Naruto: Imitation Ninja

The next morning, Xing Liu was rudely awakened by the loud sound of someone hammering on his door.

Actually, "hammering" was an understatement—it was more like someone had blasted the door, lock and all, right off its hinges.

"I suddenly feel like there's something very off about this scene…" Xing Liu muttered, staring at the door now lying on the shop floor.

That door, as far as he remembered, had just been repaired by Minato not too long ago. How had it ended up being knocked down again so soon? And the culprit this time was—

"Ah… sorry, sorry, Xing Liu! I didn't control my strength," said Kushina, scratching the back of her head with an awkward smile.

That's right. The door-wrecker this time was none other than Kushina, his neighbor and part of the couple that had helped fix the door the last time.

"So you fixed my door just so you could knock it down again someday?" Xing Liu grumbled, still groggy from being woken up. He had been having such a good time snuggling with Xiao Xiang's soft body. But no, of course someone had to invade his home. And worse, the intruder this time was someone who had helped fix his house before!

"Oh, come on, it's just a door! If I really wanted, I could have someone replace it every day without repeating the design!" Kushina teased, dismissing his complaint with a wave of her hand.

Xing Liu could see this conversation heading nowhere fast. If he let the two of them keep bantering, it would go on forever. So, deciding to seize the cool morning hours for another nap, he stepped in.

"I'm pretty sure you didn't come here just to destroy my door because you didn't like the look of it, right?" he asked. "If that's all it is, you can keep wrecking it for all I care. I'm going back to bed."

He turned and started walking back to his room.

"Wait, you're really going back to sleep?" Kushina exclaimed, a bit panicked. Minato had explicitly told her to make sure Xing Liu went to the Hokage's office today.

"What else am I supposed to do? I've got a soft and cuddly wife waiting for me—why would I waste time chatting with you here?" Xing Liu shot her a pointed look, rolling his eyes dramatically.

"Alright, alright, stop with the sass!" Kushina huffed. "I'm here because Minato asked me to bring you to the Hokage's office. Now let's go!"

Her frustration was clear, but she had to admit—he had a point. Why would anyone leave their adorable wife just to waste time chatting with a woman they couldn't even have?

If it weren't for Minato's direct orders, she would've much preferred staying in her room and enjoying the magical "air conditioner" Xing Liu had invented.

---

"Oh? What does that troublemaker want now?" Xing Liu frowned. "He sent me to that hellhole, the Sand Village, right after his wedding, and I haven't even settled that score with him yet! Now he wants me to do more work after I've only had one day to rest?

"Does he really think I'm some corporate slave who lives to work nonstop?"

His voice grew louder, his tone more irritated as he went on. Kushina, seeing his frustration boiling over, quickly decided to escape.

She had delivered the message, after all. There was no need to get caught in the crossfire of whatever dispute Minato and Xing Liu were bound to have next.

---

After calming down, Xing Liu looked at his poor, broken door. The culprit was long gone, leaving him to deal with the mess.

"You're quick to leave, but did you even think about fixing the damage you caused?" he muttered, exasperated.

Sighing heavily, Xing Liu resigned himself to repairing the door.

Back when he was single, he wouldn't have cared—there was nothing in his house worth stealing anyway. But things were different now. With Xiao Xiang around, his home contained something more precious than his own life. Ensuring her safety was paramount.

After some effort, Xing Liu installed a state-of-the-art aluminum alloy door, a far cry from the flimsy wooden one that had been knocked down.

"Can I even get away with using something like this here?" he wondered, staring at the sleek, modern door. For a moment, it felt like he had returned to his original world.

"Well, it might be overkill, but it's definitely better than those wooden doors that get knocked down so easily."

The aluminum door looked completely out of place amid the surrounding wooden structures, but Xing Liu didn't care.

"It's just for my own use anyway. Even if that so-called god lectures me, it won't be too serious," he reasoned, calming himself.

---

Just as Xing Liu was mulling over excuses for the god's potential complaints, his bedroom door creaked open.

A soft, sleepy voice called out.

"Big brother… what are you muttering about out here?"

Xiao Xiang, rubbing her eyes, stepped into view. Her pink cheeks and disheveled hair made her look even more adorable than usual.

Hearing her voice, Xing Liu instantly forgot about Minato's orders, the broken door, and even the god's potential scolding.

He rushed over and scooped her into his arms, holding her tightly.

"Did I wake you up? I'm sorry," he murmured, gently stroking her silky hair as he basked in her warmth.

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