"Minato came up with the idea for the picnic. If you want to join, go talk to him. I'm just handling the food, nothing else."

Takuya quickly passed the responsibility to Minato, waving at him with a smirk as he bolted away.

"Wait up!" Minato started to chase after him but found himself blocked.

"Minato, do you think I could join your picnic too? I mean, we're classmates, so you wouldn't say no, right?" Kushina smiled sweetly, but her eyes hinted at something much less friendly.

Last time, you got away, but if you say no this time... well, you know what'll happen.

Do I even have a choice? Minato thought miserably. Takuya, you traitor!

"No, no, of course not, Kushina! We're classmates, after all. You're more than welcome to join us. Trust me, Takuya's grilled meat is top-notch. I'll handle the hunting; you just enjoy the food," Minato said, patting his chest in assurance.

"Awesome!" Kushina jumped with excitement. "Minato, you're such a nice guy! Don't worry, I won't beat you up. We're classmates, after all."

Classmates? You just threatened me! What kind of classmate does that? Minato sighed internally. Well, at least Takuya's doing the grilling.

With that thought, Minato felt a bit better about the situation.

Kushina skipped home, her spirits high. "I'm a Jinchuriki, so I can't just run around wherever I want. I need to think of something... If the picnic spot is too far out, it could be a problem."

Her gaze settled on Tsunade. If I can't go alone, why not bring Tsunade along? That would solve everything!

"Tsunade, I'm going on a picnic with my classmates tomorrow. You should come with us," Kushina said with a grin.

"No way. Why would I tag along with a bunch of kids? You go have your fun, but leave me out of it," Tsunade replied firmly. She had plans for her rare day off, and they involved sleeping in, not babysitting.

Kushina wasn't surprised; she'd expected this. "Nawaki, did you know that yesterday Tsunade... mmph mmph!"

Tsunade's face paled, and she quickly clamped a hand over Kushina's mouth. If Nawaki finds out I gambled away his allowance and lost, he'll never let me hear the end of it.

"Alright, alright! What do you want?" Tsunade gritted her teeth, clearly annoyed.

Come to the picnic with me, or I spill the beans to Nawaki. Kushina's eyes sparkled mischievously as she struck her bargain.

"Ugh... fine, you win. I'll go, but you're a real piece of work, you know that?" Tsunade sighed, defeated.

Kushina flashed a victorious grin, making a playful face that only made Tsunade grind her teeth in frustration. I should spank her for this.

"You're so sneaky!" Tsunade muttered.

The next morning, Minato burst into Takuya's house, ready to confront him. "You totally ditched me yesterday!"

"Come on, don't be mad. You're the sunshine of our group; you can't get angry! The sun's supposed to warm people's hearts," Takuya teased, waving his hand dismissively. "Besides, I'm not good at saying no to girls, so I had to leave it to you."

Yeah, right! Not good at saying no to girls? Minato thought, rolling his eyes. You've turned down how many girls at school? Every single one without hesitation, and now you say you can't refuse?

"Yeah, well, I agreed," Minato said, crossing his arms, resigned to his fate. Might as well just go with it.

"Pfft!" Takuya nearly spat out his water. "You agreed?"

Seriously, dude? That's the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki! Wherever she goes, ANBU and Root Ninja follow. And you agreed?

Well, can't blame him. Minato doesn't know Kushina's secret.

"Of course I did. You know how scary Kushina can be when she's mad. There's no way I could say no to her, not after seeing her angry," Minato shuddered at the memory of Kushina's fiery red hair floating and her eyes blazing with rage.

"...Yeah, I guess you're right," Takuya conceded. Running into Kushina now would mean getting your butt kicked.

Minato sighed, pulling Takuya to his feet as they headed out. "Alright, enough shock. I'm not like you and Kushina, with all that chakra. I still don't get how you two are so strong."

"Let's get moving. We don't want to be late and keep the ladies waiting, right?"

After buying all the ingredients, the two headed to the school entrance. From a distance, they could already see Kushina's red hair and a blonde woman looking rather impatient.

Whoa! Tsunade? She's here too?

"Am I seeing things? Maybe you should pinch me," Minato muttered, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

"Ow!!" Minato yelped as Takuya pinched him hard, making him jump and wince in pain.

"What the heck? Why so hard?" Minato rubbed his sore arm, glaring at Takuya.

"You asked for a pinch, so I made sure it hurt enough to feel real," Takuya replied with a smirk.

But you didn't have to pinch that hard! Minato thought, feeling a mix of annoyance and resignation.

"Takuya, Minato!" Tsunade and Kushina noticed them, and Kushina ran over, waving cheerfully.

Tsunade trailed behind, looking utterly uninterested. I'm only here because of Kushina's blackmail.

Just act like I'm invisible, Tsunade thought, her shoulders slumped in defeat.

Tsunade crossed her arms, and Takuya, noticing her mood, made sure not to stare too long. Better not risk a punch from her. I've heard the stories.

He deliberately lagged behind a bit, giving Tsunade her space.

"Today, I'm with Kushina, so you guys can head back and tell the old man not to bother me," Tsunade ordered the hidden ANBU.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade," the ANBU replied, not daring to argue with her. If Tsunade was in charge, they were off the hook. They'd just report back to the Third Hokage.

They arrived at a familiar spot by the river, where they had often gone for picnics. Minato immediately dashed into the woods.

"Take a break; I'll handle the hunting," Minato called out.

Takuya didn't expect Tsunade or Kushina to do any work, so he grabbed a kunai and started chopping firewood.

"You have Uchiha blood?" Tsunade asked directly, not bothering to hide her curiosity from Kushina.

Takuya looked up from his fire-making. "Yeah. My mom wanted me to go back to the Uchiha clan and even change my last name, but I'm not interested."

"Why not?" Kushina asked, genuinely curious. "With your talent, wouldn't joining a big clan mean better training opportunities?"

Among their peers, Takuya was top of the class, even slightly ahead of Minato. The teachers saw him as a true prodigy, which is why they often turned a blind eye to his daydreaming in class. Good grades came with privileges, after all.

"I don't really like the Uchiha vibe. Maybe I'm just too stubborn," Takuya said with a self-deprecating smile. "And honestly, they didn't really want me there anyway. Why should I beg to join them?"

Wow, that's some serious backbone, Tsunade thought, her opinion of Takuya rising a notch. If they don't want me, I don't need them!

"You've got guts, but you're giving up a big opportunity," Tsunade remarked, impressed despite herself.

They don't want me? Well, I don't want them either! Takuya thought defiantly. Who says I need the Uchiha to survive?

"Won't it be hard to learn new jutsu?" Tsunade asked, knowing that as a non-Uchiha, Takuya would have to rely on mission rewards to learn new techniques unless he found a mentor willing to teach him.

"I'll manage. Things will work out," Takuya replied confidently.

If I can't make it with all the cheats I've got, then nobody else has a chance.

The Uchiha? Who needs them? They're just a clan that's slowly getting pushed into a corner by the higher-ups.

Don't worry, Danzo and the Third Hokage will get to you soon enough. Just wait.

"I'm back!"

A short while later, Minato returned with two rabbits and a small boar, tossing them on the ground before flopping down to rest. His part was done.

Takuya set to work with his kunai, preparing the meat, and soon the smell of roasting meat filled the air by the river.

Kushina's eyes lit up, and she looked at Takuya like he was a treasure. Even Tsunade, who had been grumbling about coming along, started to look forward to the picnic.

She was also starting to take more interest in Takuya himself.