Kushina glared at him:
"You make it sound so easy. Having a child isn't that simple."
Gento lowered his head and kissed her on the cheek:
"It's fine, I'll work hard with you from behind."
As he spoke, his hand had already naturally taken hold of Kushina's wrist.
"Naruto will be out of school soon, I still have to pick him up, mmm…"
Kushina wanted to say more, but her lips were suddenly sealed.
…
An hour later.
Kushina sat up from the bed, reaching up to gather her disheveled red hair. A lingering blush still remained on her face.
She shot Gento a glare:
"You bastard… all you do is bully me."
Gento lay on the bed with his hands behind his head, looking at her with a smile:
"Wasn't that me feeling sorry that you were tired from moving? Helping you relax a bit."
Kushina spat lightly:
"Oh, please!"
She got off the bed and began putting on her clothes.
Just as Gento was about to say something, the system's voice suddenly sounded in his mind:
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have successfully made your partner pregnant!]
[Please protect your partner during the pregnancy. Once the offspring is successfully born, you may claim generous rewards.]
Gento froze for a moment, then a bright smile spread across his face.
Finally, it worked!
And there would even be rewards after the child was born.
During this period, he had to take good care of Kushina.
Kushina noticed his strange expression and turned back to look at him:
"What's wrong?"
Gento looked at her, smiling unusually happily:
"Nothing."
"I just thought of something that made me happy."
He got up and walked behind Kushina, wrapping his arms around her from behind, his hand gently resting on her lower abdomen:
"I'll have to work even harder from now on."
Kushina's face turned red as she slapped his hand away:
"What are you saying! Hurry up and get up, Naruto's already out of school!"
As she spoke, she had already begun straightening her clothes.
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.
The front door was pushed open.
"I'm back!"
Naruto's voice came from the entrance.
Kushina and Gento exchanged a glance, and the two quickly sped up, tidying the messy scene.
Kushina adjusted her hair in front of the mirror, making sure there were no obvious signs, before quickly walking out of the bedroom.
Gento followed behind her, casually pulling the door shut.
After Naruto changed his shoes, he just happened to see the two coming out of the room.
"Naruto, why did you come back by yourself?"
Kushina's expression was a little unnatural; after all, just minutes ago, Gento had still been holding her on the bed.
"Oh, the new house is close to the Academy, so I can come back on my own!"
Naruto tilted his little face up.
"Mom, you don't need to pick me up after school anymore!"
Naruto walked up to Kushina, then suddenly tilted his head:
"Mom, why is your face so red?"
"Are you feeling unwell?"
Kushina quickly waved her hands:
"Ah? N-no… it's nothing, maybe it's just a bit hot after moving."
As she spoke, she fanned herself with her hand, trying to prove that she was really hot.
Naruto looked at her skeptically, but his attention was drawn away by something else in no time.
He turned to Gento, his eyes sparkling:
"Uncle Gento, you're here too!"
"I want to eat Ichiraku Ramen!"
Gento smiled and reached out to ruffle his hair:
"Alright, I'll take you."
He looked at Kushina:
"Come along?"
Kushina nodded, straightened her collar, and followed the two out the door.
Ichiraku Ramen.
Seeing the three enter, Teuchi narrowed his eyes with a smile and greeted them:
"Yo, Naruto, you're here again!"
Naruto climbed onto a high stool and called out eagerly:
"Uncle Teuchi! I want a large bowl of miso ramen!"
"Got it!"
Teuchi responded and got to work.
Gento and Kushina sat on either side of Naruto.
The rich aroma of broth filled the shop.
Soon, three steaming bowls of ramen were placed on the table.
Naruto put his hands together:
"I'm digging in!"
Then he buried his head in eating, slurping loudly.
Watching her son wolf down his food, a smile couldn't help but appear on Kushina's lips.
Gento took a bite of noodles and looked at Teuchi:
"Boss, how's business lately?"
Teuchi smiled:
"Not bad. Thanks to Naruto coming by often to support me."
