The househusband

When had Oto Uchiha woken up? Why had Uncle come over again?

Zou Hyuga could not make sense of the situation. Just as he was about to step forward and ask, Oto Uchiha picked up the Short Sword and hurriedly disappeared into the residence.

Seeing this, Zou Hyuga could only look questioningly at Hyuga Yu, hoping for an explanation.

"Is that the Uchiha on your team?" Hyuga Yu asked with a faint, knowing smile.

"Yes..." Zou Hyuga sat down on a cushion and nodded lightly.

"A very fine female ninja... Her personality is much like that of someone I met long ago..."

Hyuga Yu sighed wistfully. Before Zou could ask about it, he changed the subject. "Zou, how did things go?"

"Fairly well... Lord Fourth should receive that letter..."

Zou Hyuga was not entirely certain. After a brief hesitation, he told Hyuga Yu that he had seen Kushina and Mikoto having tea together.

"I see..."

The news left Hyuga Yu silent, and he swallowed the words he had been about to say.

He had long heard that the Fourth's wife was close to the Uchiha Clan Head's wife, but he had not expected that closeness to remain unchanged after the Fourth became Hokage. This was not exactly bad news for the Hyuga, but it certainly was not good news either.

Though he was getting on in years and no longer involved himself in the clan's affairs, he would still give the clan head a word of warning.

With that thought, Hyuga Yu said goodbye and left, leaving Zou alone in the room.

Zou Hyuga looked at the tea set and shook his head helplessly. He had not even drunk any tea, yet he had to clean it up.

He was also curious about why Oto Uchiha had left in such a hurry. He would ask her about it in a few days.

Today had been exhausting, but sensing tailed beast chakra at close range had given him some new ideas for his upcoming experiments.

Tailed beast chakra, natural chakra, and ordinary chakra all seemed to be forms of chakra at their core.

At the Fourth's residence, Minato returned to his cozy home after a busy day.

He had become the Hokage he had always dreamed of being, fulfilling his dream, but he had also taken on the Hokage's responsibilities and become extremely busy.

At that moment, however, Minato Namikaze was not in a particularly good mood. He was even a little angry.

Over the past few days, he had been working to reclaim full command of the ANBU, only to be obstructed by the council of elder advisors.

It was understandable that Lord Third needed a Hokage guard detail, but why did Danzo still retain a force of his own?

He could not understand it, and doubts had even begun to surface in his mind. Was he really the Hokage?

Those elder advisors kept using their seniority to interfere with his decisions.

But having only just become Hokage, he could not confront the council head-on. His position was not yet secure.

The village's ninja were more willing to support Lord Third, his teacher's teacher, than the Fourth.

Burying his gloomy feelings, Minato did not want to upset Kushina. He mustered a gentle smile and hugged his little hot pepper from behind.

Kushina, who was chopping vegetables in an apron, smiled helplessly, unaware of the emotions Minato was hiding.

"Minato, Mikoto came over today. She even brought her son, Itachi. That boy looked so well-behaved. I'm so jealous..."

"And... and it seems Mikoto is already a few months pregnant again, even though we were in the same class..."

As she spoke, Kushina put the chopped potatoes into the curry and glanced back at Minato.

"But aren't you pregnant already, Kushina?"

Minato scratched his head, at something of a loss. He did not have much experience dealing with girls.

Kushina did not answer. She went into the living room and found the letter from earlier. "Kakashi came over today, and he brought a Hyuga boy with him. That boy seemed to be here to deliver a message from the Hyuga Clan."

"Looks like the Hyuga Clan wants to meet you, their Fourth Hokage, too."

"That would be Zou. He's different from most Hyuga..."

Minato took the letter and opened it as he spoke. "He and Oto are both ninja who can get along with Kakashi. They just don't take things very seriously."

"That's true."

Kushina wholeheartedly agreed, and she was also glad that Kakashi had made new friends.

She and Minato were both war orphans, so they understood something of Kakashi's state of mind and worried about their pupil's mental well-being.

After chatting a little longer, Kushina went into the kitchen, and Minato took the opportunity to finish reading the letter.

It was a handwritten letter from Hiashi, the Hyuga Clan Head. It was brief and contained little information.

It congratulated him on becoming the Fourth and invited him to visit the Hyuga Clan Compound for a chat.

Minato's expression barely changed after reading it. He had already planned to visit every ninja clan, and the Hyuga were naturally among them.

As Hokage, he needed to understand the current state of each ninja clan so he could formulate the village's future policies.

That was particularly true of tensions between clans and between the clans and the village. If those tensions were not eased and resolved, they would only spark greater conflicts.

Just then, Kushina came in with the curry. Minato put down the letter and sat at the dining table.

After dinner, Minato considered for a moment, then said, "Kushina, I may have to leave the village soon. I might be away for a month."

"Does the Hokage have to go on missions too?" Kushina gave him a displeased look.

"It's a diplomatic matter..."

Minato gave a wry smile. The Hokage did not need to carry out commissioned missions, but he was busier than most ninja.

Whether it was diplomacy, military matters, or even the village's affairs, large and small, he had to review everything.

After a pause, Minato continued, "Iwagakure wants me to travel to the Land of Earth to sign a peace treaty. Lord Third arranged this opportunity for me..."

"It won't be dangerous, will it...?" Worry showed in Kushina's eyes. The Second had died during peace talks with Kumogakure.

"Don't worry. I have the Flying Thunder God Technique, and I can leave the village's affairs to the Third for now. As the Fourth, I have to seize this opportunity."

Minato Namikaze knew what Kushina was worried about, but with his limited seniority, he needed the public appearance of signing a peace treaty to build his prestige and help pave the way for his coming reforms.

As though unwilling to let Kushina keep worrying, Minato added, "Jiraiya-sensei will be coming with me this time, along with Kakashi's team."

Kushina relaxed a little. With Jiraiya-sensei accompanying him, she would not have to worry about danger.

But why bring Kakashi along? Was it because they were the ANBU assigned to escort him?

Minato Namikaze did not explain, and Kushina did not press him. She trusted her husband's abilities and had also begun to grasp his intentions.

Kakashi, a Hyuga, and an Uchiha...

It seemed her husband was not content with the way things stood.

He was going to take on the Third and those old men!

Those old men already had one foot in the grave, yet they still clung to power. What a headache!

Although Kushina did not participate directly in village politics, she had her own understanding of the situation.

Minato Namikaze quietly cleared away the dishes. Outside, he was the Fourth Hokage. At home, he was merely a househusband.