Chương 34: This kid is strange

Kushina served food to the cute kid who happily ate whatever she placed in front of him. She had quickly warmed up some leftover rice, grilled fish, pickled vegetables, and a simple sandwich. Shunsui sat at the table. Every time Kushina put a new dish in front of him, he would look up at her with shy eyes and give a small, grateful smile. His cheeks stayed faintly pink the entire time. The red-haired woman found it oddly endearing.

She watched as the boy in the pink kimono and straw hat carefully picked up pieces of fish with chopsticks and ate them slowly, as if savoring each bite. Occasionally, he would glance at her when he thought she was not looking, then quickly look back down at his plate when their eyes met. Kushina smiled softly to herself. She had not expected her afternoon to turn into feeding a strangely dressed but polite little boy who had just asked her out on a date.

Shunsui, for his part, was fighting a quiet storm inside his mind. The food in front of him tasted almost nothing. The rice was plain, the fish was overcooked, and the sandwich was far too salty. Yet he kept eating with a happy expression, nodding gratefully every time Kushina asked if he liked it.

'Do people in the Naruto world have their teenage phase earlier than what is normal due to earlier development caused by chakra?' he thought.

'Or is this just me? An adult mind stuck in a child's body… maybe my emotions are mixing with this young body in strange ways. Why is this even happening?' He took another bite of the tasteless stew and almost winced, but he covered it with a bright smile.

'But then again, it makes sense that I am behaving like this toward Kushina. I have an adult mind, and thus my feelings only came out when I saw her.' Being around Kushina made the adult part of him react strongly, even if his current body was still that of a child.

"Wow, that's good," Shunsui said as he tasted the tasteless stew, forcing enthusiasm into his voice. He gave Kushina a thumbs-up.

'What people do to get on the good side of their crushes…' he thought internally.

'I am literally eating something that tastes like salted cardboard and calling it delicious. If this is not true love, I don't know what is. In my last life I would have complained after one bite. Now look at me. Simping at age ten. Pathetic. But worth it.' Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Kushina laughed lightly.

"I am glad you like it! Eat as much as you want. Growing boys need lots of food." Shunsui nodded eagerly and took another big bite. Inside, he was screaming.

'This stew is attacking my soul. But for you, Kushina-san, I would eat an entire pot of this. Maybe two.'

"So which clan do you belong to? Who are your parents? With that amount of chakra…" Kushina asked, hoping just a little that with that level of chakra, the boy might have some Uzumaki lineage.

"I don't know," Shunsui said honestly.

"I am an orphan. The matron told me that she found me in a crib on the orphanage doorstep. She has taken care of me since then. She is cranky sometimes, but she is a good woman. She does not show it though, and she made me become a shinobi, so there is that."

"Aww, poor you," Kushina said, her expression softening immediately. She reached over and gently patted his head again.

"You should come and have meals with me and Minato whenever you feel lonely."

"I would not like to impose, Kushina-san."

"Nonsense! You are a cute kid. You are welcome anytime," she said firmly, smiling brightly. Shunsui nodded while internally sighing.

'Ahh, Kushina, you're cruel, you know that? Calling me cute like that… smiling like I'm some harmless little brother… do you have any idea how dangerous that is?'

'A man can endure a lot of things — pain, loneliness, even defeat… but being underestimated by the woman he likes? That's a slow kind of torture.'

'Well… I guess I'll just have to grow up faster then. Or maybe… I'll just stay like this and keep stealing your attention in small ways. fun.' Kushina patted his head again, ruffling his dark hair gently. Shunsui looked up at her with a small, shy smile.

"You really like patting my head, don't you?" he said. Kushina laughed.

"You have very soft hair! It is nice to pat." Shunsui tilted his head slightly.

"At this rate, I might start thinking that's the only way you'll ever touch me." The words slipped out before he could stop them. Kushina froze mid-pat, her hand still on his head. Her eyes widened in surprise. For a second she wondered if this polite little boy was actually a transformed Jiraiya playing some perverted prank. The thought made her face turn slightly red.

"…Ah, don't make that face. I'm joking. Mostly," Shunsui added quickly, giving her a small, innocent smile that somehow made the situation even more awkward. Kushina did not know what to say to comfort the boy. She just kept patting his head gently, a mix of amusement and confusion on her face. Shunsui took another bite of the now too-salty sandwich and continued speaking softly.

"I know that I am too young for you. Still, I wonder… if I were older, would you look at me differently?" He paused, then shook his head.

"No, no — don't answer that. I think I'd rather keep guessing. It is more fun chasing something uncertain. And I don't think that I would like to hear a negative answer either." Kushina looked speechless at the brat. The boy was too mature for his age and he was saying awkward things without any hesitation and a straight face. He already knew that they could never be a couple due to their age difference and her having no feelings for him but yet still ate the food she gave him which she knew tasted not so good.

There was only one thought running through her mind as she patted his head again.

'This kid is strange.'