AN: I promised a MinaKushi story next, and I am a man of my word goddamn it lol. I hope you enjoy.

Summary: Minato was just trying to read a book before bed, his wife Kushina however had a confession she wasn't overly keen to make about her interfering in Naruto's love life. Again. Canon!AU

Chapter Twenty Five: MinaKushi - Captain of the Ship

Minato paused briefly, his finger still tucked under the page he'd just finished reading, before turning it to continue with Jiraiya's latest action-comedy.

The distinctive sound of his wife gearing herself up for a telling off on the other side of their bedroom door did that to him.

Why she thought he was in any position to ever admonish her, he was her husband not her father, he didn't know but then again he was the only person she ever listened to when it came to her making mistakes.

Stubborn woman, no one ever had to wonder where Naruto got that from. His son was probably the single most stubborn ninja in the entire village. Possibly the most stubborn he'd ever had to deal with in his entire time as Hokage.

And he'd been Hokage with Guy and Lee under his command.

If he didn't normally put that stubbornness towards the betterment of his fellow ninja and residents of Konoha, Minato would probably have tried to nip it in the bud a lot sooner.

But given that the main reason Suna had become one of their strongest allies and young Gaara the staunchest of Naruto's personal supporters, with a singular pink haired exception of course … well, he had no regrets with letting his son be himself.

Plus it was very, very funny when Naruto would argue with his mother. The sole reason he hadn't gone entirely grey when Naruto hit his teen years was down to how amusing it was to watch them go at it.

Said stubbornness was probably the cause of whatever had his wife chuntering to herself outside her own bedroom. At midnight.

The fact that her tone was still quite light meant she hadn't got to her truly adamant defence for excusing whatever she'd done yet. And he'd really rather not wait for his show tonight, Naruto had a mission in the morning and he wanted to take him out for breakfast and give him a final debrief before he went.

It may only be a simple undercover/escort mission for the daimyo's youngest son and new bride, but you never did know what was going to happen.

Plus it was tradition and he wouldn't see his son for at least a month. Noble honeymoons tended to last a lot longer than other people's after all.

And he really wanted to finish the chapter of his book. His old sensei's move into less smutty stories had really done the man well on an artistic level. He couldn't wait to see how Tashi, the busty protagonist of the series, was going to get herself out of her current jam.

Probably with something lewd because while Jiraiya had grown … he was still Jiraiya.

But yes, he still wanted to know. It would bug him all night.

So.

'Kushina darling,' Minato called to his wife, putting a bookmark at his page and closing the cover in his lap. 'You're going to wear away the carpet if you stay out there much longer.'

'Shit!' Kushina swore under her breath.

Minato smiled fondly with a small shake of his head.

The door opened slowly and the beautiful face of Kushina Uzumaki crept around it, a 'butter wouldn't melt, honest!' smile looking so forced it was all Minato could do to not laugh at her.

She'd definitely done something then. He wondered if he could guess before she told him.

He was taking all bets it was something to do with Naruto.

'Hiii baby,' Kushina said as she slinked into the room, closing the door with one hand as she stayed facing him. The eyes he lost himself in any time they met his darted around the bedroom until they landed on his book. 'Whatcha reading?'

Two extra I's, hm, maybe it wasn't to do with Naruto. That normally elicited at least three.

'It's good, Jiraiya only gets better and better,' he replied, placing the book on his nightstand and crossing his arms. Kushina was still by the door, playing absently with her hair and that forced smile was just starting to quake. 'What did you do darling?'

A flinch nearly undid the smile but Kushina was an old hat at this game by now.

She still sucked at it but she at least lasted to him having to ask twice.

Unless it was about Naruto. That always seemed to give her some extra resolve.

'I don't know what you mean,' Kushina said, stalwart and true. Sort of.

She moved from the door with a heavy, relieved sigh, that wasn't totally for show and just a way for her to stretch and bring his attention to the way her shirt lifted and formed to her body. Which was wonderfully for the record.

His wife was beautiful inside and out and even after twenty plus years of marriage he caught himself staring at her sometimes.

So he didn't quite roll his eyes at her attempted distraction. It wasn't like the whole seduction trick didn't work on him after all. But this wasn't her fully going for it.

Kushina was not that subtle when it came to that. If his wife was going to hide whatever thing she'd done from him with seduction … she'd have mounted him already.

He just had to push a little and she'd crack. She knew whatever she'd done was wrong. She wouldn't be half-assing this otherwise.

'Uh huh,' Minato took his glasses off now, putting them on top of his book, arms folded in. 'So why did I have to break up the pep talk instead of you walking into your own bedroom?'

