The next day, they made their way back to the Leaf, traveling at a steady pace under the warmth of the midday sun. The journey was mostly quiet, with Kushina still nursing a slight headache from the night before. She had tried her best to act normal around Travis, but every now and then, her gaze would flicker to him, and the memory of last night—of her stripping in front of him—would come rushing back, making her face burn red.
Travis, on the other hand, seemed completely unbothered, walking beside her with his usual confident stride. It wasn't until they reached the village gates around noon that he finally spoke up.
"Alright, home sweet home," he said, stretching his arms. "Try not to miss me too much."
Kushina scoffed, crossing her arms. "Pfft. As if." But the way she quickly turned around and walked off suggested otherwise.
He watched her go, smirking to himself before making his way to his own apartment. He didn't even think about filing a report—why would he? Hiruzen could go fuck himself for all he cared. He had more important things to focus on.
Like the fact that things with Kushina were going really well.
Dropping onto his couch, he kicked his feet up and smirked.
'Yeah, by this week, we'll be doing the tango for sure.'
He had initially considered going after Sasuke's mom, Mikoto, but honestly, she seemed like too much of a hassle. She was nice and all, but there was something about dealing with a married woman that just felt… exhausting.
'Not worth the effort.'
That left him wondering—who else could he aim for?
His mind drifted to Tsunade, but he immediately shook his head.
'Nah, I'll meet her later in the series. No need to rush that one.'
His smirk widened as he came to a realization.
'Huh. Looks like Kushina is the only woman getting this dingaling.'
Laughing to himself, he leaned back on the couch, resting his head against the cushion.
Then, after a moment of silence, his smirk faded slightly.
'I really need company…'
The thought lingered in his mind longer than he expected.
A day passed, and Travis found himself heading toward Kushina's place, hands in his pockets, feeling like it was time to check in on his progress. But as he neared her, he spotted her walking through the village—with Minato of all people.
His grin faltered for a second before he scoffed.
'I hate that blonde deadbeat… then again, he really was dead. Hah!'
The thought made him chuckle to himself as he closed the distance. As soon as Kushina noticed him, her face brightened, and before he could say anything, she launched herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Minato's expression remained calm, but for a split second, Travis caught the faintest frown.
"Travis! Were you looking for me?" Kushina asked, pulling back slightly but still keeping a hand on his arm.
"Yeah, I was bored, so I figured, why not visit my friend?" he said with a smirk.
He then turned to Minato, barely giving him any attention.
"Sup."
Minato gave a polite nod in return. "Travis."
That was all. No warmth, no hostility—just neutral acknowledgment.
Travis didn't bother with him for long, shifting his focus back to Kushina. "But if you're busy, I can go find someone else," he added, his tone casual, but his eyes flickered with amusement as he watched for her reaction.
Minato, still keeping his polite expression, felt a sense of relief. He was sure Kushina would say she was busy—after all, they were spending time together.
But to his dismay, the exact opposite happened.
"No, I'm available!" she said without hesitation. Then she turned to Minato, smiling sweetly. "Minato, you don't mind Travis tagging along, right?"
Travis swore he saw Minato's eye twitch, but to his credit, the man stayed composed.
"…No, I don't mind. The more, the merrier," Minato said, forcing a small smile.
'He's gonna regret saying that,' Travis thought, barely holding in his amusement.
Soon enough, the three of them were at a restaurant, but things had quickly shifted out of Minato's favor. He had become a background character at his own outing.
Kushina was completely focused on Travis, laughing at his jokes, engaging in conversation, leaning toward him every time he spoke. Minato, meanwhile, sat in the corner, barely touching his food as he watched them interact.
Travis was eating this up.
'Man, I enjoy ntring dudes,' he thought, smirking behind his cup as he took a sip of his drink.
Minato remained quiet, politely observing as Kushina giggled at something Travis had said. It was clear that she was completely absorbed in their conversation, her body language giving everything away—leaning in, twirling a strand of her hair, flashing that wide, genuine smile that Travis was sure Minato rarely got to see anymore.
Travis took a slow bite of his food, barely suppressing the grin creeping onto his face.
"So, Kushina, tell me," he said, resting his chin on his palm. "What exactly do you like to do when you're not, you know, being the village's Nine-Tails storage unit?"
She pouted at him. "Ugh, don't say it like that!" she complained. But then she smirked. "But, since you asked… I like cooking, training, and, well, beating people up when they annoy me."
Travis chuckled. "Sounds about right. Maybe I should annoy you more often—see how hard you can hit."
Kushina playfully shoved him, making Travis laugh. Meanwhile, Minato sat there, watching them interact like a third wheel at his own date.
He cleared his throat, trying to shift the conversation. "Kushina, weren't we supposed to—"
"Oh! Travis, I almost forgot!" she cut him off, turning back to Travis with a bright smile. "Wanna go see the training grounds with me later? I could show you some of my special moves!"
Minato sighed quietly.
Travis leaned back, tilting his head as if considering. "Hmm… watching a fiery redhead show off? Yeah, that sounds like a great way to spend my time."
Kushina beamed. "Great! Then it's settled!"
Travis stole a quick glance at Minato, who was now simply stirring his noodles with his chopsticks, not even eating.
'He hates this,' Travis thought, nearly laughing out loud.
The meal eventually wrapped up, and as they stepped outside, Kushina instinctively grabbed Travis' wrist.
"Come on! Let's go!" she said excitedly.
Minato hesitated. "Kushina, I thought we were going to—"
"You don't mind, right?" she asked, flashing him a smile.
Minato paused, then shook his head. "…No, of course not."
Travis casually slung an arm around her shoulders, grinning. "Good man, Minato. I'll borrow her for a bit."
Kushina didn't even correct him.
As they walked off together, Travis couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
'Man… this is too easy.'
TO BE CONTINUED