The next day arrived at the Ninja Academy. Before the morning lessons began, Iruka Umino stood before the class and informed the students that Kota and his two companions had officially dropped out. The news was met with complete indifference. Nobody in the room cared about their departure. The three of them held a very poor social standing among their peers. Kota was known for bullying classmates, Tetsuo was a bully simply by association, and Yukio was always filled with a deep sense of malice. Within the classroom, almost everyone except Shinnosuke, who was the son of the Hokage, had been harassed or intimidated by these three to some degree. The students remained silent, but not applauding in celebration was already giving Iruka Umino enough Face.
It feels so refreshing without those annoying guys getting in the way. Kushina chuckled softly as she spoke. She was lazily slumped onto her wooden desk, tilting her red head to look over at her friend. Minato, your main body actually came to school today too.
I can't help it, especially after what happened recently. Minato offered a helpless smile in return. His public expression was one of gentle warmth, though his mind remained sharp and calculating. In reality, he was here because his primary focus was currently on Cultivating Nature Transformation. His previous claims of Cultivating Light Release were originally just a convenient excuse to hide his progress. The true strength of a Devil Fruit is directly related to physical fitness. Although his Pika Pika no Mi powers served as his main combat method, it was not the specific skill he needed to be Cultivating at this particular stage of his development.
The most crucial reason for his presence was that if he did not come to school, he would find himself entirely alone at the house during the day. Both Nawaki and Kushina were required to be at school for their lessons. Although Tsunade had not been sent on any high-ranking missions recently, she was far from being completely idle. Besides helping out at the local hospital, she occasionally went to spend time with Uzumaki Mito. Furthermore, as a high-ranking Jonin, even during periods without active missions, she was required to sit in the Jonin standby area every single day. This was the official setting where shinobi like Kakashi and Asuma often chatted during the Chunin Exams.
When you coupled those duties with her responsibility of picking up and dropping off Minato, as well as going grocery shopping with him, she had not visited a gambling house in quite a while. It was almost as if Tsunade had entirely forgotten about her favorite hobby. Minato had not heard her mention the word gambling in a very long time.
This is great. I really wish every single day could be just like this from now on. The bright morning sunlight streamed through the classroom windows. Kushina, basking in the warmth of the sun, spoke with a lazy and content tone.
Kushina, please repeat the content I just taught to the class. The voice of Iruka Umino cut through her daydreaming. Kushina hastily stood up from her seat, her face turning a bright shade of red.
Huh? Yes. Kushina hurried to her feet and immediately shot a pleading look toward Minato for assistance. Minato, who had his arm resting casually on his notebook, subtly pushed the paper toward her so she could see his notes. Kushina subconsciously read the words written clearly on the notebook. When class is in session... you must listen carefully, okay?
Hahahahaha. Upon hearing Kushina read those words aloud, the entire class immediately burst into loud laughter. Realizing what she had actually said to the teacher, Kushina blushed even deeper. Her little Face puffed up in frustration as she glared at Minato. Iruka Umino felt his mouth twitch in annoyance. Never mind, just knowing that much is enough for now. You may sit down.
Seriously, Minato, you're being so mean to me! After Kushina sat back down, she shook her little fist at him in a playful threat. Minato simply smiled sweetly at her, though a hint of slyness flashed briefly in his blue eyes. Deep down, he also wished every day could remain this peaceful from now on.
The following period of time was exactly as the two of them had hoped. Life became peaceful and warm. Minato went to school, cooked his meals, and spent his time Cultivating every day. Kushina became like a shadow to him. Wherever the main body of Minato went, she followed closely behind. However, this unchanging and predictable rhythm of life also started making certain people watching from the shadows very impatient.
For example, Danzo was absolutely desperate to make a move on Kushina to further his own plans. However, the girl stuck close to Minato every single day, and Tsunade personally picked her up and dropped her off for school. This left the old war hawk with no opportunity whatsoever to intervene. Another example was Fugaku Uchiha. He still had not found a suitable opportunity to approach Minato without drawing unwanted attention.
Amidst this lingering tranquility, two months quietly slipped by in the blink of an eye. Sparse snowflakes began to quietly drift down from the grey sky. Under the dark cover of night, they spread a thick, white blanket of snow over the entire Village.
