Bird in a Cage

Kushina came out from the kitchen carrying the last few dishes.

"All right, all right, don't just sit there. Dig in, don't be polite!"

She set the plates on the table, and steam immediately rose from them.

The braised pork was piled in a large white porcelain bowl, glossy and richly colored with sauce.

Beside it were stir-fried vegetables, a plate of grilled fish, a pot of steaming miso fish soup, and dumplings Minato had bought especially.

Obito's eyes lit up at once.

His gaze locked onto that bowl of braised pork, and he was practically drooling.

Minato smiled and reminded him, "Obito, wash your hands first."

Obito lowered his head and looked himself over.

There were cat scratches on his face, cat hair on his clothes, and mud on the backs of his hands.

He gave an awkward laugh, turned, and sprinted for the washroom.

"Right away!"

Kushina untied her apron and casually draped it over the back of a chair, then swept her gaze around the dining table.

When her eyes landed on Kakashi, she could not help but laugh.

Even sitting at the table, the little brat's back was ramrod straight, as though someone had measured him with a ruler.

The chopsticks before him were placed perfectly square, their distance from the bowl's edge exact to the millimeter. He could practically serve as a cure for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

"Little Kakashi, are you this serious even when you eat?"

Resting her chin in one hand, Kushina tilted her head and teased him.

"Relax. You're just eating meat, yet you look like you're in an ANBU interrogation room preparing to torture someone."

Kakashi lifted his eyelids.

Little Kakashi?

He felt that nickname had dealt a devastating blow to the Hatake Family's dignity.

But she was Minato-sensei's wife.

He could