Hi, my next update...
Since Minato was busy with his team, Kushina decided to spend her day with Mikoto Uchiha and Biwako Sarutobi. Mikoto Uchiha was the wife of Fugaku Uchiha, the Uchiha clan head as well as the leader of Konoha Military Force. Biwako Sarutobi was the wife of the third Hokage. Despite them being high profiles in Konohagakure, she was pretty close friends with the two of them. She was especially fond of them as they stuck by her even after knowing her status as the jinchuriki of the 'kyuubi no kitsune' (nine-tailed fox). That was pretty privileged information very few people knew, since jinchuriki were usually disliked and feared in general. Another reason was to keep her as a trump card as well as not let the malicious higher officials to try and manipulate her to their needs.
Well anyway, she had a few close friends, and Mikoto and Biwako were two of them even if they were older than her. They were on a trip to her favorite Ichiraku ramen dining outlet that had opened up a few weeks ago. One bite and she was now an avid fan of young Teuchi's (the owner) cooking. She was narrating to them about her latest mission (the non confidential details) when they heard the exasperated cry of a familiar voice, one they knew belonged to a Toad Sage.
"How many times do I have to tell you, I won't let you sign the contract; not yet anyway. You are not ready yet."
"But when you leave off for your duties, you will leave me all alone." This was the voice of a small child, which piqued her curiosity. It was amusing; even she could tell the sniffling at the end of it was fake. Apparently the sannin had not realized that.
"Now now, pleased don't cry on me." Jiraiya said in panic. "Come on now, I told you that I would not leave you alone."
"But what if the Uzumaki lady won't like me?" the child wailed. Deciding why she had come up in an unknown conversation, she nodded at her companions and the three ladies turned around the corner. There was Jiraiya on his knees in front of a sniffing small girl, maybe four or five years old, consoling her. The girl's voice was on the verge of crying and tears were ready to leak at the brim of her eyes.
"Hey, you are Naruko Uzumaki, you declared yourself that everyone will like you!"
"Yeah" the girl nodded with her head down, "but what if she is a hag that scolds me for everything and beats me and starves me and…"
"Whoa! Stop! Halt! Why do you know the word hag?"
"I don't know what it means, just heard my Ka-chan say that to a mean woman." Then the girl gasped, "Oh no! What if she is a mean lady who take away all my chocolates, never let me have friends over, make me do all the work at home, and…" she put her hands on her chest with her face filled with horror, "What if she never lets me have ramen? Oh no, ero-sannin, you will not leave me alone with her, promise that!"
Kushina sweat dropped, while Jiraiya furrowed his brows as he folded his hands, "I am sure you are exaggerating, she…."
"And what if she is out on a mission and I am left alone in the house and some monster comes in and…"
"Stop Naruko! You will never be left alone."
"I will be allowed to make lots of friends?"
Jiraiya nodded, "You will be allowed to make lots of friends."
"I will be taught to protect myself?"
Another nod, "You will be taught to protect yourself."
"I will be allowed to have ramen?"
Jiraiya sighed as he nodded once again, "You will be allowed to have ramen."
"I will be allowed to go play around the town?"
A nod once again, "You will be allowed to play around in the town."
"I will be allowed to sign the toad contract?"
Another nod, "You will be allowed to sign the toad contract."
"Thank you ero-sannin!" The girl, Naruko, hugged the Sage, tumbling him to the ground along with her. The said sannin had just realized what he had promised.
"You cheeky brat! No you will not sign the contract till you are older and the toads accept you."
"Mou, you are mean. I want Kichi-kun."
Jiraiya pointed his finger at her, "The said Kichi-kun has to train at his home too and he lives there. He cannot be with you always…."
"Ano, that's why I need the contract, I will call him only when needed."
The sage continued ignoring her, "… and I will not even try to imagine the rain of pranks that Konoha would have to suffer with the two of you. So NO!"
Kushina sighed as they had reached them by now, "Sigh! A girl, after my own heart!"
She was stunned for a moment when the girl to look at her. She looked like a mini female version of her boyfriend, with her fair skin, blond hair and bright blue eyes. Naruko looked at the voice that just spoke, and found its owner to be a fair woman with fiery red hair, violet eyes, and a slender yet strong build. Violet eyes blinked, blue eyes blinked back. Kushina let a small smile spread over her face as she looked at the cute girl. That was all it took for the girl's face to transform into that of a wonder-stuck fan-girl with stars in her eyes.