It's finally snowing! It was the weekend, and early in the morning, Kushina excitedly ran out into the yard. She scooped up a fresh ball of snow and tossed it high toward the sky with a laugh.
It really is snowing. Minato held a warm teacup in his hands. His legs were tucked comfortably into the Kotatsu. He felt completely at ease in the warmth. This piece of furniture was also called a heated blanket table, common in anime where a table is connected to a heavy blanket with an electric heater hidden inside. Tsunade was currently lying across from Minato. Most of her body was tucked deep under the thick blanket for warmth. Nawaki also wanted to squeeze into the small space, but due to the limited room available, Tsunade had kicked him out. He could only manage to cover his legs, just like Minato was doing.
Minato glanced over at his friend. I have another Kotatsu stored at my house, should I go and bring it over here?
No need for that! Before Nawaki could manage to speak, Tsunade quickly interjected. She seemed to think the size of this Kotatsu was just right. As for her true reason, Tsunade gently rolled over under the blanket. Her soft little foot rested, seemingly by accident, right on top of Minato's crossed legs.
Minato paused his tea-drinking motion for a split second. From his current angle, he could not see the expression on Tsunade's face. He did not know if she had done it on purpose or by mistake, but he chose not to move his legs away. Only in the depths of his heart was there an indescribable stirring of emotion.
In this kind of cold weather, one should simply drink tea and enjoy the view of the snow. If you're really that afraid of the cold, Nawaki, you should just go back to your room. Tsunade spoke in a lazy, teasing voice.
Nawaki looked over at his friend in confusion. Minato, aren't you feeling cold at all?
I'm not cold. Minato smiled back at him. He was made of light, after all. This was the natural advantage of being a Logia Type user. As long as the environment was not specifically tailored to counter his element, he would not be affected by temperature. This applied to abilities like Hie Hie, Yuki Yuki, Mera Mera, Magu Magu, Pika Pika, and Goro Goro, which all possessed extreme cold or extreme heat characteristics. Minato was not afraid of the winter because light itself possessed extremely high heat. He did not need to worry about the freezing air outside.
But Nawaki was indeed just normal flesh and blood. Since it's snowing, how about we eat something hot today? Maybe a soup pot or something similar? Minato thought for a short moment before making the suggestion.
Yay! What exactly should we eat? Hearing the mention of food, Nawaki stopped complaining about the cold and looked eagerly at Minato.
How about we try a kind of hotpot you probably haven't ever tried before? Minato asked.
Wait a moment, I'll go get a notebook right now! As soon as he heard it was something new and delicious, Nawaki rushed off to grab a piece of paper and a pen. Okay, go ahead and tell me.
I will need mantis shrimp, dried scallops, river crabs, and some seaweed. Minato began to list everything he required for the meal. This was a dried seafood base commonly used in the north in his previous life. It was incredibly delicious and perfect for cooking thin mutton slices.
Wait, are you actually used to eating sesame paste? Minato suddenly asked. Sesame paste did exist in the Ninja World, but it was usually only used for basic seasoning. The taste was often slightly off, so it would require other ingredients to adjust the flavor properly.
As long as you're the one making it, Minato, I can definitely eat it! Nawaki declared proudly while patting his chest.
Great. Go ahead and buy $3$ more catties of mutton. That should be about everything we need.
Then I'm heading out to the market! Nawaki impatiently dashed out of the warm house and into the snow.
Suddenly, the pair of soft little feet resting in Minato's lap began to move. The toes gently curled and started lightly rubbing against his stomach under the table.
Minato, come out and build a snowman with me too! Kushina called out loudly from the yard.
Minato was just about to speak when Tsunade suddenly used her toes to pinch his pajamas, gently pulling the fabric down.
I think I'll pass on the snowman. I'll just stay here and warm up with a cup of tea. I also need to start preparing the hotpot for our lunch. Why don't you let a Shadow Clone accompany you instead? Minato put down his teacup and subtly reached his left hand under the Kotatsu. He gently patted the mischievous little thing that was pinching his clothes. Only after he did that did the foot obediently let go of him.
Alright then. Kushina did not insist too much on him joining her. She knew Minato still had to cook for everyone, so she turned around and went back to playing with the Clone. Under the cover of the Kotatsu, Tsunade slightly turned her body. She glanced in the direction where Kushina had just left. For some reason, at this exact moment, she felt a very different kind of thrill in her heart.
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