At Minato's house in the evening,
Chiga sat on the sofa watching TV. Naruto sat beside him, eagerly explaining the programs with enthusiasm before bursting into his usual goofy laughter.
Kushina entered the room carrying a plate of fruit. She set it down with a smile and asked,
"What brings you here today, Chiga?"
Chiga spread his hands casually.
"What? Am I not welcome here?"
"What nonsense are you saying? Of course you're welcome. Right, Minato? Minato—what are you staring at?"
Minato had been fixated on the wall clock. Startled by Kushina's voice, he quickly sat up straight.
"Huh? Oh! Yes, yes! Welcome! A warm welcome indeed!"
Chiga raised an eyebrow.
"You've been watching that clock for a while now. Do you have something urgent tonight?"
"Nothing at all. Come, have some fruit!" Minato picked up a banana and chomped down half of it in one bite, his expression oddly intense, almost like he bore a grudge against the fruit.
Intrigued, Chiga stood and walked toward the door. Minato's eyes lit up, thinking Chiga was leaving. But before he could feel relief, Chiga's voice came from outside.
"Minato, step out for a moment. I've got official business to discuss with you."
Minato deflated instantly. Seeing this, Kushina urged him,
"Chiga is calling you! Stop dawdling!"
Minato rolled his eyes but had no choice. With a little push from Kushina, he was practically kicked out of the house.
Chiga stood outside, arms folded. Watching Minato stumble out, he said calmly,
"No need to rush so much."
Minato rubbed his sore hip and sighed.
"Chiga, I really do have plans tonight. Can't we handle this in the office tomorrow?"
"Oh? What's so urgent?"
"Don't worry about it. It's a very important mission." Minato's lips curled into a grin—but the smile looked unusually sly, almost lewd. Chiga blinked in surprise. It was the first time he had seen Minato make such an expression.
Suspicious, Chiga grabbed Minato's cheeks and leaned in.
"Are you really Minato? Or could you be Admiral Kizaru in disguise?"
"Kizaru? Who's that?"
"A kind of monkey," Chiga said flatly.
"Chiga, that's insulting."
"Hmph. Don't complain. Honestly, that monkey might be more like the Yellow Flash than you are."
Minato gave him a resentful look, but Chiga wasn't swayed.
"Enough. Tell me what mission you're on tonight. If you don't, I'll just stick with you until morning."
Panic flashed across Minato's face. He waved his hands frantically.
"No! Fine, fine, I'll tell you. Just let go first!"
Chiga smirked and released him. Minato rubbed his reddened face, then leaned close and whispered into Chiga's ear.
Chiga's eyes widened.
"What!? You want a second child!?"
"Shh! Keep it down!" Minato hissed, making desperate shushing motions.
Lowering his voice, Chiga asked,
"Why so suddenly? Does Naruto know?"
"To be honest, this has to do with him," Minato admitted.
"Oh? Explain."
"Well, Naruto visited Sasuke's house recently. When he came back, he told me he wished he had an older brother…"
"…That's not easy to solve."
"Exactly! As you know, Naruto's childhood was rough. This desire didn't just come out of nowhere."
"So now you want to give him a younger sibling?"
"Yeah. What do you think, Chiga?"
"I think it's fine. How's the progress? Do you need my help?"
The words came out strangely, but neither of them noticed.
"No need. I already got a secret recipe from Lady Tsunade. It's guaranteed to work!" Minato said proudly.
Chiga raised an eyebrow. Tsunade? A recipe like that? Is she planning for her own second spring? He kept his thoughts to himself and simply said,
"Then congratulations in advance. I bet you've even thought of names already, haven't you?"
At the mention of names, Minato's eyes sparkled. But soon his excitement dimmed, and he let out a heavy sigh.
"What's wrong? Out of ideas?" Chiga asked.
"How could that be? Don't you know my naming skills? There's no name Minato Namikaze can't come up with!"
"Uh, sure…"
"But Kushina refuses to let me name the child. Does she not realize what a waste that is? Hmph! Women are women, after all! What was that saying of yours again? Big chest, small—"
"It's long hair, short knowledge," Chiga corrected.
"Yes, yes, that's the one!"
Unfortunately, Minato's voice wasn't low. A furious roar came from inside.
"Minato Namikaze! Don't even think about coming in tonight!"
Minato shrank in fear. He gave Chiga a sheepish smile.
"I'd better hurry back, or that secret recipe won't work as planned."
"Go, but if it's a boy, whatever you do, don't name him Boruto."
Minato froze, then sneered.
"Boruto? What kind of name is that? Sounds so dull!"
"Just saying. Now hurry back. But what if Kushina really locks you out?"
"Heh, don't worry. I already placed a Flying Thunder God mark on the bed. She can't keep me away."
"…Alright then."
Chiga gave him a thumbs-up. Minato grinned proudly, then vanished in a flash.
Not long after, Chiga heard Minato's distant screams. Whatever he had done, it clearly enraged Kushina again.
Smiling and shaking his head, Chiga returned home. His living room was pitch black, but that didn't bother him. With the Tenseigan, even complete darkness looked like daylight.
On the sofa, he noticed a dark mass. Curious, he poked it. Suddenly, a pair of glowing eyes opened. The mass shifted and transformed into a humanoid figure.
It was Black Zetsu—but no longer stick-thin. Its body had become more proportioned, oddly feminine.
Chiga's eyes widened.
"Black Zetsu!? What's with this new look of yours!?"