Kushina said expectantly, "Will we sneak into enemy countries and assassinate high-ranking officials, or..."
Hearing Kushina's words, Qianye Lan hastily shouted, "Stop! You've been reading too many ninja novels."
Interrupted, Kushina pouted and said, "You have no respect for your big sister."
Qianye Lan could only give a dry chuckle without arguing.
Because that was indeed an objective fact: in terms of age alone, he was two years younger than Kushina.
Looking at the silent Qianye Lan, Kushina said smugly, "Call me big sister."
She had thought Qianye Lan would roll his eyes at her and say nothing, as usual.
To her surprise, Qianye Lan readily said, "Big sister."
Hearing him call her "big sister" pleased Kushina immensely, but it also puzzled her a little.
Why was Qianye Lan so agreeable this time? Something was up. Something was definitely up.
At that thought, Kushina's little face grew serious as she stared at Qianye Lan.
Her stare gave Qianye Lan goose bumps, even though Kushina was a pretty little girl.
Still, no one could stand being stared at like that.
Then Kushina's voice reached him. "You're suddenly being so obedient. Are you planning a prank?"
Her question left Qianye Lan unsure whether to laugh or cry.
He had only wanted to cheer Kushina up quickly so he could read his notes in peace for a while.
He hadn't expected her to mistake it for ill intent instead.
At that thought, a mischievous smile appeared on Qianye Lan's lips, and he leaned closer to Kushina.
Seeing the smile on his face, Kushina couldn't help shrinking back.
Every time he did this, she ended up getting the worst of it.
Still, she braced herself and met Qianye Lan's eyes.
After they stared at each other for a long while, Qianye Lan finally spoke. "Big sister, your little brother's been short on spending money lately because of his training..."
Qianye Lan was lying this time, too. Flying Thunder God Kunai had to be custom-made from special metal and were expensive.
But the assets his parents had left him were more than enough to cover the cost. He simply wanted to tease Kushina.
Kushina wore an expression that said she had known it all along. Pouting, she looked pained as she said, "Tell me. How much are you short?"
Qianye Lan grinned. "Just a little. A token amount will do."
Kushina picked up her cushion and went out, returning shortly with a bankbook.
She handed the bankbook to Qianye Lan and said, "See if this is enough."
Qianye Lan took the bankbook. "Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands... Big sister mommy?"
Warmth welled up in his heart. He looked in surprise at the pained expression on Kushina's face and hurriedly said, "I was only joking. Why did you actually..."
If he accepted this, he would have to slap himself when he woke up tomorrow.
Kushina stared at him and continued, "This is your only chance. If you don't take it, there won't be another."
Qianye Lan shook his head. "I was just joking. Don't take it seriously."
Kushina gave him a doubtful look, then took the bankbook back and put it away.
After that little interlude, the atmosphere in the room grew livelier.
Kushina continued, "Just tell me what we'll be doing tomorrow."
With that, she looked at Qianye Lan with her bright eyes.
Remembering how she had just handed him her bankbook without hesitation, Qianye Lan chose to tell a white lie.
But he offered a disclaimer first. "I'm only guessing, okay? I think, given our performance at the Ninja Academy, we'll probably be doing escort missions."
Kushina nodded in firm agreement.
Then, for some inexplicable reason, Qianye Lan patted her head and said, "Go back and get some rest."
That head pat made Kushina blush bright red.
She reached straight out and mischievously ruffled Qianye Lan's hair.
After admiring her handiwork, she left smugly with her cushion in her arms.
Qianye Lan lay down helplessly on the bed, where a faint fragrance still lingered. Too lazy to straighten his hair, he simply closed his eyes and fell asleep, enjoying the warmth still left in the bedding.
After returning to her room, Kushina immediately buried her flushed face in her pillow.
At nine the next morning, the two arrived punctually at the agreed meeting place.
Hatake Sakumo and Uchiha Mikoto also arrived right on time.
Seeing everyone there, Hatake Sakumo narrowed his eyes and said lightly, "Let's carry out Team 8's first mission, which is..."
He deliberately drew out his words before finally saying, "Our first mission is to help Mrs. Suzuki rescue her cat."
Kushina looked disappointed, while Qianye Lan and Uchiha Mikoto looked as though they had expected as much.
Looking disgruntled, Kushina said, "Why? Why do we have to do a mission like this?"
Hatake Sakumo explained, "Because you've only just formed a team. You need simple missions like this to ease into things and learn to work together."
Kushina nodded reluctantly, accepting his explanation.
When they arrived at their destination, Hatake Sakumo watched from the sidelines.
A wealthy woman was calling from beneath a tree, "Mimi, come down."
When she saw them, she pointed at the cat in the tree and said, "Please help me get this cat down."
Qianye Lan and Kushina watched the scene with strange expressions.
They seemed to be going over Mrs. Suzuki's words again and again.
A cat needed rescuing from a tree?
They understood every word, so why couldn't they understand them put together?
Only when they followed Mrs. Suzuki's pointing finger and looked at the cat did they understand.
Kushina's lips parted slightly as she muttered to herself, "What a fat cat."
Qianye Lan was also startled by the sight.
He inwardly quipped, Is that a blob of cat?
Quips aside, the work still had to be done.
Qianye Lan decided to act right away and rescue the fat cat.
Bending his knees slightly, he relied on his physical strength alone to leap steadily up.
He easily caught the fat cat and jumped down.
The wealthy woman eagerly hugged the cat tightly against her ample bosom.
The three couldn't help exchanging glances. They finally understood why the cat had hidden in the tree.
Qianye Lan even wondered whether he had done something wrong.
Finally, he gave the cat a look of sympathy and envy, then left after collecting the payment.
The wealthy woman even waved and said, "Handsome young man, I'll come to you again next time."
Once they were some distance away, Kushina finally couldn't hold back her laughter.
"You know what? I actually saw a human expression on a cat just now. An expression of despair and helplessness. Especially at the end, when that cat even looked at you."
Qianye Lan looked innocent. "He even looked at me?"
Kushina teased, "Well, you were an accomplice, weren't you?"
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