Whoever said packing is easy deserved a reality check.

Lord Third gave them a week to move out, which sounded generous—until Hana nearly dropped her fourth box and backpack trying to carry them both at once.

She was going to have to downsize at the new place.

Minato stood in the hallway when she stumbled into the chaos of the living room, now overtaken by boxes and half-dismantled furniture.

"Hana, I hope you don't mind," he started casually, "but I called Kakashi, Rin, and Obito to help us move. We've got to be out of the house today."

She almost dropped her box on the spot.

Kakashi? Fine. But Rin and Obito?

She forced a neutral smile. "That's fine. We need the help anyway."

As she turned to head back to her room, Minato's voice stopped her again.

"I know you and Obito haven't been on the best terms lately," he added gently, "but try to put that aside—just for today."

No response.

Of course he noticed.

Minato always noticed. It's what made him such a good ninja... and a pain in the ass sometimes.

Hana returned to her room in silence and began boxing up the last of her things. She was halfway through taping up a box when she heard an unfamiliar voice from the living room.

Curious, she stepped out to see a tall man with wild white hair tied into a ponytail that reached his knees. He wore a green kimono and pants, covered by a red haori with two yellow circles on the back. Red markings trailed down his cheeks, and his grin was practically glowing.

"Wow, Minato, you didn't tell me you already had a daughter," the man laughed. "Offended I wasn't introduced sooner—as her self-proclaimed godfather."

Minato chuckled beside him. "Sorry, Master Jiraiya. This is my niece, Hana."

The man gave her a wink and a bow. "Jiraiya. The Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku. But don't call me grandpa—I'm not that old. Let's go with cool uncle."

Hana raised a brow. The name sounded familiar... "Well, I already have a cool uncle. So... you can be Grandpa Toad Sage."

Jiraiya froze dramatically, then laughed. "Yup. Definitely Kushina's kid."

Minato chuckled as he told her how Jiraiya had been his mentor back in his genin days, and more than that—a father figure. Jiraiya had just returned from a long mission and came to check in on them.

Hana shared the basics of her own story, skipping over the trauma. She simply said she didn't know her parents.

Technically not a lie.

Kushina walked in soon after and greeted Jiraiya warmly.

"Looking beautiful as ever, Kushina," he said, all charm.

She smiled and thanked him, then called Hana over.

In the bedroom, Kushina leaned in with a warning. "Master Jiraiya's a great guy... but be careful about any advice he gives you about dating, and definitely don't read any of his books."

And just like that, it clicked.

That was why his name sounded familiar.

Her face burned as she remembered the steamy love story she picked up from the romance shelf. At first, it was about a man returning from war to his loving wife... then boom—scene change, and she was reading something that definitely wasn't meant for her age range.

That book was currently packed in a box somewhere. She couldn't even make it past the fifth chapter. She found the book at a yard sale, thinking it was a normal fictional book. 

"Noted," she said quickly, scurrying off before her guilt gave her away.

When she returned to the living room, Jiraiya was gone, and Kakashi was already helping out. She gave him a small wave and retreated to her room to finish up.

A little while later, as she was checking her closet one last time, Kakashi knocked and stepped in.

"Minato-sensei asked if you had any more boxes left," he said. "I'll grab this one."

"Thanks," Hana said, trailing behind him. "I appreciate you guys helping out. Even with the Yellow Flash in the house, moving sucks."

Kakashi nodded. "You're not wrong."

As they walked out together, Hana spotted Obito and Rin standing in the living room. Obito's gaze flicked over to her and lingered on Kakashi.

His expression shifted slightly. Hana gave him a questioning look but said nothing.

Rin greeted them, but Hana gave only a curt nod and moved to grab more boxes. Rin went to help Kushina in the kitchen, leaving Hana with Obito and Kakashi.

Things immediately felt...tense.

"Sure you can lift those boxes, Kakashi?" Obito asked, tone edged with sarcasm as Kakashi grabbed two.

Kakashi didn't miss a beat. "Certainly. Unlike you, I don't pull a muscle lifting chopsticks."

Obito rolled his eyes. "Please. You couldn't carry a grain of sand without collapsing."

Before it escalated, Hana interjected.

"Okay, I think we can all agree," she said, straight-faced, "that we need to be out of this house today. So let's not burn it down first."

They almost stopped—until Obito grinned.

"Hana's right, Kakashi. Even a snail moves faster than you."

Kakashi, unfazed, retorted, "And yet, you're still always behind me."

Hana stifled a laugh and rolled her eyes. "Okay, that's enough. Let's go, tortoises."

Despite the chaos, the move went smoother than expected—thanks to Minato's teleportation.

While Rin tried to make conversation, Hana mostly listened, still too bitter about how things had been between her and Obito. And she definitely noticed the tension.

