14-Sick

*knock* *knock*

As I was having lunch, there was a knock on the door. Using the Six Eyes, I saw that it was Kushina—as I had expected earlier.

Delaying a bit, I opened the door, putting on a slightly sick act.

"Huhhh, Mahoraga, are you okay? What happened to you?" Kushina asked, concern palpable on her face.

"I was a bit sick... nothing too much. Should be back to peak in a few days... Anyways, what brings you here? Come inside," I replied, forcing a smile on my face. The lunch I had prepared for myself was simple rice porridge—since I was going with the sick act, there had to be some fine details.

"You did not attend class today, and you didn't tell me about it. Do you know how bored I was in class today? So I came to check up on you..." Kushina replied while walking inside my house. She had been here a few times before, so nothing too strange.

"Huh? You are having lunch now? It's over 5 PM and you're only eating now?!" Kushina scolded me, which was kind of strange, since she is generally quite gentle... Yeah, some students of my class might disagree with that, but with me, she was well-behaved. And I don't have to take everyone's opinion into consideration here.

"Well... I was feeling a bit weak, so I slept. And I didn't feel like cooking. But I was very hungry now, so I made some rice porridge." I clarified. Why the fuck is she not asking about my condition first?

"That's it. I am cooking for you from now on, until you are well. No need for you to worry about anything—I will handle it," Kushina said with a determined face.

"Wait, do you know how to cook? No... no need for you to trouble yourself. I am only feeling a bit down. I can manage myself, absolutely."

Shit, I don't want to eat what Kushina makes... The current her is, let's say... not the best cook.

Okay, I was wrong. She is a horrendous cook. And I genuinely believe that Kushina, if trained properly, can help Konoha surpass Suna in poison-making.

"Huh, are you saying that you don't want to eat what I make?"

Damn, her hair is floating... Okay, maybe the classmates were not all wrong...

"No, absolutely not. I was saying that I was just a bit sick, so I can handle it, absolutely..."

"Hmmm. So what happened to you? And why are you not in the hospital then?"

Finally, she was asking the right questions. And yes, with this, I can give her subtle information that can be passed to Grandma Mito.

"Please, like those medical shinobi at the hospital can compare to me. I am Tsunade's student, who has inherited almost all of her medical jutsu. The ones at the hospital are practically quacks in front of me. And what I felt was something strange—not a disease, to be exact. It was as if some powers were awakening. My yang chakra seems to be bursting, and my chakra is soaring off the roofs. So despite feeling a bit sick, statistically, I have never been healthier. And according to my research, it would seem that I am awakening the Sage Body of the Senju," I explained in detail, clearing out everything. Otherwise, this dumb girl really wouldn't understand, and the next thing I know is that some fake information is being fed to Mito.

"Wait, so you are actually alright?" Kushina asked, puzzled.

"Well yeah, it's just that the process of awakening does not feel so good... Anyways, keep this a secret for me. Do not tell anyone about this, and you can inform Grandma Mito about it—only her though. Okay?"

Now this was done, I suppose... A week should be enough for the act to set completely. And it's not like Mito would personally come here, since that would draw way too much attention.

Yes, Kushina had some surveillance on her, but it was nowhere near what Mito had. Sure, no one dared to spy on her inside the Senju compound, but once she steps out, practically every higher-up has their eyes on her movements.

"Okay, I promise I won't tell anyone except Grandma Mito. But only if you promise to eat whatever I make," Kushina said with a determined face.

...I had the Sage Body now... My vitality should be enough... I would definitely not die...

"Okay... I will eat it. Happy now?" I sighed.

Soon, Kushina left. And sometime later, Minato appeared.

"Took you long enough," I quipped.

"Didn't want to disturb your date with Kushina. I saw her going towards your home so I stayed back a bit," Minato explained. See, this is what we call a good guy.

"Very kind of you to do that. But no, that was not a date. She simply came to visit... Though I suppose it is time that we started dating. We have known each other for like, over a year."

Were we too young to date? Honestly, I had no clue, considering that in this world, the age system was pretty screwed up...

Once you graduated from the academy, you are old enough to kill—which is a flexible age considering that in wartimes, you can even graduate at the age of seven or eight.

Average life expectancy was 30–40 years old, and that too during peace times. In times of war, the young genins had it worse because they were basically the cannon fodder.

If you graduate from the academy during wartime, then congratulations, you're fucking screwed. Almost none of your classmates are gonna make it through that war. Of course, if you could survive to become a jonin, things would be much smoother.

But all this risky lifestyle made shinobi mature quickly. And even though we were hardly even nine years old, there were many couples in the class. People started dating far too soon—especially with the war going on. Whether they show it or not, almost everyone is afraid.

So it was not strange for me to start a relationship with Kushina at this age, considering in the original work she started to date Minato when she was just a bit older than her current self.

So yes, I would ask her to date me. And the time she is about to spend taking care of me while I am 'sick' would be the best time to confess. I already know she likes me, so we're just making it official.

"Ummm, you guys should start dating. Everyone already thinks you both are a couple anyway," Minato nodded sagely. After a year, whatever slight resentment he might have had in his heart had vanished. Things like love take time to develop, and a small crush is not something worth breaking friendships over. So he completely abandoned his thoughts for Kushina.

"Yeah yeah, now go. I want to sleep. And do me a favour and inform sensei that I won't be coming to classes for a week. I am a bit sick and need some rest."

I shooed Minato away.