Kushina, Pakura, and Uchiha Mikoto sat in the living room, sorting through various items. Also present, though without any say in the matter, was Hyūga Suzune, who could do nothing but be dragged along and bullied into helping.
The moment Takuya walked in, he was met with a mountain of boxes and shopping bags stacked high in the living room.
My god, just how much did Kushina spend on this trip?
Looking at the sheer amount of goods piled up, Nawaki wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Even if money wasn't an issue, wasn't this excessive?
And forget about the actual items—just the storage scrolls needed to hold everything must have cost a fortune.
"Ahaha…"
Minato scratched the back of his head, looking awkward. His girlfriend also had a habit of shopping non-stop, often tagging along with Kushina on these trips.
Without realizing it, Minato's hand instinctively tightened around his wallet, already feeling anxious about the inevitable financial damage.
The gifts he had been so excited about just moments ago were now the last thing on his mind.
Takuya, however, wasn't surprised.
He had expected Kushina to return with a ridiculous amount of stuff.
He just hadn't expected this level of excess.
Seeing it all laid out like this made it feel less like a pile of goods and more like a massive heap of cash.
"Alright, wipe that look off your face. Kushina knows what she's doing. Most of these things were actually gifts from Kumogakure."
Takuya smirked.
Wonder if the Third Raikage is feeling the pain yet.
"Huh? Do we have guests?"
Only then did he notice two young boys standing in the living room.
Upon seeing him, they immediately straightened up and bowed respectfully.
"Lord Takuya."
Mikoto, who had been busy discussing which dress looked better with Kushina, turned and explained,
"The Clan Leader asked me to take them in, but I don't have much time to teach them. You take over."
Takuya froze.
…What the hell?!
Why do I have to train your disciples?
Wait—
Uchiha Fugaku, that scheming bastard.
He had made Shisui and Itachi Mikoto's students, knowing full well she wasn't suited for teaching. Naturally, she would dump them onto Takuya.
This was basically a backdoor way of making them my disciples, wasn't it?
This sneaky old fox…
"Unbelievable…"
Takuya sighed, utterly speechless.
Nawaki, grinning mischievously, nudged him with his elbow.
"Need help? I've got nothing to do lately."
Takuya gave him a long look.
A 'you? really?' kind of look.
Nawaki instantly bristled.
"What's with that look, huh?! Are you saying I can't even teach a couple of kids?"
Takuya simply kept staring at him.
If you had any self-awareness, I wouldn't even need to say it out loud.
"I think what Takuya means is that since they're Uchiha, it might not be appropriate for you to be the one teaching them," Minato chimed in with a chuckle.
That only made Nawaki even more annoyed.
"Shut it. You're not even fully trained yourself, and you want to teach disciples?"
Shisui and Itachi weren't just any kids.
Treating them like normal children would be a mistake.
Those two were way too sharp for their age—not to mention dangerously easy to manipulate.
"For now, just focus on the basics. If they run into anything they don't understand, they can come to me."
Uchiha Fugaku would love nothing more than for Takuya to personally take them under his wing.
But Takuya wasn't falling for it.
At their current age, all they needed was foundational training. It wasn't time for specialized instruction yet.
Besides, things had already diverged from the original timeline.
Without Mikoto, Fugaku had gotten married earlier, which meant Itachi was born a few years ahead of schedule—around the same age as Shisui.
Which raised another question—what about Sasuke?
And Naruto…
Would Naruto even be born at all?
Takuya glanced over at Minato, who was currently messing around with Nawaki.
This version of Minato wasn't just sneakier—he was also way more laid-back.
"Relax. Treat this place like your own home," Takuya said to the two young Uchiha, waving them off before heading upstairs.
Minato and Nawaki, however, weren't so lucky.
With all the shopping bags and boxes, there was too much to sort through, and Kushina had no intention of doing it alone.
"If you want your gifts, then you'd better help organize everything. Otherwise, no presents for you!"
Despite their reluctance, Minato and Nawaki had no choice but to roll up their sleeves and start helping.
"Here, these are your gifts," Kushina said cheerfully.
Nawaki's eyes lit up.
Minato also looked pleased—until he actually examined his present.
A custom-made ninja tool pouch.
Did this really need to be purchased from another village?
I don't even need this…
Minato sighed, feeling like he'd been tricked.
Then he glanced at Nawaki—
And immediately felt way better about his situation.
Nawaki's face had turned a deep shade of red.
"Why is Minato's gift a special ninja tool pouch while mine is a bedsheet set?!"
Pillowcases, bedsheets, blankets—the whole set.
Minato was barely holding back his laughter as Nawaki exploded.
Kushina, meanwhile, crossed her arms and huffed,
"What's with that attitude? Tsunade said you're getting married soon, so I figured you'd need these! If you don't like them, I can always get you some skirts instead."
Nawaki: …
MMP.
Why don't you just throw in some lingerie while you're at it?
He was completely stunned, left speechless as Kushina stood there, arms crossed, looking utterly justified in her actions.
Minato, meanwhile, had officially lost it.
Shisui and Itachi tried so hard not to laugh, but their little faces were practically shaking from the effort.
Then—
"Pfft—!"
Takuya, who had just come downstairs while drinking his juice, overheard Kushina's remark and instantly spat his drink across the floor.
"Hahahaha!"
While everyone else held back, Mikoto and Pakura had no such reservations—they immediately burst into laughter.
Even Hyūga Suzune, normally too timid to react, was struggling to keep her composure.
You absolute idiot.
You know exactly how Kushina is, and you still walked into that one?
Tsunade always complained that Nawaki acted like a child—at times like this, it was hard to argue against that.
Shaking his head, Takuya lost interest in the mess and turned to the two young Uchiha.
"Alright, you two, come with me to the courtyard."
"If you're already here, I might as well test you—let's see how well Konoha's so-called Uchiha prodigies are developing."
"Yes, sir."
Shisui and Itachi immediately followed after him.
Minato, intrigued, tagged along.
"You actually think these two have potential?"
He knew Takuya well enough.
Normally, he didn't care about anyone.
But if he was paying attention, it meant he saw something in them.
Before going upstairs, he'd been completely uninterested.
But now, after changing his clothes?
His attitude had completely flipped.
Something was up.
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read the rest of the Chapter at Patreon com/ Emik01.
DO NOT FORGET POWER STONE AND CHATTING