Chapter 34

Xue frowned, turned her head away to avoid looking at him; she didn't dare to look at him.

She could hardly believe that Minato would say such a thing.

"Minato, you've gone mad."

The blond, blue-eyed man smiled, as if he were utterly helpless despite having offered the best solution for Xue and still being rejected.

"Snow always runs away, she's not a good girl." Minato gently kissed Snow's cheek.

A barrage of kisses rained down on Xue's face. Xue couldn't dodge them and could only accept them with a frown.

"Since Xue refuses to agree to anything, then no matter what I do to Xue, she cannot refuse."

Yuki reached out and covered Minato's lips, just as she had kept Senju Nawaki out of her heart after his death when they were young.

She finally mustered the courage to try to refuse.

Yuki took a deep breath, as if to encourage herself: "Minato, you should be with Kushina."

"Why? Is it like the dream you once mentioned? In your dream, Kushina and I are a couple, so I have to be with Kushina according to your wishes? What do you take me for, Yuki? A projection of him in your dream? Then why did you tell me to protect me and become my wife? Why didn't you fight for it?"

Yuki was taken aback by the barrage of questions, looking somewhat bewildered. Minato Namikaze chuckled; it was astonishing that Yukihime of Konoha, who could take on ten men on the battlefield, was frightened by these words.

Yuki felt a terrible headache and instinctively grabbed Minato's hand.

Minato Namikaze panicked when he saw the three-tomoe Sharingan that had unconsciously activated in Yukio's eyes.

"I...I don't know, Minato." His crimson eyes swirled with three tomoe, his chakra rapidly draining away.

Looking at her reflection in his eyes, Xue revealed a helpless expression, like a trapped beast spinning in place.

"Then what should I do... what should I do?"

"So that we won't lose Minato again?"

The tears shed by the three-tomoe Sharingan are blood red.

Minato frowned, slowing down the fingertips that were wiping away the tears from the snow.

As if he had just thought of something good, Minato's lips curled up slightly, and his brows relaxed.

He took Xue's hand in his, his long fingers slipping between hers.

Their fingers were intertwined, their foreheads pressed together, and even the tips of their noses touched intimately.

His long, slightly wavy, ink-black hair occasionally tangled with golden strands, and his voice remained gentle, like a spider web that made it impossible to breathe.

"Marry me, and I will remove all obstacles in our way."

-

Minato Namikaze was in a good mood, even though Yuki did not grant his request.

However—he smiled and looked at the black-haired girl sitting beside him in the izakaya, who seemed to be unable to hold her liquor.

Since there was no refusal, it's equivalent to agreeing, right?

The blond, blue-eyed man smiled brightly at the drinking party; after all, he knew Uchiha Yuki best.

Yuki stared blankly at the white porcelain wine cup that her older brother, Nara Shikaku, had handed her, filled with clear wine.

It was a celebration banquet to mark Minato's appointment as the successor to the Fourth Hokage. Many people were invited, including many whose names Yuki couldn't recall but whose faces looked very familiar. The only people she recognized were Kakashi, who was sitting in a corner wearing Anbu uniform, Kushina, who was drinking openly as if she had something on her mind, and Jiraiya, who was sitting on the other side of Minato, deep in thought.

Xue nodded and accepted the wine that Shikaku offered.

As a member of Minato's brain trust, Shikaku rested his chin on his hand, his gaze fixed on the Uchiha girl who was a few years younger than him.

Xue took a sip and found it was just as cold as water.

He tilted his head back slightly and drank it all down. Only after putting down the glass did he feel the burning sensation in his throat.

However, he still maintained a blank expression, which almost made Shikaku cover his mouth and laugh.

No wonder her younger brother is so infatuated with her, she's just too adorable.

With a smile in his eyes, Shikaku was about to reach out and pinch the soft flesh on the girl's cheek.

Minato smiled and blocked his movement: "Has Shikaku finished handling the matter of the daimyo allocating funds to Konoha's finance department?"

Shikaku twirled his outstretched hand around and then scratched his head.

"Let's not talk about work during our break, hahaha. Come on, let's have a drink."

Under the lights of the izakaya, the young blond ninja known as the Fourth Hokage shone brightly. He was surrounded by acquaintances, colleagues, and subordinates, who chatted idly about this and that. When they talked about the front lines of the battlefield or interesting things at work, they burst into laughter in unison.

Kakashi wasn't used to the lively atmosphere of the izakaya, so he went outside for some fresh air.

Unexpectedly, Kakashi encountered Xue, who shared the same thoughts. Their eyes met, and Kakashi immediately looked away.

Xue stared at the dim streetlights, her voice calm: "Stop following me, Kakashi."

Kakashi remained silent, his voice sounding somewhat lost.

He said, "Is it not okay to just worry...?"

The silver-haired boy kept his head down, unlike when he first became a Jonin and was full of pride, looking at everyone with a sense of superiority.

The death of his teammate cast a long shadow over him, and it may take time for him to recover.

"...No," Yuki paused, "If the clan leader discovers outsiders freely entering and leaving Uchiha territory, you will be punished, Kakashi."

Kakashi paused, then turned his head to look at Yuki. Her profile, slender figure, flickered in and out of the dim light.

He wanted to say something, but didn't know where to begin: "I—"

The conversation was interrupted by Kushina, who suddenly ran out and leaned against a telephone pole.

