As he watched Kushina gulp down the mushroom soup,
Minato looked utterly bewildered.
Was today's mushroom soup really that good?
Never mind, I'll eat first. I shouldn't waste the care my beloved wife put into this.
Then the two of them faced each other and began gulping down the mushroom soup.
Burp~
After they finished eating and cleaned up, even after both of them had washed up, Kushina still couldn't hold back a burp.
"You ate too much tonight. That's bad for your health!"
Minato sat beside Kushina with a helpless expression, gently rubbing her belly with a chakra-coated hand to help her digest.
"Seeing the look on your face, I thought the mushrooms weren't cooked through. I was afraid you'd get an upset stomach, so I figured I'd just eat them all."
Kushina spoke with an unconcerned expression.
"If you thought the mushrooms weren't cooked through, why didn't you throw them out? Neither of us had to eat them.
Kushina, I may not be very wealthy, but I can still afford to keep you from eating food that's bad for you.
It's good that you don't want to waste food, but you have to consider your own health too.
Because you're eating for two now. You need to be more careful."
Minato smiled helplessly.
"Oh, right, I'm eating for two now. Looks like I really do need to be more careful from now on."
With an adoring expression, Minato pulled Kushina, this scatterbrain who was also the person he loved most, into his arms. Kushina wrapped her arms around him in return, and they simply held each other in silence.
"Kushina, about meeting Seiichi, I'd like to go on my own first and see what he wants."
Minato didn't want to meet Seiichi behind Kushina's back, but he didn't want her to overthink it either, so he could only say simply that he wanted to meet Seiichi first for a chat.
"Sure, go ahead."
Kushina didn't think much of it. She trusted Minato unconditionally.
She trusted him so much that even if Minato sold her off, she could find enough excuses to absolve him herself.
Of course, Minato hadn't betrayed her trust either.
We may not have been born in the same year, month, and day, but let us die in the same year, month, and day.
That was how Minato Namikaze had proven his bone-deep love for Kushina through his actions.
Between his wife and his son, he feared Kushina would be frightened traveling that road alone, so he had chosen without hesitation to let his newborn son, whose eyes hadn't even opened yet, suffer a little.
Besides, Kushina herself knew that she wasn't as smart as Minato.
So whenever outsiders were involved, she generally did whatever Minato told her, without asking why!
Watching Kushina nod off in his arms, Minato smiled and gently kissed her forehead.
Then he carried Kushina back to the bedroom, laid her on the bed with extremely gentle movements, and covered her with a blanket. He went around to the other side of the bed and slowly lay down.
The next day happened to be Minato's day off.
So after breakfast, he went to the Uchiha Clan Compound.
"Hello, I have an appointment with your Young Clan Leader Seiichi!"
Minato spoke to the person guarding the Uchiha Clan Compound's gate.
He was then led toward Seiichi's laboratory.
Along the way, he took in the quiet, deserted scenery within the Uchiha Clan Compound, so different from the rest of Konoha.
Minato very cautiously chose to suppress his doubts. Speaking up now might give the impression that he was gathering intelligence on the Uchiha.
Better not.
The two walked for a while before arriving at the entrance to a sprawling five-story building.
The Uchiha guard leading the way rang the doorbell.
The one who opened the door was Seiichi's assistant, Mai Uchiha.
"Miss Mai, this is Jonin Namikaze from the village. He says he has an appointment with the Young Clan Leader."
"Yes, sorry for the trouble. I'll take it from here."
Mai nodded and gestured for Minato to follow her inside.
Minato followed behind Mai, looking around the laboratory, whose interior had a completely different style from its exterior.
"What do you think? You're the first person outside the Uchiha Clan to enter this place."
Minato looked up.
Seiichi stood on the third floor, leaning forward against the railing and looking down at him with a smile.
"Then I'm truly honored."
Minato answered with a smile as well.
Although he had some guesses about what this meeting would concern, one didn't strike a smiling face. Besides, he didn't actually harbor much dislike for Seiichi.
Of course, he didn't have much fondness for him either. At most, they were strangers who had met a few times and knew each other's names.
Seiichi simply planted his hands on the railing and vaulted over it in one smooth motion, jumping down from upstairs.
As for why he didn't take the stairs?
Seiichi's stance was that if he could jump down safely, why should he slowly make his way down the stairs?
Seiichi told everyone else not to follow and personally led Minato into the reception room on the first floor.
Watching Seiichi's movements, the smile on Minato's face faded a little.
Boiling water, brewing tea, pouring it-he did it all in one fluid sequence.
Looking at the small, fragrant cup of tea before him, Minato didn't hesitate either. He picked it up and took a sip.
"A lovely fragrance, a smooth, delicate texture, and a lingering aftertaste. Excellent tea!"
"An honored guest deserves excellent tea!"
"Young Clan Leader Seiichi..."
"Although your wife is close to my mother, it's more comfortable if we keep our relationships separate.
If you don't mind, we can treat each other as peers. Just call me Seiichi."
Seiichi spoke slowly as he drank his tea.
"All right, Seiichi. I think you can tell me why you wanted to see us now."
"Of course, but before we begin, there's something I'd like to say.
Whatever we discuss next, please make sure you stay calm. That's the foundation of our communication.
You can also give it some serious thought after you go home. I truly mean no harm.
At the very least, because of Kushina's relationship with my mother, I bear no ill will whatsoever toward your family of three. I swear it on my mother's name."
Ever since Seiichi had brought him in alone, Minato had had a bad feeling.
Now, hearing Seiichi's words, the smile vanished from his face. Not only that, his brows drew tightly together.
"Go ahead. I'm listening!"
Minato drank the tea Seiichi had just poured, took a deep breath, and then exhaled at length.
"I want the Nine-Tails!"
Minato had thought he was already prepared. Whatever happened, based on what Seiichi had just said alone, not resorting to violence today was the line he had set for himself.
But Seiichi's blunt declaration still struck hard at his sensitive nerves.
Kushina was Minato's weakness, and also the one person no one could touch.
You bastard, now you don't just want to touch the one thing I won't let anyone touch-you fucking want to rip it away from me!
Immediately afterward, Minato erupted in fury.
The two performed the Body Flicker Technique almost simultaneously.
Seiichi used the Body Flicker Technique to move to the center of the reception room.
Minato used the Body Flicker Technique to appear in front of Seiichi, throwing a punch at his face without holding anything back!
So much for not resorting to violence. Fuck that.
All Minato wanted now was to smash Seiichi's damned head to pieces!
There was a dull thud.
Minato's fist struck Seiichi's face.
But it hadn't quite struck Seiichi's face either.
Before you continue