been at peace for far too long." Minato's smile faded, and he spoke gravely.

"I see..." Kushina's expression fell too. She looked at Yin Xiang, who was amusing himself in his crib. At least he was too young to understand what they were saying.

Actually, after hearing all that, I feel nothing but fear. What if those people come back to kill me someday?

"But it's all right. We'll protect Yin Xiang from now on," Minato reassured Kushina.

Don't give me that crap about protecting me. What can you protect me from? You'll both be dead in a few months, and then I won't be able to do a thing.

By the time the Night of the Nine-Tails came, Yin Xiang would still be less than a year old. Even if he wanted to save them, he'd be powerless. The Nine-Tails could probably kill him with a single breath.

The smile gradually disappeared from Yin Xiang's face, and he narrowed his eyes. Kushina thought he was sleepy, so she picked him up and rocked him, soothing him to sleep. Before long, he really had fallen asleep. A baby's body got tired so easily.

He slept until noon the next day and woke up hungry. Fortunately, Kushina had nothing to do and was keeping him company. When she saw him wake, she gave him a lovely smile.

Then she brought over a basin of water, wiped his face and hands with a towel, and fed him some milk.

Half a bottle was enough to fill Yin Xiang up. His stomach was so tiny that he couldn't drink much.

That was how Yin Xiang spent his days until Minato's succession as Hokage. On the day Minato took office, villagers gathered beneath the Hokage Building, and the place was bustling. Everyone loved Minato, their Fourth Hokage.

Kushina stood behind Minato, holding Yin Xiang. As she watched the Fourth Hokage's title flutter on Minato's haori, Yin Xiang felt a little longing stir within him.

Not long after Minato became Hokage, a major event occurred: Rin took her own life by impaling herself on Kakashi's Chidori. Kakashi was devastated. First he'd lost Obito, and then he'd "killed" Rin with his own hands. He was on the verge of breaking down.

At Minato's suggestion, Kakashi joined the Anbu. His mission was to protect Kushina from the shadows.

As the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Kushina was very vulnerable during her pregnancy and needed protection. Minato was busy with official duties and often couldn't come home, so the task naturally fell to Kakashi.

Kakashi never came inside. He simply kept watch on the roof in silence, ready to appear at the first sign of trouble.

Kushina's belly grew larger by the day, and Yin Xiang's dull, uneventful infancy gradually passed. Every day, all he did was sleep and eat.

As Kushina's belly grew, it became increasingly difficult for her to look after Yin Xiang, so they hired a wet nurse. She could care for Yin Xiang and help Kushina at the same time.

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