"Kyosuke, what are you saying? You're not playing a prank, are you?"
After hearing Kyosuke's answer, Kushina was even more confused.
Given her relationship with Minato, she didn't believe for a second that he would ever hurt her.
Kyosuke kept a straight face, distorting the facts with total seriousness.
"My teacher usually looks so cheerful, but I didn't expect his heart to be so despicable. He's actually been secretly liking you all this time! He even plans to use your birthday as an excuse to carefully prepare a gift, just to take the chance to confess to you. This is just too much!"
As he spoke, Kyosuke shook his fist fiercely, as if he were pummeling the 'villainous' Minato Namikaze.
"You mean... you mean Minato... he... he's going to confess to me?!"
Kushina's somewhat slow-witted brain whirred for two full seconds before she finally grasped the meaning behind Kyosuke's words. Her entire face turned red down to her neck, and her voice began to stutter.
Hmph, I knew it. You two have been hooked on each other for a long time.
Beating around the bush to find out Kushina's hobbies would have been too exhausting. Kyosuke decided to cut the Gordian knot and just violently shove them toward each other; it was much more efficient.
Kyosuke gave a cold snort. "Sister, don't be fooled by his bright and handsome appearance. His schemes are unfathomable. To make sure his confession succeeds, he's actually been asking everyone around town for advice. Finally, he even targeted us, his pure-hearted disciples!"
Kyosuke sighed dramatically. "He said that from the first moment he saw you, he fell in love. He thinks of you day and night, wanting to get closer—closer and closer still. He wants to hear your voice, see your angry face, and see your beautiful smile. My god, it's just too perverted!"
While Kyosuke wove these sweet words on Minato's behalf, he stole a glance at Kushina.
Not only was her face fiercely flushed, but steam almost seemed to be rising from the top of her head.
Kushina's heart was thumping wildly. She hadn't expected Minato to say such embarrassing, romantic things. Her voice became incredibly bashful. "Yeah... it really is too... too... too perverted. What else did he say?"
Heh. A woman who says one thing but means another. Calling him a pervert while her heart can't get enough.
Having been influenced by the massive amount of romance tropes from his previous life, Kyosuke had one cheesy line after another ready to fire.
"To prepare your birthday gift, he not only spent all his savings but even borrowed money from others. A spendthrift man like that definitely can't be trusted."
Kushina's face overflowed with a happy smile as she nodded along. "Right, right, such a spendthrift. Totally unreliable. What else did he say?"
Kyosuke continued his nonsense. "He also said his dream is to become the Hokage, and then hold the grandest wedding to marry you in that capacity. He wants to protect you for the rest of your life and never let you shed a single tear of sadness."
At this point, Kushina lowered her head shyly and whispered in a soft voice, "That sentiment is nice, but really, he doesn't have to be the Hokage."
You're just afraid he won't become Hokage until his thirties or forties and you'll have to wait too long. You're quite impatient.
Kyosuke didn't expose Kushina's thoughts. He sat upright, continuing his tall tales.
"To confess to you, Teacher Minato has been troubled for a long time because he wasn't sure of your feelings. That's why he sent me as a scout to find out what you like."
Kyosuke placed a hand over his heart. "But since I'm so upright and kind-hearted, I absolutely couldn't let his 'scheme' succeed. I'm reporting him to you now, Sister, in the hope that you'll see his true colors and be very careful around him in the future."
By now, Kushina's head was buzzing. Her face was burning hot, and her chin was almost buried in her chest. Those sweet words were echoing so loudly in her heart that she barely heard the rest of what Kyosuke was saying.
Seeing that the timing was perfect, Kyosuke tentatively called out, "Mistress?"
To his surprise, Kushina actually let out a soft, subconscious "Mm."
Kyosuke's lips curled up. Mission accomplished.
After regaining her composure, Kushina looked up at Kyosuke and lightly slapped the top of his head.
