The Food Chain  

Everyone is around the same age. 

As for appearance… if Nonou didn't wear those round glasses that seal her looks, she'd indeed be quite pretty. 

But as Kushina grew older, the baby fat gradually faded, and she thought she was no less attractive than the other girl.

Regarding reputation, although Nonou only started recently, she quickly gained everyone's approval. The other waitresses didn't even resent her for being favoured by Natsuhiko, which is pretty impressive.

As for Kushina… well, she's the boss, so no one dares to give her a bad review.

So, all in all, it's a tie.

Then comes the next part...

Kushina looked down from Nonou's pretty chin and saw the tight, well-fitted waitress uniform accentuating her ample chest...

Then she looked down at her own flat, ordinary figure...

She lost.

In an instant, Kushina felt a strong sense of defeat.

Speaking frankly, she lost in the chest department, and it was a complete and utter defeat.

Feeling there was no room for improvement in that area, Kushina dejectedly walked to the bar, sat down, and ordered a drink, planning to drown her sorrows in it.

At that moment, a gentle voice sounded in her ear:

"Kushina-san."

Kushina turned her head to see a blond guy standing beside her.

"It's you, Minato-kun."

Kushina listlessly greeted him with her glass raised.

Since returning to Konoha, Minato would occasionally come to the tavern to relax, so the two had met several times.

Initially, Kushina's impression of Minato was stuck in the academy days, when he was that excellent but effeminate guy, and she didn't particularly like him.

But she later found out that on the day she was kidnapped, Minato had actually gone to rescue her as well and even unwittingly lured away a group of enemies, making it easier for her and Natsuhiko to escape.

So, although Kushina felt that Natsuhiko could have rescued her safely even without Minato, she still appreciated his kindness, and her opinion of him improved significantly.

After exchanging a few casual words, Minato scratched his head and awkwardly said:

"Um, Kushina, if you don't mind, how about playing a few rounds of Ninja Cards with me?"

It turned out he had overheard part of Kushina's conversation with Natsuhiko but missed the whole thing. He thought she was upset because she couldn't play cards with Natsuhiko, so he invited her to play instead.

He was a bit embarrassed because he always noticed Kushina whenever he came to the tavern and quickly realised she had feelings for Natsuhiko.

This naturally made Minato feel very bitter because...

He was the one who noticed her first...

They had known each other longer and and spent more time together, and he liked Kushina first.

But this realisation also made Minato aware of a problem.

Even though he had known Kushina longer, he had always just watched her from afar since their academy days.

Although he had imagined countless conversations with her in his mind, he had never actually taken any action.

Even when they graduated, he never really had a proper conversation with her.

Just like when she was kidnapped last time, even though he had the best teleportation technique, he still arrived a step too late...

To change this about himself, when he saw Kushina having a spat with Natsuhiko, Minato invited her to play cards without thinking.

However, being a kind person, he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt, as if he were taking advantage of her vulnerable moment.

He felt like his blond hair was getting even more vibrant...

But to his brave invitation, Kushina just gave him a disdainful glance and criticised:

"Sorry, I don't play cards with newbies. Natsuhiko says playing with noobs messes up your skills."

"Oh... is that so? My apologies for disturbing you."

Minato forced a sheepish smile, and after a few more awkward exchanges, he bid farewell and left.

Pfft!

Not far away, Mikoto, who was sitting beside Fugaku, idly munching on sunflower seeds, couldn't help but let out a laugh after witnessing this scene.

Actually, she had been observing her best friend Kushina's every move for a while, so she also saw the earlier conversation between Kushina and Natsuhiko.

Haha, Minato, Kushina, Natsuhiko, and that waitress—this whole chain of unrequited feelings is just too amusing.

Who would have thought that coming to the tavern to keep an eye on Fugaku would turn out to be so entertaining?

Clearly, this is much more interesting than watching Fugaku play cards for Uchiha's glory.

Unaware that his fiancée was mocking him, Fugaku had just finished a match.

He skillfully sent out a "Well played" gesture and then asked curiously:

"Mikoto, what's so funny?"

Mikoto covered her mouth, still smiling, as she looked at Kushina in the distance and replied, "I'm laughing at how Minato is so clueless and Kushina is so naive."

"If it were me, I'd never let anyone take you away so easily."

"Isn't that right, Fugaku?"

As she spoke, she affectionately reached out to hold Fugaku's hand...

But all she grasped was air.

When Fugaku heard the name "Minato," he stopped paying attention and immediately stood up, searching for him.

Recently, Fugaku had been trying to find a chance to build a relationship with Minato.

After all, not only had Minato's reputation been soaring lately, but he was also Jiraiya's disciple, the grand student of the Hokage, making him part of the Hokage lineage.

As long as he didn't meet an untimely end, Minato might not become the Fourth Hokage, but the Fifth Hokage position was very likely his.

Though Fugaku harboured some thoughts about becoming Hokage himself someday, it didn't stop him from investing early in those with potential.

Just like with the Uchiha Sho incident.

He didn't oppose Natsuhiko for the sake of the Uchiha's name but instead sincerely befriended him. Now, he was reaping the first rewards of that friendship, as relations between the Police Force and the village had improved significantly.

So, ever since Minato returned to Konoha, Fugaku had been looking for an opportunity to connect with him but hadn't found one yet.

Upon hearing from Mikoto that Minato was also in the tavern, Fugaku immediately thought of using Ninja Cards as a common interest to strike up a conversation with him.

Even if the Fourth and Fifth Hokage roles are unlikely to be filled by a Uchiha, by the time the Sixth Hokage comes around, surely someone with the Sharingan would become Hokage.

If he could build a good relationship with Minato and get the most suitable Uchiha candidate into Minato's team when he became a sensei, making a Uchiha Hokage might not be impossible.

Soon, Fugaku spotted Minato among the crowd with his tall figure.

"Mikoto, wait here, I'll be right back."

Leaving that brief remark, he didn't wait for her response and strode toward Minato.

Plop.

A sunflower seed fell to the ground.

Mikoto stared in shock at Fugaku, who had just invited Minato to play cards, utterly bewildered.

How did the joke she just watched unfold end up happening to her?

It turns out she was eating the melon only to find herself in the middle of it!

To top it off, Kushina had also noticed and witnessed the whole scene from across the room.

Thus, Mikoto and Kushina's eyes met, both speechless.

One had her crush follow another woman.

The other had her fiancé follow another man.

For a moment, it was hard to tell which one of them had it worse...

P.S

Advance 70 Chapters are up on my Patreon.

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