"What kind of strange question are you asking?"
Cough, cough, "At least for now, I'm single."
Jiraiya couldn’t understand why Takuya was making such odd comparisons.
"I mean, for example, as a scenario!"
Takuya emphasized the word "scenario."
Minato was speechless, but he thought about the question seriously and gave his answer:
"Although I’d rather not face such a reality, children are innocent.
If I chose to leave this world, I imagine that wherever I’d go, my wife—cough, my future wife—wouldn’t forgive me.
After all, it’s best for children to grow up with their family around."
Growing up alone, Minato knew all too well what it meant to be left to fend for oneself.
So his answer was that he wouldn’t do such a thing.
It wasn’t that he feared death; he feared being unforgiven.
Even if it meant being called a coward, he’d stay to watch his children grow up.
"Well said! A great dad already, so hurry up and have a little Uzumaki Naruto!"
"Get lost! My son’s name will be Namikaze Naruto, uh, no, not Naruto!!!"
Minato’s face turned red as he argued with Takuya, clearly not happy with the name "Naruto."
Jiraiya murmured to himself, "What’s wrong with the name Naruto?"
The child’s name isn’t the main point. The main point is Uzumaki…
Could it be that this clueless kid Minato is with another girl from the Uzumaki clan?
Jiraiya knew that Minato once had feelings for Kushina.
But he thought Minato had moved on.
Who would’ve thought that after Kushina, Minato would find himself with another Uzumaki girl? Judging by Minato’s demeanor, this might actually go somewhere.
"He’s really grown up."
Jiraiya suddenly sighed, feeling a bit nostalgic.
Takuya and Minato stopped bickering and looked back at him.
Minato seemed clueless, not yet realizing anything he’d said might have been out of place.
Takuya just asked directly:
"So, you found yourself a girlfriend?"
You two little heartbreakers just keep arguing; pretend I’m not here.
"Are you going in, or am I?"
Inside the tent, Nawaki sat sulking, lost in thoughts of self-doubt.
Minato and Takuya exchanged a glance, and Takuya nodded, signaling for Minato to go in while he busied himself preparing some food.
After so many rounds of dry rations, Takuya was desperate for something with flavor.
If he hadn’t strongly refused, Jiraiya would’ve probably suggested they all survive on soldier pills.
Soldier pills… anyone who’s tasted them knows the flavor is indescribable. Unless absolutely necessary, Takuya wouldn’t touch them.
"No need to comfort me; I’m fine, just a bit down."
Before Minato could speak, Nawaki cut him off.
"I always knew there was a gap between us, but I thought if I worked hard, I could catch up. Turns out I was too naive.
There’s still a huge gap between us, and maybe that’s just the difference between a regular genius and a super genius, right?"
I’m out of ideas; you take it from here.
All Minato could do was watch as Nawaki wallowed in self-pity.
Just then, Takuya, who was deciding what to eat, gave Nawaki a light kick:
"Go gather some firewood, or else you’ll be stuck with dry rations."
"Alright, I’m on it."
Nawaki rubbed his back, instinctively standing up and heading outside. But after a few steps, he realized something was off.
I’m feeling down, and you’re making me work?
"Stop complaining! If you want to whine, go find your teacher; he’s the one who didn’t let you go. It has nothing to do with us. Keep mumbling, and I’ll sew your mouth shut. Seems like it’s been a while since you got a good beating, huh?"
Seeing that Takuya was rolling up his sleeves, clearly ready to scold him, Nawaki quickly disappeared.
Minato couldn’t help but laugh and gave Takuya a thumbs-up.
As expected, only Takuya can handle Nawaki.
Nawaki’s personality was no mystery to Takuya and Minato; they’d long figured him out. No matter how down he might seem now, give it a couple of hours, and he’d be back to his energetic self.
As for feeling discouraged?
He’d been knocked down plenty since he was young, so the idea of being utterly crushed was out of the question.
At most, he’d feel a bit gloomy for a while.
Not really. If he just worked on his weaknesses, a few years of effort could easily make him a solid jōnin, a pillar of the village.
But, as the saying goes:
Comparing oneself to others can drive a person crazy.
Just comparing him to Tsunade would make Nawaki look impressive.
But it’s not fair to compare him to Tsunade; it’s more realistic to compare him to Hashirama and Tobirama.
After all, Nawaki is a direct descendant of the Senju clan.
Compared to Takuya and Minato, he didn’t stand a chance. One of them had their own secret techniques, and the other was born with special talents.
Countless people dream of becoming shinobi, becoming jōnin, elite jōnin. All of these goals are within Nawaki’s reach.
If he works hard enough, even reaching kage-level isn’t out of the question.
That’s Nawaki’s natural advantage.
If Takuya had to train purely on his own and become an elite jōnin or even a kage-level warrior by his twenties, he’d be grinning ear to ear, even in his dreams.
In short, Nawaki was just itching for a little discipline; a good scolding would snap him right back into shape.