She'd moved to her side of the bed, pulling back the sheets to reveal her nightie and was determinedly not looking at him now he'd fully turned to face her. She perched on the bed to take off her socks and shrugged with a heavy sigh.

'I wasn't giving myself a pep talk,' she said, the sound of her belt unfastening and her jeans slipping down off to the floor almost louder than her voice. 'Your ears are playing tricks on you again. I'm the one with super hearing remember?'

'Kushina,' he said measuredly. 'What happened?'

Time to see if his hunch was right.

Kushina paused for a moment and it looked like she was about to answer but then she stood up and turned around again, only to lift her top fully off and throw it on the ground, leaving her stood by the side of the bed in just her underwear, her lustrous red hair falling down over her bare shoulders and past her waist captivatingly as always.

And that still wasn't obvious enough for how his wife tried to distract him with sex.

Which really had to be taken as a testament to how direct Kushina was. She was cocking her hip in the way that was meant to drag his attention to how easy it would be to remove her underwear and obviously thrusting her chest out so her breasts were almost in his face.

And this still wasn't her seducing him properly.

So he kept an even expression, the only tell he might be a little annoyed with his wife's antics being a slight narrowing of his eyes.

Because if he had to ask a third time …

This was definitely Naruto related. And it was probably an invasion of their son's boundary that his love life was off limits.

A boundary he'd put in place when he was sixteen and he'd started dating Hinata and Kushina had had … opinions about that.

So had Minato but he'd known better than to try and tell Naruto who to date. He certainly wasn't going to tell Naruto that he'd thought Hinata, while a lovely girl they'd known since she was a toddler, wasn't a good match for Naruto.

The poor girl was just so clearly not seeing his son as a person and more … a symbol or something. She clearly cared very deeply for Naruto, but it wasn't healthy how she took his lead on everything, even when Naruto tried to get her to make a decision of her own.

And yes, he had said as much to Kushina when his irate wife had voiced the same concerns in bed the night she'd found their teenage son in his bedroom with Hinata … ahem, sat in his lap.

And her underwear on the floor.

The argument that had come out of that between Kushina and Naruto went down in the Hall of Fame of Uzumaki arguments.

Minato had had more luck getting A and old man Onoki to not try and kill him on sight at the Kage Summit the first couple of years he'd attended, than trying to diffuse the falling out between his son and wife back then.

He'd managed it of course, peace talks were kind of his thing, but hoo boy, it had been an awkward couple of weeks in the Uzumaki household.

And even after Naruto and Hinata had broken up, because of the exact reasons his parents had warned him about, the boundary of 'don't involve yourselves in my love life unless asked' still stood strong.

And Minato had always respected it unless he thought Naruto was actively making a mistake he didn't have to and could lead to actual harm that couldn't be solved with alcohol and man to man conversations where he made sure he understood it was okay to cry.

Or you know, his son being so apparently charming he'd nearly caused an inter village incident when how the Wind daimyo's daughter made a move on Naruto while he was on a mission in the area … despite her being ten years older than Naruto and betrothed to a very short tempered lord.

Kushina wasn't quite as good at sticking to the boundary though.

Naruto had moved out mostly so he could date in private because Kushina repeatedly kept trying to point out that a certain pinkette wasn't dating anyone and maybe Naruto should try and maybe that would work out …

Kinda hard to figure things out for yourself when your mum was trying to set you up with your best friend and had been doing so since before you really understood what love was.

The fact that the pair of them were clearly in love with each other was irrelevant. Minato had lost count of the number of times he'd had to remind his wife she couldn't make the two idiot kids wake up and notice they'd be perfect together.

And with the reminder of that in his mind he met his wife's suggestive gaze, sinful smile and all, and waited.

And then he waited a little more.

A little more.

And then finally.

'Okay fine!' Kushina shouted exasperatedly, throwing her hands up before crossing her arms across her chest as she glowered at the bed. 'I had to go and marry a man who isn't a pervert didn't I? Nearly any other man would have forgotten his name the second my top came off.'

Kushina kicked the air in frustration. 'But noooooo, I had to choose a good man! Ugh!'

Minato swallowed a chuckle. 'Please don't take my ability to not turn into goo just because you're barely dressed as a comment against how much I would gladly help you take off the rest of your clothes darling.'

She stuck her tongue out at him. 'No, only husbands who let their wives hide the bad thing they did with seduction get to take off clothes.'

'Uh huh,' Minato said, quirking an eyebrow and smirking. 'So you did do something wrong then?'

