"Bet if you lose, you'll give me an S-rank ninjutsu!" Hyuga Hiashi said with a wide, greedy grin.
Lin Yu feigned contemplation, showing a hint of hesitation. "This, this isn't reasonable, is it? We're just having a small bet, an S-rank ninjutsu such..."
"Are you scared, Uzumaki Lin Yu?"
Hyuga Hiashi pressed his advantage, waving his hand dismissively. "Forget it, forget it. If someone can't afford the stakes, then we won't bet. Sigh!"
Hyuga Hiashi wouldn't normally show such a temper; he was the head of the Hyuga clan!
How could he act like a child! That might be acceptable once he had grandchildren!
However, the moment Hyuga Hiashi thought of being beaten to a pulp by Kushina back in school, he grit his teeth in hatred. Seeing Uzumaki Lin Yu now, he decided to settle all old and new scores!
"Fine! Bet then! Who's afraid of who!"
Lin Yu seemed to make up his mind, his face contorting slightly. "It's just an S-rank ninjutsu, isn't it? I can afford it! But what if I win?"
Hyuga Hiashi glanced at Hyuga Hizashi, who was holding the newborn Neji and rumbled, "Whatever big brother says goes!"
Fine, asking was pointless!
Hyuga Hiashi declared generously, "Ask whatever you want! My Hyuga clan lacks nothing! Be it ninjutsu or money!"
"I'm not interested in your Byakugan clan's ninjutsu; I don't have the Byakugan!"
Lin Yu rubbed his chin, hesitating. "How about this, if I win, I'll take your daughter as my disciple?"
"You?"
Hyuga Hiashi looked at Lin Yu with disdain, scrutinizing him from head to toe, unable to find anything remarkable.
"Are you sure you won't lead her astray?"
Lin Yu chuckled. "Oh? Hiashi, you think you're going to lose?"
"Who said that! How could I possibly lose! It'll definitely be a boy! I accept this bet!"
Hyuga Hiashi, with his brother Hizashi trailing behind him, flicked his sleeves and departed, shouting loudly, "Prepare your S-rank ninjutsu! I'll be here to claim it next year!"
Hyuga Hiashi walked away at a brisk pace, seemingly eager to go home and work harder! Fortunately, there weren't many pedestrians on the road to the Hokage's office, or he might have been mobbed.
Lin Yu shook his head and smiled. He didn't pay much attention to things he was certain of, just like Naruto couldn't possibly become a girl, or Sakura couldn't possibly become a guy.
Hinata would definitely be a girl!
...
Lin Yu returned home. In the mission hall, there was another S-rank assassination mission targeting a high-ranking official of a certain country. It was utterly unchallenging and a waste of time. It seemed such missions still required plot-related characters to trigger them.
As Lin Yu opened the door, he saw Kushina tidying herself up, appearing as if she was about to go out.
"Kushina, are you going shopping with Mikoto again today?"
Kushina's face darkened as she saw Lin Yu return. However, remembering Uzumaki Sachiko's request, she decided to postpone her anger.
"Lin Yu, accompany me to visit Sachiko. She seems to be pregnant!"
Naruto is going to be born? So soon?
Lin Yu calculated the time. It was late autumn. If she had just gotten pregnant, the baby would be born around next summer. That seemed about right.
Alas, Minato still has over a year to live. How tragic!
Huh? Why did I instinctively think Minato would ascend to heaven when I thought of Naruto's birth! This is very bad!
...
Ding-dong!
Kushina stepped forward and rang Minato's doorbell. Lin Yu, on the other hand, carried two large bags of gifts in his hands. He had accidentally bought too much on his first visit. This shouldn't count as bribing the future Fourth Hokage, should it!
"Coming!"
Namikaze Minato opened the door and, seeing Lin Yu and Kushina, his face lit up with a smile. "You're here. Sachiko told me. Welcome!"
"Sorry to intrude."
Kushina greeted them politely, then left Lin Yu and Namikaze Minato behind and ran off by herself to find Uzumaki Sachiko and discuss intimate matters. After all, she would experience these things in the future, so she might as well learn more now!
"Hahaha, that's just Kushina's personality. Minato, you must have understood this when you were in school."
Namikaze Minato scratched his head, his sunny and handsome face still beaming. They were all old acquaintances, so there weren't many formalities.
"Lin Yu-senpai, please come in. I really need to have a good chat with you today!"
Lin Yu also offered a gentle smile. He wanted to discuss some matters with Minato as well, since the Fourth Hokage, leveraging his authority, could handle certain things more effectively.
The two sat on the sofa in the living room. Namikaze Minato spoke first, "I can't believe it's been almost ten years in the blink of an eye. Time flies so fast."
Lin Yu didn't want to dawdle with such slow conversation and got straight to the first topic!
"I heard from Kushina that Sachiko is pregnant. Minato, why didn't you tell me about such a big event?"
Namikaze Minato smiled wryly. "It's just that the recent matter of the Hokage candidacy has left me stretched thin. I only have half a day off today, so I asked Sachiko to notify Kushina."
Lin Yu said, "Then... have you decided on a name for the child?"
Namikaze Minato nodded. "Jiraiya-sensei visited before he left. I've already asked Jiraiya-sensei to name him. He shall be called Naruto!"
"Naruto? Namikaze Naruto?"
Namikaze Minato hesitated, then leaned closer and whispered, "This is precisely why I asked Lin Yu-senpai to come."
"Does Lin Yu-senpai have any thoughts of reviving the Uzumaki clan?"
Lin Yu was surprised. "You mean..."
Namikaze Minato nodded solemnly. "Lin Yu-senpai alone cannot revive the Uzumaki clan. Therefore, I intend for my child to take Sachiko's surname, Uzumaki, and be called Uzumaki Naruto!"
"This is the outcome of the discussion between Sachiko and me. After all, without Lin Yu-senpai, Sachiko and I might have already perished on the battlefield."
Lin Yu chuckled awkwardly. "Well, thank you very much then."
Reviving the Uzumaki clan? He, Lin Yu, had no such intention! However, Kushina might have that thought, and perhaps Uzumaki Sachiko as well.
If only for Kushina's sake, Lin Yu wouldn't disagree with this decision.
However... Lin Yu suddenly thought of a possibility and asked, "What if it's twins, a boy and a girl?"
Namikaze Minato's eyes widened. "This... is this possible?"
Could they be that lucky!
"If it's twins, the boy will be named Naruto. Have you thought of a name for the girl?"
Namikaze Minato pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Never mind. If I were good at naming, I wouldn't have asked Jiraiya-sensei."
Namikaze Minato secretly leaned closer to Lin Yu, glancing back at the bedroom, and whispered, "Sachiko hit me for the first time because I was naming the child! Lin Yu-senpai, your Uzumaki clan's strength is truly immense!"
"Ahem, is that so?"
Lin Yu coughed twice, looking at Minato with a hint of pity. He couldn't escape it after all!
"Since that's the case, let me offer you a suggestion!"
"The boy will be called Uzumaki Naruto, and the girl will be called Uzumaki Karin! What do you think!"
Namikaze Minato's mouth opened, but no words came out. He had originally wanted to say: Since the boy is taking the Uzumaki surname, can the girl take the Namikaze surname!
But seeing Lin Yu's serious gaze, he gave up.
Alas! Consider it a good deed.
"Then... I'll listen to Lin Yu-senpai."