Early morning, in a secluded little courtyard of Konoha, Kushina stood beneath a large tree, tense and tiptoeing to peek through the window of the house.
Her initial inspection yielded nothing; clearly, the house's owner had plenty of experience with inquisitive girls like her.
Yet Kushina refused to give up. She had sacrificed her lie-in today and was determined not to loiter aimlessly outside.
Taking a deep breath, she smoothed her hair and adjusted the hem of her skirt. Then she approached the door, mentally preparing herself.
All right, be gentle, gentle…
Knock-knock-knock—three crisp raps joined the morning birdsong.
Seconds passed with no answer, prompting her to knock harder.
A minute later, still nothing.
Seeing the street empty, she hurried to a potted plant, dug aside the soil, and retrieved a small key. Grinning triumphantly, she unlocked the door and tiptoed inside.
The interior was immaculate. It was hard to believe it had been empty for years. Kushina felt a spark of pride—after all, she had cleaned it herself. Even her own room had never been this tidy.
Satisfied, she headed toward the bedroom. The moment she opened the door, her loudest scream of the day erupted.
"Aaaaah—!"
Two people in bed… of course not. Twelve-year-old Hayashi lacked the necessary equipment, even if his imagination tried to fill in the gaps.
Any seasoned observer knows: without understanding signals, codes, or the subtle nuances of ninja behavior, one is no true veteran.
Hayashi considered himself an experienced prodigy, but those who spammed nonsense online lacked real-life combat experience. His own record remained untouched.
So when Kushina's soprano-like scream reached him, he was utterly bewildered.
"Enemy attack—! Nawaki, Minato, get up!"
He instinctively leapt for his weapon, making Kushina shriek even louder.
A few seconds later, the reality set in: this was Konoha, no enemies, no danger… and no clothes.
A cool morning breeze reminded him he had slept in the nude—last night had been too warm. Moonlight streamed through the window, but no second pair of shoes stood beside his bed.
Realizing the situation, he yanked the blanket over himself.
"Okay, Kushina, stop yelling," he said, urgency in his voice. He had to prevent the Anbu from arriving; he certainly did not want to be taken in as a flasher on his first day back.
Peeking through her fingers to confirm he was covered, Kushina finally quieted, though her cheeks glowed a deep red.
"…Morning," Hayashi greeted awkwardly.
"Hmph," Kushina replied, yanking the curtains open and letting sunlight flood the room.
"Ah, lovely weather today," she said.
The glare made Hayashi squint as he studied her.
Off-duty, she wasn't in ninja gear: a white knit cardigan over a pink camisole, paired with a light pleated skirt. Clearly, she had dressed up.
She looked far prettier than the bedraggled girl he had known a year ago, he mused.
Startled by his own thought, he shook his head. A pure soul like mine… judging by looks? No, Nawaki and Jiraiya had surely corrupted him.
Attempting to banish the thought, he focused back on her.
Yet the Little Fox misread him. Seeing a naked, flustered boy, her cheeks flared scarlet.
Ten minutes later, Hayashi emerged from the bathroom, washed and dressed.
"So, why the early visit?" he asked, standing in the living room. He had nowhere to sit.
The room was spotless. Not a piece of furniture remained in its previous place. The once-crowded lounge now echoed emptily.
Returning yesterday, Hayashi had nearly reported a burglary to the Military Police Force—his old pear-wood table was gone!
"Sorry, Hayashi, I got carried away cleaning and… broke it," Kushina admitted, sticking her tongue out. She'd have to apologize to Mikoto later too.
"No big deal. I wanted a new set anyway," Hayashi said breezily, though inwardly bleeding—the table had been an antique.
"Anyway, why so early, Kushina?" he asked again.
After yesterday's unit return and memorial at the stone, he had been swamped and too exhausted to notice her knocking. Now it came back faintly in his memory.
"Didn't we agree to meet at eight?"
"If it's eight, why did you come at seven?"
"Well… um…"
Kushina squirmed. She couldn't admit she had been awake since six. "How was I supposed to know you sleep in the nude?"
Hayashi blushed in return.
"Wait—how did you get in?!"
The tables had turned.
"…None of your business!" Little Fox mode activated. She had secretly copied half a dozen spare keys.
She marched into the bedroom, rummaged in the nightstand, and produced a book from a hidden compartment.
"Keep asking and I'll read this with Mikoto."
A Konoha-history cover… it couldn't be.
"W-wait! That's not for girls! Hand it over!"
Why this book? Its contents were potent enough to hook even Minato. How had she found it? Not even the Anbu knew—this was Kushina's ultimate red chili pepper move: the nickname never lies.
Facing her determination, Hayashi surrendered.
"Fine, I'm coming with you—right now!"
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