Kushina, who hadn't shown up for a week, finally returned to school.
This brought relief to Uchiha Tatsumi and the others.
Because the troublemaking kids from the Inuzuka clan would no longer bother them every day. Uchiha Tatsumi had been irritated by the constant harassment from the Inuzuka boy, who kept pestering Kushina. No one could stand it.
Poor Inuzuka kid—he spent every day staring dreamily at Kushina's seat. But telling him to stop was impossible. No one could break the spell that was Kushina.
This was the first time Uchiha Tatsumi had seen Kushina since she was made the host of Kurama, the Nine-Tails.
Kushina hadn't grown six whiskers on her face. This puzzled Uchiha Tatsumi, who couldn't understand why Naruto had whiskers on his cheeks when he was born.
After all, neither Kushina nor Minato had them.
But Naruto's children, Boruto and Himawari, also didn't have them. Could the whiskers be some special feature reserved for the protagonist? Maybe some sort of unique ability sealed within?
It was like Kakashi's mask—meant to hide something powerful within.
After class, Kushina, excited to see her friends after a week, turned to greet them.
"Tatsumi, what do you think this is?" Kushina asked, smiling as she waved an inconspicuous sealed box in her hand.
Uchiha Tatsumi's cold sweat started to form.
"Kushina, why are you making lunch?" he asked nervously.
Kushina just smiled and didn't answer.
It all began a few days ago. One time, while chatting, Kushina had casually mentioned that she liked someone.
The big fox had practically leaped at the opportunity, thrilled as if it had just found a fish to eat, and began discussing relationship matters with her.
The old fox, clearly bored and with nothing better to do, started digging into Kushina's love life, giving her all sorts of "advice."
Then, just last night, Kushina had spoken to Kurama again.
"What's wrong? Am I bothering you again? What is it this time?" Kurama grumbled.
"School starts tomorrow. I haven't seen my friends in a week, and I want to bring them some gifts, but I don't know what to bring," Kushina said, feeling conflicted.
Kurama sighed. "Think about it, just get them something your sweetheart likes."
Kushina thought long and hard about what Uchiha Tatsumi might like, but ultimately, she realized she didn't know for sure.
"Big fox, please help me figure it out."
Kurama, smug, raised his head. "You're telling me this guy, Tatsumi, can't even get enough of you? You should have plenty of experience with this by now."
"That's right!" Kurama proudly flicked his tail.
"Alright, think about it..."
So, in the end, Kushina brought this.
Uchiha Tatsumi stared at the blushing girl in front of him and the dark liquid in front of him.
"Are you sure this is sour plum soup?"
Kushina nodded eagerly.
"And this?" Tatsumi asked, pointing to a thin yellow object floating in the soup.
"Carrot."
Carrots. In sour plum soup. Whoever taught you this should be immediately reported!
Uchiha Tatsumi sighed. "Kushina, are you... dissatisfied with me?"
Kushina's smile faltered. "It's just that... I'm not very skilled at this yet."
She looked at the soup's unappealing appearance and her voice trailed off.
But what could she do? She was still learning, and making sour plum soup was a challenge for her.
"I have some bandages here. You should probably wrap your hand first," Uchiha Tatsumi said, flipping through his ninja bag and offering it to her.
Kushina tried to hide her fingers behind her back, but he wasn't blind.
"Don't hide them. I'm not blind."
Uchiha Tatsumi was speechless. It was just a small wound, but it had been bleeding all morning. When did the Uzumaki clan's recovery abilities become this bad?
This looked like someone had given Kushina bad advice.
"I'll find you later, don't think you're safe," Uchiha Tatsumi muttered to himself.
Kushina took the bandage carefully and excitedly told Kurama, "Oh, it seems useful! The big fox is amazing!"
Kurama smirked. "That's right. I used that trick to fool people back in the day... ahem, never mind."
He looked at Kushina again. "By the way, I advise you—don't let him drink this. This is no longer food. It's crossed into the realm of biological weapons."
Kushina proudly responded, "What are you talking about? You'll never get me to release you if you keep going on like this. And besides, just a sip, right?"
"Well, it depends on the other person's vitality," Kurama answered with a sly grin.
So, Uchiha Tatsumi, caught between concern and curiosity, took a small sip from the sour plum soup, while Kushina watched with excitement, worry, and hope.
"How is it?" Kushina asked anxiously.
After a moment of silence, Uchiha Tatsumi cleared his throat weakly.
"It tastes great!"
His voice was different now—strained, as if it could barely hold back the trembling.
"Watergate! Nawaki! Come here, you guys are thirsty, right? Sour plum soup!" Uchiha Tatsumi reached out, trying to hand the bowl to Minato, who quickly dodged.
Minato jumped aside, avoiding Uchiha Tatsumi's grasp.
"..."
Minato, I thought you had more ninja skills than this!
At that moment, another person approached—the Inuzuka kid.
The savior had arrived!
The Inuzuka boy blushed deeply. "Uzumaki-san, um, are you free after school today?"
His loud voice, which had been building up all day, startled Uchiha Tatsumi. It drew the attention of the entire class, whose eyes turned toward them.
Kushina, feeling embarrassed by her failed attempt at sour plum soup, was still trying to figure out new ways to impress Kurama. But when she heard someone call her name, she turned in surprise.
She saw the unfamiliar Inuzuka boy.
Her mood darkened. This was the first person to openly laugh at her for being a red-haired troublemaker. And now he had the nerve to ask her out after school?
She wasn't having any of it.
"Go away. Who are you?" she snapped.
"Wah..." The Inuzuka kid looked like he'd just been struck by lightning.
Visit patreon.com/TEA_QUILL to get 30+ chapters