Chapter 159 Kushina

Konoha Village, BBQ Q's establishment.

"Hey! Obito! Do you have any objections to my arrival?"

A figure with long red hair, tall and slender, hooked her arm around the neck of the short Obito, gradually tightening her grip as she asked 'gently'.

"You should know, the reason I graced you with my presence is because of Rin!"

"You clumsy fool, you don't have that much face!"

"Ah! Let go, you're going to strangle me to death, you violent maniac! I don't understand why someone as gentle as Minato-sensei would like a violent woman like you~"

"What! I didn't hear that clearly, say it again?"

As she said this, the red-haired woman didn't loosen her grip; instead, she tightened it even more.

The defiant boy before her was being strangled even tighter.

"Kushina-san, don't be so angry. Obito didn't mean it~"

Seeing this, Rin Nohara quickly stepped in to mediate, pleading for her reckless companion.

She didn't understand why, though Kushina clearly cared about Obito, their conversations always ended up like this. 

This was probably their special way of communicating!

"Rin, you're the best. So cute and understanding, come here..."

Saying this, Kushina, the mother of the future protagonist, bearing the nickname 'Red-Hot Habanero', let go of Obito's neck and hugged Rin, giving her a peck.

At the same time, she muttered, "This fool, always focusing on the wrong things, must be causing you so much trouble!"

"If only he could be half as smart as you, Rin, he wouldn't worry us so much~"

"Hah! I'm going to be the future Hokage, Uchiha Obito, who needs your worrying!"

Thud!

"Ah! It's happening again, I'm not surprised!"

"You really are a violent woman~"

Holding his head, which had just taken a serious blow, Obito cried, still not forgetting to accuse her of her brutality.

"Hah! You clumsy, foolhardy brat, say that again if you dare..."

Entering the private room, Toshirou was greeted with this comedic scene, leaving him somewhat speechless.

At this time, Kushina was just in her early twenties, with a temper quite characteristic of the Uzumaki clan – fiery and irritable.

Of course, this couldn't be separated from Obito's penchant for trouble!

Although Kushina was often scolding him, deep down, she was sincerely concerned, fearing that his reckless nature and tendency to show off might get him injured on the battlefield.

She often disciplined him, hoping he would learn to be more careful.

Though his personality flaws were obvious, his sincere dedication to the village, ninjas, comrades, and Hokage made it hard for anyone to truly dislike him.

This made her very worried, fearing that one day she would receive news of his death.

"Ah! Toshirou-senpai, you're here too!"

"Take a seat, we've been waiting for you..."

Noticing the door open, Rin saw Toshirou arrive and quickly greeted him.

Surprised by the people present, he hadn't expected even their teachers and their spouses to join them.

Taking a seat, Tou-shirou greeted Minato Namikaze and Kakashi Hatake.

As for Obito and Kushina, they were still confronting each other, forehead to forehead, refusing to back down~

Totally unaware of Toshirou's arrival...

"Sorry about this! Kushina isn't usually like this~"

As Kushina's boyfriend, Minato Namikaze quickly spoke up, trying to salvage his girlfriend's image.

He spoke while laughing awkwardly, knowing well that the current scenario wasn't exactly persuasive...

"No worries! Seeing Kushina-senpai caring so much about Obito is reassuring~"

He hadn't expected that a simple gathering would bring out both Kushina and Minato.

While chatting with Minato Namikaze, he glanced at Kushina's red hair, marveling at how striking it was, just like in the TV show, almost painfully red!

"What're you staring at!"

"Hmph! Do you have a problem with my red hair too?"

Miffed by Toshirou's attention to her hair, Kushina Uzumaki expressed her dissatisfaction.

Sensitive about her Uzumaki traits, just a glance caught her attention.

Without sensing any malice, she let it slide with a verbal jab but was mentally prepared to teach a harsh lesson otherwise.

"Didn't expect an Uzumaki princess to honor us with her presence~"

"Apologies earlier, I was just reminiscing about something!"

"Hmph! Smart of you to explain yourself!"

With Minato filling the emotional gap, Kushina wasn't as sensitive as before and dropped the matter as Toshirou explained himself.

Her usual temper would have led to a different outcome had this happened earlier.

"Since everyone's here, let's begin!"

Relieved that Kushina didn't blow up, Namikaze Minato interrupted the rowdy pair.

Their attendance at the gathering was an accident.

When Rin informed Minato of the event after a mission, they hadn't planned to join.

Yet, excited by the chance to unwind, especially Kushina who felt stifled in Konoha, Minato didn't stop her.

After all, as a Jinchūriki, Kushina's every outing required layers of approval, making it quite troublesome.

Her missions were considerably limited to ensure her safety.

Letting her have fun was also a way to care for her well-being.

(End of chapter)