Kushina grumbled before deflating and looking somewhat forlornly at him. 'Yeah. But well, I have a reason this time! And I was still respecting Naruto's thing about me not sticking my nose into his love life! This was mission related!'

'Oh?'

'Yeah!' Kushina said, crawling onto the bed, her guilt and apparent shame forgotten in the face of a chance to exonerate herself. 'So you know how Naruto's got that escort mission tomorrow?'

'Yes, escorting one of the Fire Daimyo's sons and his new wife on their honeymoon trip,' Minato said, then with a soft smile. 'Undercover I believe?'

He suddenly had a sneaking suspicion as to what his darling wife might have done. He wondered how mortified Naruto was, and how Kushina was going to react when he told her just how much he knew about the mission his son was going on.

Not yet though, his wife in just her underwear and very excited … was distracting. Just because he didn't turn into a dumbfounded buffoon just because she was nearly naked didn't mean he was completely immune to his hot wife.

'Mhmm,' Kushina nodded enthusiastically, apparently unaware that Minato's resolve to not stare at her chest was slipping. 'As a newlywed, and his teammate for this mission? The perfect, best possible option for someone to pretend to be his brand new wife?'

He had to bite the inside of his cheek not to laugh as Kushina literally bounced before him.

'It's Sakura!' the redhead grabbed him by his pyjama top, their noses so close they were almost touching. 'Mina, he's got to be undercover at a romantic vacation spot as a newlywed on his honeymoon with Sakura. Do you have any idea how perfect this is?! If it's ever going to happen, if those two lovable idiots are ever going to get their heads out of their asses, this. Is. It!'

'I know,' Minato said with a sly smile as Kushina pulled back and plonked herself next to him and wiggled into the mattress butt first in a happy dance.

'And it's so perfect, they're going to the hot spring resort up in the mountains, you know the one with the private bat-'

Kushina paused, and again Minato had to bite the inside of his cheek.

'Wait,' she said slowly, turning on him, kneeling, her face so close to his he could smell her breath. 'What do you mean 'I know'? How do you know?'

He stole a quick kiss that blossomed a momentarily face-splitting smile from Kushina, she loved when he did that, but her curiosity was stronger than her favourite kind of kisses.

'I'm waiting Minato,' Kushina said when he didn't answer. 'How do you know?'

'You darling, still owe me an answer to what bad thing you did,' he countered simply, never wavering under the intensity of his wife's gaze. A stare that had made weaker men crumble to their knees and beg for forgiveness. 'You tell me that, and maybe, maybe, I'll tell you how I know about Sakura being Naruto's partner for his mission.'

Her eyes narrowed and she rocked back, sitting on her heels. The image really quite something. Minato was glad the covers were already over him if he was honest.

'Okay,' Kushina said slowly, still watching him before sighing. 'So I may have gone round to see Naruto, I know you boys like your pre-mission breakfast so I didn't want to intrude there, also be kinda weird to give my adult son a box of condoms at Ichiraku's.'

His eyebrows shot into his hair. 'You did what?!'

Kushina blushed, hard and glared. 'They're going on a romantic trip, playing as the married couple they should be, having to share a room and a bed and to keep their cover at least have to pretend to … well … um … make like married couples do! And if something were to happen, well do you want a grandchild to come out of this escort mission? Huh?! Stop laughing I'm right!'

At least that's what he assumed his wife was shouting at him as Minato crumpled in half and cackled into his knees as he gripped at his sides.

'Stop laughing at me!' Kushina shouted again, her face the picture of a grumpy toddler stomping their foot. 'There is an honest to gods' chance that they're going to … Gods you know what I'm trying to say, and besides! This was definitely mission related! I'm not in the wrong here!'

Air struggled to get back into his lungs before being expelled again as Minato slumped back into the headboard, his ears starting to ring as tears beaded down his cheeks and his mouth started to hurt.

'Okay fine! I shouldn't have done that but it's far from the worst thing I've done,' Kushina said, her voice taking on a note of contrition. 'Now tell me how you know Minato, or I'm going to sleep in the spare room.'

Minato took a couple of deep breaths, pointedly not looking at his pouting almost naked wife as she knelt grumpily in the middle of their bed. She was still blushing profusely when he was able to breathe normally again.

'Ohhhhh, phew, okay, okay,' he said, waving at his wife to come closer. 'I'm sorry darling.'

'Hm.'

She frowned hard at him, and recrossed her arms across herself.

'Kushina,' he said, a laugh threatening to bubble out past his lips as the woman in her forties continued to pout at him in her underwear. 'I'm sorry for laughing, you're right, that wasn't the worst thing you've done.'

