Chapter 13: The Development of Seal-less Ninjutsu (Part 2)
This time, it was Obito's turn to be stunned. He hadn't expected such a sneaky tactic to even be possible. It was practically a universal truth! While Kakashi shot him a "you-idiot" kind of look, Obito actually jotted the method down seriously.
As if he could really catch Minato off guard like that?
Of course, both Minato and Kushina overheard everything that had just been said. Minato responded with a knowing smile, while Kushina, on the other hand, looked a little annoyed.
Hey! What kind of reactions were those supposed to be?!
Kushina's face turned bright red. The way those kids were acting—it was like they thought she wasn't good enough for Minato!
"Ahem." At that moment, Hagoromo cleared his throat with mock solemnity, then pulled out a little notebook from his ninja pouch. Reading from it with great seriousness, he began:
"According to my intel, Minato-senpai fell in love at first sight with Kushina-sensei when she transferred into the academy. I won't mention how old they were at the time, because if I say it out loud, Minato-senpai might be accused of something… criminal. In short, he liked her a lot. Especially her red hair. Honestly, I agree—that's definitely one of sensei's charm points. But considering how she was known as the Red-Hot Habanero back then, we really have to wonder about Minato-senpai's taste in women…"
Listening to her student spout nonsense that was actually mostly true, Kushina could take it no longer. She turned sharply and barked at Hagoromo, "Where did you even hear all that?!"
She was practically jumping with embarrassment because, well, he wasn't exactly wrong.
Kushina snatched the notebook out of his hands, probably planning to destroy the evidence. But when she opened it—blank. Not a single word.
Hagoromo casually pointed to his head. "All in here."
Realizing she'd been played, Kushina smacked him on the back of the head and threatened, red-faced, "Enough with the gossiping! Stop prying into your teacher's private life!"
As for Minato, he wasn't the least bit upset. On the contrary, he gave Hagoromo a big, genuine smile—and even offered him a thumbs-up.
"You must be Hagoromo, right? Great intel-gathering skills!"
"Thanks for the compliment, Minato-senpai. If you're interested, I've got plenty more gossip where that came from."
"You two, enough already!" Kushina cut in, clearly done with their back-and-forth.
A teacher of many faces—even Kushina, who was usually so bold and no-nonsense, had her moments. Hagoromo found it amusing, but he also knew when to stop pushing his luck. After all, the nickname Red-Hot Habanero wasn't just for show.
Maybe it was because they were each lugging around their own groups of students, but despite being a couple, Minato and Kushina merely walked side-by-side. No overly intimate gestures. Respectful. Considerate.
See? That's a real teacher, Hagoromo thought. Even knows how to spare single people the public display of affection.
This was only the second time Hagoromo had seen Minato, but it was the first time he had actually interacted with him. The last time was at his ninja school graduation, and even then it had just been a fleeting glimpse.
The famed Yellow Flash truly lived up to his reputation—powerful, legendary, and yet not the slightest bit arrogant. On the contrary, he carried himself like an approachable big brother.
Hagoromo couldn't help but feel impressed. Strong, kind, deeply loyal to the village—if he didn't become Hokage, who else possibly could?
Compared to three months ago, Minato hadn't changed. Kakashi was still aloof, Obito still his usual idiot self. But of all of them, the biggest change had happened to the girl beside him—Rin Nohara.
Hagoromo stole a glance at her. She seemed taller than before. Her personality had shifted, too—less bubbly than she had been at the academy, and more serene.
He could only describe it as a kind of transformation into a proper young lady.
Rin noticed Hagoromo looking at her and, although she didn't quite understand the look in his eyes, she gave him a sweet smile in return.
"Minato, how long are you staying this time?" Kushina asked.
"About a week, maybe. I only got leave because I needed to look after these kids," Minato replied with a chuckle.
He hadn't been off the front lines for over a year now. This visit was only a scheduled rest period—and even then, it wouldn't last long. Every frontline needed more hands. And with Minato's speed and strategic value, he was always being pulled back into the fight.
After a pause, Hagoromo turned to Rin and asked, "So… how's the front line?"
Rin thought for a moment. "It's very different from the academy and the village… Some of our fellow graduates have already died."
Hagoromo nodded. It wasn't surprising. Konoha still appeared peaceful on the surface, but on the battlefield, shinobi were dying every day—and most of them would never be remembered.
"There's a huge shortage of medical-nin on the front lines. I heard the village higher-ups are regretting not listening to Lady Tsunade about forming a proper medical corps earlier. Some kunoichi have been volunteering for medical-nin training during downtime. I've started studying it more seriously myself…"
Her words came out in pieces, but even in just three months, the war had clearly changed her. She'd matured. Too quickly. It was almost jarring—she wasn't the cheerful, spirited girl he remembered. Now, she was soft-spoken and composed.
A little unfamiliar.
…
"Um, Kushina-sensei, Minato-senpai… If there's nothing else today, I'll take my leave."
Realizing that the group had fully morphed into third wheels at this point, Hagoromo wisely excused himself.
War had separated the couple for too long—this reunion was rare and precious. He had no intention of spoiling it.
Kushina watched him walk away, knowing full well what he was thinking. That little brat—always acting like an old man. She was both annoyed and amused.
Did she really need him worrying about her love life?