Makoto and Yūgao's mothers were not front-line mission-type ninja; both worked within Konohagakure. In particular, Uzuki Sakura usually had more free time.
Since the New Year, after Minato and his wife had visited the three families, Kushina had frequently gone to see Sakura to learn cooking, occasionally inviting Higashino Megumi as well.
The families currently maintained a good relationship, and Kushina had gained two more friends.
Minato was pleased to see this. Because of her status as a jinchūriki, his wife faced quite a few restrictions within the village; having more friends was a good thing.
Now, this onee-san completely treated Makoto and the other two as her juniors.
As soon as the three entered the house, she immediately called out, "Hey, why are you still wearing masks? Honestly, at such a young age, why join the ANBU? Come eat."
Makoto showed no embarrassment at all. After taking off his mask, he said, "Minato-senpai, you've seen it too—this doesn't count as skipping work for us, right?"
"Hahaha, of course not. The house hasn't been this lively in a long time."
Yūgao had no worries, but Hayate felt somewhat uneasy. "The Third, won't he have any objections?"
Holding a soup ladle, Kushina took full responsibility. "Don't worry. If that old man dares to have objections, I'll go to his house and burn off his beard—and set the house on fire too, hmph!"
Yūgao: So impressive—just like the legendary Tsunade-sama, so bold and fierce. She wanted to become that kind of strong woman in the future as well!
Makoto: Onee-san, if you put it that way, what else can we do? Since things have come to this, let's eat first.
However, after he took one bite of the fried fish, he cast a look of pity at Minato: Fourth, you've worked hard.
Minato felt somewhat embarrassed.
As for his wife's cooking skills—how to put it? Hard to describe in a single sentence.
It was better now. After years of learning, especially after frequently going to Sakura's place recently for further practice, she had improved greatly. At least the food she made was now edible.
Back when they had first started living together, those days were truly something. The "Little Sun" endured daily beatings from dark cuisine, and it had actually forced this elite jōnin of Konoha to develop excellent cooking skills.
Hayate and Yūgao tasted it as well, but the two remained silent and ate obediently. At worst, they could drink more water afterward.
There was too much salt in the dish.
Seeing the atmosphere suddenly turn cold, Kushina was completely unaware. "Why did everyone stop talking? Is the food I made not good?"
No one dared to answer.
Makoto felt this was not good. He asked, "Kushina-senpai, do you want to hear the truth, or do you want to hear a lie?"
"You still dare to tell a lie? What kind of lie?"
"Color, aroma, and taste all perfect; first-rate craftsmanship. Such delicacies should be brought to the Root ninja outside and served to Danzō-sama for him to share."
Minato was holding back with difficulty, but he was the Hokage—his image was important. He could not laugh.
"And the truth?"
"The truth is, half of the lie is true. As for which half, you can guess."
Kushina was thinking…
Kushina reacted, anger rising. "I've decided—there will be no leftovers today. Makoto, this mission is yours. If you can't finish it, you're dead, dattebane!"
Makoto: "…"
So you actually have some self-awareness. If I'd known earlier, I wouldn't have joked around. What exactly have you been learning from Aunt Sakura-obasan, the cooking expert?
...
After the meal, taking advantage of the break, Minato immediately set out the tea set. Everyone needed some water to recover.
After taking a sip of tea and greatly soothing his taste buds, he said, "Makoto, just as you predicted—after strengthening control over the new ninjutsu, the strain on the arm has been reduced considerably."
"Is that so? As expected of Minato-senpai, solving a problem so quickly."
Their house had an open kitchen, so Kushina could naturally hear the conversation. She said happily, "Being able to complete its development is largely thanks to your help, Makoto."
"I'm glad I could help. By the way, have you decided on the name of the ninjutsu?"
"I still think…"
Kushina immediately cut off her husband. "We'll call it 'Rasenshuriken.' It clearly looks like a shuriken—what's the point of giving it such a complicated name, dattebane?"
Minato let out an awkward laugh.
The Rasengan had also been named by Kushina. When it came to naming things, the flashy faction was completely defeated by the simplicity faction.
After thinking for a moment, Hayate agreed. "'Rasenshuriken'? Very vivid and easy to remember—a good name."
Yūgao and Makoto felt the same.
Kushina was brimming with pride. "See, Minato? The name I chose sounds better. Unlike you—picking such long names. Are you trying to make the enemy laugh themselves to death on the battlefield, dattebane?"
Minato retreated in helpless defeat.
