Kiyosuke had come over today just to freeload a meal. Kurenai knew it well enough—after all, this guy was too lazy, and in Konoha, there were barely a handful of people he hadn't mooched off at some point.
After Karin moved in, his freeloading eased up a little. But as her workload at Konoha's hospital kept piling up and she spent less and less time at home, Kiyosuke had returned to his old ways.
Naruto couldn't cook—instant noodles or ramen was about all he could manage. Kiyosuke was a master when it came to grilling, but he was too lazy to bother.
In short, not a single person in the household could cook a proper meal.
"When you grow up, you've got to do better than that hairy old dad of yours, alright?"
Hoisting Sarutobi Mirai high into the air, Kiyosuke beamed at the child.
"Heeheehee!"
Mirai laughed happily, her chubby little hands patting against Kiyosuke's cheeks.
"Un… un…"
Since Kiyosuke often came over to the Asuma household for meals, little Mirai was used to him. Her words weren't clear yet, but she could just about manage to call him "san."
Kurenai came out carrying a plate of food, smiling.
"You like children so much, why not hurry up and get married, have one of your own? Asuma said you're already with the Fifth Mizukage, aren't you?"
"Not yet. Give it another year."
First, he had to break that death flag hanging over his head.
"You're not that young anymore," Kurenai said, slipping into a motherly tone. "Getting married sooner would be best."
Kiyosuke swung Mirai high again and laughed.
"Haha, no rush, no rush. But hey, if I have a son in the future, what do you say to marrying your Mirai off to him?"
"No way! If your son dares to bully my daughter, I'll break his legs!" Kurenai shot back.
"A moment of silence for my future son!"
Kiyosuke pinched Mirai's chubby cheeks, grinning.
"Mirai, grow up well, alright? Make sure you become a beauty just like your mother—whatever you do, don't turn out like your hairy old man looking like some kind of monkey."
Kurenai chuckled softly.
"My daughter will definitely be a beauty."
"The Sarutobi genes are too strong. Look at that brat Konohamaru—he's got more fuzz around his mouth than kids twice his age."
"The Sarutobi beard passes down through the men, not the women. Asuma's cousins are all beauties. I heard some of them even liked you back in the day."
Kurenai teased, "Back then, you and Kakashi were the most popular boys in class. But then you stayed single for almost thirty years, while Kakashi spent half his life stuck to Guy. I thought he was done for, until Hanare showed up. Now that you've sorted out your love life too, I can finally relax."
Kakashi and Guy…
Well, that was… hard to put into words.
Luckily, Kiyosuke had pushed Hanare toward Kakashi, and now the two were glued together every day—just shy of marriage. Still, Kakashi had been looking a little wobbly on his feet lately. Naruto mentioned he seemed drained during training. Could it be… overexertion?
"Don't nag me like an old woman. I'll be married soon enough. I'm getting back every last bit of wedding money I've handed out over the years!"
After giving out red envelopes for so many weddings, he was determined to make it all back when he married Mei Terumī.
Kurenai laughed.
"When you do get married, I'll make sure to give you a big red envelope."
"Then it's settled! Mirai, I'll leave my future son in your care!"
"Hahaha!"
They were still laughing over lunch at Asuma's place when Asuma himself came back. He had a drink with Kiyosuke before heading out again, taking not only the Ino–Shika–Chō trio but also Naruto's team. Their mission was to head to the Fire Temple.
That was something Kiyosuke didn't need to worry about. News from Kakashi was that Akatsuki had begun moving in pairs throughout the Land of Fire, and several Jinchūriki had already been attacked.
At last, those guys could no longer hold themselves back.
Kiyosuke, too, began his own training. His first goal was to master Creation Rebirth and the Strength of a Hundred Seal to lay the foundation for future battles.
At the same time, he planned to learn the monstrous strength techniques of the Senju clan.
During this period, Asuma returned from the Fire Temple with a young monk in training.
He and Naruto argued constantly, though they seemed to get along well enough. The problem was the Nine-Tails chakra sealed within him.
When Kiyosuke asked Asuma, he learned that the boy was the son of Kazuma, one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. Somehow, Kazuma had acquired a portion of the Nine-Tails' chakra and transplanted it into his son, hoping that power could change the fate of the Land of Fire.
But Kiyosuke didn't care much about that. What concerned him more was that this incident marked the beginning of Asuma's confrontation with the so-called "Immortal Duo" of Akatsuki.
Sure enough, the Guardian Twelve affair quickly reached its conclusion—with Chiriku dead at Asuma's hands.
Naruto and Sasuke were both injured in the battles that followed and ended up in the hospital.
Naruto's constant loud complaining there earned him a scolding from Karin. If Rin hadn't been around, she would've transferred him to a cramped, shabby single room just to keep him from disturbing the other patients.
Still, as a Jinchūriki, Naruto's recovery was rapid. In just a few days, he was bouncing around again, back to training.
...
At the waterfall where Naruto trained—
Yamato, Kakashi, and Kiyosuke were all present. The waterfall itself was Yamato's creation, born of his Wood Release.
A wooden log spanned the waterfall, and Naruto stood balanced atop it with his Shadow Clone. Both pressed their palms against the cascade, tasked with cutting the flow in two using Wind Release chakra. The goal was to halt the water for a brief moment.
This was the key Kakashi had given him to understanding Wind Release chakra.
Nearby, Yamato sat cross-legged, surrounded by wooden stakes. He raised his right hand, palm marked with the character for "seat." If Naruto lost control of his chakra and the Nine-Tails surged forth, Yamato was prepared to act instantly—suppressing the rampage with his Wood Release.
It was a necessary safety measure.
"Training with Shadow Clones really is something else. Only guys like me and Naruto, with this much chakra, can even attempt it."
Ordinary shinobi could never supply enough chakra to maintain dozens of Shadow Clones for training.
"You two are monsters," Kakashi remarked from the shade, lying back in the wooden chair Yamato had made. His nose was buried in yet another reread of Make-Out Tactics.
Kiyosuke sat on the ground nearby.
"Naruto still has a ways to go. Developing the Rasengan was already tricky enough."
"But once he's got it, it'll be incredibly strong," Kakashi said. "Your jutsu doesn't count, but Rasengan is one of the most powerful unclassified ninjutsu. And the best part is, it evolves along with its user."
Kiyosuke's own jutsu wasn't really a fair comparison—blowing himself up to match a Tailed Beast Bomb wasn't something just anyone could do.
"Mm."
Before long, Wind Release: Rasenshuriken would be complete.
Its destructive power was terrifying, though using it was another matter entirely.