บท 54: 54. Family
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"I'm back!" Naruto exclaimed as he pushed open the door, followed closely by Jiraiya.
Kushina came to greet him, her eyes widening in surprise. "Welcome back... Jiraiya Sensei?"
"Yo, sorry for intruding!" Jiraiya greeted with a wide grin.
Kushina asked curiously, "How did the two of you meet?"
Naruto began to answer casually, "Well, on my way back, I ran into this girl—"
But before he could finish, Jiraiya quickly covered his mouth, smiling nervously. "Haha, nothing to worry about. We just happened to bump into each other. I recognized Naruto right away as Minato's son and decided to come along."
"Really~?" Kushina eyed him suspiciously.
"Yeah, yeah, that's exactly what happened!" Jiraiya nodded vigorously, pressing down on Naruto's head.
"Mmmph!" Naruto struggled to break free, grumbling, "Pervy Sage, that's enough!"
"Alright, alright, come inside," Kushina sighed, already familiar with Jiraiya's antics. She led them in, adding, "Minato will be back soon. Have a seat and some tea."
As Kushina turned to prepare the tea, Jiraiya pulled Naruto aside and whispered, "Naruto, could you, uh, forget about that little incident? It's kinda embarrassing."
Naruto looked unimpressed. "Didn't you say you were just gathering 'research material'? Now you're worried about embarrassment?"
'Embarrassment? More like self-preservation! If Kushina found out, especially given her friendship with Tsunade, I'd be in serious trouble.' Jiraiya rubbed his ribs, recalling past pains.
Of course, he couldn't say that out loud. "Anyway, if you keep quiet about it, I'll teach you a super cool jutsu!"
Naruto scoffed. "Jutsu? I could just learn something from Dad."
"This one is different! My *Art of the Raging Lion's Mane* is unique, and no one else in the entire ninja world can do it!"
Naruto shrugged. "I'm gonna take a shower." As he walked away, he muttered to himself, "But that hair jutsu does sound kinda interesting."
As he imagined it, Naruto could see his yellow hair growing longer and shining with a golden light, powered by Kurama's chakra. "Hah, I'd look like a Super Saiyan!"
After his shower, Naruto returned to find the table full.
"Dad, Kimimaro, Kakashi-sensei, good evening!"
"Good evening," Kimimaro and Kakashi replied in unison, one with cool detachment, the other with his usual laid-back demeanour
"We were just waiting, Minato said, beckoning him to sit down as they all began to eat.
Minato and Jiraiya soon fell into conversation. "So, Sensei, what brings you back today? I've sent messages through the toads multiple times."
Jiraiya chuckled. "Ah, there were always reasons..."
Naruto rolled his eyes. *Reasons,* sure. Probably just chasing after Orochimaru and gathering more 'research material.'
"I can't believe Naruto's grown up so much," Jiraiya mused. "And you even adopted a child."
Minato smiled proudly. "Kimimaro is a great boy. His strength and character are almost flawless."
Kimimaro nodded modestly. "Thank you for the compliment."
Jiraiya, too, was impressed. "He's very polite. A good kid indeed," he said, shooting Naruto a pointed look.
Naruto rolled his eyes again.
Unaware of the tension, Minato asked, "So, how's Naruto's ninjutsu training coming along?"
"He's doing alright," Naruto answered. "My *Kagura's Mind Eye* technique has improved a bit. The *Flying Thunder God* is still tough—I feel like I'm just a step away. I also want to learn a more powerful water-style jutsu."
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Kagura's Mind Eye? What's that?"
"It's a sensory technique," Kushina explained. "Naruto likes to call it that because he says it's like having a mini-map in his head."
Jiraiya blinked in surprise, then laughed. "As expected of your son, Minato."
"Hahaha, right? I always knew Naruto inherited my talents." Minato beamed with pride.
Jiraiya choked. 'That's not quite what I meant...'
"Sensei," Minato began, "I was thinking of teaching Naruto the *Summoning Technique*. It's a type of space-time ninjutsu, and it might help him."
If it was just a simple summoning, Minato wouldn't have mentioned it. Jiraiya knew he was talking about the Toad Contract with Mount Myoboku.
Jiraiya smiled warmly. "That's a great idea. I'll give you the scroll later so Naruto can sign it."
Minato hesitated. "Are you sure?"
"Of course! You're my most talented student. It's about time."
"I won't let you down."
Suddenly, Naruto remembered something. "Oh, Dad, what happened with Zabuza and Haku?"
Minato answered, "They're in Konoha. Their movements are restricted for now, but I'll figure something out."
Kushina pretended to be angry as she turned to Kakashi. "Speaking of which, Kakashi, how could you have Naruto and his classmates face someone as dangerous as Zabuza while you only dealt with Haku?!"
Kakashi scratched the back of his head, his face half-hidden by his mask. "Well, at the time, those three kids insisted on going after Zabuza... I didn't have much of a choice."
"Have you been slacking off again?"
"No!"
"Then why does Kakashi always read those trashy books by certain trashy authors?"
Kushina glared pointedly at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya paused mid-bite. 'Is she talking about me? My fan just got roasted. Should I step in?' But one look at Kushina's fiery red hair made him reconsider. 'Sorry, Kakashi, you're on your own.'
Kakashi stammered, "Well... I've been working on new jutsu. Sometimes, reading helps me relax and... inspires creativity! Yeah, that's it."
The famed Copy Ninja of Konoha, stuttering and stumbling over his words, was a rare sight. He'd rather face an Akatsuki member than endure this lecture.
"Is that so?" Kushina's tone was sharp. "Well, I've decided. When your team isn't on a mission, you'll be training with us!"
"Uh, yes ma'am," Kakashi replied weakly, the food suddenly tasting bland.
Naruto snickered at Kakashi's plight.
He nudged Kimimaro, "How are your teammates these days?"
"Same as always," Kimimaro replied. "Recently, Gai-sensei brought his new student to meet us. Have you ever seen five people, all dressed in green, hugging each other and shouting about youth? It's... disturbing."
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