Now it was Obito's turn to be shocked.
He hadn't expected things could be done this way. In front of Kakashi's look that clearly said "what an idiot," Obito actually took the advice seriously and committed it to memory.
Of course, he didn't stop to consider whether he could really grab hold of Minato's "weakness" in the first place.
In fact, Minato and Kushina had heard every word of the conversation behind them.
Minato merely smiled knowingly.
Kushina, on the other hand, was more than a little annoyed.
Hey—hey!
What kind of reactions were those supposed to be?!
Kushina's face flushed red from her students' reactions. What did they mean by that? It was almost as if they were implying she wasn't good enough for Minato!
"Ahem."
At this point, Hagoromo cleared his throat solemnly. With great ceremony, he pulled out a small notebook from his ninja pouch, then began reading from it as if it contained classified intelligence.
"According to my sources, Minato-senpai fell in love at first sight with Kushina-sensei when she transferred to the Ninja Academy. As for their ages at the time… I won't go into detail, because if I did, Minato-senpai's intentions might border on criminal behavior."
"Anyway," he continued seriously,
"Minato-senpai was extremely fond of Kushina-sensei—especially her red hair. I'll admit, red hair is one of sensei's charms. But considering that Kushina-sensei was already known as the Red-Hot Habanero back then, we do have to question whether Minato-senpai's taste in women might be a little… unconventional—"
That was the limit.
Listening to her own disciple spout three parts nonsense and seven parts truth, Kushina finally snapped. She spun around and shouted:
"Hagoromo! Where did you even hear all this nonsense?!"
She was so embarrassed she was practically hopping in place—because what he said wasn't actually that far from the truth.
Kushina snatched the notebook out of Hagoromo's hands, intending to destroy the evidence.
But when she looked—
It was completely blank. Not a single word written inside.
Hagoromo calmly raised a finger and tapped his temple, signaling that all the "information" was stored up here.
Realizing she'd been played, Kushina smacked him hard on the back of the head, then threatened him with a red face:
"Anyway, stop snooping around your teacher's private life!"
As for Minato—
He showed no displeasure whatsoever.
On the contrary, he gave Hagoromo a bright smile. As if that weren't enough, he even gave him a thumbs-up.
"So you're Hagoromo? Impressive intelligence-gathering skills."
"Thank you for the praise, Minato-senpai. If you'd like, I still have plenty more gossip like this."
"That's enough, both of you!" Kushina snapped, forcefully cutting off their mutual flattery.
Seeing his usually carefree teacher react like this was honestly quite amusing to Hagoromo. Still, he knew when to stop.
Otherwise, he might actually end up bleeding on the spot.
After all, the nickname Red-Hot Habanero wasn't just for show.
Perhaps because they were both accompanied by their respective "extras," Minato and Kushina—despite being lovers—merely walked side by side without any overly intimate gestures.
See?
Teachers were considerate like that—very mindful of single people's feelings.
This was Hagoromo's second time seeing Minato Namikaze, but his first real interaction with him. The last time had been a fleeting glimpse during the graduation exam.
The legendary Yellow Flash truly lived up to the rumors.
Despite his immense strength and countless achievements, he showed no arrogance at all. Instead, he felt like an approachable older brother—someone who naturally inspired goodwill.
Hagoromo couldn't help but marvel.
Powerful, gentle, broad-minded—and most importantly, deeply devoted to the village.
If this man didn't become Hokage, then who possibly could?
Minato hadn't changed much from three months ago. Hagoromo wasn't very familiar with this stage of Kakashi's life, and Obito was still as much of a clown as ever.
But among them all, the one who had changed the most—
Was Nohara Rin.
Hagoromo glanced at the girl beside him.
Compared to three months ago, Rin seemed a little taller. Her demeanor had changed as well. She'd lost some of the liveliness she had back in the Academy and had grown noticeably more gentle and composed.
In simple terms—
She had become more yamato nadeshiko-like (term used for the ideal of feminine beauty and strength).
Sensing his gaze, Rin looked back at him. Though she didn't quite understand his expression, she still gave him a soft, sweet smile.
"Kushina," Minato asked from the front,
"how long can I stay this time?"
"About a week," Minato replied.
"I only managed to get this much leave so I could look after these kids."
Minato had been stationed on the front lines continuously for an entire year. This return to Konoha was merely a scheduled rotation—and even then, the time was limited.
After all, every front was understaffed, and a top-tier shinobi like Minato—who could rapidly move between battlefields—was far too valuable to be pulled off the front for long.
After a moment of silence, Hagoromo spoke again.
"What's the front line like, Rin?"
Rin thought for a moment before answering.
"It's… very different from the Academy or the village. Some of the Genin from our graduating class have already died."
Hagoromo nodded. He'd expected as much.
Konoha still appeared peaceful on the surface, but every day, shinobi were dying on the front lines—most of them without their names ever being remembered.
"There's a severe shortage of medical-nin at the front," Rin continued softly.
"I heard the village leadership has started regretting not approving Lady Tsunade's proposal to establish a medical-ninja system before the war…"
"Some of the kunoichi have volunteered to undergo medical training when they're not on combat duty. I've been studying medical ninjutsu more seriously as well…"
Rin spoke haltingly about the war.
Only three months had passed, yet her growth and change were already so evident that Hagoromo found it difficult to adjust.
The Rin he remembered had been brighter, more cheerful.
This calm, gentle version felt… unfamiliar.
"Um… Kushina-sensei, Minato-senpai," Hagoromo said at last.
"If there's nothing else today, I'll take my leave."
Realizing that he and the others had thoroughly become third wheels, Hagoromo prepared to excuse himself.
War had forced these two lovers apart. Now that they were finally reunited, he had no intention of intruding.
Kushina knew very well that her student was far more perceptive than his age suggested.
How could she not understand what he was thinking?
That understanding left her feeling annoyed, embarrassed—and just a little pleased.
Did she really need her own student to worry about things like this?
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