After the break, the group prepared to return to their posts, but Kushina came out of the study holding a stack of scrolls. "I say, you three should just stay."
Minato explained, "Starting today, you'll study Fūinjutsu properly with Kushina. How much you learn will depend on your own effort. So—do your best, everyone!"
If there was something good to learn, why go back to work?
Since the immediate superior had agreed, of course they would listen to him.
Seeing the three youngsters sit down obediently, Kushina immediately adopted the demeanor of a schoolteacher. "I know you've already learned the basics of sealing runes and have begun drawing them by hand with ink."
"But that's only the clumsy method. Do you know the advanced ways of arranging runes? How to use your own chakra to quickly form sealing patterns? How to condense chakra into tangible sealing formulas?"
"Do you know the three major categories of Fūinjutsu? What is the difference between control seals, defensive barriers, and constructing special sealed spaces?"
Makoto knew a little of this. Hayate and Yūgao, however, were complete novices, utterly bewildered. Fūinjutsu felt like an intricate and vast discipline.
The three of them were overwhelmed by the rank suppression of a master of Fūinjutsu.
Very soon, the expectant mother's sealing class began.
Expectant mother indeed—Makoto and the other two had long noticed the obvious curve of Kushina's belly. This onee-san was already nearly three months pregnant.
…
After roughly two hours of explanation, Kushina assigned homework to the three of them and prepared to head out herself.
Makoto and the other two fastened their masks and rose to follow her.
"What are you doing? I'm just going out shopping, not leaving the village. Konohagakure is still very safe—you stay here and study hard."
Yūgao said, "But Kushina-senpai, our mission is to protect you."
"No need. I'm a jōnin of Konohagakure—my strength is considerable, dattebane."
Makoto said, "I'll just follow along. You all stay here."
Kushina knew that Makoto's Fūinjutsu ability far surpassed that of the five members of the Shadow Guard, so she did not object.
After she left, aside from Makoto, three Root ninja also moved into position, concealing themselves in the shadows where ordinary people would not notice them.
Inside the dango shop, Uchiha Mikoto was waiting. Today, she had invited Kushina out shopping—the message had been delivered that morning by that cat.
The clan head's wife was also pregnant. However, her belly was much larger than Kushina's; judging by her condition, she was already five or six months along.
Not only that—while remaining hidden in the shadows, Makoto observed along the streets of Konohagakure that among those who had come out for a post-meal walk, the proportion of pregnant women was noticeably higher than before.
It seemed that after last year's war had ended, the men who returned had worked quite hard. In the fifty-first year of Konoha, quite a number of new lives would be born.
After every war, there would be a baby boom. It had almost become a custom.
When Kushina arrived and saw that her friend had already ordered post-meal desserts, she immediately complained, "Eh? Still eating sweets, Mikoto? My figure is already starting to go out of shape. What if I end up getting fat?"
Mikoto comforted her, "Don't worry, Kushina. We're ninja—it's not that easy to gain weight. Just train a bit more. Look at me—after giving birth to Itachi, I didn't change, did I?"
"Are you sure?"
"Very sure. Hurry and eat. After that, we're going shopping. I heard the baby supply store just received a new batch of goods, and the quality is said to be good. We can buy some to keep on hand."
Soon, after the two expectant mothers finished their desserts, they began their grand shopping excursion. Along the way, the big-bellied one and the small-bellied one quietly discussed private matters between women.
Mainly, Mikoto was sharing her experience.
She knew her friend's status, so she never asked about her pregnancy—especially not about matters such as the expected delivery date. She merely spoke about her own experiences, which served as indirect guidance.
Mikoto had once been a ninja as well, so she naturally knew that ANBU personnel were certainly present around them. If she dared to inquire about anything she should not, she believed that very night her husband would be invited by the "Konoha F4" for tea.
Hidden in the shadows, Makoto silently watched the two of them.
These two onee-san were extraordinary. In their wombs were Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto.
Good grief—if he were to step forward now and kill them both, would there be no saviors in the future? Would the Sage of Six Paths appear on the spot to confront him?
Just thinking about it was rather thrilling.
However, in their wombs should be Sasuke and Naruto, correct?
That should be correct. Since Makoto arrived in this shinobi world, up to now he had not altered things greatly. He had only changed some local situations on the battlefield. As for the overall direction of the shinobi world, he had neither changed it nor currently possessed the ability to do so.
In theory, it should not affect their births.
In the future, he could pat their heads and say: Your Higashino-ojisan here was already providing close protection before you were even born.
If you dare show me disrespect? I'll break your legs.
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