Naruto lifted his head, broth still at the corner of his mouth, speaking unclearly:
"Uncle Teuchi makes the best ramen!"
Teuchi laughed, wiping his hands with a towel:
"Haha, Naruto, slow down."
After finishing their meal, the sky had already darkened.
The three walked out of the shop, the night breeze slightly cool.
When they reached a fork in the road, Gento stopped:
"You two head back first, I'll go to the office for a bit."
Kushina nodded.
Naruto waved at him:
"See you tomorrow, Uncle Gento!"
Gento smiled and waved back, then turned and walked toward the Mission Hall.
He wanted to check whether Fugaku was working overtime tonight.
After all, he hadn't contacted Mikoto much recently.
If Fugaku needed to work late tonight…
Gento pushed open the office door and skillfully switched on the lights.
He sat down behind the desk.
Just as he was about to check what Fugaku was doing next door—
The door was suddenly shoved open.
"Gento! Something's wrong!"
Kurenai rushed in, her face full of anxiety.
Gento's expression changed as he immediately stood up:
"Kurenai? What happened?"
Kurenai rushed over in a few quick steps and grabbed his arm:
"My father… my father went missing during a mission!"
Gento's heart tightened.
Shinku Yuhi.
During the Nine-Tails incident, due to his prior intervention, Shinku hadn't died like in the original story and had been living well all this time.
Moreover, he had been in the village for years, responsible for guiding younger ninja… how could something suddenly happen to him?
"Don't panic. Tell me exactly what happened first."
"Recently, the village has been short on manpower. My father was assigned to a mission… to gather intelligence in the Hidden Rain Village."
Gento frowned upon hearing this.
The Hidden Rain Village was currently in a turbulent period.
Hanzo of the Salamander and the Akatsuki were locked in intense conflict, with constant clashes between the two sides.
Going there on a mission at a time like this carried unbelievably high risk.
"Wasn't he responsible for training ninja inside the village? Why was he sent out on a mission?"
Kurenai bit her lip:
"The Third Hokage said the Anbu didn't have enough manpower. So some ninja were temporarily reassigned. My father was one of them."
Gento's gaze darkened.
Not enough manpower?
With most of Konoha's missions now taken over by the Uchiha, there was still a manpower shortage?
He continued asking:
"What exactly happened? Did the mission fail?"
Kurenai shook her head:
"The mission was completed… the intel was brought back. But out of the five-person team, only one returned alive."
"The ninja who survived said that when they finished the mission and were preparing to withdraw, they were suddenly attacked."
"The attacker wore a black robe with red clouds and had very strange abilities… able to manipulate paper and turn it into all kinds of weapons."
"My father and the others were all captured by that person."
Gento's heart jolted.
A black robe with red clouds.
The ability to control paper.
Putting those two traits together, a name instantly surfaced in his mind:
Konan.
Kurenai continued:
"I couldn't find you at your house, so I came here to look for you."
Gento looked at her and asked in a deep voice:
"What did the Third Hokage say? Is he planning to send a rescue team?"
Kurenai bit her lip, tears finally spilling down her face:
"The Third Hokage said… manpower is currently stretched thin, and since the mission is already complete and the intel has been brought back, they don't plan to send anyone to rescue them."
She raised her head, tears shimmering in her eyes as she looked at Gento:
"Gento, please… save my father!"
"As long as you save him, I'll do anything you ask."
Seeing her like this, Gento felt his heart soften.
He reached out to wipe the tears from her face, then took her hand and headed out:
"Don't worry! I'll help you. We're heading to the Land of Rain right now to rescue your father!"
Kurenai was pulled along, stunned for a moment before nodding vigorously.
The two quickly left the Mission Hall, their figures disappearing into the night.
On the way, Gento touched the Mangekyo Dojutsu Copy Card in his clothes, which already contained Kotoamatsukami.
Perfect.
If he encountered Konan during the rescue of Shinku Yuhi, he would use Kotoamatsukami to subdue her!
...
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