As the three locked eyes, Naruto scrambled to his feet, planting one hand on his hip and pointing at Seimei with the other. "Hey, you're the one who bumped into me, right?"
Hearing this, Seimei shifted his gaze downward to look at Naruto.
Seeing his attention, Naruto pressed on, "Come on, apologize already!"
As he spoke, his eyes flicked to a half-eaten popsicle lying on the ground.
Clearly, it had fallen when Naruto took his tumble.
But Seimei wasn't about to indulge him. He shot back, "You're the one who bumped into me. If anyone's apologizing, it should be you."
Naruto froze, caught off guard by Seimei's retort.
And why wouldn't he be? In this life, Naruto wasn't an orphan.
With the Fourth Hokage as his father and his young age, people usually just laughed off his antics, even when he was in the wrong. Someone as serious as Seimei was a rare encounter.
Still, as the reincarnation of Asura's chakra, embodying love and peace, Naruto had an innate sense of justice.
Realizing his mistake, he scratched his head sheepishly and said, "Uh, yeah, I guess I messed up."
Then, with a serious bow, he added, "Sorry, big brother!"
Seimei was momentarily taken aback by Naruto's reaction.
This was way different from the reckless, attention-seeking Naruto he remembered.
But then again, it made sense. In his memories, Naruto acted out to get noticed. In this life, he never lacked attention.
Naruto's mature-for-his-age demeanor was evident.
Clearly, Minato had raised him well.
As for Naruto's earlier antics and words? Well, kids being a bit mischievous was normal, wasn't it?
These thoughts flashed through Seimei's mind in an instant. Noticing Naruto glancing at the dirty popsicle on the ground, seemingly debating whether to pick it up, Seimei spoke up.
"Alright, I forgive you. That one's dirty now. Come on, pick a new one inside. My treat."
With that, he walked into the shop.
Naruto's face lit up with excitement, not hesitating for a second. "Big brother, you're awesome!" he shouted, then scurried after Seimei.
Soon, both emerged from the shop, each with a fresh popsicle in hand.
At that moment, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki approached.
Spotting them, Naruto waved his popsicle and shouted, "Dad! Mom! I met a cool big brother, and he got me a popsicle!"
Minato and Kushina exchanged helpless smiles at Naruto's boisterous enthusiasm.
They walked up to Seimei.
Before they could speak, Seimei greeted them first. "Lord Fourth, Captain Kushina."
Kushina was currently the Jonin leader of Konoha's Sealing Corps. Since Seimei wasn't close enough to call her by name, he opted for her title.
Kushina didn't mind. She smiled, nodded, and said, "Jonin Seimei, Konoha's genius. I've heard about you for a while now. Thanks for looking out for Naruto."
"No big deal," Seimei replied.
Kushina then led Naruto to the side.
Seeing this, Seimei knew Minato had something to discuss, so he turned his attention to the Fourth Hokage.
Minato was studying him closely, as if confirming something.
Seimei knew exactly what Minato was checking: whether he was the real deal or a shadow clone.
With his predictable routine, anyone paying attention could guess that he often left a shadow clone in the village.
Not to mention, Seimei was on Minato's radar as someone to keep an eye on. There was no hiding it from him.
Of course, this was also because Seimei had stopped bothering to conceal it.
Why? Simple. With his current strength, even if his secret was exposed, it didn't matter. Worst case, he'd just leave.
So, for a while now, he hadn't wasted chakra hiding the fact that he used shadow clones.
Meeting Seimei's calm gaze, Minato seemed to confirm what he needed. Smiling, he said, "Didn't expect to run into you here. I was actually planning to look for you tomorrow."
"Look for me? Is something up, Lord Fourth?" Seimei asked, curious.
"Yeah," Minato nodded. "Seimei, ever thought about becoming a Jonin instructor and taking on a few students?"
"Me? Teach students?" Seimei pointed at himself, clearly surprised.
"Exactly," Minato nodded again. "You've got the strength for it. Leading a team would be no problem. There are some promising kids at the Academy this year. You could take a look."
Promising kids?
Seimei murmured to himself, his mind racing to recall any notable ninjas from recent Academy classes in his memories.
Unfortunately, he drew a blank.
Maybe his standards were too high, or perhaps the ninjas he remembered were just a fraction of the whole.
Either way, none stood out.
Besides, he had no interest in mentoring Genin right now.
Minato's intentions were clear as day. This was a move to tie Seimei closer to the village.
Obviously, Minato had noticed something off about him and wanted to prevent any potential issues.
But Seimei's plate was already full. Where would he find time to teach students?
Plus, with all the secrets he carried, short-term interactions were fine, but having a team around him long-term could lead to trouble.
So, no thanks.
Still, he couldn't refuse too bluntly.
After a moment's thought, Seimei said, "I'm still young. Maybe in a few years."
Minato didn't press the issue. It was as if he'd just mentioned it in passing. After Seimei's refusal, they chatted briefly before Minato left with Naruto and Kushina.
Watching them walk away, Seimei's brow furrowed slightly, his mind swirling with thoughts.
But in the end, he pushed them aside.
Whatever Minato's intentions, Seimei would deal with it as it came. With the power to flip the table if needed, he didn't see the point in overthinking it.
With that, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders.
Licking his popsicle, Seimei strolled over to a dango stall, chatted with the vendor, paid for his order, and grabbed twenty skewers of assorted dango.
Then, he blended into the crowd and vanished.