The next morning, Shin-chan was still dreaming.
In the dream, he was sitting on the head of a very, very big white dog. The dog was as large as a mountain, and every step it took made the ground tremble.
"Shiro, faster!"
Then the dog stopped.
The faint sound of a doorbell came to his ears.
Shin-chan rolled over and pulled the blanket over his head.
The doorbell rang again.
Misae walked to the entrance and opened the door.
Two people stood outside.
One was a yellow-haired boy with a gentle smile on his face, and beside him stood a red-haired girl.
Both of them looked very young.
"Good morning," the yellow-haired boy asked. "Is this the Nohara residence?"
Misae's gaze moved from the boy to the girl, then back again.
"Yes. And you are...?"
"I'm Namikaze Minato," the boy said, then pointed at the girl beside him. "This is Uzumaki Kushina."
The red-haired girl smiled at Misae.
Misae looked at the two of them, thinking for a moment.
She didn't know them.
Namikaze Minato?
Never heard of him.
"We're here for Shin-chan," Namikaze Minato said. "Lord Hokage asked me to start training him today."
Misae froze.
Training.
Lord Hokage.
Shin-chan.
Those words connected into a line inside her head.
"Oh!" Misae's voice rose half a pitch, and she quickly stepped aside. "Shin-chan is still sleeping. I'll go wake him up right now."
Misae quickly walked to Shin-chan's room and opened the door.
Shin-chan was wrapped in his blanket, curled into a ball.
"Shin-chan, get up."
The blanket ball moved, then rolled half a turn toward the corner of the wall.
"Five more minutes..."
"No. Teacher Namikaze is here to pick you up."
The blanket ball stopped.
Shin-chan's head poked out from inside the blanket, his eyes still not fully open.
"Who?"
"Teacher Namikaze Minato," Misae repeated. "He's here to take you training."
Shin-chan crawled out of the blanket and stumbled into the living room.
Namikaze Minato was sitting on the sofa. When he saw Shin-chan come out, he greeted him.
"Morning."
Shin-chan rubbed his eyes and finally saw the person sitting on the sofa clearly.
Yellow hair.
It was indeed the person he had seen in the cave.
"Why are you here so early?" Shin-chan's voice still carried the daze of just waking up.
Namikaze Minato smiled. "I learned a little about you."
Shin-chan blinked.
"I was afraid you wouldn't find the place," Namikaze Minato said. "So I simply came to pick you up at home."
Kushina sat beside Namikaze Minato. She leaned forward a little. "Do you still remember me?"
Shin-chan's gaze moved to her face.
Red hair.
He rubbed his chin and tilted his head, looking like he was thinking very seriously.
The living room was quiet for about three seconds.
Then Shin-chan lowered his hand from his chin.
"I don't remember."
Kushina's smile stiffened, and the knuckles of her right hand made a soft cracking sound.
Namikaze Minato coughed lightly beside her, his gaze drifting toward the window.
Kushina's brow twitched.
"You really don't remember?" She leaned her face a little closer. "Look again."
Shin-chan looked again.
Red hair, round face...
He tilted his head and thought for a long time, then suddenly showed an expression of realization.
"Ah!"
Kushina's eyes lit up.
"You remembered?"
"I forgot to brush my teeth." Shin-chan ran pattering toward the bathroom.
Something twitched at Kushina's temple.
Namikaze Minato silently shifted half an inch to the other side of the sofa.
While Shin-chan was washing his face, Misae followed him to the bathroom door and lowered her voice.
"Shin-chan."
"Mm?"
"That red-haired big sister. Do you really not remember her?"
Shin-chan covered his face with a towel and rubbed. "I kind of have a little impression."
"What do you mean, a little?"
"It means I feel like I've seen her somewhere, but I can't remember where." Shin-chan hung the towel back up. "Maybe in a dream."
Misae sighed.
When he came out of the bathroom, Misae helped straighten his clothes and stuffed a rice ball into his hand.
"Eat it on the way."
Shin-chan held the rice ball and followed Namikaze Minato and Kushina out the door.
When the door closed, Misae was still standing in the entryway, looking at the door. Only after several seconds did she turn and go back inside.
After leaving the Nohara house, Kushina visibly relaxed.
Then her gaze landed on the little thing in front of her, who was gnawing on a rice ball.
Shin-chan stuffed the last bite of the rice ball into his mouth, his cheeks puffed up like a hamster.
Kushina quickly took two steps forward, reached out from behind, and rubbed Shin-chan's head hard.
"You little brat. You actually dared to say you don't remember me."
Shin-chan's head was pushed forward by her rubbing, and his voice came out muffled.
"But I really couldn't remember."
"Even if you can't remember, that's still not allowed." Kushina let go.
Shin-chan rubbed his head. "You're really strong."
"Of course." Kushina clenched her hand into a fist and waved it in front of Shin-chan. "I'm very strong."
Shin-chan looked at that fist and blinked.
"Stronger than when Dad pounds mochi?"
Kushina froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"Much stronger."
Shin-chan's expression became serious. "Then can you help me beat up green peppers?"
"Green peppers?"
"Those green things that taste awful." Shin-chan scrunched up his face. "Mom makes me eat them every time."
Kushina bent down and brought her face close to Shin-chan's.
"I don't like green peppers either."
Shin-chan's eyes lit up at once.
"Really?"
"Really."
The way Shin-chan looked at her immediately changed.
"Then you..."
"But I'm grown up now." Kushina straightened up and planted both hands on her hips. "Adults have to eat green peppers."
Shin-chan's shoulders drooped.
"Then that's the same."
Namikaze Minato walked in front, listening to the conversation behind him, and the corners of his mouth rose uncontrollably.
The three crossed two streets and turned into a small road.
As they walked, Shin-chan suddenly remembered something.
"What are we learning today?"
Namikaze Minato slowed his steps and waited for Shin-chan to walk beside him.
"The Flying Thunder God Technique."
Shin-chan tilted his head and thought about it.
"Is that one really strong?"
"Very strong." Namikaze Minato nodded. "It's a space-time ninjutsu created by the Second Hokage. It lets you instantly move to any location that has been marked."
Shin-chan's mouth formed a small circle.
"Instantly move?"
"Mm."
"Then I can sleep a little longer in the mornings from now on."
Namikaze Minato smiled. "That's more or less what it means."
Shin-chan became energized, and even his steps grew bigger.
"But this ninjutsu is something I'm still learning too," Namikaze Minato added.
Shin-chan's steps paused.
"Then how are you going to teach me?"
Namikaze Minato stopped too and turned to look at Shin-chan.
The morning sunlight fell on his yellow hair.
"I'm not teaching you."
Shin-chan blinked, a little confused.
"We're learning it together."
"Together?"
"Mm." Namikaze Minato crouched down so his eyes were level with Shin-chan's. "We learn together, improve together, and master this technique together."
Shin-chan looked at him, then suddenly reached out and patted Namikaze Minato on the shoulder.
"It's okay."
Namikaze Minato froze.
"It's okay if you can't learn it." Shin-chan said with a serious face, "If I learn it, I can teach you."
Namikaze Minato looked at the little hand patting his shoulder, and the corners of his mouth curved upward.
Kushina stood behind them, covering her mouth with one hand, her shoulders shaking.
"Alright." Namikaze Minato stood up. "Then I'll be counting on you, Shin-chan-sensei."
~~~
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