Konoha Hospital
Tsunade was wearing a sleeveless gray kimono, her ample chest completely unobstructed from view.
Jiraiya's veins bulged as he stared, his expression one of barely contained excitement.
Tsunade rolled her eyes, clenched her fist, and said coldly,
"If you keep staring, I'll gouge out your eyes."
Jiraiya immediately snapped out of it, coughing awkwardly, "Ahem... Uh..."
"Well, Kushina and Rei's injuries should be fine now, right?"
Tsunade opened the window, lit a cigarette, and replied casually,
"They're fine. And even if something did happen after my treatment, I'd still be able to handle it."
"That's good to hear."
Jiraiya sat down in a nearby chair.
To ensure that Kushina had no lasting effects from the ordeal, he had even gone so far as to call Tsunade back from her travels abroad.
"Lady Tsunade, does that mean I can leave the hospital today?"
Lying on the hospital bed, Kushina asked with anticipation.
Her complexion was good, and she seemed completely fine.
After all, she was from the Uzumaki Clan. Her physical endurance was far superior to that of an ordinary person.
Not to mention, as the Jinchūriki of the Nine Tails, her vitality was ridiculously strong.
A day or two of rest was all she needed to recover completely.
Instead of worrying about her, they should be more concerned about Hyuga Rei, who had forcibly broken through the curse seal to save Simu.
Of course, even she wasn't in any serious danger.
Tsunade stubbed out her cigarette and nodded.
"You can leave anytime. Same goes for Rei."
To make things easier, Kushina and Rei had been assigned to the same hospital ward.
Hearing this, both of them smiled and said in unison, "Thank you, Lady Tsunade."
Tsunade simply waved them off and then turned her gaze to Simu, her eyes filled with a meaningful look.
Then, she turned to Jiraiya and said, "You damn pervert, stop loitering here and getting in the way."
"In the way?"
Jiraiya scratched his head, not quite understanding.
But before he could ask, Tsunade had already left the ward on her own.
"Hey, Tsunade! Wait for me!" Jiraiya quickly chased after her.
Now, only Rei, Kushina, Simu, and Minato remained in the ward.
Rei and Kushina had always gotten along well.
But ever since Simu showed up, the atmosphere had been... awkward.
Minato, quick to notice the tension, decided it was best to leave.
"You guys take your time chatting. I just remembered—I still need to refine my Rasengan. I'll be going now!"
With that, Minato practically vanished.
In this timeline, thanks to Simu's interference—and the fact that there was no conflict with Cloud Shinobi—Minato had only ever seen Kushina as a teammate and friend.
So he had no reason to feel jealous.
But he was worried about Simu's current predicament.
When it came to relationships, things could get messy.
He had no intention of getting caught up in it.
"I can't afford to deal with this. I'm out of here!"
"Wait, Minato! I have some thoughts about Rasengan too—"
Simu started, but the moment he spoke, he felt two piercing glares directed at him.
He instantly shut up.
"Uhh… never mind."
Minato awkwardly scratched his head. "Um, do you guys want some fruit?"
"Don't change the subject," Kushina said, staring directly at Simu.
Simu's heart went cold.
Using Observation Haki, he could roughly predict what Kushina was about to ask.
It would probably be something like—
"Do you like me, or do you like her?"
But he wasn't prepared for this kind of question!
Simu really wanted to say, "Only kids make choices. I want both!"
But if he actually said that… he might not make it out alive.
He never expected that, as a Marine Admiral, he'd ever have to face such a terrifying dilemma.
Luckily, just as Kushina was about to speak, Simu's savior arrived—
"Simu, I forgot to mention—Lord Hokage is calling for you. You too, Minato."
Jiraiya suddenly poked his head through the door.
Both Kushina and Rei immediately turned to look at him.
"Uh..."
"...Never mind," Jiraiya muttered, sensing the tension.
Simu seized the opportunity.
"I'll go see Lord Hokage first! If there's anything else, we'll talk later!"
In an instant, he activated his Glint-Glint Fruit powers.
His speed had never been this fast.
Less than a second later, he was already at the entrance to Hokage's office.
Watching Simu disappear, Kushina sighed in frustration.
She had finally gathered the courage to ask... and that idiot had run away!
"Sister Kushina… let's just go home," Rei suggested softly.
"I guess we have no choice."
Kushina stood up to pack her things but suddenly noticed a book lying on the floor.
"Huh? This book is..."
After thinking about it for a moment, she remembered—this was a book Jiraiya had been reading.
It was supposed to be an unfinished travelogue he was working on.
Something called "Make-Out Heaven."
Kushina picked it up and casually flipped through a few pages.
Then, she saw an illustration.
Her face instantly turned bright red.
W-What the hell is this?!
Sensing her strange reaction, Rei quickly asked, "Sister Kushina, are you okay? Do you feel unwell? Should I call Lady Tsunade?"
Kushina panicked and quickly stopped her.
"N-No! I'm fine!"
Then, without another word, she stuffed the book into her bag, finished packing, and hurried out of the hospital.
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