Gento looked at the cute girl before him, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his lips.
An A-rank. Not bad.
She was just still too young right now. He would have to raise her for a few more years.
He extended a hand and gently helped her up from the stone platform.
His palm supported her arm, allowing him to feel her warm body temperature and slight trembling.
"Welcome back."
Gento's voice sounded beside her ear.
Rin leaned against his arm, her legs still somewhat weak as her breathing gradually steadied.
She raised her head and looked at this unfamiliar man's face. That inexplicable sense of trust in her heart still remained.
She did not know it was the influence of the Lust Gourd. She only felt that perhaps she was too exhausted and needed someone she could rely on.
Gento supported her as they left the secret chamber, passed through the corridor, and arrived at the inner courtyard of the imperial residence.
Sunlight spilled across the dry landscape garden. White sand resembled rolling waves, stone pillars resembled mountains, and several pine trees had been trimmed to perfection.
Rin was captivated by the scenery, her steps slowing as her eyes filled with curiosity.
Gento's voice came from behind her.
"The current Hidden Leaf is no longer what it once was. For now, you should stay here."
Rin froze for a moment and turned to look at him.
Hidden Leaf?
No longer what it once was?
She had many questions she wanted to ask, but Gento had already started walking forward.
He brought her to the doorway of a room.
The door was half-open. Inside came the sounds of a baby babbling and a woman softly humming.
Kushina happened to open the door while carrying the child.
At Gento's specific request, only female attendants were allowed within the residence.
As a result, the women around him dressed relatively boldly while inside the residence.
Today, Kushina wore a loose light-purple night robe.
The soft fabric clung gently to her body, outlining the mature curves unique to a woman after childbirth.
The front of her robe hung open, exposing a large stretch of fair skin.
She stood barefoot on the tatami floor, her toes round and delicate, her calves smooth and graceful, her entire body radiating a lazy yet gentle maternal aura.
Upon seeing Gento, Kushina smiled warmly, her smile filled with the satisfaction of being both a wife and a mother.
But when she noticed the girl standing beside him, her smile froze, her eyes filling with shock.
"Gento, this is…"
Gento nodded.
"That's right. It's the Rin Nohara you know."
"But wasn't she…"
"I used some Forbidden Jutsu to revive her."
Before Kushina could say anything, Rin had already recognized her.
The teacher's wife who always smiled while making snacks for her.
Although she appeared far more mature than in her memories, there was no way Rin could mistake that face.
"Teacher's Wife!"
Rin's voice carried a sob as she threw herself forward, tightly hugging Kushina, burying her face against her shoulder while tears streamed down uncontrollably.
Kushina held the child with one arm while the other rested against Rin's back, gently patting her.
As Minato's student, Rin had been the only girl in Team Minato.
Kushina had always taken especially good care of the adorable little girl.
Only to later suddenly hear news of her death.
She had thought she would never see this girl again for the rest of her life.
"Rin… it really is you…"
Rin lifted her head from Kushina's shoulder, tears clouding her eyes.
"Teacher's Wife, where is Teacher Minato?"
Kushina's eyes dimmed.
"A few years ago, Hidden Leaf suffered the Nine-Tails incident…"
"Minato sacrificed himself during that disaster."
Rin froze. Tears still hung on her face, yet she could not say a single word.
Kushina forced out a smile and glanced at Gento.
"However, I've already remarried. I'm now Gento's wife."
Rin's gaze shifted from Kushina's face to Gento, then back again.
She did not know what to say. She only felt that during the years she had been gone, the world had changed too much.
Her gaze fell onto the baby in Kushina's arms.
The child's little face was round and chubby, his skin rosy and fair, with a tuft of light-red hair growing atop his head.
He stared at this unfamiliar older sister with bright black eyes, his little mouth opening and closing as he babbled indistinctly.
"This is…"
Rin's voice softened as her finger unconsciously reached out and lightly touched the baby's tiny hand.
Kushina smiled.
"This is my child with Gento, Hanyu Uchiha."
Hanyu's tiny hand grabbed onto Rin's finger tightly, refusing to let go.
Rin's heart nearly melted. In a soft voice, she said:
"Wow, he's so cute… can I hold him for a bit?"
Kushina handed the child over.
Rin carefully accepted him, supporting Hanyu's head with one hand while cradling his little body with the other, holding him securely.
Hanyu squirmed in her arms, found a comfortable position, then tilted up his tiny face and giggled at her.
Rin could not help smiling along with him.
Watching this scene, Gento turned to Kushina.
"Right now, Rin has nowhere else to go, so I plan to let her stay here for the time being."
"She's unfamiliar with this place and will inevitably feel restrained, so I'll leave her in your care."
Kushina looked at Rin teasing Hanyu, the corners of her lips curling upward.
Then she turned back and lightly snorted at Gento.
"Of course I'll take good care of Rin, right, Rin?"
Holding Hanyu, Rin nodded vigorously.
"Mhm!"
Gento smiled.
"Alright then, Rin. Help me bring Hanyu to the childcare attendants first, then choose a bedroom for yourself."
"If there's anything you need, ask your teacher's wife."
Rin looked somewhat puzzled, but still obediently nodded before turning around and leaving while carrying Hanyu.
Soon after, the sound of the door closing came from behind her.
"Mmh!"
Kushina's voice came from inside the bedroom, carrying restrained embarrassment.
"Don't… Rin hasn't gone far yet!"
At the end of the corridor, Rin's footsteps paused.
Her face instantly flushed all the way to her ears.
She suddenly understood why Gento had sent her away.
Behind her came the rustling sound of fabric and Kushina's intermittent soft moans.
Rin lowered her head, looked at the oblivious Hanyu in her arms, and quickly walked away.
...
Inside Kushina's bedroom, Gento wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder while his lips brushed against her earlobe, warm breath tickling her sensitive ear.
"Kushina, I've been holding back for months while you were pregnant."
Kushina's body softened as she leaned against him.
Of course she knew what he intended to do.
Even though the two of them had already seen each other naked countless times, every time he spoke like this, she still could not stop her heart from racing.
"You… don't…"
"It's still broad daylight…"
Although she said that, her body carried the posture of wanting to refuse while secretly welcoming him.
Gento no longer hesitated and directly lifted her into his arms.
Kushina let out a startled cry and tightly wrapped her arms around his neck.
Gento first tossed Kushina onto the bed.
Kushina's red hair spread across the pillow.
Then Gento's hand moved toward Kushina's loose night robe.
The loose robe slipped open during the movement.
She bit her lip while looking at him, her eyes carrying reproach, shyness, and the desire she had suppressed for months.
Gento lowered himself and kissed her lips.
Kushina closed her eyes, her fingers tightly clutching the bedsheets beneath her.
---
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