"I'm home."
In the evening, when he returned home, Mei Terumī was in the kitchen cooking.
"Welcome back," she said softly.
Turning down the heat, Mei smiled and said,
"I bought a few new outfits for you on my way back from the market. You should try them on. How long has it been since you bought new clothes?"
When she'd checked her husband's wardrobe earlier, she noticed he didn't have much to wear—only a few everyday outfits, most from years ago. As expected, men really could survive on just two sets of clothes.
"Oh, okay."
Kiyosuke thought about it—indeed, he hadn't bought clothes in years. The last time he'd gone shopping was when he picked out outfits for Naruto and Karin. He'd grabbed a couple for himself along the way.
After changing into casual clothes, Kiyosuke gave off a friendly, easygoing vibe—like the warm older brother next door, the same sunny energy as Minato.
He smiled and asked, "Everything in Kirigakure handled now?"
"There's still some cleanup left, but Ao will take care of it. Why?"
"Oh, nothing. I just bought two travel tickets to the most famous hot springs in the Land of Hot Water. How about it? Want to go? We never got to take our honeymoon."
He laid the two tickets out in front of Mei.
"You actually remembered that? Of course we're going!"
"Hmm? What's that smell?"
Kiyosuke sniffed the air. Something was burning.
Mei froze for a second, then gasped. "My food!"
In the end, the dish was hopelessly burnt...
...
They didn't rush to leave. Instead, they waited until Itachi's wedding and Kakashi's inauguration before setting off on their trip.
Right now, Konoha—or rather, the whole shinobi world—was at peace. Naturally, it was the perfect time to travel. Kiyosuke had always been lazy about going anywhere, but with his wife by his side, he was ready to enjoy life for once. Even if they had to sleep under the stars sometimes, that was nothing for two shinobi.
But less than two months later, the trip came to an end—they returned to Konoha.
Kakashi, already used to his duties as Hokage, looked up from his desk.
"You're back already? I thought you'd stay gone for at least a year or two—maybe return for Naruto's wedding."
"Haha," Kiyosuke rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well… about that. Mei's pregnant, so, uh, we had to cut the trip short."
"Oh? Congratulations." Kakashi blinked, then realized what that meant. "Wait—so you're going to be a dad?!"
"Yeah, what's wrong?"
"It's just… hard to imagine you as a father. You and Naruto don't exactly have that kind of dynamic."
Kakashi honestly couldn't picture this perpetually unserious guy as anyone's dad. The image just wouldn't come together.
"You little—" Kiyosuke clenched his fist, veins bulging.
Kakashi coughed awkwardly. "Ahem. For what it's worth, my wife's pregnant too."
Kiyosuke blinked, then smirked in realization.
"Ha! I knew it. You really did go after Hanare, huh? So, how far along is she?"
"Just one month."
At long last, Kakashi wouldn't be spending the rest of his life single with Gai.
"What about Obito?" Kiyosuke asked, half-jokingly. "Don't tell me he's making a move on Rin."
"They're actually getting married soon," Kakashi replied with a sigh. "Rin's pregnant too. Obito's taken a break from his secretary duties—spends every day taking care of her. Even got her a leave of absence from the Konoha Hospital. He's been cooking for her, walking with her—completely devoted."
Kiyosuke twitched at the corner of his mouth.
"That guy works fast. I thought he'd stay single for a few more years. Guess not."
"Unmarried before pregnancy, huh? What's with you guys?"
"Hanare and I don't really care about that stuff. We're keeping things simple."
Kiyosuke rolled his eyes. "You've read Jiraiya-sama's novels for years, and you still say that? No woman doesn't care about things like that. You should at least hold a small wedding. Doesn't need to be fancy."
"Uh… yeah, sure."
"Oh, right," Kiyosuke added. "I'll be heading to Kirigakure for a while with Mei. She'll stay with the Terumī clan to rest and take care of the baby. It'll be good for both her and the child."
"Got it," Kakashi said, approving the leave.
Kiyosuke left the Hokage's office and returned home.
...
When he arrived, Mei Terumī was standing in the kitchen wearing an apron, cooking again.
He nearly jumped. Pulling her away from the stove, he said,
"You shouldn't be cooking right now! What if something happens to the baby? I'll do it!"
He grabbed the apron and spatula from her hands.
Mei smiled, amused. "I heard from Karin that you'd rather eat out than cook. Are you sure you know how?"
"Of course! Don't underestimate me!"
He began chopping vegetables with practiced precision, tossed oil into the pan, stirred everything together, added salt and soy sauce...
In his mind, everything went perfectly—until it didn't.
Aside from grilled meat, Kiyosuke's cooking skills were a complete disaster. And today was no exception.
Mei looked at the blackened dish and tried not to laugh. "Maybe I should take over."
"No! If word gets out that Konoha's strongest can't even cook, I'll die of embarrassment. I can do this!"
"Alright," Mei said indulgently.
A short while later, the two of them were sitting in a restaurant in Konoha, both looking pale and defeated.
Kiyosuke sighed, shoulders slumped. "Ugh, I'm so useless. Can't even make a meal…"
Mei couldn't stand hearing him sulk anymore.
"Fine. Starting tomorrow, I'll teach you how to cook."
"Really? Thanks, Mei! I'll definitely learn!"
"Mm. I believe in you!"
...
Even after leaving Konoha, Kiyosuke kept learning from Mei.
By the time they settled in Kirigakure, he was cooking all her meals himself—making rich soups and stews to nourish her. Mei ended up putting on a bit of weight.
Staring down at her softening figure, Mei frowned. "No more! I can't keep drinking this! My body's going to go out of shape!"
"Just one sip! Come on, honey, I went all the way to the Land of Fire to get that chicken. A local breed, free-range. I've been simmering it for hours. Just one sip, okay?"
"Fine—but only one!"
Slurp~
Before long, the whole bowl was empty.
Mei stared blankly ahead, feeling just a little heavier than before.
"Here, take this," Kiyosuke said, handing her a scroll.
"What's this?"
"You've already mastered the Yin Seal, right? This is Tsunade-sama's Creation Rebirth and Strength of a Hundred Technique. You can stay young forever."
"Like the Hokage?" Mei's eyes sparkled. Tsunade was already quite old but still looked like she was in her twenties. The thought of eternal youth was hard to resist—especially now that she was married. She wanted to keep her best self for her husband.
If she could master this jutsu, she could stay youthful forever.
"Exactly," Kiyosuke grinned. "Now you don't have to worry anymore. Oh, and—I still have one more bowl of soup."
"NOOO!!"
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