Guests at Kushina's home?
With that thought, Amamiya Rei twisted the doorknob.
The moment he opened the door, his eyes immediately fell upon a tall, white-haired shinobi seated in the dining room.
The three people at the table all turned their gazes toward Rei standing in the doorway.
"Rei!"
"You came home on time today!"
Kushina glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, nodded in satisfaction, and spoke approvingly.
After greeting Kushina and Minato, Rei followed Kushina's invitation and sat down at the table.
Directly across from him sat Jiraiya.
Kushina warmly introduced, "Rei, this is Minato's teacher, Jiraiya-sensei!"
Before Rei could open his mouth, Minato quickly added, "In a way, Rei is also considered my disciple, so she should also call you Jiraiya-sensei."
Obediently, Amamiya Rei bowed slightly toward him. "Jiraiya-sensei."
Jiraiya looked her over, eyes widening. "Wow! That face—you only ever see it in paintings! In the future, you'll definitely become a breathtaking beauty who'll steal the hearts of countless boys!"
He raised a thumb dramatically in her direction.
Kushina: "..."
Minato caught sight of Kushina's hair starting to rise uncontrollably and widened his eyes in alarm. Quickly, he forced a laugh and shifted the conversation. "Oh, right! Jiraiya-sensei, Kushina and I have already decided on a name for the baby—Naruto."
At the mention of the naming, Kushina's irritation vanished instantly.
She gently caressed her belly, now noticeably larger, and an involuntary tender smile blossomed on her face.
The radiance of maternal love she exuded outshone even the brightest lamp in the living room.
So, Jiraiya had come tonight to provide inspiration for the baby's name.
Rei's pupils shifted slightly. Ah, yes.
With Minato's words as a reminder, Rei recalled this crucial moment in the story.
Naruto's name—it was indeed decided tonight.
"Naruto?!"
Upon hearing it, Jiraiya's eyes went wide in astonishment. Of course he knew exactly where that name came from.
He stammered, "From The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi..."
"That's right!"
Minato confirmed Jiraiya's unfinished guess. He smiled faintly, but the expression on his face brimmed with seriousness and sincerity. "It's the name of the protagonist in your Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi, sensei."
"But... but that was my very first work. The writing was immature, the story somewhat childish, and even the protagonist's name—I came up with it while eating ramen... Are you sure this is really okay?"
Jiraiya scratched the back of his head, his gaze drifting uneasily. The idea that Minato would so easily decide his child's name based on something so trivial felt careless.
"No!"
Minato shook his head firmly, rejecting Jiraiya's own negative assessment of his book. From the shelf behind him, he pulled out a copy of The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi, and his brilliant blue eyes shone with light.
"I truly love this story, sensei. The protagonist, no matter the hardships, never gives up. I want my child to grow up the same way, never surrendering to despair. That's why I've decided Naruto will be his name."
Minato's gaze blazed as he looked at the man seated across from him.
Kushina rose from her seat and walked behind Minato, her hands gently resting on his shoulders. She smiled at Jiraiya as well. "Naruto—it really is a wonderful name!"
"So... you're saying I'm going to be the one who named him?"
Seeing their determination, Jiraiya chuckled nervously, both excited and uneasy, his usual carefree air returning. "But... can someone like me really do that?"
For a moment, doubt crept into him.
"It's precisely because it's you, sensei, that it must be so."
Minato's voice was resolute.
"When speaking of a truly great shinobi with real ninja spirit, there is no one else but you."
Such genuine words left Jiraiya speechless.
This Minato kid... really!
"Rei, don't you also think Naruto is a good name?"
Kushina turned to Rei with an expectant look, one hand moving from Minato's shoulder to rest softly on Rei's.
"..."
Rei quickly nodded in agreement. "Mm! It sounds wonderful!"
How could he possibly say otherwise? That would mean slapping both Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato in the face!
With Rei's affirmation, Kushina's smile grew even brighter.
She could hardly wait for the day she would finally meet Naruto.
Kushina's question reminded Minato of something else important.
His expression turned solemn as he addressed his teacher. "Sensei, there's another matter I'd like to ask of you."
Jiraiya's eyes shifted briefly toward Rei, as though he already had a hunch. "It's about this child and Tsunade, isn't it?"
Minato smiled, acknowledging it with a nod. "As expected of you, sensei."
"Rei possesses the Wood Release bloodline. Her mother was of the Senju clan. It's very possible she shares blood ties with Lady Tsunade..."
Minato's gaze fell upon Rei. He paused slightly, his tone softening. "This child has no other family left. She wishes to meet Lady Tsunade."
Rei: "..."
No, he didn't.
But when Jiraiya's eyes turned to him, Rei immediately put on a cautious yet hopeful look.
Jiraiya nodded without hesitation. "All right! Leave it to me!"
This visit had already been for the sake of Kushina's pregnancy and to congratulate Minato on becoming a father. Jiraiya, ever the wanderer, couldn't remain in Konoha for long. After seeing Minato and Kushina, he was planning to leave again.
"I'll tell Tsunade, don't worry."
No one knew Tsunade's whereabouts better than Jiraiya.
Even if she constantly changed her location, he could always find her.
"I'm counting on you."
Minato and Kushina had Jiraiya stay for dinner.
But after the meal, despite their attempts to make him stay longer, Jiraiya resolutely left the village.
After sending him off, Minato placed a large hand gently on Rei's head, ruffling it.
"Don't worry. It won't be long before we hear word from Lady Tsunade."
"Be patient."
Listening to Minato's comfort, Rei: "..."
He wasn't impatient at all.
Who exactly was the one in such a rush here?
Rei's eyes shifted toward Kushina's belly, which was growing larger by the day.
The time for her delivery was drawing closer.
Back in his room, just like the previous night, Amamiya Rei tallied the gains from his afternoon's work at the hospital.
His Sunlight Value had increased to 15,020 minutes, and his chakra reserves had grown to 160,000.
In addition, his Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique had finally been collected in full—ten copies in total.
Most of the skills he had drawn that afternoon were variations of Great Fireball Technique. Lucky, yet unlucky.
Rei immediately upgraded his Great Fireball Technique to its third version.
***