A familiar, slightly menacing voice cut through the restaurant:
"Oi, Jiraiya—who're you calling a 'monster power woman'?"
Jiraiya nearly choked on his drink, eyes going wide as Tsunade strode in—side by side with Shiki.
Of all times, why did she have to show up now?!
Tsunade crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let that one slide. But next time I hear something like that…"
She cracked her knuckles for emphasis. "You're getting decked, got it?"
Jiraiya bobbed his head like a terrified pigeon. "Crystal clear, Tsunade! Not a word, I swear!"
Too lazy to deal with him further, Tsunade simply sat down at the table beside Shiki.
"Long time no see, Kushina!"
Tsunade, as the granddaughter of the First Hokage, had a close bond with Kushina—descendant of Uzumaki Mito, the original Nine-Tails jinchūriki.
Kushina's eyes sparkled. "Tsunade-neesan! You look gorgeous tonight!"
Tsunade's expression softened at the praise.
But when Jiraiya piped up—"Yeah, you really do look beautiful, Tsunade!"
she shot him a glare sharp enough to make even Orochimaru flinch.
"Complimenting me in front of my boyfriend now? You want to die?"
Jiraiya slumped, defeated. "Right, right… my bad…"
Why is it so hard to just have a normal meal around here?
Kushina, ever the peacemaker, turned to Shiki. "So you're Shiki? I've heard all kinds of rumors!"
Shiki smiled politely, but his attention lingered on Kushina's bright red hair and the swirling chakra within her—undeniably the Nine-Tails sealed inside.
She really was Uzumaki Mito's successor.
Tsunade noticed him staring. "What, is she that pretty?" she teased, poking Shiki's side.
Shiki just waved it off. "You're overthinking it. I just sensed some… intense chakra from Kushina-san, that's all."
Kushina laughed. "That's a first! Not everyone can sense Nine-Tails inside me, y'know." (PS: Kurama grinning wickedly JPG)
Minato looked genuinely impressed. "So that's the famous Golden Lion perception. Amazing as always."
Shiki grinned and looked Minato in the eye.
"Yeah, just like I could always sense there's been a certain… mouse hanging around my place lately."
Minato froze, the color draining from his face.
No mistaking it...Shiki had caught him red-handed.
Tsunade sat up straighter. "Wait. Someone's been spying on our house?! Why didn't I notice anything?"
Shiki smirked. "Guess your sensory skills aren't quite there yet, Tsunade."
She scowled at him, fist clenching under the table.
Is he looking down on me right now?
But she let it slide. For now.
"It's seriously annoying! Only the Third Hokage would be paranoid enough to have us watched…" Tsunade muttered.
"So why didn't you do something about it?" she demanded, glaring at Shiki.
Shiki shrugged. "I was planning to deal with it tonight, actually. But since we ended up here, I let the 'mouse' off for now."
Minato coughed awkwardly, eyes darting away.
Does he know it was me? There's no way… right?
Kushina noticed her boyfriend's unease and leaned in. "Minato? Everything okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, nothing wrong!" Minato replied, forcing a smile.
Honestly, he was just glad Jiraiya had called everyone together—at least it gave him an excuse to stop his surveillance for the night.
Jiraiya, meanwhile, just wanted the awkwardness to end.
For all his usual cheer, he understood the darkness behind Konoha's politics—he just preferred to look the other way.
Maybe it's time to hit the road for a while…
He shook off his brooding and raised his glass.
"All right! Enough with the drama. We're all here, so let's celebrate!"
Everyone relaxed as the drinks began to flow, the atmosphere finally turning warm and lively.
Minato let out a quiet sigh of relief as Shiki didn't press the issue any further,
and soon he and Kushina joined in the laughter and conversation.
Kushina happily chatted with Tsunade about life, training, and what it was like to have a boyfriend who was actually stronger than she was.
The night went on, full of good food, laughter, and the kind of camaraderie that, for a moment, made everyone forget the shadows outside.
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