"Pfft!"
Seeing Minato's smile in front of her, all the anxiety Kushina had just felt vanished instantly, like shadows under sunlight.
She burst into laughter, her face blooming with beauty.
"You really do look better when you smile," Minato softly chuckled, finally reaching out to wipe away the tears at the corner of her eyes.
Kushina felt herself blush a little, but with how close they were, she didn't bother pretending to be shy or awkward about it.
Lifting her gaze, she looked at Minato for a moment without speaking.
"These past few days must've been tough on you," he said.
Though Kushina had never seen battle, growing up near the border of the Land of Fire had exposed her to many life-and-death separations and tragedies.
What she meant by "tough" wasn't physical exhaustion—it was something deeper, emotional.
Wherever there's war, people die. Konoha had won this war, but at a heavy cost.
Peace has always come at a cost—a timeless truth as old as war itself.
Someone else might have misunderstood these words, but no one knew Kushina better than Minato.
Likewise, no one understood Minato more than her.
"This is the inevitability of war. Fortunately, we didn't betray the trust—or lives—of our fallen comrades. We achieved victory."
Minato spoke, his mind clearly a step ahead of hers—he was gently guiding her through it.
They shared the same heart—devoted first and foremost to the village and its people.
That's why when he proposed sealing the Nine-Tails, Kushina fought with every last ounce of strength to take the beast down with her.
"Still… Kushina, you've truly changed," Minato smiled faintly. The fact that she could think this deeply now was proof of how much she'd grown through the war.
"Is that so?" Kushina's expression shifted slightly as she replied, "Actually, I had no idea you'd become this strong before."
Before heading to the battlefield, Minato had always been by Kushina's side, yet she'd never known just how powerful he truly was.
In just over half a year, from Third Hokage, she often heard about all that Minato had achieved on the battlefield.
Hearing he could defeat Jonin already surprised her greatly, but the fact that he had actually developed new ninjutsu—something she had never imagined—was simply unfathomable to her.
And not just any technique—a true S-rank Ultimate Art.
"Can I see your newly developed jutsu?" Kushina asked curiously.
"Of course," Minato replied. "But here doesn't seem appropriate, does it?"
Kushina hesitated briefly, then followed his line of sight. They were standing on a rooftop, while multiple gazes had unknowingly turned toward them.
"That child... is he just back from the battlefield?"
"I recognize him. He's that Namikaze Minato."
"Namikaze Minato!!?"
Minato was still wearing his chunin vest. His clothes were grimy and torn in several places—a clear sign of the war he'd just come from.
The location where he and Kushina stood happened to be a residential area. The two had stopped here briefly to talk, naturally drawing curious glances from the locals.
Among the whispering Konoha civilians, someone suddenly recognized Minato. In an instant, everyone's expressions shifted dramatically.
It was like they'd seen something impossible.
Thanks to his and Kushina's heightened senses, even amidst the overlapping voices, they could clearly distinguish every word.
At first, Kushina's face showed mild surprise.
Yet upon seeing those stares, Minato felt his heart tighten.
On the battlefield, he wasn't afraid of equal numbers of enemies' killing intent, but this kind of gaze that regarded him as an "outsider" made him feel even more uneasy.
"Quickly, let's go!"
As for the reason, Mikoto had already told him. Though Minato remained on the battlefield, his name had already spread throughout Konoha.
She took Kushina's hand and quickly pulled her away from the crowd. However, the people's murmurs seemed far from over.
They reached a quieter, less crowded street. Minato walked ahead, but Kushina suddenly turned and grabbed his hand.
"What's wrong?" He turned back, asking.
"Forget about ninjutsu for now. You just got back from battle — you should head home, take a hot bath, and change into something clean," Kushina said.
Knowing these were thoughtful words meant for him, Minato smiled and replied, "Alright then… why don't you come with me? I'm really hungry right now."
After a brief pause, Kushina accepted his invitation.
Upon hearing this, Kushina's eyes widened when she realized what it meant.
Thinking back, since they'd gotten together, Kushina had never actually visited Minato's house.
"Fine," she quickly agreed, saying, "I'll cook for you."
"Hmm." Minato smiled, taking Kushina's hand again as they walked off without any sense of shyness.
Kushina was, after all, his wife—whether in the past, the present, or even the future.
Behind him, Kushina blushed ever so slightly…
…
Hokage's Office.
"Alright, you should all go back and rest properly," the Third Hokage told Tsunade, Sakumo, and several others standing before him.
Upon hearing this, they all departed.
After they left, the Third slightly raised his hand, and one of his direct Anbu appeared before him.
"Yes," the Anbu responded before vanishing.
More than ten minutes later, the office door was pushed open, and several high-ranking members of Konoha entered.
"Sarutobi, you summoned us. What important matter is it?"
Koharu Utatane asked. It was rare for the Third Hokage to call them unless there was something extremely significant happening in the village.
The Third Hokage lifted his gaze and said directly, "I want to discuss with you all my plan to inform Minato Namikaze about everything concerning Kushina Uzumaki."
Upon hearing these words, the three high-ranking officials of Konoha immediately changed expressions.
They naturally understood what the Third implied. Matters concerning Kushina specifically referred to her status as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
This was one of the village's most highly classified secrets, known by very few within Konoha.
"No, the Nine-Tails' involvement is too significant to be casually revealed to outsiders," Danzo immediately objected. "Moreover, now that the war has practically ended, I believe it's time to reinstate surveillance on the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki."
The Third, who had previously remained calm, instantly darkened his gaze and snapped, "As for the matter of monitoring, I've already made myself clear—it was the Hokage's decision, and you have no authority to change it."
"And as for Kushina's case, the promise was made directly from me to Minato."
"A commitment made to a child? Do you expect me to believe the Hokage would base a decision on something so trivial?" Danzo scoffed coldly.
The Third glanced at the other two advisors. Though they remained silent, their expressions clearly showed unease about revealing all matters concerning Kushina—the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki—to Minato.
He turned his gaze back to Danzo and said, "As the Hokage, I admit that such a decision may appear unconventional. However, this child holds extraordinary significance for our village now—don't you understand this?"
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