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Yuichi's remark sounded like he was asking for trouble, and veins popped on Hatake Kakashi's forehead. If Kakashi hadn't already been defeated, he probably would have charged forward to fight.
"You brat, don't get too cocky," a voice suddenly interjected. Hatake Kakashi and Sarutobi Asuma tensed, immediately assuming defensive positions.
In contrast,Yuichi and Yuhi Kurenai exchanged glances without much of a reaction. They already knew who it was.
Uzumaki Kushina appeared before them, with Namikaze Minato, sporting his usual warm smile, standing beside her. With her arms crossed, Kushina teased Yuichi Yuichi, "If an elder sees you, they'll definitely call you a born troublemaker."
Yuichi had a good idea of who she meant by "a certain elder." However, he didn't pursue it and instead curiously eyed Kushina, then looked toward Minato in confusion. Frankly, he would prefer dealing with Minato rather than Kushina.
"Brother Minato, what brings you here?"
Ignoring him, Kushina glared at Minato, then fiercely said to Yuichi Yuichi, "What 'brother'? You should be calling me brother-in-law!"
"Uh..." Yuichi Yuichi was momentarily stunned. But he quickly recovered and, deciding to go along with her, said, "Brother-in-law Minato, why are you here?"
Kushina still gave him a fierce look, but Namikaze Minato, unable to contain a smile, replied, "It was Kushina's idea to come. She wanted to..."
Before Minato could finish, Kushina clamped her hand over his mouth. "Stop talking nonsense!"
She then pulled out a ninjutsu scroll and tossed it to Yuichi. "I just happen to have an extra scroll of the Shadow Clone Technique at home. Here, take it."
Kushina then gave a mock stern look. "Don't get lazy, kid! If I see you next time and you haven't mastered this, I'll teach you a lesson myself!"
She clenched her fists, and the cracking of her knuckles made Yuichi feel a little uneasy. After all, when Kushina said she'd hit someone, she meant it.
Looking to Minato for help, Yuichi found no support; Minato simply shrugged, as if to say there was nothing he could do.
Feeling somewhat defeated, Yuichi accepted the scroll. At least he had gotten some new ninjutsu out of it. Although his teacher, Yuhi Shinku, might have known the Shadow Clone Technique, many jutsu in Konoha couldn't be taught freely without permission. Yuichi wasn't sure if this one was included in that rule.
Kushina glanced around at the group with satisfaction. "You're not as good as I was back in the day, but you're doing alright. Keep it up," she said, before disappearing with the Body Flicker Technique.
Minato, shaking his head, looked at Yuichi and added, "Kushina has already talked to the Hokage. You'll be assigned to her team when you graduate. She'll also teach you the sealing technique when the time comes."
Minato, understanding the difficulty of the sealing technique, continued, "It requires fine chakra control, so focus on that for the next few years."
With that, Minato vanished as well.
Yuichi stood by the creek, perplexed. While he and Kushina were both part of the Uzumaki clan, he didn't understand why she was being so kind to him. Training grounds, ninjutsu scrolls, promising to be his team leader, and even teaching him sealing techniques after graduation—it all seemed a bit much.
He had always thought his relationship with Kushina was merely one of distant relatives, with perhaps some occasional protection in Konoha. But this felt far beyond that.
Meanwhile, from their hidden position, Kushina complained to Minato, "Why did you tell him all that? You're ruining my seniority!"
Minato smiled, knowing she wasn't truly upset. "Kushina, learning the sealing techniques is no small feat. If Yuichi doesn't have strong chakra control, he'll waste a lot of time. I just wanted to give him a head start."
Though Minato was right, Kushina huffed and muttered, "Still, my teaching skills are top-notch."
"Of course, of course, Kushina's the best," Minato said with a smile as he patted her on the head, something he often did.
Despite her protests, Kushina was used to it. She muttered, "You better not keep doing this, or I'll start ignoring you."
"Alright, alright, no more next time," Minato replied, though it was clear he was enjoying himself. Kushina smiled as she linked her arm with his, and the two of them walked down the mountain.
Back at the creek, Yuichi carefully stepped out of the water.
"Yuichi, you've been hiding things from us!" shouted Asuma Sarutobi. "Namikaze Jonin is actually your brother-in-law!"
Kakashi Hatake, looking unfazed, said, "Isn't that obvious?"
Sarutobi Asuma, looking confused, asked, "What do you mean?"
Kakashi sighed. "You know about the Uzumaki clan, right? In all of Konoha, the only members left are Kushina and Yuichi. Brother Minato and Kushina are a couple, so it makes sense."
"What?!" Asuma was shocked. "But Yuichi's last name isn't Uzumaki!"
"Idiot," Kakashi muttered, returning to his water-walking practice.
"What do you mean by 'idiot'?!" Asuma was visibly annoyed.
Yuichi , flipping through the scroll, calmly explained, "My red hair is a dead giveaway. In the ninja world, only the Uzumaki clan has red hair. Besides, Minato and Kushina's relationship is well-known. It's pretty easy to connect the dots."
Sarutobi Asuma fell silent, realizing Yuichi was right. He hadn't bothered to dig deeper.
After a while, Asuma clenched his fists and declared, "I'll show you! I'll become a top intelligence ninja!"
Yuichi looked up from the scroll, smiling. "Good luck with that, Intelligence Asuma!"
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