After saying that, Tsunade suddenly reached out and patted the back of Mirai’s head.
“So half the credit is yours.
Fair enough, right?”
“Fair, fair.”
Mirai’s mind had completely wandered off.
His attention was caught somewhere else, and he hadn’t heard a single word she’d just said.
“But the real reward comes next,” Tsunade said casually.
“Lie down.
I’ll give you a massage.”
This little pervert had been sneaking glances at her chest for a while now.
It wasn’t the first time; she simply couldn’t be bothered to call him out on it.
“A massage?
Like last time?”
That, Mirai heard perfectly.
“Right.
Don’t you like giving massages?
Courtesy should go both ways.
I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll let you enjoy one too.”
Tsunade patted the bed, signaling for him to lie down.
Mirai immediately obeyed, then couldn’t resist asking, “Can you massage the front this time?”
Smack.
A light slap landed on the back of his head.
“Of course not, you little pervert.
Close your eyes too.
No peeking.”
“Tch.
What’s there to see?
It’s just two lumps of flesh.”
Tsunade clenched a fist, then slowly relaxed it.
Forget it.
This brat didn’t understand anything anyway.
Once Mirai closed his eyes, Tsunade reached for the towel around herself and tugged it loose.
Mirai heard it fall to the floor.
The next second, a soft, warm weight settled against his back, followed by Tsunade’s long, satisfied sigh.
“Mmm…
After a whole day of work, lying down really is the best.”
Mirai’s entire body stiffened.
The warmth reached him even through his clothes, along with the faint scent of Tsunade’s soap.
Supporting herself with her arms on either side of him, she leaned forward and used that…
rather unusual weight to massage his shoulders and back.
“Well?
Big Sis Tsunade’s technique isn’t any worse than yours, right?” Tsunade asked with a cheerful laugh, apparently completely unbothered.
Mirai buried his face in the pillow.
“…Yeah.”
There really wasn’t much else he could say.
If Tsunade was still willing to massage him like this once he grew up, that would be something.
At that point, he’d definitely want the front—
Maybe studying sealing techniques had exhausted his brain, or maybe Tsunade’s massage was simply too relaxing.
Either way, Mirai gradually drifted off to sleep.
The last thing he vaguely heard was Tsunade grumbling, “Seriously?
What kind of brat falls asleep during Lady Tsunade’s personal massage?”
…
In Mirai’s dream, he was much taller.
He sat on a wide sofa with Tsunade curled up in his arms.
Her blond hair spilled across his chest, and she rested against him like a lazy cat with her eyes half-closed.
Kushina sat on his lap, her red hair brushing his chin as she looked up and said something he couldn’t quite hear.
Big Sis Mikoto sat on the armrest, leaning against his shoulder.
Her long black hair fell forward, hiding half of her gentle smile.
Mirai was just about to enjoy this wonderful situation when Naori Uchiha appeared from nowhere, holding a katana and pointing it straight at him.
“Mirai Uzumaki, you scumbag!
I challenge you to a duel!”
“Hey, wait a second!”
Dream-Mirai hadn’t even managed to explain before Naori’s eyes suddenly turned blood-red.
A tomoe spun inside each Sharingan like twin blood moons.
“Die!”
“Whoa!”
Mirai jolted awake and nearly launched himself off the bed.
Daylight was already shining through the window, and birds chirped in the courtyard outside.
At some point, he’d been carried back to his own room.
He sat there panting for a moment, his forehead covered in sweat.
“What kind of ridiculous dream was that…?” He rubbed his face.
“Especially that last part.
Naori’s Sharingan looked downright sinister.
Is that what hers will look like someday?”
He lay back down and stared at the ceiling for a while.
“It has to be that awful Tsunade’s fault.
That’s right.
She keeps walking around in front of me barely dressed, comes out of the bath without even bothering with a towel sometimes, and uses me like a pillow.
Of course my brain would start producing unhealthy dreams.”
He rolled over, pulled the blanket over his head, and decided to sleep a little longer.
…
The next day at the Academy, their homeroom teacher, Akaishi Kishimoto, called Mirai to the staff room.
Kushina stayed behind in the classroom, still thinking about what happened the previous night.
‘Tsunade just came home and kissed Mirai like it was nothing.
Why does she get to do that?’
Even siblings shouldn’t act like that, right?
Kushina hadn’t even kissed him herself…
No, that wasn’t right.
She hadn’t kissed him at all!
Yesterday, she’d been the one kissed!
The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became.
She snapped her textbook shut and decided to step outside for some air.
There was a crowd of girls gathered outside the classroom.
At a glance, there had to be seven or eight of them.
Several held pink envelopes while whispering among themselves and peeking through the doorway.
A few others had paper and pens in hand, as though they were preparing to write something on the spot.
Kushina’s instincts immediately told her something was wrong.
“What…
are you all doing?” she asked with a frown.
An older girl turned around, recognized the red hair and the face that was almost always seen beside Mirai, then smiled.
“Is Mirai here?
We have something we’d like to give him.”
“What?”
“Love letters,” a girl from their year answered, waving the pink envelope in her hand with sparkling eyes.
“A few upperclassmen want to talk to him in person too, so they asked us to bring these over.”
Kushina’s expression visibly darkened.
“All of you came here to give Mirai love letters?”
“Of course.
Mirai’s strong, handsome, and nice.
Who wouldn’t like him?” the girl replied as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“And I heard his family is close to Lady Tsunade too.
His background is amazing!
“If you don’t make a move on a boy like that early, someone else is definitely going to snatch him away!”
The other girls nodded enthusiastically.
Kushina’s fist slowly clenched.
“He.
Is.
Not.
Here!” Her voice rose with every word.
“And don’t bother coming back!
“Mirai Uzumaki already has a girlfriend!”
The hallway went silent.
The girls exchanged confused looks before one of the older students raised an eyebrow.
“Girlfriend?
Who?”
“Me!” Kushina pointed at herself, her red hair practically lifting behind her from sheer fury.
“I’m Kushina Uzumaki, and I’m Mirai Uzumaki’s girlfriend!
“All you homewreckers can stay away from him!”
Silence lasted another two seconds.
Then the upperclassman burst out laughing.
“You?
How old are you?
Does Mirai-kun even know you’re running around saying that?”
“I’m not making it up!
Yesterday he…
he…
Anyway, it’s true!”
“Then make him say it himself,” another girl scoffed.
“You can’t just declare it.
I could say I’m his girlfriend too.”
“You—!”
Kushina’s face turned bright red with anger.
She’d always had a fiery temper.
During the last couple of years in Konoha, Mito and Tsunade had managed to make her restrain herself somewhat, but that powder-keg personality had never disappeared.
And after being provoked like this, her temper exploded.
Kushina threw a punch.