After the bath, Kaguya felt much more relaxed and refreshed. The fatigue was completely gone, and her spirits were lifted. Of course, this had nothing to do with bathing with the little girl.
Well, probably not.
Kaguya walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, lazily stretching her back. Black Zetsu was still soaking in the tub. Since resuming her identity as a girl, Black Zetsu had become increasingly lazy and had taken a liking to baths, possibly influenced by Kaguya.
Kaguya walked over to the table. After bathing, one inevitably feels thirsty, so she picked up a glass of water on the table for a drink but suddenly noticed a shadow flicker past the window.
"Who's there?"
Kaguya's eyes narrowed, and with a flash, a cup in her hand flew like lightning, shattering the window and shooting toward the shadow.
There was a dull thud as if it had hit something.
Ignoring the fact that she might be exposing herself, Kaguya propped herself up on the windowsill, leaping through the window in pursuit, only to find the person had disappeared without a trace. All that remained was a glass cup with traces of blood, which surprised Kaguya as it had not shattered—its quality was truly impressive.
Kaguya's crystal-clear eyes scanned the surroundings, but her Tenseigan detected nothing suspicious; not even a silhouette. There were only the lush grass and the rustling sound of the wind, as if the figure had evaporated into thin air.
Kaguya frowned slightly. Could that person have some special ninjutsu that concealed them from her senses?
"Mother, what's wrong?" Black Zetsu, still in her little girl form, walked out of the room, her small hand holding the door as she looked at Kaguya with curiosity.
"It's nothing, just a big rat," Kaguya replied with a smile as she walked over.
"A rat?" Black Zetsu glanced curiously at the surrounding bushes. "Where is it?"
Seeing that Black Zetsu was really about to look for it, Kaguya quickly grabbed her little hand, smiling as she said, "It's already gone. Let's go back to sleep."
"Oh." Black Zetsu nodded gently, obediently following behind Kaguya.
In the morning, the sky was blue with drifting white clouds, the lake surface was clear, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds. A gentle breeze rippled through, ruffling both the water and sky. Bright sunlight streamed down, the leaves rustled, and wildflowers swayed in the wind, surrounded by an undulating forest, adding to the tranquility.
Such beautiful weather was, of course, perfect for sleeping in. Kaguya was lazily lying in bed, with the blonde, twin-tailed little girl serving as a large pillow in her arms, occasionally snuggling closer. The softness felt wonderful.
Unfortunately, it didn't last long before the persistent ringing of the doorbell disturbed her sleep. Initially, she didn't want to get up, covering herself with the blanket, but the incessant ringing became annoying.
Still half asleep, Kaguya, with her face drowsy, squinted her eyes and swayed as she walked to the door, opening it with impatience. "Who is it? It's so early, can't a person sleep in peace?"
"Ahem, it's me."
In front of her was a man with blonde hair, a slender build, and a handsome appearance—none other than Minato Namikaze, whom she had parted with just yesterday.
Kaguya struggled to open her eyes, taking a glance and replying irritably, "What are you here for?"
"Well, I'd like you to register," Minato turned his head aside, his face slightly flushed, seeming somewhat embarrassed.
"Registration?" Kaguya suddenly remembered that there was indeed such a thing.
To prevent the infiltration of spies, anyone entering the village must register, and if their identity is unclear, they may even be secretly monitored. Indeed, Minato had mentioned yesterday afternoon that they needed to register today.
But with you blushing like that and saying something so ambiguous, what's the deal?
"Um," Minato said, blushing and hesitating before finally speaking, "you're exposed."
"What?" Still drowsy, it took Kaguya a moment to understand what he meant. Looking down, she realized she had come out in her pajamas, which were made of semi-transparent silk because she found them comfortable. She hadn't expected to encounter such a situation.
Kaguya's sleepy eyes immediately widened. She glanced down, then walked up to Minato expressionlessly and kicked him in the chest, sending him flying.
With a "bang," the door slammed shut.
Minato was sent tumbling by the forceful kick, his chest aching intensely. He grimaced and rubbed his chest to alleviate the pain slightly.
When the door opened again, Kaguya was dressed neatly and walked out with a disgruntled expression, holding the hand of a sleepy twin-tailed blonde girl.
"Earlier," Minato said awkwardly, scratching his head, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
"It's nothing," Kaguya replied, "it's my fault, not yours."
Actually, even though the pajamas were semi-transparent, fortunately, Kaguya hadn't slept naked as she usually did; she was wearing underwear, and the pajamas were dark in color, so nothing was visible. Minato was blushing because she was in pajamas, a rather private attire, and not because he had seen her body.
And it seemed he hadn't done it intentionally. Otherwise, Kaguya would have given Minato a severe beating.
Because of the awkward incident earlier, Minato tried to lighten the mood on the way, but unfortunately, he wasn't good at humor, which made the atmosphere even more awkward. For comedy, it would be better to rely on his teacher or his son Naruto.
After walking for about ten minutes, they followed a small path to an unassuming building, about two stories high, circular, and made of red brick and green tile, not much different from the surrounding buildings.
The exterior didn't seem impressive, but inside, it was a different story. There were numerous rooms of varying sizes, simply furnished with essential tables and chairs, and the overall theme was simple and unadorned.
"Lord Minato." Two masked ninjas appeared from inside, respectfully saluting Minato.
"Alright," Minato nodded. "You can go."
"Yes." With that, the two ninjas disappeared in a flash.
"This place is…" Kaguya glanced around. She hadn't seen this building twenty years later, perhaps destroyed during the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha, but the style felt familiar to her.
Sensing Kaguya's confusion, Minato turned and smiled, saying, "This is the Anbu."