"It's the Hokage's wife! What brings you to our humble store today?"
Kushina stepped into a jade shop, and the shopkeeper immediately greeted her with enthusiasm.
"I'd like to order a custom jade pendant for protection. Do you have any recommendations?"
"A jade pendant for protection? Please, come this way. Just a couple of days ago, we imported a fine batch of jade from the Land of Earth. Please take a look."
The shopkeeper led Kushina to a storage-like room and retrieved a box from a safe. When he opened it, it was filled with quail egg-sized pieces of jade.
Kushina carefully examined them and tested them briefly with chakra. They were indeed of excellent quality—crystal clear, with perfect color and texture.
"Could you craft this into a Guanyin pendant? And carve the character '月' (Yue) on the back?"
"No problem! If I may ask, is this for Young Master Yue?"
"Yes, it is."
"I see Young Master Yue passing by my shop every day with a tachi in hand. He's truly impressive—so young yet already training hard! I'm sure he'll grow up to be a great ninja, just like Lord Hokage. Unlike my own child… I don't even know if he'll become a ninja."
"Oh, not at all! Yue can be so reckless sometimes."
"You're too humble."
As a mother, hearing others praise both her son and her husband filled Kushina's heart with warmth, as sweet as honey.
"So, how much will the materials and craftsmanship cost? And when can I pick it up?"
"The total is 100,000 ryō, and it will be ready in two days."
"Only 200,000 ryō in total? Are you sure that's enough…?"
"Don't worry! I'm not running a business at a loss. Besides, with the Hokage's wife personally ordering jade from my shop, all I have to do is brag about it tomorrow, and business will boom! If anything, I should be thanking you!"
"I see. Thank you so much! I'll be back in two days. Here's the deposit."
"Thank you for your patronage! Please come again."
For the past half month, Yue had been coming home utterly exhausted. The worst time, he was so tired he couldn't even hold his chopsticks properly.
When Minato and Kushina asked him about it, he only gave a vague answer, saying training had been a bit intense.
Worried, Kushina decided to secretly follow him. Though Yue quickly noticed her presence with his Kagura Mind's Eye, she insisted on watching his training, and he eventually relented.
However, when Yue created two shadow clones, Kushina nearly panicked. It was only after he patiently explained his training method that she calmed down and observed him quietly, prepared to step in if things got out of hand.
Yue had developed a clear understanding of how to train using shadow clones—one clone focused on taijutsu and kenjutsu, while the other practiced ninjutsu. Meanwhile, his real body continued with electrical stimulation training.
Every hour, he dispelled his clones and rested for fifteen minutes to relieve physical fatigue and restore chakra, ensuring he didn't put too much strain on his body.
Still, exhaustion was inevitable. Some days, he was so tired that even holding chopsticks became a struggle.
Kushina observed him closely. When he took breaks, she would rush over to check his condition. Finding no injuries apart from fatigue, she decided to let him continue.
She spent two days watching over him, occasionally giving him pointers. It wasn't that Yue was going down the wrong path—he could figure things out on his own—but her guidance saved him some time.
Kushina was deeply impressed by his talent and learning ability.
She had always been busy with household chores, and any spare time was spent studying sealing techniques. With the Nine-Tails sealed within her, she couldn't afford to be careless.
Because of this, she never had much time to train with Yue.
But after these two days, she was certain—while Yue might not grow to rival the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, surpassing Minato and the Third Hokage was guaranteed.
Of course, talent alone wasn't enough. The ninja world was full of geniuses who had died young.
That's why, today, while out shopping for groceries, Kushina decided to order a Guanyin pendant for Yue. She had heard from Biwako Sarutobi that Guanyin was believed to bring lifelong protection.
Kushina didn't believe in Buddhism, but as a mother, even if she didn't believe, she would still do whatever she could.
After returning home, Kushina prepared the ingredients and timed everything just right to start cooking.
Tonight's dinner: sweet and sour pork ribs, braised lion's head meatballs, fish-flavored eggplant, and a three-delicacy soup—all dishes that Yue loved. Minato and she liked them, too.
Of course, these recipes were taught to her by Yue.
In the beginning, Kushina's cooking was a total disaster. Minato could force himself to eat it, but Yue simply couldn't.
So, when Yue was barely over two years old, he started giving her cooking lessons.
When to add oil, when to add salt, how much to use—he stood beside her, directing everything.
Kushina had been curious about how he knew all this. Yue claimed he learned from cookbooks.
She believed him without question, but deep down, she wondered—had he started reading desperately at the age of one just to escape her cooking…?
By the time the three-delicacy soup was ready, Kushina heard Yue's voice at the door. She quickly brought all the dishes to the table.
"Let's wait a bit before eating. Little Sun sent word that he'll be home for dinner. He should be back soon."
"Alright."
Yue had no reason to refuse.
He even felt a little sorry for Minato—after years of hard work to become Hokage, he now spent his days dealing with trivial disputes…
But…
Grrr—
After an afternoon of intense training, Yue's stomach voiced its protest.
"Pfft—"
Kushina couldn't help but laugh at his embarrassed expression.
She got up, scooped a bowl of rice, filled it with food, and placed it in front of Yue.
"You eat first. I'm not hungry yet—I'll wait for Little Sun. You're still growing, so if you're hungry, you have to eat right away! Maybe you should come home earlier? Or I can prepare a bento for you at noon. That way, if you get hungry in the afternoon, you'll have something to eat. You shouldn't train on an empty stomach!"
"Mm, got it. Thanks, Mom."
Yue's voice wavered slightly.
He had been surrounded by this warmth—this love from his father and mother—for over four years now. It had happened so many times, yet part of him still feared that it was all just a dream… His thoughts drifted back to his past childhood…
Watching Yue eat happily was one of Kushina's greatest joys. She rested her chin in her hands, smiling as she quietly watched him.
"I'm home. Sorry for keeping you waiting."
A familiar scratch of the head, a familiar sunny smile.
"You're back? Go wash up and eat! I let Yue start first—he was starving."
"He must've been too exhausted, huh? Should we eat earlier from now on? I'll try to finish work sooner, or I can go back later to finish up."
"Father, no need to go that far. I'll just bring a bento starting tomorrow."
"Yue, don't say things like 'no need' to us. We're your parents! Nothing is ever too much when it's for our son."
"Mm, I understand."
After dinner, Minato tried to wash the dishes but was promptly pushed away by Kushina. She insisted that he had already worked hard all day and should leave the chores to her.
So, father and son sat on the couch, watching TV—not that they really cared for the program. Instead, they talked about ninjutsu and important events in the ninja world.
From the kitchen doorway, Kushina leaned against the frame, watching them with deep affection.
"…This is nice. I hope we can always be like this—our family together, safe and sound."
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