"So, if you kissed someone at seven, does that still count as having your first kiss?"
All the way home, Kushina thought about it frantically.
She felt that this question struck at her very soul.
But if Mirai had been the one she kissed first, it did not seem like such a loss?
It was not until she entered the house that she figured it out, and she stopped dwelling on it.
After shooting Mirai a vicious glare, Kushina headed deeper into the Senju Clan Compound ahead of him, putting on a show of studying the detailed explanations of Sealing Jutsu.
Mirai awkwardly scratched his head. He had not expected himself to impulsively kiss the little girl.
It was all because angry, puffed-up Kushina had been so kawaii!
That was right, he could not be blamed for this. Kushina bore at least half the responsibility.
Otherwise, why had he only kissed Kushina and not anyone else?
If Kushina had known what Mirai Uzumaki was thinking, she probably would have awakened Monster Strength on the spot and punched him into a vegetative state.
Come on, there's still a tree planted in this guy's soul!
"Oh, little Mirai. Where's Kushina?" In the courtyard, Grandma Mito happened to appear.
"Grandma Mito!" Mirai treasured this relationship dearly. He had barely experienced familial affection in his previous life.
But in this life, Mito Uzumaki's affection for him was genuine, without the slightest trace of falsehood.
"Kushina just ran deeper into the compound. She probably figured it out and is getting ready to study seriously."
Mito smiled and casually ruffled Mirai Uzumaki's Kurenai hair.
Such a familiar Kurenai shade. She could not help remembering herself as a young girl, and the days she had spent in the Land of Whirlpools—
When people got old, they really did tend to lose themselves in memories.
"Forget it. If that girl Kushina can seriously study Sealing Jutsu, then pigs will fly!"
Remembering Kushina's lazy demeanor, Mito Uzumaki was at a loss for words as well.
Originally, Kushina had been the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki candidate she had chosen. Mirai had merely been a backup she had taken in along the way.
But now, Mirai might actually be the more suitable one?
He was more talented, more diligent in his studies, and he was a boy. He would not face what she had faced, nearly having the Tailed Beast break through its seal during childbirth.
Mito weighed the matter in her heart, but said nothing outwardly.
She merely offered a meaningful word of encouragement. "Little Mirai, you need to work hard too! In the future, little Kushina may need you to look after and protect her as well!"
"Mm-hmm! Grandma, I'm going to study Sealing Jutsu too! As for Kushina, I'll definitely protect her properly."
"Good boy. At the end of the month, Grandma will come test your progress again."
"Okay~"
Mirai Uzumaki smiled as he turned and headed deeper into the compound.
After only a few steps, the smile vanished from his face.
Grandma Mito looked even more—lifeless than before.
And there was that tone, as though she were entrusting someone to his care. If Mirai had really been a child, he might not have noticed.
Unfortunately, he was not.
Pushing open the wooden door to the Sealing Room, Mirai found Kushina sitting with her back to the entrance. She held a sealing scroll in her hands, her back ramrod straight, looking as though she were studying very seriously.
Hearing his footsteps, she tilted her head to glance at him, then quickly turned back and let out a soft snort through her nose.
"Kushina, you're holding it upside down."
Kushina froze for a moment, hurriedly flipped it over, and looked down again—
Why were the symbols on the scroll still upside down?
"Baka! That awful Mirai tricked me! I was holding it the right way before!"
Kushina puffed out her cheeks, utterly furious.
"Hahaha!" Mirai Uzumaki burst into laughter. He had not expected that a casual tease would fool Kushina so easily.
Even the sadness of Grandma Mito seemingly entrusting someone to him was washed away.
Kushina bit her lip, her face flushing Kurenai all the way to her ears. She threw the scroll onto the floor. "It's all your fault!"
"Hey, hey! I wasn't the one holding the scroll."
"If you hadn't spouted nonsense, how could I have held it upside down?" Kushina looked as though she were gritting her teeth again.
Seeing her puffed-up appearance, Mirai could not help curling the corner of his mouth.
He deliberately pressed his lips together, as though savoring something.
When Kushina saw that, her whole body stiffened as if she had been hit by a paralysis jutsu.
The posture she had been about to use to pounce on him instantly collapsed, and the tips of her ears turned Kurenai as though they could bleed.
She suddenly pulled back her hand and scooted away, like a startled little animal.
"You... you... don't make that gesture!"
"What gesture?" Mirai asked with an innocent expression.
"That... that one!" Kushina pointed at him, her finger trembling, yet she did not dare say the words "licking your lips."
"Anyway, you're not allowed to do it!"
Mirai raised an eyebrow. He roughly guessed what she was thinking and could not help laughing inwardly.
"Fine, fine, I won't." He sat cross-legged and spread open another scroll. "I'll study. I won't bother you."
Kushina gave a "hmph," hugged her scroll, and shuffled to the farthest corner of the room. Sitting cross-legged with her back to him, she adopted an attitude that said, I don't want to talk to you.
Yet she did not take in a single word.
Her mind was filled with that scene from earlier—the way Mirai pressed his lips together, the curve of his tongue sweeping across them, and the feeling of that stolen kiss.
She turned a page of the scroll, only to realize she had no recollection whatsoever of what had been on the previous page.
"Damn it..." she muttered quietly, burying her face in the scroll. Even the ends of her hair seemed tinged with Kurenai.
On the other side of the room, Mirai truly settled down to study.
He knew time waited for no one.
Grandma Mito's condition was worsening by the day. At any moment, she might no longer be able to hold on.
Before then, he would learn as much as he could.
Page after page, the Sealing Jutsu scrolls turned. The structures of the techniques rapidly formed, broke apart, and reassembled in his mind. Those ancient symbols and curse marks seemed as though they had been meant to be etched into his memory from the start.
Three hours later, the Luminescent Stones in the Sealing Room began to dim slightly.
"That's about enough." Mirai closed the scroll, stood up, and stretched his stiff shoulders. "Time to go back and eat."
A muffled "mm" came from the corner.
Kushina stood up as well. She neatly closed the scroll—but she had not finished even one page.
The two silently walked back to the main house.
Along the way, Kushina deliberately lagged half a step behind him. She neither walked beside him nor spoke, only occasionally sneaking a glance at him before quickly looking away.
By the time they reached the main house, the aroma of food was already drifting out.
Mito sat at the table, while Nawaki had already begun sneaking bites. Mito tapped the back of his hand with her chopsticks.
"Grandma Mito, we're back!" Mirai and Kushina pushed open the door and entered.
Looking at the home filled with the warmth of everyday life, he felt a trace of warmth rise in his heart.
There were many false people in Konoha, but this family's love was real.
"Oh, little Mirai and little Kushina. Go wash your hands, then we can eat!"
"Okay~!"
The two little ones went to wash their hands, then obediently took their seats at the table.
"Where's Sis? She isn't back yet?" Nawaki asked, rubbing the back of his hand.
"No idea. She looked all excited this afternoon. Who knows what she's up to!" Before Mito could finish—
Bang!
The front door was shoved open.
Tsunade strode in, her blonde hair disheveled and her face brimming with the high spirits of someone having a good day.
She swept her gaze across the table, her eyes landing on Mirai Uzumaki. Then she crossed the distance in three quick strides—
"Good kid!"
She scooped Mirai up and planted a hard kiss on his cheek, complete with a crisp smack.
"Your big sister Tsunade is in a good mood today, so this is your reward!"
The entire table fell silent for a moment.
Before you continue