"Come in," Minato said, glancing at Mei Terumi before approaching the door. She followed a step behind.
Since Minato typically entered his home directly via teleportation, he rarely carried house keys.
Knock, knock.
He rapped gently on the door twice. Almost immediately, soft footsteps approached from inside.
The door opened to reveal Chiharu, who had assumed someone was visiting her mother, as Minato rarely returned through the front entrance.
She spotted her father first, then her gaze shifted to Mei Terumi standing behind him.
"It's the pretty lady from earlier!" Chiharu exclaimed in surprise.
"You two have met?" Minato asked, his eyebrows rising.
Mei Terumi nodded. "We crossed paths on the road before."
"Hello," she said with a warm smile to Chiharu.
"Hello," Chiharu replied politely, then raised her voice to call into the house. "Mom, Brother! Dad has brought a guest home."
"Please, come in." She stepped aside, making room for them to enter.
Despite her young age, Chiharu carried herself with remarkable poise and propriety—traits clearly inherited from her father.
After they entered, Minato closed the door behind them. The sound of approaching footsteps heralded the appearance of Kushina and Naruto from the interior of the house.
Mei Terumi looked up and her gaze met Kushina's.
"Why is she here?" Naruto wondered with a slight frown, recognizing Mei Terumi wasn't from Konoha. Was this the guest his father had brought home?
The two women studied each other, both visibly surprised by what they sensed.
"So powerful," Kushina thought, immediately perceiving Mei Terumi's formidable chakra. As the possessor of two Kekkei Genkai and the Fifth Mizukage, Mei's energy signature was naturally impressive.
Though Mei Terumi lacked Kushina's sensory abilities, her experience had reached a level where she could almost read a person's capacity through their eyes and bearing alone.
Their first mutual assessment was simple: Very strong!
"She's beautiful," Mei Terumi thought, surprise flashing across her eyes.
After instinctively gauging Kushina's strength, she naturally observed the other woman's appearance—as women often do when meeting. Though Mei herself was undeniably gorgeous, Kushina's simple home attire couldn't conceal her striking beauty.
Despite being the mother of two children and over thirty years old, the powerful vitality of the Uzumaki bloodline meant Kushina's appearance had changed little from a decade earlier. To Mei Terumi, she appeared roughly the same age as herself.
Kushina hesitated momentarily before her eyes softened. She glanced at Minato with gentle reproach. "Minato, you should have told me you were bringing such an important guest home."
She turned to Mei Terumi with a warm smile. "Hello, Lady Fifth Mizukage."
In the current ninja world, female shinobi with such powerful chakra were exceedingly rare. Additionally, Minato had informed Kushina about the Kirigakure delegation's visit days ago. These factors made it simple for her to deduce Mei Terumi's identity.
"The Fifth Mizukage?!" Naruto and Chiharu exchanged astonished glances.
Mei Terumi looked slightly taken aback before responding to Kushina. "I apologize for the presumption of asking to visit your home so suddenly. It was rather forward of me."
"Having you as our guest is an honor," Kushina replied warmly, moving quickly to Mei Terumi's side. "Lady Mizukage, please come in."
"Thank you," Mei Terumi nodded with a smile. "But since I'm here to visit you personally, such formal address feels awkward. If the Hokage's wife doesn't mind, please call me by my given name."
"Wouldn't that be inappropriate?" Kushina glanced at Minato. Though usually casual in demeanor, she remained mindful of her position as a Konoha Jonin.
Minato smiled and nodded, indicating his approval.
"Actually, I prefer how we used to address each other," Mei Terumi suggested. "I'll simply call you and the Hokage 'senpai'—Kushina-senpai."
"Perfect!"
With formalities resolved, Kushina laughed heartily, taking Mei Terumi's hand and leading her further into the house.
The sudden shift in Kushina's demeanor left Mei Terumi momentarily stunned.
After the women departed, Naruto approached Minato, who was about to follow them.
"Dad, was that woman really the Fifth Mizukage?" he asked, raising his eyes questioningly.
He clearly found it difficult to believe that the seemingly delicate young woman was actually the leader of the Hidden Mist Village.
"Yes," Minato confirmed with a nod.
He gently ruffled Naruto's hair. "But even if our guest doesn't mind, your manner of referring to her just now wasn't very polite. You should work on that."
"Right," Naruto acknowledged sheepishly.
The father and his children then proceeded to join the others.
"Becoming Mizukage at such a young age is truly remarkable," Kushina commented at the dinner table.
She had seated Mei Terumi beside her and served her portions of each dish, her voice revealing genuine admiration and respect.
Kushina's own dream had once been to become Hokage. Though her beloved had fulfilled that ambition instead, she harbored no regrets.
This personal experience gave Kushina profound insight into the tremendous responsibilities a Kage carried. Moreover, considering the recent turmoil in the Hidden Mist Village, the reforms Mei Terumi had implemented had yielded impressive results in a remarkably short time.
Kushina doubted she could have accomplished the same.
Faced with Kushina's effusive warmth, Mei Terumi gradually lowered her guard. Kushina's endless questions occasionally overwhelmed even the Mizukage, who struggled to keep pace with her enthusiastic conversation.
Throughout their interaction, Mei Terumi began to understand why Minato loved Kushina so deeply. Though Kushina lacked the reserved demeanor common among shinobi, her natural warmth created an immediate sense of comfort that invited friendship.
In this respect, she and Minato were perfectly matched—truly a harmonious pair.
Naruto and Chiharu listened attentively to the stories about the Fifth Mizukage, captivated by tales of the Hidden Mist Village.
Several hours later, as the evening drew to a close, Mei Terumi expressed her gratitude.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Kushina-senpai. Today has brought me genuine happiness."
Her eyes shimmered with emotion. Having lost her mother at a young age, and despite her father's constant presence, she had rarely experienced the feeling of true home.
The atmosphere in the Namikaze household had given her a taste of that precious sensation.
"The feeling is mutual," Kushina replied with a sincere smile.
Though their time together had been brief, the two women had already established a foundation of friendship that transcended their official roles.