Kushina still couldn't bear to just leave Tsunade lying in the courtyard after she fell under the genjutsu's influence.
So, out of kindness, she carried her back into one of the guest rooms, then set up a basic protective barrier before they finally left together and headed toward the Senju ancestral house.
As for breaking the genjutsu?
Come on. Breaking it now would ruin their chance for some alone time together.
Kei Yamanaka and Kushina walked hand-in-hand all the way to the Senju ancestral house.
Though the villagers still watched them from afar with cold, disgusted, and fearful eyes,
Kushina didn't even glance at those people anymore.
Grandma Mito once told her that when your heart is full of love, you'll never feel lonely or afraid—no matter what being a jinchuriki brings.
"Grandma Mito, look! I'm not lonely or scared anymore, you know!"
Uzumaki Kushina stood before the Senju ancestral house and whispered softly.
A bright smile instantly lit up her face as she tugged Kei forward, dashing joyfully into the old house.
"Oh, by the way, Kushina—we brought back someone from your clan on this mission. A girl about your age."
While helping Kushina tidy things up, Kei Yamanaka brought up details about the mission.
"R-Really?! What's her name? She must be having a hard time adjusting since coming to Konoha, right? Shouldn't I go keep her company? Does she even have somewhere to stay? She must've suffered so much out there... Kei, I—"
"Calm down, calm down. Don't rush. Let me tell you slowly. Her name is Uzumaki Honoka, and previously she was…"
Kei Yamanaka patted Kushina's little head and proceeded to talk about Uzumaki Honoka while being stared at by Kushina's sparkling eyes.
Compared to Kushina's early life, Honoka actually had a relatively fortunate childhood.
When Uzu no Kuni fell, she managed to escape safely under her parents' protection. Although life had been tough on the road, she soon settled down in the Sea Country.
Her parents were both ninjas, and although they eventually worked as regular hunters, their family still got by fairly well.
Later, purely by chance, Honoka's parents came into contact with an underground currency exchange group, and somehow wound up on Summoning Island, where they assisted researchers in suppressing uncontrollable summoned beasts.
Three years ago, both of her parents passed away due to hidden injuries sustained during their earlier ninja careers. After that, Honoka took over their duties and continued aiding the research efforts on Summoning Island.
It wasn't until three years ago that she learned Summoning Island was secretly backed by Mist.
After being saved by Minato Namikaze, the surviving researchers—including Honoka—were brought back to Konoha.
With nowhere else to go, naturally she followed them here.
"Pfft! I knew it! That effeminate little guy is definitely trouble! Using the damsel-in-distress act to reel in innocent girls! And he even brought her straight back home!"
Kushina made a face full of disdain, but deep inside, most of her worries had eased.
Because she knew just how close Kei was with Namikaze Minato.
She was already very familiar with Minato Namikaze himself, simply for that very reason.
Even though she always thought he acted kind of too feminine.
But she also knew one thing for sure—Minato Namikaze was incredibly dependable when it came to his comrades.
Knowing he was looking after Honoka,
Of course, he wouldn't let Honoka feel as lost and anxious as she had been when she first arrived in Konoha.
"Hahaha~ Yeah right! That sweet-looking guy? Definitely not a good person! Haha~"
Kei Yamanaka had no qualms at all about backing Kushina up with laughter.
Earlier on the way back, he had repeatedly scolded Water Gate, telling him to show some restraint and stop flaunting his affection all the time.
But that guy just let it go in one ear and out the other.
One second he was making promises sincerely, the next he was lying on her lap.
Even at meals, they couldn't stop feeding each other bite by bite. While traveling, they were always leaning on or hugging each other.
Can someone like that even be a good person?
"You're not a good person either."
Kushina giggled and stuck out her tongue playfully.
She slapped the "not a good person" label onto Kei Yamanaka just as easily.
As if she didn't already know—among their batch of Konoha ninja, this guy definitely had the worst personality.
Outwardly bright and handsome, but his pranks gave people the chills.
All those self-created or modified genjutsu techniques—
Like [Little Flying Stick],
[One for You],
[Triple Delight Moment],
[Zuan Proud Individual],
[Myanmar Consolation Group],
[Shining Curse Card]...
With names like those, how could anyone believe he's a decent guy?
"Finally said what's on your mind?"
Kei playfully pinched Kushina's nose.
Looking at how charming she appeared, he couldn't help but feel a mischievous urge again.
"L-Let's hurry up and pack! Or else we'll get back too late, and Tsunade will probably tear the house apart."
Facing that hungry-wolf stare, Kushina caved instantly.
"Pfft, weren't you super brave just now?"
"I used to handle being bold fine, but now I can't even manage a little courage."
"You're actually proud of that?"
"Hmm~"
They were immersed in work for quite a while.
Kushina packed a total of eight massive boxes of stuff.
And this was only her personal belongings—she hadn't even touched the original furnishings in the Senju family mansion.
Otherwise, eight boxes wouldn't even cover it—eighty might not have been enough!
"I guess we'll need the Shadow Clone Jutsu then."
Kushina brushed her hands off and was about to form hand seals when Kei covered her hand with his.
"Let me show you something fun."
Kei took Kushina's right hand, paused briefly to focus, then pressed his palm against her wrist.
Chakra and spatial energy surged.
In an instant, a Thunder God Mark the size of a ping-pong ball appeared on her wrist—it was circular, with two small arrows spinning clockwise within.
"What kind of sealing technique is this...? It feels like something meant to stabilize certain powers?"
Kushina blinked curiously, examining the mark on her wrist.
The Thunder God Mark was essentially a specialized sealing technique—it used chakra to manipulate spatial energy, leaving behind spatial coordinates, which were then locked in place with a unique seal.
Though Kushina didn't recognize the Thunder God symbol Kei had placed, she had essentially pinpointed its true nature.
"Hold on, I need to lock it properly too."
Kei quickly formed hand seals with both hands, then gently pressed his palm against Kushina's right wrist.
A small "Kei" immediately appeared at the center of the Thunder God Mark, while a circle of complex sealing runes emerged on the outer ring of the mark.
"Locking Seal? You even wrote your name on it—what for? Are you afraid people won't know I'm your girlfriend?"
Kushina's ears turned slightly red. Though her words carried a hint of irritation, her tone was brimming with joy.
The fact that he wanted to broadcast their relationship to everyone—yeah, she really loved that.
"This is my exclusive Thunder God Mark."
Kei Yamanaka had absolutely no defense against Kushina's coquettish look. He tapped her forehead gently and smiled as he explained.
The Locking Seal was a mid-level sealing technique that could skillfully integrate into many other sealing jutsu, forming a composite seal.
Unless someone forcefully breaks through using chakra, a sealing technique combined with a Locking Seal could only be activated by the original user's chakra, allowing access to the second layer of the seal within.
Which means,
Even if Minato Namikaze could sense the Thunder God Mark left by Kei Yamanaka,
Since it was locked externally and his chakra didn't match,
He wouldn't be able to use it to teleport at all.
"You're so possessive~ Don't worry~ Tomorrow when I go to the Jonin Dispatch Office, I'll let them know this is *your* personal Thunder God Mar... mark... Thunder God?!"
"Mm."
"Tobirama-sama's Flying Thunder God Technique?"
"Right."
"...So that means, even if we're far apart, you can instantly appear by my side?"
"Yeah."
"Ahhhh~ Kei, you're incredible!"
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