My Lord! Please Behave Yourself!

Nara Luling, however, did not overthink it. With agile movements, she leaped down from the tall tree, landed steadily, and reached out to knock gently on the courtyard gate.

Inside, Shi Xiu, who had been fast asleep, was startled awake by the sudden knocking.

Still bleary-eyed, Shi Xiu felt a surge of irritation. He grumbled and cursed under his breath as he got up to head toward the gate.

When Shi Xiu pulled the gate open with a forceful tug, he immediately spotted a figure dressed in Anbu attire standing straight before him.

Shi Xiu frowned and snapped at the person in front of him, "What's all the racket! What are you here for? Does Monkey have business with me?" Clearly, Shi Xiu was quite annoyed at having his sleep disturbed.

Nara Luling heard Shi Xiu address the Third Hokage so disrespectfully, but she dared not show the slightest hint of dissatisfaction on her face.

After all, given her status and position, she truly could not afford to provoke this short-tempered individual. Thus, she had no choice but to pretend she hadn't heard the remark and spoke slowly, "I only came to visit Naruto."

Just as Nara Luling finished speaking, Shi Xiu took a closer look at her and recognized her identity after a brief moment.

Even so, Shi Xiu remained filled with doubt and surprise. Konoha was currently in a state where every hand was needed, with shortages of personnel everywhere. That Nara Luling would abandon her post at such a critical juncture just to visit Naruto was truly baffling.

Shi Xiu raised an eyebrow and questioned, "The entire village is swamped right now, and we're short-handed everywhere. Why aren't you at your post instead of coming here to see Naruto?"

Facing Shi Xiu's barrage of questions, Nara Luling fell silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and replied solemnly, "I have already reported this to the Hokage and received his permission."

Shi Xiu's gaze fell upon the graceful Nara Luling, and he couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion.

In the original story, this Nara Luling had no role to play, Shi Xiu mused to himself, she must have sacrificed her life for some reason. Thinking of this, Shi Xiu couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

At this moment, Naruto and Minato were together, and Shi Xiu was unwilling to let anyone else know that Minato had been brought back by Reanimation.

Therefore, he rejected Nara Luling's request without the slightest hesitation: "Go back! It's not convenient right now!" With that, Shi Xiu reached out to close the door.

However, Nara Luling reacted with lightning speed. She flashed forward and thrust a hand out to block the closing door.

At the same time, she wore an angry expression and questioned him with a sharp tone: "Why? Have you not been taking good care of Naruto?"

Shi Xiu really didn't want to get tangled up with Nara Luling, but her words flashed through his mind like a bolt of lightning, instantly reminding him of something.

Kushina was currently in a reanimated state, which meant—logically, probably, perhaps... she wouldn't have breast milk to feed little Naruto. At the thought of this, Shi Xiu felt incredibly awkward and couldn't help but cough twice.

He looked up at the suspicious-looking Nara Luling, who was staring at him with a puzzled gaze.

Shi Xiu felt his face flush red, and his eyes darted around, not knowing where to look.

After a long pause, Shi Xiu stammered, "You..." But the word seemed to get stuck in his throat, and he couldn't continue.

Nara Luling, full of suspicion, kept her eyes fixed on Shi Xiu and asked, "What exactly is the matter?"

Shi Xiu took a deep breath to steady himself, then turned his gaze toward Nara Luling and said slowly, "Naruto is still very young and needs breast milk for nutrition. So..."

Before Shi Xiu could finish, Nara Luling seemed suddenly startled. She reflexively took a large step back and quickly crossed her arms over her chest.

"My Lord! Please, have some self-respect!"

Although her mask hid her true expression, from this series of movements, Shi Xiu could roughly guess what she was thinking and what her face might look like.

"That... could you do me a favor and find a mother who has just given birth and has extra milk, and borrow some from her?" Seeing her intense reaction, Shi Xiu hurriedly explained, trying to dispel her misunderstanding.

Upon hearing this, the tension in Nara Luling's heart instantly vanished, and she let out a long sigh of relief.

She turned her head slightly and replied in a low voice, "Oh, I see. I understand. I will report this situation to the Hokage as soon as possible."

With that, she turned to leave. Perhaps due to her earlier nervousness, her gait seemed a bit flustered, even resulting in the comical sight of her moving her arm and leg on the same side in sync.

Just like that, Nara Luling disappeared from Shi Xiu's sight.

Shi Xiu let out a long, relieved breath and closed the gate. As he turned around, he was met with the curious and gossipy gazes of Minato and Kushina.

Minato's lips curled into a faint, teasing smile as he joked, "Lord Shi Xiu, what was that between you and that Anbu member..."

Hearing this, Shi Xiu's relaxed expression darkened instantly. He glared at Minato and retorted, "Minato, are you too idle? I'm here worrying sick about what Naruto is going to eat, and you, as his father, aren't even concerned about the child's diet, but instead have the heart to make fun of me!"

Scolded like this, Minato and Kushina looked at each other, then both lowered their heads, their expressions gradually turning worried.

Minato scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, trying to ease the atmosphere, and quickly said, "How about we buy some cow's milk for Naruto?" However, as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized from Shi Xiu's helpless and slightly disdainful look that his suggestion was clearly unfeasible.

Just then, as if to confirm their unease, a loud cry from the baby erupted from inside the house.

Hearing the wails, Minato and Kushina turned and rushed into the house like arrows released from a bow.

Inside, they saw Naruto crying incessantly on the bed, his little face flushed red, while Rin stood to the side, looking anxious and at a loss.

At this moment, Shi Xiu slowly paced into the room. He looked at the wailing Naruto and sighed softly.

"Crying so hard, he must be hungry." Shi Xiu frowned slightly and said helplessly, "It seems I'll have to go find Monkey; perhaps he has a way to solve this." Before he finished speaking, Shi Xiu's figure flickered and vanished from the room in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, Kushina and Rin were frantically trying to soothe Naruto.

They patted his back and hummed lullabies, but Naruto continued to cry, leaving both women desperate and helpless.

Just as everyone was at their wits' end, a series of urgent knocks sounded at the door.

Minato and Kushina tensed up, instantly on guard. Minato activated his sensory abilities and, after a quick check, confirmed that the person standing outside was the same Anbu member from earlier.

Minato and Kushina exchanged a look, hesitation in their eyes. They didn't know whether to open the door; the situation was far too complex, and any decision could lead to unexpected consequences.

Outside, Nara Luling, who was waiting, faintly heard the baby's cries from within.

Startled, she didn't have time to think. She flashed forward, nimbly vaulted over the wall, and dashed toward the source of the sound.

A moment later, Nara Luling finally found the room where the crying was coming from. She pushed the door open without hesitation and rushed inside. As soon as she entered, her gaze met with Minato and the others.

"Lord Fourth!"