It was Obito's turn to be stunned. He hadn't realized that one could play the game this way. To him, these were words of absolute wisdom. Despite Kakashi's "you are an idiot" expression, Obito actually took out a notebook and began recording this "method."
He didn't stop to consider whether someone like him could truly catch a man like Minato off guard.
In reality, Minato and Kushina heard the entire conversation from the back. Minato simply gave a knowing smile, while Kushina felt a twitch of irritation.
Hey, hey! What kind of reaction is that?!
Kushina's face flushed at the response from Minato's students. What was that supposed to mean? As if she wasn't good enough for Minato or something!
"Ahem," Hagoromo cleared his throat at that moment. He reach into his tool pouch with a serious air, pulled out a small notebook, and began reading from it as if citing a formal report:
"According to my intelligence, Minato-senpai fell in love at first sight with Kushina-sensei when she transferred to the Academy. I won't state their exact ages at the time, because if the details are too specific, Minato-senpai's intentions might border on a criminal offense... In short, Minato-senpai likes Kushina-sensei very much, especially her red hair. Well, I admit the red hair is one of Sensei's 'moe' points, but considering she was known as the 'Red Hot-Blooded Habanero' back then due to her sheer ferocity, we have to wonder if there's something wrong with Minato-senpai's taste in women..."
Listening to his student's blend of 30% fabrication and 70% truth, Kushina could no longer contain herself. She whipped around and barked at Hagoromo:
"Hagoromo! Where the hell did you hear all this?!"
She was practically jumping with embarrassment because what Hagoromo said was dangerously close to the truth.
Kushina snatched the notebook from Hagoromo's hand, intending to destroy the evidence, but upon closer inspection, she found it was completely blank. Not a single word was written on it.
Hagoromo tapped his temple with a finger, signaling that the "intelligence" was stored entirely in his head.
Realizing Hagoromo was teasing her, Kushina gave him a sharp smack on the back of the head and threatened him with a red face: "Anyway, stop prying into your teacher's private life!"
As for Minato, he didn't show the slightest bit of displeasure. Instead, he gave Hagoromo a broad smile and even offered a thumbs-up.
"You must be Hagoromo. Excellent information-gathering skills!"
"Thank you for the compliment, Minato-senpai. If you'd like to hear more, I have plenty of other gossip."
"That's enough, both of you!" Kushina rudely interrupted their mutual admiration.
A person has a thousand faces. Seeing his usually brash teacher react this way was, quite frankly, very entertaining to Hagoromo. However, he also knew when to quit; otherwise, he might find himself "five steps deep in blood." After all, the nickname Habanero wasn't just for show.
Perhaps because they were both dragging their "baggage" (students) along, Minato and Kushina simply walked side-by-side without any overly intimate gestures.
See? Teachers are teachers—they are very considerate of the feelings of "single dogs."
This was the second time Kamishiraishi Hagoromo had seen Minato Namikaze, but his first time interacting with him. The last time had been a mere glimpse during graduation.
The famous Yellow Flash was exactly as the rumors described: despite his immense power and legendary war record, he lacked even a hint of arrogance. Instead, he felt like a kind "older brother from next door," making it easy for people to feel close to him.
Hagoromo couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration. Powerful, gentle, and possessing a deep identification with the village—if he didn't become Hokage, who else could possibly be the village chief?
Minato looked the same as he had three months ago. Hagoromo wasn't familiar enough with the 9-year-old Kakashi to notice changes, and Obito was as much of a goofball as ever. But if there was one person whose change was most apparent, it was the girl beside him: Nohara Rin.
Hagoromo watched Rin. Compared to three months ago, she seemed to have grown a bit taller, and her personality had shifted. Simply put, she was less the lively girl from the Academy and more... gentle and reserved.
One could call this change "Yamato Nadeshiko-fication."
Rin soon noticed Hagoromo looking at her. Though she didn't quite grasp the meaning in his eyes, she gave him a sweet, warm smile.
"Minato, how long are you staying this time?" Kushina asked.
"About a week. It's mainly thanks to the need to look after these little guys that I managed to get such a long break," Minato replied. He hadn't stepped away from the front lines for a year; this was a scheduled rotation, but even so, time was luxury.
Every front Konoha held was short-handed. A top-tier combatant like Minato, who could traverse different battlefields rapidly, was a resource that couldn't be spared for long.
"How does the front line feel, Rin?" After a moment of silence, Hagoromo asked.
Rin thought for a moment before saying, "It's... different from the Academy or the village. Among the Genin who graduated with us, there have already been casualties."
Hagoromo nodded. This was within his expectations. Even if Konoha seemed peaceful, ninjas died every day on the front, and most people would never even know their names.
"Medical ninjas are extremely scarce on the front. I heard the village higher-ups are starting to regret not agreeing to Lady Tsunade's proposal to establish a medical ninja system before the war... Some female ninjas have volunteered for medical training when they don't have combat missions. I've also started studying medical ninjutsu more deeply..."
Rin spoke intermittently about the front. After only three months of war, her growth and transformation were so obvious that Hagoromo felt a bit out of place. The original Rin should have been a brighter, more open girl, not this soft and quiet person. It felt a bit foreign to him.
"Um, Kushina-sensei, Minato-senpai, if there's nothing else today, I'll take my leave."
Realizing that he and the others had become total "third wheels," Hagoromo prepared to depart.
The war had kept these lovers apart, and now that they finally had a moment of reunion, he didn't want to disturb them.
Kushina knew her student was wise beyond his years. She knew exactly what he was thinking, which made her feel a mix of annoyance and small happiness. Do I, your teacher, really need a student to worry about my love life?
(End of Chapter 13)