"Wood Release: Four-Pillar House Technique!"
After Orochimaru left, Minato secured the two warehouses and, citing insufficient Chakra, took Mikoto back to their small cabin.
With Sunagakure's front-line forces suffering defeats, the village hadn't launched another rash attack, and the battlefield had reached a stalemate. This gave Minato breathing room, allowing him to slow down his pace.
"Minato-kun, is it... right for us to be doing this?" Mikoto asked, glancing at the busy camp outside the window.
"Mikoto-nee, if you're capable enough, there will always be more work than you can handle," Minato replied with a light chuckle. He sat down by the fire, roasting corn and boiling water. "I could instantly build the entire camp, but then what? Should I casually take out the Third Kazekage while I'm at it?"
"Wouldn't that be... good?" Mikoto asked, puzzled. "That way, Minato-kun could become a hero to the village."
Hearing this, Minato shook his head and chuckled. "The development of human society requires a fundamental change in its collective ideology. It's not something that can be achieved overnight. To ordinary people, my power is no different from that of the gods. Ending this war this way would only be storing up future problems, and it wouldn't bring me any real benefits."
"I see..." Mikoto said sheepishly. "I don't really understand these things. I just saw everyone else busy with their work, and we were here slacking off. It didn't feel right."
"So you're just bored," Minato said with a smile. After a moment's thought, he conjured a pile of dried fruits and arranged them into a platter. "How about some snacks?"
"Huh? Is this really okay?" Mikoto glanced nervously out the window, afraid of being caught slacking off.
"Don't worry, leave it to me!" Minato clapped his hands, and the window frame instantly sealed over with a layer of wooden slats resembling Venetian blinds.
With their view blocked, Mikoto finally relaxed slightly. She cracked open a peanut and tasted it, a peculiar feeling welling up inside her.
"This feels like sneaking snacks in class," Mikoto said.
"Slacking off is fun, isn't it?" Minato replied, smiling. He then conjured up more fruits.
Seeing this, Mikoto sliced the fruits and added them to the kettle.
The two exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.
"This is practically an afternoon tea!"
"We can't just live on vegetarian fare."
Minato created a Wood Clone and sent it back to the village to buy some meat. To prevent the flavors from mixing, he even expanded the fire pit.
Sizzle
Soon, the room filled with the aroma of grilled meat, mingled with the scents of corn, sweet potatoes, and fruit tea.
"Aren't we going a bit overboard?" Mikoto asked with an awkward smile, looking at the roasting meat.
"It's fine. We're not eating outside."
Just as Minato picked up a piece of grilled meat and placed it on a plate, ready to eat, there came a sudden knock at the door.
Knock, knock, knock—
Hearing the knock, Mikoto's heart tightened, and she instinctively held her breath.
Minato patted her shoulder, signaling her to stay calm, before calling out, "Who is it?"
"It's me."
Tsunade's voice rang out from the doorway, and Mikoto let out a sigh of relief.
Minato hurried to open the door, and Tsunade darted inside, her eyes immediately falling on the grilled meat. Minato quickly closed the door behind her.
"Just as I suspected! I could smell the grilled meat all the way from the Medical Center!"
Tsunade briskly sat down next to Minato, unceremoniously taking his used chopsticks.
Minato had no choice but to conjure a fresh set of chopsticks and bowl. "Teacher, shouldn't you be on duty at the Medical Center?"
"No need. If anything comes up, Nawaki will find me."
Tsunade waved her hand dismissively and speared another piece of grilled meat. "You two actually ate so well while I was gone?"
Mikoto smiled awkwardly. "I remember we only started with a few grilled corn cobs. I don't know when it turned into this."
"Isn't Nawaki coming back?" Minato asked.
"That kid said he didn't want to come back and play the third wheel."
As she spoke, Tsunade shot Mikoto a playful glance.
Mikoto's cheeks flushed faintly, and she quickly waved her hands. "Nawaki's mistaken. Minato-kun and I aren't what he thinks we are."
"It seems Nawaki misunderstood."
Seeing Mikoto's reaction, Tsunade secretly stepped on Minato's foot.
Minato continued eating his grilled meat without betraying any emotion, silently pondering how to reveal his desire to have both of them. The three of them were lost in their own thoughts, and the air grew quiet, filled with an awkward atmosphere.
The tension only broke when Tsunade, having eaten her fill, rose and left.
Left alone with Minato, Mikoto let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, a thought struck her.
Recalling the earlier awkwardness, she felt she had grasped something.
She turned to Minato, her gaze probing: "The other person you like... it's Senior Tsunade, isn't it?"
"It's you." Minato replied, his expression unchanged.
"Huh?!" Mikoto's face flushed crimson. "How could that be?"
This doesn't make sense.
Tsunade's words had been laced with a distinct sourness. As a woman herself, Mikoto couldn't have misread that all-too-common feminine emotion.
Upon careful reflection, Tsunade's habit of seeking Minato's opinion on everything she did was a clear sign of her dependence—a behavior typically seen only between married couples.
Logically, this was Minato's private matter, and she shouldn't pry.
Yet, for some reason, an irresistible urge to investigate surged within her.
"Why wouldn't I?"
Minato smiled gently. "In terms of beauty, Mikoto-nee is the most stunning girl I've ever met. Her personality is gentle, kind, intelligent, and thoughtful. And her talent... she comes from the Uchiha Clan, one of the most brilliant geniuses of her generation. How could I not be drawn to such an exceptional girl?"
At these words, Mikoto's mind went blank. She never expected Minato to be so direct!
Unbeknownst to her, Minato was also at his wit's end.
His liking for Tsunade wasn't the problem. But if someone followed this thread and discovered Tsunade reciprocated his feelings, the consequences would be disastrous.
The gossip of Konoha's common folk doesn't care about your status or background.
And as it happens, Tsunade is quite sensitive!
So, at least until he grows up, this must never be revealed!
Minato isn't good at lying, but he can choose to tell the truth selectively.
Mikoto looked at Minato's calm demeanor and didn't know how to respond: "But—that time before..."
"That time, Nawaki was there, and I couldn't very well say I was a fickle heartbreaker."
Minato shook his head helplessly. "I know this is wrong, but seeing how curious you are, Mikoto-nee, I didn't want you to keep guessing blindly."
After all, your guesses were too accurate!
"This—"
Mikoto covered her mouth, staring at Minato in disbelief. She never imagined he would actually like her.
Being liked by such an outstanding man made her heart involuntarily swell with joy.
If it weren't for her connection with Kushina, she might have impulsively responded to him.
"This is wrong—"
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