'Hm.'

Minato shook his head and really had to try not to laugh. Especially when the second 'hm' had been accompanied by her turning her head to the side and scrunching her eyes closed.

'You're a wonderful mother and wife and Naruto and I are lucky to have you looking after us as you only interfere because you have our best interests at heart.'

Kushina cracked an eye open at him. 'And?'

'And your ass is amazing.'

She nodded and crawled closer to him on the bed, flopping down next to his side and cuddling in. 'So go on, how do you know about Naruto and Sakura's mission?'

'I'm Hokage dear,' Minato said with an overly dramatic sigh, which made Kushina roll her eyes and laugh.

'You don't even give out the missions anymore, you use Ebisu to do it.'

'Yes well,' Minato scratched his cheek and grinned. 'This was a special mission. There's been rumblings from their sources of a possible threat to the daimyo's family's lives recently.'

She ducked her head to the side in assent. 'Makes sense, and given its undercover the fewer people who know the better.'

Minato simply nodded.

'And you chose Naruto because you sending your son is a sign of how importantly you take his family's safety.'

Again he nodded, smiling slightly.

'And as it's undercover and Naruto has my temper, you have to send the only person who effectively calms him down as his partner, so Sakura.'

'Mhmm,' Minato smiled just a bit bigger. 'And Shiro and Mieko have always had something of a soft spot for Sakura, so it works as double positives to send her along with Naruto to look after them on their honeymoon.'

Kushina nodded and frowned thoughtfully before it deepened and she narrowed her eyes.

He merely smiled at her some more.

'They're escorting Shiro and Mieko?'

'Yup.'

'On their honeymoon?'

'Uh huh.'

'Despite the fact that they've been married for five years and they've already been escorted on a honeymoon. By Kakashi and Anko.'

'Were they?' Minato asked, leaning over to pick up his book and glasses again. 'Weird that.'

He had already opened his book to his page but before he could continue reading Kushina put her finger over the seam in the middle. He looked up to see his wife leaning over him and staring straight at him, a ghost of a smile over her beautiful face.

'They didn't request an escort at all, did they?' Kushina smirked. 'You, my devious husband, called in a favour.'

Minato gasped in mock horror. 'Why Kushina, would I do that? Me?'

Her smirk was infectious though and Minato was soon smiling just as widely back at her.

'The fact that Shiro and Mieko are both known to ask whether Naruto and Sakura have woken up and admitted they're in love with each other has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that they're going on another honeymoon, to the most romantic resort in all of Fire Country. And need an escort.'

'Uh huh,' Kushina shook her head. 'What I want to know is how you think Sakura's going to miss the clear hint that something's up. Naruto's still not learned the names of the nobles, I think he could be Hokage and still refer to the wizened old man as a fossil to his face. But Sakura?'

Minato would admit he'd had more concerns about pulling one over on Sakura than his own son, but all the same. He'd thought of a work around on that.

'Not saying I set this up,' Minato said conversationally, pretending to go back to reading his book. 'Because that would be an invasion of our son's privacy and wishes to make his own stupid decisions.'

'Uh huh,' Kushina said amusedly.

'But if I were behind this …' he said. 'I would have neutralised Sakura's incredible intellect with a very simple trick. Making it so the very last thing she would possibly think about was how it was weird an already married couple were pretending to be newlyweds.'

'You recruited Ino.' She grinned.

He smiled back impishly. 'I recruited Ino.'

Kushina let out a bark of a laugh.

'Oh and I sent a messenger ahead to the resort to book out every possible free room under multiple fake names.' Minato closed his book again and watched as Kushina rose to her knees and tied up her hair in a long ponytail. 'Leaving only the most romantic of rooms left, which their cover requires them to stay in to sell properly.'

Amusement twinkled in his wife's eyes.

'You know, just to be sure.'

Kushina blew out a breath of derision and pulled the book out of his hands. 'And you tell me off for involving myself in Naruto's love life.'

'I have no idea what you're talking about.' Minato took off his glasses and let them fall from his hand. 'I'm just making sure a very important mission is accomplished.'

Kushina tossed his book away somewhere and straddled him, his hands finding her hips on instinct, as hers cupped his cheeks and pulled him in.

'Oh shut up and kiss me.'

Minato grinned against her lips. 'Yes dear.'

AN: I'm sure more than a few of us can relate to interfering parents lol, you know I wasn't going to deny Naruto that ... privilege lol.

Also for anyone who's wondering, yes, this may indeed be a soft prequel for another story about NaruSaku. But time will tell won't it?

See you next time!