Nara Luling stared wide-eyed at Minato and the others before her, her face filled with shock as her body trembled faintly against her will.
She took a deep breath, forcing down the emotions churning inside her. Then she hurriedly bowed with utmost respect and called out, her voice trembling slightly, "Lord Fourth Hokage!"
Minato wore a gentle smile and gave a light nod.
"Come now, there's no need to be so nervous," Minato said slowly. "I'm already one of the dead. You don't need to stand on ceremony."
Nara Luling shook her head firmly, her gaze unwavering. "No, Lord Fourth Hokage. You will always be Konoha's Hokage, and you're also my savior! If you hadn't rescued me back then, I would have died long ago. I'll never forget what you did for me."
Seeing how resolute Nara Luling was, Minato said no more.
Nara Luling still had many questions, but when she noticed little Naruto crying sadly nearby, she couldn't hold back any longer. "Lord Minato, why... why has little Naruto been crying this whole time?"
Kushina, standing nearby, let out a quiet sigh, her face full of helplessness and heartache.
"Naruto's hungry, but I can't feed him in this body," Kushina said softly.
Nara Luling's heart tightened. She quickly reached into her clothes and began rummaging around.
A moment later, she pulled out several baby bottles. They were still slightly warm.
Nara Luling held them out to Kushina. "Lady Kushina, I borrowed this breast milk from a few kind villagers just now. Please, feed little Naruto."
Nara Luling's thoughts drifted back to what had happened moments earlier.
She had been walking alone along the busy street, asking the villagers for help.
When she told the villagers passing by that she was looking for help for the Fourth Hokage's orphan,
the villagers, who had all been busy with their own affairs, seemed to explode into action. A crowd surged toward her like a wave, surrounding her in an instant.
Their faces were full of warmth and concern, and they eagerly offered to help.
Some even left their shops unattended, hurrying inside to fetch all kinds of food and drinks for her.
In no time, the villagers before Nara Luling were holding all sorts of things: fragrant bread, sweet juice...
Faced with such an overwhelming wave of enthusiasm, Nara Luling didn't know what to do.
She tried to thank them and explain what kind of help she actually needed, but the noise made it impossible for her to get a word in.
As the situation grew more and more out of control, Nara Luling had no choice but to take a few baby bottles from the villagers. With all her strength, she finally squeezed through a gap in the crowd and made her escape, looking utterly bedraggled.
Panting heavily, Nara Luling congratulated herself. "That was close! If I'd been one step slower, this overly enthusiastic crowd would've swallowed me whole."
Remembering the chaotic scene, Nara Luling shook her head and sighed to herself.
If Shi Xiu had been here to witness all this, he would surely have found it incredibly ironic.
Look at that. Just revealing someone's identity made such a huge difference in how they were treated. If I hadn't transmigrated here, the Third Hokage would've kept Naruto's true identity hidden.
Meanwhile, Minato and Kushina brightened at the sight of the bottles in Nara Luling's hands.
Kushina hurried over and carefully took a bottle from Nara Luling.
However, out of a mother's instinctive protectiveness and caution, Kushina didn't immediately put the nipple in Naruto's tiny mouth.
First, she gently sniffed the milk to make sure it had no strange odor. Then she touched a little to the tip of her tongue and tasted it, carefully checking for anything unusual.
Only after confirming it was safe did Kushina pick up the bottle and tenderly bring the nipple to Naruto's lips.
Watching the little one suckle contentedly, Kushina's face blossomed into a happy smile.
Naruto gradually quieted down. His tiny mouth clamped around the nipple as he eagerly sucked the milk from the bottle.
His big eyes wandered around curiously, and his little hands waved from time to time.
Kushina looked at Naruto's adorable face with a relieved smile, then turned to Nara Luling. A hint of apology showed in her eyes as she spoke softly.
"I'm so sorry. I only tested it because I wanted to be sure it was safe. It wasn't that I didn't trust you, so please don't take it to heart."
As she spoke, Kushina gave a slight bow to show her sincerity.
Nara Luling quickly nodded and answered respectfully. "Lady Kushina, you're too kind. It's only natural to be cautious, and I completely understand. Please don't worry."
Kushina shook her head lightly, a gentle smile still on her lips. "You don't have to call me Lady Kushina anymore. Just call me Kushina from now on."
Nara Luling hesitated. After a brief pause, she turned to Minato Namikaze, seemingly waiting for his approval.
Minato Namikaze nodded with a smile. "That's right. We're all dead, so there's no need to stand on ceremony. Just call us by our names from now on. Oh, and let me introduce you. This is my student, Rin Nohara." As he spoke, Minato gestured toward Rin, who was standing beside him.
Rin smiled sweetly at Nara Luling and greeted her warmly. "Hello."
Nara Luling hurriedly returned her smile. "Hello, Rin Nohara. It's nice to meet you!" The atmosphere immediately grew much friendlier.
Just then, Kushina abruptly changed the subject.
She turned to Nara Luling with a smile as radiant and warm as a flower blooming in spring. Then she asked softly, "Could you tell me your name?"
Nara Luling instinctively bowed to Kushina and answered respectfully. "Lady Kushina, my name is Nara Luling."
Kushina nodded, then fixed her beautiful eyes on Nara Luling once more and continued, "So, Nara Luling, how did you meet Lord Shi Xiu?"
At the words "Lord Shi Xiu," Nara Luling froze. Confusion appeared on her face as she hesitantly asked, "Lord Shi Xiu? Lady Kushina, who are you talking about?"
Seeing Nara Luling's bewildered expression, Kushina chuckled and patiently explained, "Oh, Lord Shi Xiu is the owner of this house!"
Kushina's explanation made Nara Luling understand. She nodded repeatedly.
"It was like this, Lady Kushina. That day, I was ordered to bring Naruto here. That's when I met Lord Shi Xiu."
After explaining, Nara Luling seemed to remember something. Her brows furrowed, and she looked puzzled as she continued.
"But, Lady Kushina, there's something I've been wondering about. Who exactly is Lord Shi Xiu? Why do you, Lord Minato, and Lord Third all respect him so much? And he even dares to call Lord Third 'Monkey'..."
By the end, Nara Luling had unconsciously lowered her voice, as if she were afraid someone might overhear.
Faced with Nara Luling's many questions, Minato and Kushina exchanged a knowing glance, as if silently communicating.
Then Kushina's lips curved into a faint smile as she said softly,
"Then wait until he comes back. If he's willing to tell you himself, that would be best. But if he doesn't want you to know, then I'm afraid someone of your standing isn't qualified to pry into these secrets."
Though Kushina's words were blunt, she had already put them as tactfully as she could.
Nara Luling was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded to show she accepted Kushina's answer.
She sighed helplessly. "In that case, never mind. I still have other important duties to take care of, so I won't keep you any longer."
With that, Nara Luling respectfully bowed to Minato and turned to leave.
Minato and Kushina watched Nara Luling's retreating figure and exchanged smiles.
"Kushina, you're not thinking of..."
"What? You don't think it'll work?"
Minato shook his head, then nodded. "I don't know. Maybe not!"
Rin stood nearby, utterly baffled. She had no idea what Minato-sensei and Lady Kushina were talking about.