Kushina, who had been absent for a week, finally returned to school.
This was a relief for Tatsumi and the others.
Because the brat from the Inuzuka family had finally stopped bothering them every day. Tatsumi had been extremely annoyed by the constant harassment from the Inuzuka kid, who kept subtly asking about Kushina every day. It was unbearable.
The poor Inuzuka boy had spent the entire week staring blankly at Kushina's empty seat. But telling him the truth? Absolutely impossible.
This was the first time Tatsumi had seen Kushina since she became the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki.
Kushina didn't have the signature whisker marks on her face. This puzzled Tatsumi.
Why did Naruto have those whisker marks from birth?
Kushina and Minato didn't have them.
Yet Naruto's children, Boruto and Himawari, also had them. Could it be that these whiskers were some kind of special trait of the protagonist? A seal that held some hidden power?
Just like how Kakashi's mask supposedly sealed away his devastatingly powerful "Mouth Ninjutsu"?
After class, Kushina, excited to see her friends again, turned around and greeted them.
"Tatsumi, guess what this is?" Kushina smiled, waving an opaque sealed box in her hand.
Tatsumi immediately broke into a cold sweat.
"Kushina… why would you think of making a bento?" he asked warily.
Kushina simply smiled without answering.
The story behind this went back a few days.
During one of her chats with the Nine-Tails, Kushina had unintentionally revealed that she liked someone.
The big fox had instantly perked up like a cat spotting a fish, eagerly diving into the topic of romance.
This ancient, slightly bored fox began prying into Kushina's love life while enthusiastically offering advice.
Then, last night, Kushina had consulted the Nine-Tails again.
"What now? You're disturbing me again!" the fox grumbled.
"School starts tomorrow, and I haven't seen my friends in a week. I want to prepare some gifts for them, but I don't know what to bring."
The Nine-Tails sighed and said, "Think about what your sweetheart likes and bring that."
Kushina seriously thought about what Tatsumi liked.
After several attempts, she regretfully gave up—because she suddenly realized she had no idea what Tatsumi liked.
"Then, Big Fox, help me think of something!"
"Hmph, didn't you say that Yugito and Son Gokū used to cling to you and wouldn't leave you alone? You should have plenty of experience in this area!"
"That's right!" The Nine-Tails proudly swished its massive tail.
"Since you're asking, let me think…"
And so, after much discussion, Kushina ended up bringing… this.
Tatsumi looked at the slightly blushing girl in front of him, then down at the dark, murky, unidentifiable liquid in the container.
"Are you sure this is plum juice?" he asked.
Kushina quickly nodded.
"Then what's this?" Tatsumi pointed at a yellowish object floating in the juice.
"Carrot."
Who in the world puts carrots in plum juice? Whoever taught her this should be dragged out and punished for at least ten minutes.
Tatsumi sighed. "Kushina, are you mad at me?"
"No… no… not at all…"
"It's just… I'm a little unskilled…"
Kushina also felt that the plum juice's appearance was rather unsightly, so her voice grew softer and softer.
But what could she do? This was her current skill level. Just managing to make plum juice was already a huge effort.
"I have some bandages here. You should wrap up the cut on your hand first," Tatsumi said, rummaging through his ninja bag and handing her a roll of bandages.
Kushina, who had been desperately trying to hide her fingers behind her back, stiffened.
"Don't bother hiding it. I'm not blind," Tatsumi said dryly.
He was speechless.
A small wound had been bleeding since morning? When did the Uzumaki clan's recovery abilities become this weak?
Something was definitely up. Someone had clearly been giving Kushina terrible advice.
Whoever it was… don't let me find you! Tatsumi swore to himself.
Kushina carefully took the bandages and, in her heart, excitedly reported to the Nine-Tails.
"Ohhh! It seems to be working! Big Fox, you're amazing!"
"Of course. I used this exact trick to deceive—cough, cough—never mind, let's not talk about that."
"By the way, let me give you some advice—don't let him drink or eat that thing. It's far beyond the realm of food. It should be classified as a biochemical weapon."
The Nine-Tails gave an honest, very sincere suggestion.
"What did you say?! If you keep talking like that, I won't ever undo your seal!" Kushina huffed. "Besides, it should be fine if he only takes a sip, right?"
"That depends entirely on the victim's vitality."
And so, under Kushina's complex gaze—mixed with excitement, worry, and anticipation—Tatsumi carefully took a small sip.
"How… how is it?" Kushina asked nervously.
A moment of silence.
Then Tatsumi clutched his throat and, in a weak, trembling voice, managed to croak out:
"It… tastes great!"
But his voice was completely different from before. Anyone paying attention could hear the strain in his throat.
"Quick! Minato, Nawaki, are you thirsty? There's some plum juice here," Tatsumi said, reaching out toward Minato, who was already backing away.
Minato immediately used a special evasive maneuver, dodging Tatsumi's grasp with quick side-steps.
"....."
Minato, you still claim you don't know martial arts?!
At that moment, another person approached—the Inuzuka boy.
A savior!
The Inuzuka kid's face was red as he hesitated for a moment before finally blurting out:
"Uh… K-Kushina, are you free after school today?"
He had clearly been working up the courage for a long time before suddenly shouting it out loud.
Tatsumi, caught off guard, almost choked again.
Meanwhile, every single classmate turned their heads, their gossip radar instantly activated.
Kushina, still heartbroken over her failed plum juice, had been internally discussing new strategies with the Nine-Tails.
Then, out of nowhere, someone called her name.
Startled, she looked up—
And saw an unfamiliar Inuzuka boy standing there.
I'm already feeling down, and now you're asking me out after school?!
What a joke!
This guy was the first person who ever laughed at my red hair!
Kushina's mood was already bad. There was no way she was going to be nice about this.
"Get lost. Who are you?"
"…Wow."
Tatsumi swore he could hear the sound of a heart shattering into pieces.
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