Kushina insisted on assembling the new dining table herself. Hana knew better than to argue. She'd seen what happened the last time someone questioned Kushina while she had a screwdriver in hand.

Rin and Hana tackled the dining room together. Kushina eventually let out a triumphant shout.

"Yes! Got you, you bastard!" she yelled from the kitchen.

They turned to see her holding a power drill victoriously over the table.

"The hole wasn't drilled right," she huffed. "I fixed it."

Hana chuckled. Total dad mode.

After Rin went off to find Kakashi, Hana and Obito worked on setting up her new room. Minato had already assembled the bed, so all that was left was arranging and unpacking.

Obito tried to lift the dresser solo—and struggled. Hana shoved it easily into place.

His face went red. "I loosened it for you."

"Sure you did."

Then came the box.

As Obito started opening one, Hana's eyes widened.

No. No no no—

She remembered what was in that one.

"Let me handle that one!" she said, a bit too loud, snatching it from him.

He blinked. "Uh, okay... want me to take this other one, then?"

She nodded, already digging through the first box. She found Makeout Tactics near the bottom and shoved it deep into her makeup organizer. No one ever had to know. She needed to get rid of that book and fast.

She was just starting to breathe again when—

"Hana, I've been meaning to ask you something."

Her stomach dropped.

Please don't ask about the box. Please don't ask about the box—

But it wasn't that.

"Why are you being so rude to Rin?"

Hana froze.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

Oh, he had the audacity today.

"If that's all you came to say, you can leave. I'll finish this myself."

"She's only ever been nice to you! And you treat her like dirt!"

"And you ignore me every time she's around," Hana snapped. "You act like I don't even exist."

"You're one to talk. All you ever talk about is Kakashi."

"Because Kakashi actually sees me. If you're gonna keep acting like this, then stay out of my way."

She turned her back on him, furious. Their fights were never like this—never personal.

Usually, it was teasing, bickering, and dumb bets about who would be Hokage first.

Not this.

Not... painful.

She unpacked in silence, arms crossed, anger bubbling just beneath the surface.

Later that evening, Rin left early, and Kakashi was packing up. Hana walked him out.

"Thanks again," she said, a little shy.

"Don't mention it," he replied.

She hesitated, then asked, "I'm getting my new cat tomorrow. Wanna come with me?"

There was a pause—then a soft, "Sure."

She smiled as he walked off.

Obito passed her in the hall on his way out. She thought about ignoring him... until he spoke.

"Hana, wait."

She turned, guarded. "What?"

"I'm... sorry."

The words surprised her. She blinked.

"I didn't mean any of what I said. I don't want us to stop being friends."

"...It's okay," she said quietly.

"No, it's not. I was a jerk."

She softened. "Then I'm sorry, too. Let's start over."

He smiled. "Okay. Are you busy tomorrow?"

"Yeah... I'm going with Kakashi to adopt the calico kitten."

His smile faltered a little. "Got it. I'll see you around."

Back inside, Minato said nothing about the earlier tension. Kushina was too busy whipping up dinner and announcing that Jiraiya would be coming back over to eat with them.

Hana flopped onto the couch next to her uncle, her mind still tangled in everything that happened that day. "So, what's the deal with Jiraiya?" she asked casually. "He seems... strong. And kinda weird."

Minato chuckled, resting his arm on the back of the couch. "He's one of the Legendary Sannin."

Hana blinked. "Wait—what?"

"You've heard of them, right?" he asked. "Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru. They fought in the Second Great Ninja War."

Her jaw dropped. "That Jiraiya? The actual Sannin?!"

"That's him," Minato said, clearly amused at her shock.

She ran a hand through her hair, still processing. "I mean—I knew Anko trained under Orochimaru, and she told me all these stories about how terrifying but brilliant he was... But Tsunade? She's literally my idol. Medical-nin and a badass? I used to pretend I was her every time I played ninja as a kid."

"She'd like to hear that," Minato smiled. "You've got the fire for it."

Hana flushed with pride. But now the name Jiraiya hit her differently—because now she realized she'd been teasing a Sannin.

A very loud, very confident, very published Sannin.

When Jiraiya arrived not long after, dinner was full of energy. He gave Minato a hearty slap on the back and complimented Kushina's cooking before settling in across from Hana.

"So, still think I'm just some old guy, Hana?" he asked with a wink.

She raised a brow. "Nah. Now I know you're a legendary old guy."

Jiraiya burst out laughing, clapping the table. "Kushina, she's definitely yours."

He went on to tell a few wild (and slightly questionable) stories about his "research" on his travels. Minato's expression grew increasingly strained with each passing tale, and Hana had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.

She definitely wasn't going to admit she already owned one of his books.

And she definitely wasn't going to let anyone ever know where she kept it hidden. She really needed to get rid of it before someone found it.