Kairen was chatting and laughing with Kushina when suddenly a young voice called out:
"Kairen! Kairen!"
Kairen looked down and saw a beautiful black-haired woman holding a young boy by the hand. It was Uchiha Mikoto and her son, Uchiha Itachi.
Itachi happily waved at Kairen. Kairen shifted his gaze to the gentle beauty beside him. Their dark pupils met, as if recalling last night's ambiguous moment.
Kairen smiled lightly. Uchiha Mikoto blushed and quickly avoided Kairen's aggressive gaze.
She couldn't help feeling guilty in her heart. Mikoto, oh Mikoto! You have a husband and a child—how can you blush at a boy more than ten years younger than you?!
Just thinking about last night's ridiculous dream, and Kairen's masculine chest, made Mikoto unconsciously feel moist all over again.
Why did she have that strange dream the moment she saw Kairen? Was she really a bad woman… attracted to someone younger and more valiant like Kairen?
Kushina also saw Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Itachi, and loudly greeted them.
"Mikoto! Little Itachi!"
Uchiha Mikoto shook her head, throwing away the distracting thoughts, then raised her hand and waved back.
"Kushina!"
"Kushina-san!"
Kairen stroked his chin, glanced at Uchiha Mikoto, then breathed in the fragrance of the beauty beside him. In his heart, he imagined the story of three people together.
While Kairen was still contemplating this two-or-three-person script, Sarutobi Hiruzen raised his hand, quieting the noisy crowd. Then he began to speak.
"Everyone, I'm getting old. Let's decide the Fourth Hokage after this war! Of course, I hope my student Tsunade can become the Fourth…"
Kairen didn't listen to anything Sarutobi said afterward. It was just more preaching about his Will of Fire.
Telling everyone to protect the village the way they protect their wives, and to treat the enemies invading the village as if they were bitter rivals.
After that, everyone dispersed. Tsunade still had to return to the Hokage building to handle administrative work. Kairen simply wandered alone through the streets of Konoha.
Ahead by the water pump, Kairen saw Minato's team. The group stood together, seemingly preparing to head out on a mission.
Kushina saw Kairen and called out:
"Kairen! Come here! I'll introduce you to Kakashi."
Kairen folded his arms and walked over. He glanced at Kakashi—dressed in black, face covered by a black mask—and shook his head.
"We used to be classmates. No need for an introduction."
A question mark popped up in Kakashi's mind. Classmates? He'd never seen this guy back in the academy.
Wait… Kairen, Moku Kairen, the good buddy Obito always mentioned.
Kakashi turned to Kairen.
"You're Moku Kairen!"
Kairen nodded, then immediately stopped Kakashi from speaking further.
"I didn't take any supplements. This is just normal puberty development."
Kakashi swallowed the retort he nearly blurted out.
"Guy! Youth must never be neglected!"
"Got it, Dad!"
At that moment, two kappas wearing green jumpsuits ran past, shouting about youth. Guy and his father Duy greeted Kairen's group, and in the blink of an eye only their youthful silhouettes remained.
Kairen pointed at the father-and-son duo's fading figures.
"That's the kind of youth I mean."
Kakashi returned to the topic and examined Kairen again. He was as tall as his teacher Minato—how was that normal development?
A ninja blade hung at his waist, and an odd aura around him made others want to punch him.
Obito circled around, attempting to hook an arm around Kairen's neck, but since he wasn't tall enough, he settled for grabbing Kairen's shoulder and grinning.
"Of course that's Kairen."
Then Obito provoked Kakashi:
"Kakashi, your title of prodigy might be gone. Kairen isn't weaker than you."
Despite only finishing elementary academy, Obito did have talent. Yesterday, Kairen's shadow clones numbered fifty or sixty—and they were all solid clones.
Obito knew exactly what that meant.
Minato smiled warmly to the side.
"That's right, Kakashi. Obito is right. Even I find it troublesome dealing with Kairen's strength."
Kairen's enormous chakra alone deterred many people. But for Minato, it was troublesome, not unbeatable.
With his Flying Thunder God space-time ninjutsu, he was naturally almost invincible.
Kakashi could ignore Obito's boasting, but not Minato's evaluation.
He examined Kairen again, carefully.
Kairen narrowed his eyes at him with a proud look, stirring Kakashi's desire to compete.
He asked:
"Fight with me in a nin spar!"
A nin spar—training combat between shinobi.
Kairen smirked, then glanced at Minato and Kushina.
Those tomatoes and eggs knew his true strength, but Minato's three students knew nothing at all.
Kushina patted Kairen's shoulder, fanning the flames.
"Kairen, show Kakashi how strong the last Senju truly is!"
Kakashi was also a proud person, or he wouldn't have been moved around several teams. Kushina wanted him to hit a wall.
Everyone wanted Kairen to show off. There was no reason to refuse, right?
Besides, Kairen knew Kushina's intention was for Kakashi to hit a wall. Kairen also wanted to hit a wall in front of Kushina. But he was already so strong—he could easily slip in without effort.
He quietly activated his Byakugan, found the nearest training ground, and smiled at Kakashi.
"Let's head to the training ground on the far left."
Kakashi nodded. The moment the words fell, he body-flickered onto a tree.
He glanced back at Kairen, the look clearly provoking a speed contest.
Kakashi turned away and leapt forward, stepping from branch to branch toward the training ground.
Kairen smiled. A burst of liquor spray shot from the gourd on his left hip, propelling him swiftly toward the training ground.
A sage shouldn't run around with hands behind his back like normal ninja. That'd be unscientific. A sage must move like a sage.
To be honest, when Obito and Rin saw this unheard-of movement technique, they were instantly shocked.
Obito pointed at Kairen as he walked on the liquor, shouting to Minato and Kushina:
"Look! Look! Kairen has become a sage! Come back and take me with you!"
Kushina smashed her fist onto Obito's head.
"Idiot Obito, that's advanced chakra control."
After speaking, she and Minato body-flickered to where Kairen and Kakashi were about to clash.