Suimen Succeeds the Hokage

"But he still looks like a baby no matter how you look at him." Kushina came over to Yin Xiang's side, watching him sleep soundly. Her maternal instincts flared up again, and she planted a gentle kiss on his cheek.

The sleeping Yin Xiang reached out a tiny hand and scratched his cheek.

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

"Come to think of it, three days from now is the day Minato-sensei succeeds as the Fourth Hokage," Rin said with a squinting smile. "It's a pity I won't be able to see it."

"I won't be able to see it either," Kakashi added with a touch of regret.

"Don't be so gloomy. It's not necessarily a good thing; there will be even more headaches in the future," Minato said with a smile.

After the group finished their meal, Kushina and Kakashi cleared the table together. Because Rin wanted to play with Yin Xiang, she accidentally woke him from his slumber.

Although Yin Xiang was woken up, he didn't cry or fuss like other babies; instead, he looked at Rin and began to smile.

"Eh? If you look closely, Yin Xiang's eyes are a pale purple. How beautiful." Rin leaned in to look at his eyes, and just as she was feeling delighted, Yin Xiang planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Eh?!" Rin was startled, not expecting such a move from him. He looked quite pleased with himself after the kiss.

"Oh my, little Yin Xiang hasn't even kissed me yet. It seems he really likes you, Rin," Kushina said from the kitchen, sounding a bit jealous.

"What is this... I've never even been kissed by anyone else," Rin said, her face flushing red. She was actually feeling shy because of a baby.

"Obito would be furious if he knew," Kakashi remarked. The atmosphere suddenly turned heavy, and the blush vanished from Rin's face.

"Honestly," Kushina said a moment later, giving Kakashi a light punch. "Why would you say something like that at a time like this?"

"Mm-mm..." Yin Xiang clapped his little hands and nodded, seemingly quite happy to see Kakashi get hit.

"This little guy..." Kakashi frowned at the corners of his eyes as he watched Yin Xiang's joyful expression.

Afterward, Minato saw Kakashi and Rin off. Once Kushina finished washing the dishes, she changed Yin Xiang's clothes, put him in a stroller, and took him out—even though it was just after lunch.

Along the way, they ran into many people Yin Xiang recognized. They all greeted Kushina and teased Yin Xiang, who naturally played along to please them. Among them were Might Guy and his peers, as well as Hiashi Hyuga and Shikaku Nara.

As for the rest of the Konoha Twelve, only Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee had been born so far, all the same age as Yin Xiang.

This outing made everyone in Konoha Village aware that Minato Namikaze and Kushina had adopted Yin Xiang, earning him the title of the Fourth Hokage's young master.

After Kushina bought some baby supplies that Minato had overlooked, she took Yin Xiang home.

It wasn't that Minato was careless; he had actually bought double of everything except the stroller and crib, preparing for the arrival of Naruto, who would be born soon.

Minato didn't return until evening.

"What were you doing?" Kushina asked immediately.

"The Third called me over to go over some precautions, and inevitably, he got a bit sentimental," Minato said, scratching his head with a smile.

"Is that so? That old man, he still treats us like children!"

"I wouldn't say that. The Third is just looking out for me; he also told me some things regarding Yin Xiang."

"Really! What did he say!?" Hearing that it concerned Yin Xiang, Kushina asked anxiously.

"They still haven't found out who was behind it. However, his clansmen were all killed in their sleep without time to resist. They had been at peace for too long," Minato said, his smile fading into a serious expression.

"I see..." Kushina felt dejected. She looked at Yin Xiang, who was entertaining himself in his crib, and was relieved that he was still too young to understand these things.

In truth, Yin Xiang felt no emotional waves after hearing this, though he did feel a sense of dread. What if these people came back to kill him later?

"But it doesn't matter; we will protect Yin Xiang from now on," Minato comforted Kushina.

Protect my foot, Yin Xiang thought to himself. What can you two possibly protect me from? In a few months, you'll both be dead, and I won't be able to do a thing about it.

By the time the night of the Nine-Tails arrived, he would be less than a year old. Even if he wanted to save them, a baby that small would be helpless; a single breath from the Nine-Tails would likely kill him.

The smile on Yin Xiang's face slowly faded, and he narrowed his eyes. Kushina, thinking he was sleepy, picked him up and rocked him to sleep. As she rocked him, Yin Xiang really did drift off; this baby body was just too prone to drowsiness.

He slept until noon the next day. Upon waking, he was hungry, but fortunately, Kushina was by his side. Seeing him wake up, she gave him a beautiful smile.

She brought over a basin of water, wiped his face and hands with a towel, and then fed him.

After half a bottle, Yin Xiang was full; with a stomach that small, he couldn't eat much.

Yin Xiang spent his days like this until the day Minato succeeded as Hokage. On that day, the entire village gathered below the Hokage building, and the atmosphere was incredibly lively; everyone loved Minato as their Fourth Hokage.

Kushina held Yin Xiang behind Minato, and as she watched the "Fourth Hokage" kanji fluttering on Minato's haori, Yin Xiang felt a sense of longing.

Not long after Minato took office, a "major event" occurred: Rin committed suicide by throwing herself onto Kakashi's Chidori. Kakashi was devastated; having already lost Obito, he had now "personally" killed Rin, and he was on the verge of a breakdown.

At Minato's suggestion, Kakashi joined the Anbu, with his mission being to protect Kushina from the shadows.

Because Kushina was the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, she was vulnerable during her pregnancy and required protection. Minato was busy with official duties and often couldn't return home, so this task naturally fell to Kakashi.

Kakashi never entered the house, choosing instead to watch silently from the roof, ready to appear at the slightest sign of trouble.

As Kushina's belly grew larger by the day, Yin Xiang's dull and boring infancy dragged on, consisting of nothing but eating and sleeping.

Because Kushina's pregnancy made it increasingly difficult to care for Yin Xiang, they hired a wet nurse to look after him while also assisting Kushina.