Tsunade narrowed her eyes.
"What do you mean by 'a sister like me'? Are you saying I'm bad?"
If she didn't know she couldn't beat Saigoji Youmu easily, she might have punched him on the spot.
She really wanted to teach him a lesson.
"Hehe, I don't need to guess. You're definitely the type to spoil your brother."
Youmu smirked.
"With you as his backer, I bet Senju Nawaki has turned into a little tyrant."
Tsunade opened her mouth—then stopped.
Damn it. He's right.
She clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"Tsunade, huh—"
Youmu was about to continue teasing her when his expression suddenly froze.
His eyes locked onto two figures in the distance.
Tsunade followed his gaze.
At the entrance of the Ninja Academy, two little girls with bright red hair were chatting happily.
Tsunade blinked.
"First Konan, and now the redhead from the academy?"
She grinned, sensing an opportunity.
"Youmu… you're not interested in little girls, are you?"
A rare chance to tease him—but before she could continue, she noticed something strange.
His expression.
For the first time, Saigoji Youmu looked shocked.
Not far away, the two little red-haired girls were talking animatedly.
"Student Minato is so cool! He got first place in today's combat training again!"
One of the girls clasped her hands together, eyes shining like stars.
The other girl scoffed.
"Tch. I don't get it. What's so great about that girly-looking guy?"
Just as she finished speaking—
"Cough, cough."
A light coughing sound came from behind them.
The two girls turned around.
Standing behind them was a golden-haired boy.
He was scratching his head, embarrassed, but his smile was warm and genuine.
Like a ray of sunlight that brightened those around him.
"Kushina-san, it's not nice to talk behind someone's back."
The boy's tone was gentle, but he didn't seem upset.
Uzumaki Kushina crossed her arms.
"Tch. I wasn't wrong, though."
The blond boy sighed helplessly.
He found that reasoning with girls—especially this one—was impossible.
Kushina's red-haired friend quickly stepped in.
"Minato-san, don't mind her! Kushina was just joking!"
She didn't want Minato to get the wrong idea.
"Tch, Jiu Nuo, you—"
As they talked, the three children walked toward the academy gates.
Youmu's lips curved into a small smirk.
"Two Uzumaki girls. Interesting."
Even without an introduction, he knew two of them.
One was Namikaze Minato, the future Fourth Hokage and Konoha's "Yellow Flash".
The other was Uzumaki Kushina, his future wife and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
As for the third girl, Uzumaki Jiuno…
She didn't exist in the original story.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
"You know them?"
She was familiar with these three—
Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Kushina, and Uzumaki Jiuno.
All of them were top students at the academy.
Even the older students couldn't compare to them.
Youmu chuckled.
"No, I just think they're special."
He wasn't about to tell her how much he truly knew.
Tsunade sighed.
"Your instincts are sharp. No wonder you found Konan."
Meanwhile, as they observed the three children, one of them noticed them too.
Uzumaki Jiuno tugged on Kushina's sleeve.
"Kushina, look! It's Tsunade-sama!"
Kushina's eyes widened in excitement.
She quickly pointed at Tsunade.
"Wow! Tsunade-sama is back!"
Namikaze Minato observed quietly, resting his chin on his hand.
"Looks like the war in the Land of Rain has calmed down."
The three of them walked toward the gates, heading straight for Tsunade and Youmu.
A fateful meeting was about to begin.