On the training ground, the cheers of those who had narrowly escaped disaster had yet to fade completely.
Minato, Nawaki, and Kushina huddled together, chattering about the wonderful meals awaiting them over the next week. At the thought of temporarily escaping Lady Tsunade's loving breakfasts, so full of "surprises" and "challenges," each wore a smile as brilliant as if they had completed an S-rank mission. Pink bubbles of happiness practically floated above their heads.
"Fantastic! Our stomachs are saved for the next week!" Nawaki exaggeratedly wiped nonexistent cold sweat from his forehead, still looking shaken. "Minato, those last few Flying Thunder God: Second Step moves were incredible! Kushina, you're getting better and better with your chakra chains, too!"
"Hehe, of course! Who do you think I am?" Kushina lifted her chin proudly, her long red hair blazing like fire in the sunlight, brimming with vitality.
She glanced at Minato, who stood beside her with his usual gentle smile. A barely perceptible glint of mischief flashed in her eyes before she suddenly clapped him on the shoulder and announced loudly, "This guy Minato really comes through when it counts! Just what you'd expect from the man I, Kushina Uzumaki, chose... ahem, as my teammate!"
Toward the end, she seemed to realize something was amiss. Her cheeks reddened slightly, and she tacked on that last phrase with affected bravado. Yet her crescent-shaped eyes and the irrepressible smile on her lips betrayed a young girl's bashful sweetness.
"Kushina..." Her unexpected "praise" left Minato a little embarrassed, a faint blush spreading across his handsome face. He reached out and ruffled her hair with helpless affection. "You were amazing, too. Without your cover and the information you shared, things wouldn't have gone nearly so smoothly."
Beneath the sunshine, the handsome blond boy and the spirited