"Tsunade's idea, huh?"

At the Hokage's office, the ANBU had just delivered Tsunade's message.

The Third Hokage waved his hand dismissively. "If Tsunade's with them, it should be fine. She'll make sure nothing happens. You can all take the day off."

"Yes, sir!"

The ANBU ninjas were thrilled to have a rare day off. Following the Jinchuriki around every day was exhausting, even for ninjas. No one could keep up that pace forever; even shinobi needed rest.

The ANBU had barely left when the office door swung open without so much as a knock, something that made the Third Hokage frown in annoyance. But when he saw who it was, he swallowed his irritation.

"Danzo, what do you want?" the Third asked, not even looking up from the paperwork on his desk.

As the Hokage, he was the most powerful man in the village—and also the busiest. The idea that being Hokage was easy couldn't be further from the truth; the endless stream of tasks left him with barely any personal time.

"Why did you pull the guards away from the Jinchuriki?" Danzo demanded.

"Because Tsunade is with Kushina. With her there, what's there to worry about?" The Third Hokage knew exactly what Danzo was getting at.

The Third raised his gaze to meet Danzo's. "We made a promise to Lady Mito to take care of Kushina. Don't forget what you agreed to."

"Humph, so what? If it benefits the village, why should a promise matter?" Danzo scoffed, completely unfazed. In his mind, everything he did was for the good of Konoha.

To Danzo, a Jinchuriki like Kushina should be under strict control by Root, not roaming free, going to school, getting into fights, or even going on picnics to eat grilled meat. How irresponsible!

Just as I expected, thought the Third Hokage, shaking his head. He ignored Danzo and returned to his work. There was no way he would let Danzo control the Jinchuriki. Danzo might be shameless, but the Hokage couldn't afford to be.

Besides, the Third Hokage didn't trust Root. If they tried to control Kushina and lost their grip, or worse, unleashed the Nine-Tails... That would be the end of Konoha.

"Humph!"

Realizing his proposal had once again been rejected, Danzo huffed in frustration and turned to leave.

Meanwhile, Kushina had no idea that Danzo was obsessing over her. She was too busy enjoying the grilled meat, savoring every bite.

Even Tsunade, who'd claimed she wasn't interested, was digging in with gusto, eating more than anyone else.

Minato watched the two of them eat like they were in an eating contest, smiling nervously as sweat beaded on his forehead. This food might not be enough... Do we have enough seasonings?

You think?

They're eating like there's no tomorrow!

Takuya's eyes widened as he quickly joined the food battle, while Minato, not wanting to be left out, started grabbing food too.

The small wild boar and two rabbits they had caught were soon devoured by the four of them.

Tsunade patted her belly in satisfaction. "You're a pretty good cook, kid. No wonder Kushina insisted on dragging me along for this."

Burp!

She let out a satisfied burp, to which Takuya responded with a modest nod, acknowledging the compliment without saying much more. The last thing I need is more people showing up for free meals. Cooking for a crowd is a hassle.

"Kushina, Lady Tsunade, Minato and I are heading out to train. If you two get bored, feel free to head back," Takuya said after they had rested for a bit.

He and Minato exchanged a look and then disappeared into the woods, leaving no room for Kushina to follow.

Kushina felt a pang of disappointment. She'd wanted to join them, but neither of them had invited her, and she wasn't about to impose. Ninjas don't like having their training watched—it could reveal too much about their abilities. Unless, of course, they're really close...

But it was clear that Takuya and Minato didn't see her as a close friend yet.

"You're going to end up heartbroken, you know," Tsunade said, seeing Kushina's downcast expression, feeling a mix of pity and frustration.

"What? Heartbroken by who?" Kushina blinked, confused.

Tsunade sighed, leaning lazily against a tree. "Oh, nothing. Just remembering some old memories. I'm going to take a nap. Try not to disturb me—and keep working on controlling your chakra. Don't let that thing mess with you."

With the Nine-Tails sealed inside her, Kushina had to constantly fight against its influence, especially since the Nine-Tails was always trying to corrode the seal with its chakra, disrupting her training.

Like Naruto in the future, Kushina was struggling with basic jutsu, especially the simplest ones like the Transformation Jutsu.

"Mm-hmm."

Kushina's expression turned serious as she nodded determinedly. "I won't let that big fox beat me! I'll defeat it!"

"Hey, Tsunade, can I trade some jutsu with you?" she suddenly asked.

"Jutsu?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. Doesn't the Uzumaki clan have enough jutsu? The Uzumaki's collection of sealing techniques alone was enough to make anyone's head spin. "Wait a second—you're not planning to get jutsu for that kid Takuya, are you?"

"I just want to thank him," Kushina said, clinging to Tsunade's arm and giving her the best puppy-dog eyes she could muster. "Please, Tsunade? I just need a Shadow Clone Jutsu scroll."

She'd overheard Takuya once complaining to Minato that if he could use Shadow Clones, he'd be able to improve his training much faster. Kushina had remembered that and now wanted to get him the scroll as a gift.

"No way," Tsunade flatly refused. It's only been a little while, and you're already trying to go out of your way for him? What's next?

Absolutely not. I'm against this, period.

"Twenty thousand ryo!"

When the pleading didn't work, Kushina puffed up her cheeks, holding up two fingers. "If you still say no, I'll just go to Uncle Hokage. He promised I could ask him for any jutsu I wanted."

"Hold on!"

Tsunade quickly grabbed Kushina's hand, putting on a serious face. "You can't bother the old man with something like this. He's got enough on his plate. No, I'll take care of it for you."

"Tell you what, give me forty thousand ryo, and I'll teach him myself. After all, just handing him a jutsu scroll doesn't mean he'll learn it right. He needs proper instruction, don't you think?"

Tsunade nudged Kushina with her elbow, starting to haggle. "Besides, that kid's got too much pride. If you just give him the scroll, he might not even accept it. But if I say I'm teaching him as a favor for the barbecue, it makes sense, right?"

"Forty thousand ryo—it's a fair deal."

"Well, that makes sense, but..."

Kushina felt something was off. Even if I have money, isn't she just scamming me?

Sure, I'm young, but I'm not stupid!

Tsunade wasn't sure exactly how much money Kushina had, but she knew that the village had inherited the Uzumaki clan's wealth, including a whole commercial street that was now all Kushina's property—shops, land, and everything.