"I remember this."
Rin Nohara frowned slightly.
She was still in the prime of her youth, far from the age where memory began to fail. Of course she remembered the agreement Kyoichi had mentioned. Back when Minato's team had taken on the mission to escort the Kirigakure diplomatic delegation, they met the Kiri envoys at Shiraishi Port. That was when Obito had a verbal clash with this very person in front of them. Afterward, the two had agreed that once both sides reached Konoha, they would spar.
It was just that…
No one had expected that something would happen on the very first night after the Kirigakure delegation arrived in Konoha.
That night, an incident erupted that swept up Konoha, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure alike. The Uchiha clan found itself right at the center of the storm. Even now, the ripples caused by that event had yet to fully subside.
And because of this, the promised match between Kyoichi and Obito had been delayed all the way until today, never once fulfilled.
To be honest,
Rin Nohara had thought that the agreement would simply be rendered void.
She never expected that Kyoichi would actually come knocking because of it.
That made her feel a bit of regret.
If she had known that Kyoichi came specifically for this, she would not have come down at all. She really did not want to see Obito fight Kyoichi. She was afraid that if Obito lost to him, he might suffer another devastating blow.
Just as Rin hesitated,
Kyoichi continued, "As long as Rin-san remembers, that's enough. Then I'll have to trouble you to help contact Obito. If he has time today, please ask him to come to the embassy to see me. Or he can choose another place to spar, that's fine too. Of course, if he has no intention of honoring the agreement, then just pretend I was never here."
"Obito has been very busy lately. He may not have time to carry out his agreement with you, Koeda-san," Rin replied.
At that moment,
"What agreement?"
A woman's voice suddenly came from the side.
"Sensei's wife?"
Rin turned around sharply and saw the woman behind her. She was dressed in casual homewear, with a head of vivid crimson hair. "Why are you here?"
"What do you mean? Rin, did you forget? We agreed earlier that today was checkup day."
The woman widened her eyes.
"Ah!"
Rin exclaimed softly. She could not help but complain inwardly about Kyoichi. It was all Koeda Kyoichi's sudden appearance today that had nearly made her forget that Kushina was coming over for a physical checkup. She lowered her head awkwardly and explained in a small voice, "I was thinking about something just now and didn't react in time."
"Thinking about something? About Obito and this Kiri ninja's agreement?"
The woman asked curiously,
while shifting her gaze toward Kyoichi and the others.
Kyoichi sat as still as if he were glued to the bench, not responding at all to the red-haired woman's curious look.
Because he had already sensed the deliberately released killing intent of the ANBU monitoring him in secret.
The reason was simple.
The red-haired woman before him was Kushina Uzumaki. She was a surviving member of the Uzumaki clan, the wife of Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash. Most importantly, she was Konoha's Nine-Tails jinchūriki.
Kyoichi was certain that if he showed even the slightest hint of trying to approach this Nine-Tails jinchūriki, the ANBU watching him would immediately rush out and put blades to his throat. Not that he feared those ANBU posed much of a threat to him, but there was no need to invite trouble.
He had no designs on the Nine-Tails jinchūriki.
So why deliberately make things unpleasant?
"Kushina-sensei, this is Koeda Kyoichi, the one I mentioned to you before. Obito had agreed with him that once both sides arrived in Konoha, they would spar. Koeda-san came today hoping to contact Obito through me and fulfill that agreement."
Rin explained rapidly.
"Oh! So you're Koeda Kyoichi!"
Kushina Uzumaki stared straight at Kyoichi, carefully examining the young man sitting on the bench.
A trace of amazement appeared in her eyes.
The name Koeda Kyoichi was anything but unfamiliar to her. Minato had told her about Kyoichi's actions. He had taken Rin hostage to threaten Obito and Kakashi. Even Minato himself had gone along with Kyoichi's plans, using the situation to create trouble for Iwagakure and helping escort the Koeda clan out of Iwagakure.
After that, the Koeda clan traveled south.
When they passed through the Land of Rain, Kyoichi had gone on to slay Hanzō of the Salamander, a veteran powerhouse of the shinobi world, earning the nickname "Earth Walking Yasha."
Later still, the Koeda clan pledged themselves to Kirigakure.
And then Kyoichi, as a Kiri ninja, stepped onto the battlefield and actually held back Orochimaru all on his own.
"I'm Kushina Uzumaki, wife of Minato Namikaze."
Kushina introduced herself openly, then asked, "Koeda-san, are you here to spar with that brat Obito?"
"No. Obito was the one who issued the challenge."
Kyoichi shook his head and replied with a smile. "I agreed earlier that once I came to Konoha, I would spar with him. Recently, negotiations between our village and yours have been going quite smoothly. They may conclude in just a few days, and we'll likely be returning to Kirigakure. To avoid being accused of going back on my word, I came today, hoping to settle this matter if it's convenient."
"…You make it sound awfully easy."
A smile appeared on Kushina's face as she looked at Kyoichi. "That Obito brat has undergone earth-shaking changes in strength these days. If you still treat him like he was back in Kusagakure, Koeda-san, you might end up at a disadvantage."
"I wouldn't dare underestimate an Uchiha who has awakened the Sharingan. Still, victory and defeat aren't decided by words. You have to cross blades for real to get a result, don't you?"
"Pretty arrogant, huh!"
Kushina raised an eyebrow. "Rin, go contact Obito. Tell that brat Koeda Kyoichi is waiting for him."
"Eh?"
Rin blinked and looked at Kushina with some worry. "Sensei, is this really okay?"
"Relax. That brat Obito is really strong now."
Kushina patted Rin on the shoulder and leaned close to whisper in her ear, "I know you're worried that Obito might take a hit if he loses, but I think you're worrying a bit too much. Obito isn't as fragile as you think."
"I'm not worried!"
Rin's cheeks flushed slightly.
"Alright, alright, I know you're not. In any case, hurry up and contact Obito and tell him what's going on here. Oh, right, you can reach him, can't you?"
Kushina fixed her gaze on the girl.
"I can," Rin replied softly.
"Then go."
Uzumaki Kushina asserted her authority as the teacher's wife.