"Kawaii! You are so beautiful!" For a moment, she returned to her normal happy mode and bowed to the two ladies on either side of her, "You two ladies are beautiful too!" and then instantly returned to her fan-girl mode again, this time with her clasped hands against her cheeks.
While Jiraiya sweat dropped at the sight, Kushina instead rushed forward and lifted the cute girl in her arms, twirling her around. Once she stopped, Naruko spoke.
"Konnichiwa! I am Naruko Uzumaki! You are an Uzumaki too right?" She did not wait for an answer, "Do you like me? Can I live with you? Are you single? Will you marry me?"
Kushina laughed at her barrage of questions, only to splutter at the end before she regrouped, "Ah! I am Kushina Uzumaki. I like you a lot. Of course you will live with me, we Uzumakis stick together. I am single." Then her face dropped, "I am sorry I cannot marry you. You see, I have my sights on a cute man."
"Does he like you too?"
"Yes, he does."
"Then why are you not married already?"
Kushina put her finger on her chin, "I wonder the same thing. Why hasn't he asked me yet?"
Naruko wailed her arms in the air in dismay, "You mean, you did not ask him either?"
Kushina panicked for a brief moment before she tried to calm the cute one, "I want to, but I also want to give him a chance first. You know, make himself feel special and all that…"
Naruko nodded solemnly, "Yes, I understand! Men are pompous, vain and self-centered."
The four women nodded at that while the lone man had a dark cloud over his head. Naruko continued, "So you cannot be my wife, will you be my sister?"
"Oh koneko! I will be your mother, sister, friend, prank partner, ramen partner…. Everything except wife."
Naruko eyes widened in joy and she hugged Kushina. Still in her arms, she turned to Jiraiya, "Can I keep her?"
The whole group laughed at the exchange while they all went to ramen stand. Kushina finally introduced Biwako and Mikoto, and they liked the child too.
================= Later that day ==================
Minato was very pleased with his team and the training they had done today. It made him proud to the see his team come from chibi genins to talented chunins. While Kakashi still retained his stiff and formal attitude, it was well balanced with joyful Obito and reasonable Rin. Now that Obito had finally awakened his sharingan, the team training took to a whole new level.
He was eager to see his love, Kushina, at home. She had been away on a mission for the last week and he was so ecstatic that she was back now. So of course, he never expected a missile to land into him the moment he stepped into his house.
"Otou-chan!" the missile shouted in joy, "I finally found you. I love you Otou-chan. How could you leave me alone all my life? I was so scared." The missile now stated sniffling.
Still in a daze, Minato gently held the child clinging to him under her arms and lifted her to his eye level. She was a cute girl, with eyes and hair similar to him. This shocked him, he never knew he had family elsewhere and what was all this about him being her father?
"Ummm…" he was still confused, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
He panicked when her blue eyes widened and she started wailing on him, "Waaaah! Otou chan does not want me. Waaaah! Onee-chan! Otou-chan does not want me! Waaaah!"
"Oh really now?" asked a hard female voice. The little girl immediately wriggled free from him and ran to Kushina, who was standing at the doorway. She looked calm and stoic. Minato gulped.
"Kushina chan, I really don't know her."
"Oh! I always wondered why you talked so fondly of that woman you met in 'Yume no Kuni' (land of dreams)."
"What dreams? I never even heard of such land!" Now he was unnerved.
"Oh you know, you said the woman made you do something you never thought of doing." She said as she walked to him, putting the kid down.
"I really don't know what you are talking about."
Now her steps became a sultry saunter, "Hmmm… I do. You said that she made you…" She leaned in whisper something in his ear, transforming the gaze of Minato from confused to allured. Looking into each other's eyes, both of them forgot about the child in the room. So they had to be awakened from their trance by her.
"Are you going to have some Kaa-Tow time?" she asked with a tilt of her head.
Kushina and Minato blushed red as they faced her, "What do you mean?"
Naruko just shrugged, "I don't exactly know what they did, but Kaa-chan and Tou-chan said that they need some Kaa-Tou time everyday and I was free to do whatever in that time as long as I did not disturb them." She said with a nod.
Minato remembered his earlier encounter, "Umm Kushina? Was this all a prank?"
The two females giggled. Finally Minato Namikaze was introduced to Naruko Uzumaki.
Coming up:- Minato going into a battle.