Shindai, having run away from home, was leaning against a tree in a Konoha woodland, smoking a cigarette with pent-up frustration.
"What the hell? Why do I have to sleep on the couch? Girls can sleep on the couch just fine! Sigh… Although these are minor issues, how am I going to handle my money? Since the shop belongs to The Third's clansmen, I might be able to run a tab."
"I originally planned to display dozens of puppets in the shop, but now I guess only a few will have to do. When I ask Minato-sama for reimbursement later, I should try to make a little extra profit."
Suddenly, Shindai choked on the smoke. "Cough cough… What the heck is this? This tastes awful. Whatever, last puff."
Taking one final deep drag, he flicked the butt to the ground once it burned down to his fingertips, then headed back home.
When he returned to Minato Namikaze's house, Shindai was stunned to see Hikaku Uchiha wearing an entirely pink outfit.
"You... You..."
Shindai couldn't even speak clearly. Hikaku asked nervously, "Doesn't look good?"
"Ahhahahaha!"
Shindai burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.
Hikaku stared at Shindai, puzzled by his sudden amusement.
Shindai pointed at her, laughing so hard tears came out. "You used to be that cool, arrogant girl, and all of a sudden you've turned into such a sweet little girl. This contrast reminded me instantly of the battlefield incident when Tsubaki ate the Red Pepper Maru and switched into Butterfly Mode—this chubby guy suddenly transformed into a lean version of himself. That nearly killed me laughing!"
Minato Namikaze, Pakura, and Kushina Uzumaki all had dark lines appearing on their foreheads.
Even Hikaku visibly clenched her fists.
Sure enough, this was still the same old Shindai.
"Speaking of which, who picked your clothes? They're so tasteless! How could you wear all pink like this? At least add another color or two. If nothing else, switch the butterfly on your headband to a different color!"
Minato helplessly shook his head.
Seriously, if he goes a whole day without getting beat up, his skin starts to itch.
Pakura and Kushina Uzumaki had already used the Shifting Body Technique to appear on either side behind Shindai, exuding an aura that made him shudder with fear, immediately freezing the smile on his face.
"You... What are you two doing?"
"We chose the outfit for Asu Natsuka. Got a problem with that?"
Shindai trembled slightly, quickly changing his tone. "Huh? No problem! How could I possibly have any problem? She looks absolutely amazing—so pretty!"
"Oh? That's not what you said earlier, was it? Tasteless?"
Shindai's expression started to twist painfully. "No, no, no! She's got super great taste! Seriously! You must've heard me wrong!"
"Oh? We heard you wrong? Are you saying we're deaf?"
Shindai was almost about to cry. Judging from the way Pakura and Kushina were acting, there was clearly no peaceful resolution in sight.
Pakura suddenly frowned and sniffed, "Hmm? What's that smell on you?"
Shindai's heart nearly leapt into his throat, "N-no smell at all!"
Kushina Uzumaki also leaned in to sniff, "Hmm? Smoke? Did you smoke?!"
Sweat poured down Shindai's forehead, "No, I didn't! Hey, what are you two doing? You're violating my privacy!"
Pakura and Kushina Uzumaki dug through Shindai's clothes and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.
Shindai immediately started trembling, as both Pakura and Kushina glared at him with terrifying eyes.
"So! You went out for a bit and already picked up a bad habit!"
Shindai felt like the sky was collapsing.
Shindai gritted his teeth, trying to break old habits before building himself anew, "Hey, I'm not a kid anymore. What's wrong with having a cigarette? It doesn't bother you at all!"
However, although he did break, he failed to rebuild.
Pakura and Kushina each grabbed one of Shindai's ears from either side.
"Heh, already hit the rebellious phase?"
"Looks like I have no choice but to give you a proper scolding!"
Shindai was dragged into a room.
The next moment, screams of agony came from inside the room.
"Ouch! Be gentler!"
"I'm going to resist! I really will resist!"
"I won't do it again—really, I won't!"
"It was Asuma! He corrupted me. I refused at first, but he forced me to!"
Minato Namikaze calmly took a sip of water and smiled at Hikaku Uchiha, who looked somewhat anxious, "No need to worry about Shindai. He'll get used to it. Maybe you'll even join them someday."
Hikaku felt puzzled.
Get used to it? Could someone actually get used to this?
Moreover, would she join them? That seemed impossible.
At the dinner table.
Shindai, whose head had swollen into a pig's head-like appearance, protested by stirring only the white rice in his bowl, not touching any vegetables.
"Asu Natsuka, look how thin you've gotten. You need to eat more."
"Yeah, is it delicious? If you like it, you should eat more. Let me add more for you if needed."
Pakura and Kushina Uzumaki kept adding dishes to Hikaku Uchiha's bowl.
Looking at the high pile of food in her bowl, Hikaku whispered, "Really enough, it's already very delicious."
The sound of Shindai stirring his bowl suddenly became much louder.
Kushina eyed Shindai sideways and said, "If certain people make any more noise, they can eat outside on the doorstep!"
"Hmph!"
Annoyed, Shindai let out a snort but didn't dare say anything else, and the sound of stirring disappeared.
Minato Namikaze gave Shindai a complicated and hard-to-describe look. What kind of protest was this exactly? Just eating rice without touching the vegetables—wasn't he just harming himself?
After finishing their meal, Shindai and Minato stood by the sink washing dishes, both wearing aprons.
"Why me? I didn't even get to taste a single dish! Why should I have to wash the dishes?"
Minato Namikaze handed Shindai a plate covered in bubbles and said, "Come on, stop grumbling. You know your protests won't work. You should've eaten more when you had the chance."
Shindai took the plate, gave it a quick rinse in the sink, dried it with a towel, and put it in the cupboard.
Shindai muttered at Minato, "Minato, this is all your fault."
Minato looked puzzled. "What now? Why suddenly blaming me?"
Shindai gave Minato an aggrieved look and said, "Asu Natsuka is staying at my place now. Pakura and Kushina kicked me out of my own room so Asu could use it instead. From now on, I can only sleep on the couch. Who else am I supposed to blame for this? If I blamed Pakura and Kushina, would you take the beating for me?"
"Uh... How about I just give you extra mission payment then?"
Minato knew Shindai was always short on money, so he simply tried tempting him with cash.
Shindai pouted, "How much extra could you really give per mission? Minato, how about you lend me ten million ryo instead?"
Minato glanced at Kushina Uzumaki chatting and laughing with Pakura and Hikaku Uchiha on the couch, and speechlessly replied, "Do you really think I'm swimming in money?"
Shindai almost felt suffocated with frustration, "Why is everyone whipped like this? I give up! Where did all the manly dominance go?"
A muscle twitched near Minato's mouth. He lacked manly dominance? What about Shindai?
If Shindai ever got married someday, he'd definitely be whipped too!
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