She clung to the trash can, feeling unwell from drinking too much alcohol.

Yuki stepped forward and patted her back, and Kushina looked up.

The red-haired woman, wearing a green vest, threw herself into her arms with beautiful, teary eyes.

"Xiaoxue, waaaaa Xiaoxue! I don't want Xiaoxue to leave me!"

No, no, no!

"Can't Xiaoxue be with me?!"

Kakashi stood by, embarrassed, watching the woman, who was the same age as his teacher, act drunkenly towards the black-haired girl.

Yuki smiled helplessly, letting Kushina lean on her shoulder and act coquettishly.

Kakashi's eyes dimmed slightly. So, being of the same gender meant he could approach her so brazenly?

"I'll take Kushina-senpai back first." Yuki picked up Kushina, who had fallen asleep after being pampered, and leaped onto the roof, intending to take Kushina back to the Senju clan's territory first.

Let's go together.

Kakashi followed behind the two; he still had something to say to Yuki.

Under the moonlight, Kushina's mind, clouded by alcohol, was hazy.

She opened her eyes, and there she saw the girl looking at her. Under a perfectly round moon, Xue smiled softly.

The image of Minato Namikaze, who had saved her, overlapped with her own. She liked... liked those two people so much.

After settling the sleeping Kushina, Yuki leaped onto the roof, only to find Kakashi still there.

Jiraiya, a tall, white-haired man, still carried the scent of Minato Namikaze.

Yuki paused for a moment, then subconsciously looked towards the room where Kushina was.

She clenched her fist: "Lord Jiraiya... the Fourth Hokage will be angry when he wakes up."

Jiraiya's gaze fell on the black-haired girl, and his previously indifferent look suddenly changed as if he were a different person.

The man revealed a hearty smile that he only showed to those close to him: "Well, this is for Konoha after all. Minato doesn't dislike Kushina either. He'll definitely understand my good intentions when he wakes up."

As he spoke, he bent down slightly and leaned closer to Xue, raising his index finger to her lips.

A strong sense of intrusion struck him, and his expression sharpened. He said, "Xiaoxue, you have to keep this a secret."

In an instant, Kakashi could clearly feel Jiraiya's undisguised killing intent.

Xue subconsciously gripped the sword hilt, but in the end, she just pursed her lips and nodded.

"Yes, Jiraiya-sama."

Jiraiya seemed to only then notice Kakashi's presence. As he left, he patted Kakashi on the shoulder with a smile: "Kakashi's here too! It's not good to follow girls around like this. In that case, how about the Third Hokage arranges for you to monitor the Uchiha clan?"

As the man departed, he left behind a warning: "Xiaoxue, you'd better do your guard duty well."

Undisguised in her stereotypes about the Uchiha clan and her contempt for Yuki's romantic relationships, Yuki's face was somewhat gloomy, and she was almost gritting her teeth.

Kakashi could no longer utter the words that had been stuck in his throat.

The two sat there on the rooftop in silence.

As dawn broke, the sun gradually rose from the east.

-

Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki's wedding is scheduled for the beginning of autumn, which is mid-October.

Obviously, as the wedding of the Fourth Hokage, it would invite many prominent figures, including the heads of various clans.

What followed was a series of extremely trivial matters that needed to be prepared.

Before the wedding, something happened that forced Jiraiya to leave: Orochimaru's defection.

Xue wore a simple light purple dress, and her slightly curled long hair was gently tied up with a purple hair tie.

She stood in the dressing room, watching Kushina gently place her hand on her not-so-obviously protruding belly, a somewhat hesitant expression on her face.

"Xiaoxue...did I do something wrong?"

The woman's voice was filled with confusion, and Xue didn't know either.

She could only smile slightly, a smile that conveyed confusion, and she herself didn't understand.

"Just do whatever Kushina thinks." Yuki stepped forward and walked behind Kushina. The red-haired woman in the wedding dress gently rested her head against Yuki's chest, her arms encircling Yuki's waist. Kushina looked up and could feel the soft, gentle rise and fall of Yuki's chin.

Will this child be happy in this world?

"Yes, I will be happy."

Yuki reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Kushina's ear. Her obsidian-like eyes, always filled with thoughts, now finally reflected Kushina's image.

Kushina hooked her hand around Yuki's long neck and pulled her down. When their lips met, Yuki's eyes widened. Unlike kissing a man, the touch was incredibly soft, and the scent was faintly fragrant. Kushina gazed intently at her and said, "I like Yuki, and I'm not just saying it."

"So, Xue, will you look forward to the birth of this child with me?"

Will you watch this child grow up from birth?

Yuki paused, realizing there were only the two of them in the dressing room. The atmosphere was so intimate, it seemed like pink, dreamy bubbles could float in the air. Yuki's face flushed slightly, and even her lips were stained with Kushina's red lip gloss. She avoided Kushina's gaze and nodded gently.

"Um."

She didn't want to upset the pregnant Kushina, nor did she want to see Kushina looking aggrieved again.

Kushina, having gotten her wish, smiled brightly and then leaned forward to kiss Shiratsuyuki's cheek, leaving a faint lipstick mark.

Kushina had just let go of the door when a knock sounded.

Several makeup artists entered, and Xue promptly withdrew from the dressing room.