"You actually betrayed your teacher. This is me teaching you a lesson on his behalf."
The slap wasn't hard at all. Kyosuke just rubbed his head and grinned.
"Hehe. Mistress, what kind of date would you like? I can pass the intel on for you and guarantee you'll be completely satisfied."
Kushina knew Kyosuke had been playing tricks on her, but she didn't care. She said bluntly, "It won't be romantic if I just plan it myself. And don't you think about slacking off either; arrange it properly for me. If I'm not satisfied, I'll have Minato train you into the ground!"
Kyosuke cried out in dismay. How had his cleverness backfired? He quickly apologized, "Mistress, I'm sorry! Just give me a hint! If I go back empty-handed, Teacher Minato won't let me off either."
Kushina turned her head away, hiding her smile. "That's your problem. Weren't you very clever when you were playing me just now? This kind of thing shouldn't be hard for you."
Without waiting for Kyosuke to argue, Kushina kicked him out the door.
Kyosuke looked at the closed door, his stomach growling loudly. He was completely speechless.
"I was really hoping to scrounge a good meal out of this. Sigh."
Back inside the house, Kushina sat dazed for a moment before suddenly clutching her head and laughing happily into her hands. "That idiot Minato is finally going to confess. What an idiot... a total idiot, hehehe."
The next day, the team gathered and reported their progress. Hearing that Kyosuke hadn't officially found out Kushina's hobbies, Minato got a bit anxious.
"There are only two days left!"
Kyosuke patted his chest, full of confidence, and leaned in close to Minato. "Teacher, although I didn't find out her exact hobbies, I did test her feelings for you. Sister Kushina absolutely likes you back."
Minato wasn't a fool. After spending so much time together, he also believed the feelings were mutual.
"But this birthday..."
"Leave it to me," Kyosuke assured him, taking full responsibility. "I guarantee your confession will be a flawless success."
Two evenings later, deep in the dense forest, a shimmering blue lake sat embedded in the earth like a gemstone.
A small wooden boat rested by the lake. Minato was waiting by the bow. Hearing footsteps, he turned his head and saw Kushina walking over with a beaming smile.
"Minato, why did you ask me to come all the way out here?"
In this highly romantic setting, Minato felt his facial muscles stiffen, and his speech immediately became clumsy.
"I, uh... I discovered there's a lake here and wanted to invite you to go boating."
Hehe, Kyosuke already told me everything. You want to go boating? Don't think I don't know exactly what you're up to.
Kushina, who already held all the cards, had an even brighter smile in her eyes as she teased him. "This place is so secluded, you won't do anything weird to me, will you? I'm just a weak little girl."
"Well, that... you see... I..."
Teased so relentlessly by Kushina, Minato stammered helplessly. He had perfectly memorized the suave words Kyosuke had prepared for him, but now his mind was completely blank.
"Haha, didn't you say we were going boating? Get on the boat!"
Seeing Minato's cute, flustered look, Kushina laughed happily and took the initiative to pull him aboard.
In the forest, Kyosuke, Kakashi, and Noriko hid in the bushes. Seeing the boat moving into the distance and the two people on it seemingly chatting and laughing, they began their phase of the operation.
Each of the three carried a large bag. They moved back and forth around the perimeter of the lake, releasing the fireflies they had gathered from within.
At this moment, the sun had just set, and the world was bathed in a hazy, romantic twilight. Fireflies danced between the lakeside and the forest like bits of drifting starlight, dreamlike and enchanting.
"It's so beautiful."
Kushina sat by the edge of the boat, her hand gently stirring the cool lake water. Watching the dancing starlight, she felt as if she were in a dreamscape. It made her forget all the harsh realities of shinobi life, leaving only the purest joy.
For a moment, Kushina was utterly mesmerized.
Seeing Kushina in such a wonderful mood, Minato summoned every ounce of his courage and took out the carefully prepared gift. "Kushina... happy birthday."