"Mmm, delicious, delicious..."
The group walked towards the forest for their picnic.
Along the way, Kushina held a dango skewer, her face beaming with happiness.
Takeshi smiled.
These foods were originally prepared for this picnic, and Kushina enjoying them made him feel very satisfied.
Soon, they arrived at the maple forest for their outing.
However, the sight before Takeshi startled him.
Naruto is a shonen manga with growth as its main theme.
It hardly depicted romance, so Takeshi didn't know that the couples in Naruto actually loved each other very passionately.
You ask him how he knew?
Of course, by seeing it with his own eyes!
In this maple grove, there were an unbelievable number of young couples, some hugging, some embracing, some sitting intimately intertwined, and even some excessively kissing.
The scene was explosive, full of pink bubbles!
This sight terrified Takeshi.
He had gone to great lengths, using every trick in the book, to prevent Kushina from dating. He certainly didn't want this scene to undo all his efforts!
He subconsciously turned to look at Kushina on the other side.
The young girl's movements had stopped; the dango skewer in her hand no longer seemed appealing. Her eyes were wide, her mouth slightly agape, and she was utterly stunned.
This scene was too impactful for her.
For a moment, it caused her brain to crash.
After a while, her face flushed, and she turned her head to ask:
"Jing... Takeshi, what are they doing?"
"I know!"
Minato excitedly bounced out, "They're dating!"
"Dating?"
Kushina's eyes widened: "Friends can do things like that?"
"Of course."
Minato said with immense pride:
"The previous leader of our Uchiha, Uchiha Madara, and his close friend, First Hokage Senju Hashirama, did things a hundred times more exciting than this."
Kushina was stunned. She remembered that Tsunade's grandfather was named Senju Hashirama.
So, all those rumors about the Senju and Uchiha in the Village were true?
She felt her brain couldn't keep up; it was as if a new world had opened up to her.
Slap!
Takeshi couldn't take it anymore and gave Minato a big smack.
Where did this wild history come from?
Uchiha Madara himself wasn't even dead yet; if he heard you say that, he'd beat you to death.
"Don't listen to his nonsense. This guy is never serious, and there's no truth in his words."
"So... friends can't kiss?"
Takeshi turned his head, meeting Kushina's bright, watery eyes. She looked like a curious cat at that moment.
"Of course not."
"But these people can kiss when they're dating."
Good heavens, he's been completely led astray by Minato!
Damn Minato, Takeshi suddenly regretted bringing him along.
"It's not the same."
"How is it not the same?"
Takeshi grabbed Kushina's small hand and led her towards the river, away from this problematic area.
"They're not 'dating friends'; they're 'falling in love'."
"Falling in love?"
Kushina paused, obediently letting Takeshi lead her.
"Yes."
Takeshi nodded. Seeing some dango grease still on her lips, he reached out and gently wiped her rosy cherry lips, casually making up a definition:
"Falling in love is the process where a man and a woman get to know each other and cultivate feelings, with the goal of marriage."
"And 'dating friends', you can think of it as a relationship where both parties share common topics and ideals, and enjoy each other's company."
Feeling the touch on her lips, Kushina's cheeks flushed slightly, and she nodded, half-understanding.
"However... falling in love has no benefits."
He thought of real-life examples of women reporting their husbands for rape after marriage.
Then he thought of Madara-sama in Naruto, who developed hemophobia after falling in love, or threatened to destroy the Ninja World if he didn't get love.
Didn't all of them get into trouble because of this 'love' issue?
"So..."
At this thought, Takeshi suddenly stopped:
"Kushina, you can't fall in love."
Kushina wasn't paying attention and almost bumped into Takeshi. Upon hearing him say something that seemed aimed at her again, she immediately felt very wronged, and her small mouth instantly drooped.
"Why? Why can't I?"
Takeshi turned around, placing his hands on Kushina's shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eye.
"Because... you have me."
He had originally intended to say 'you'll die if you fall in love', but the words twisted on his tongue.
"!@#$%..."
Kushina's brain instantly crashed. She felt as if she had been petrified, with only her heart pounding wildly.
She placed her hand on her chest. What was this inexplicable flutter in her heart?
However, this atmosphere was quickly broken by Takeshi.
"I'm the Bastard you talk about, how could I let you live better than me?"
Takeshi chuckled foolishly, casually making up an excuse, and then pulled out a bag of snacks from a sealing scroll, offering it to her.
Kushina paused, then snapped back to reality and suddenly lifted her small head, glaring at him fiercely with angry eyes.
Angrily, she snatched the snacks, violently tore them open, and shoved whatever was inside into her mouth without looking.
Really, Takeshi was still that big jerk!
After this small interlude, the group soon arrived at the riverside.
Unlike the maple forest, there were no young couples here; it was quiet and perfect for a picnic.
Although Takeshi had already prepared food and snacks, they felt that since they were already there, it wouldn't feel right if they didn't grill something.
So the group divided the tasks: some fished, some hunted, some collected firewood.
Soon, they started grilling, and combined with the food Takeshi had prepared beforehand, this picnic was quite perfect.
However, Kushina was absent-minded the entire time.
For some reason, ever since Takeshi said those words of unclear meaning, she had been like one possessed, her expression constantly dazed.
By the time she snapped out of it, the picnic had long ended.
Looking at the gates of the Senju Clan Grounds before her, Kushina felt a pang of annoyance.
"Seriously, it's all Takeshi's fault! Why did he have to suddenly say those strange things?!"
Kushina shook her head, deciding not to dwell on it anymore.
"I'm home!"
She pushed open the gate and returned home, finding a familiar figure inside.
"Grandpa Third Hokage?"
Kushina's face showed a surprised expression...