Tsunade's Night Raid?

Minato looked utterly bewildered. "Jiraiya-sensei, this is...?"

"This is Sage Fukasaku of Mount Myoboku!" Jiraiya lowered his voice, his tone carrying rare respect. "Aside from the Great Toad Sage, he's the strongest on Mount Myoboku! He's also my teacher!"

Minato froze for a moment, then looked again at the palm-sized little toad—

Green skin, two whiskers, round eyes—no matter how he looked at it, it was just an ordinary little toad.

Sage Fukasaku waved a paw. "All right, all right, stop flattering me.

"I sensed that someone had used the contract to summon something from my side, so I came over to see who it was."

He turned to Minato and examined him twice from head to toe before nodding. "Young man, your chakra is pretty good.

"You may still be young, but your foundation is very pure. Jiraiya, you chose this disciple well."

Minato lowered his head slightly. "Thank you, Sage Fukasaku."

"If you want to summon me next time, work on increasing your chakra reserves. Don't get drained dry in one go." As Sage Fukasaku finished speaking, a puff of white smoke burst softly, and he vanished from the spot.

Jiraiya stood up and patted Minato on the shoulder, wearing a smug expression that practically said, I knew I hadn't judged wrong.

"You brat, you summoned Sage Fukasaku on your very first try—do you know what that means?"

Minato scratched his head. "...It means I'm lucky?"

"It means you have a deep affinity with Mount Myoboku!" Jiraiya vigorously ruffled his blond hair.

"Train hard and build a good relationship with the toads. Once you're a little older, I'll send you to Mount Myoboku for an opportunity."

"An opportunity?" Minato was a little curious, especially seeing how seriously Jiraiya was talking.

"Mm-hmm, we'll talk about it when you're older. You're still too young now, and telling you would be pointless!"

"Got it!"

Minato stood where he was, looking at the palm he had just slapped against the ground as he continued practicing the hand seals for the Summoning Jutsu.

Without using blood as a medium, he couldn't activate the Summoning Jutsu formation. He was only practicing.

An entire afternoon passed, and his hand seals became increasingly proficient. Once his chakra reserves increased, he should be able to summon a giant toad with ease, right?

Thinking of the giant toad Bunta that Jiraiya had summoned, a trace of longing flashed through Minato's eyes.

Meanwhile, at the Senju Clan Compound.

The moment Nawaki stepped through the door, Tsunade grabbed his ear from behind.

Her force was precise and her angle vicious. She had clearly practiced this many times.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow—Sis, what are you doing?!"

"What am I doing?" Tsunade's voice still burned with lingering anger. "You have the nerve to ask me what I'm doing?!

"If it hadn't been for Mirai today, you'd already be a charred corpse!

"Do you know what you stepped on? An Explosive Tag trap! Dozens of Explosive Tags—did you think they were fireworks?!"

Nawaki's head was pulled crooked. One hand hovered protectively over his ear, but he didn't dare struggle for real.

"I was wrong! I know I was wrong! I didn't do it on purpose!

"I was chasing the enemy, so I didn't notice what was under my feet..."

"You didn't notice what was under your feet?!" Tsunade tightened her grip again. "A ninja must remain vigilant at all times and in all places!

"Your teachers told you that from the first day you entered the Ninja Academy! Did you take it as empty air?"

"Waaah—Mirai, save me!"

A helpless smile tugged at Mirai's lips. "Nawaki, Tsunade is right. That was far too dangerous.

"When you go on missions in the future, make sure to watch your step."

"Even you're saying that!" Nawaki wailed, then turned seriously toward Mirai, putting away his usual playful expression.

"Still, Mirai, I really do thank you. If it hadn't been for you, I would've died there today."

"You already thanked me." Mirai waved a hand. "I told you, we're family. No need to stand on ceremony.

"If it had been you, you would've saved me too."

Nawaki opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only nodded hard. His eyes grew slightly hot, and he sniffed it back.

"Fine. From now on, your business is my business. Whoever dares touch you, I, Nawaki, will be the first to make them pay!"

Only then did Tsunade release his ear, casually smacking the back of his head.

"All right, go wash your hands and eat. We'll talk about today later."

At the dinner table, Kushina had prepared a feast. It was unclear whether she was celebrating everyone's safe return or showing off her recent improvement in cooking to a certain someone.

Mirai picked up a piece of fried chicken, took a bite, and nodded. "Mm, it's better than last time."

Kushina's eyes lit up at once. "Really? It tastes better than last time?"

"Last time, the outside of the fried chicken was burnt while the inside was still raw. This time, at least it's cooked."

"Idiot! Stupid Mirai, is that supposed to be a compliment?!"

"Hahahaha."

Across from them, Tsunade lowered her head and shoveled rice into her mouth, the corners of her lips curling up unconsciously.

Nawaki had already returned to his carefree self. He held a drumstick in his left hand and tempura in his right, eating with grease all over his mouth as though nearly being blown into the sky during the day had already become a distant memory.

After dinner, Nawaki patted his stomach and yawned. "I'm going to sleep first. I ran around all day today—I'm exhausted."

With that, he shuffled back to his room in slippers. Once the door shut, steady breathing soon sounded from within.

Kushina helped Mirai clear the dishes, then skillfully followed him into his room.

"Mirai, you were too reckless today." Leaning against him, her voice was lower than usual, her fingers clutching his sleeve.

"Even now, I'm still scared when I think about it... If Kurama hadn't helped you back then, I..."

"It's okay, Kushina. Kurama and I get along great!" Mirai could only pull Kushina into his arms, kiss her, and comfort her.

He had previously told Kushina that the Nine-Tails' name was Kurama.

"But what if Kurama doesn't make it in time to help you one day?"

Mirai fell silent for a moment, then raised a hand and rubbed her hair. "Then I'll find a way to become stronger. Strong enough that I won't need anyone else to shield me."

Kushina buried her face against his shoulder and rubbed against him, giving a muffled "Mm."

The two of them leaned together quietly for a while. Moonlight spilled in through the window, laying a layer of silvery light across the wooden floor.

After a while, Kushina pulled out of his arms and said with a blush,

"Then I'll go back to sleep. Tomorrow, I still need to go to the hospital and keep learning the Yin Seal from Tsunade."

"Mm, good night."

"Good night."

She walked to the door, then turned back and ran over to kiss Mirai's cheek before running off again and gently closing the door.

That little girl still loved launching surprise attacks, huh?

Mirai lay on the bed and smiled.

Just as he closed his eyes—the door was pushed open again.

Mirai opened his eyes and saw Tsunade standing in the doorway.

She wore a loose white bathrobe, a belt casually tied around her waist.

The casual expression she had worn at the dinner table was gone, replaced by rare solemnity.