"Mom, where is that brat?" Namikaze Hiatohi solemnly stated that she definitely didn't mean that KAMISAMA she worshipped, she just hadn't seen him in a really long time. Where had that guy gone off to? Besides, it felt a bit strange lately—Kushina's visits to the Uchiha clan had decreased, and when she did go, Itachi was basically never around.
Kushina was momentarily stunned, unsure how to explain certain things to Hiatohi. Better not let her know. She reached out and stroked Hiatohi's cheek. "It's Itachi, sweetie. Itachi went catching butterflies with Uncle Fugaku. Oh, Hiatohi, do you want to go see Daddy? The team Daddy is leading seems to be training for the Chunin Exams recently, though we still don't know how they're going to assign them."
"Okay." Before she knew it, she was already turning two, Hiatohi reflected with a sigh. This ninja world was terrifying; running on water was no longer a dream, walking up walls and across ceilings was effortless, and doing a backflip in mid-air without any tools was totally doable.
Chakra was a wonderful thing.
Along the way, Kushina kept sighing. Kakashi was already a Chunin—a genius ninja who had made Chunin at a mere six years old. The other two in his class seemed rather ordinary, but fortunately Rin and Obito both had great personalities and got along very well with her. Still, how were they going to participate in these Chunin Exams?
Sigh, she wouldn't think about it anymore. She couldn't come up with an answer anyway, and things would work out somehow.
Meanwhile, Hiatohi was still thinking about Itachi.
Went catching butterflies with Uncle Fugaku? That excuse was practically meant to trick toddlers—though she technically was a toddler, she absolutely didn't believe he went to catch butterflies. Just how far could a little runt like that possibly run off to?
When Kushina and Hiatohi arrived at Training Ground 17, today's training had just ended. Minato spotted Kushina and Hiatohi right away, immediately bolted over on legs flying, while over by the stumps three exhausted students lay sprawled out, half-dead from fatigue.
"Momoko, give Daddy a kiss."
Minato scooped up Hiatohi and thrust his face forward. Hiatohi sighed, leaned in, and planted a loud "mwah" on his cheek, only to find Minato spinning her around in circles while cheering wildly. Kushina was already used to this spectacle; she simply walked over, intending to check on the three students.
Hiatohi only meant to take a casual look, but her gaze instantly caught the boy wearing the black mask. She blinked in surprise. "Daddy, who is that person?"
"That person?" Minato followed the direction of Hiatohi's small finger and smiled. "His name is Hatake Kakashi, and he's a very impressive guy. Who knows, maybe Momoko will even become his student someday—though of course, that depends on whether Momoko decides to become a ninja. No matter what, Daddy will always support you."
Ha-ta-ke Ka-ka-shi?
Isn't this that exact someone? Naruto's teacher? Let's see, he ought to be twenty-six or twenty-seven, but right now he looked only about eleven. And since she was two, that meant by the time Naruto became a Genin, she would only be sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, or nineteen? Put that way, she wouldn't be an old hag yet. Which also meant that when KAMISAMA wiped out the clan, he was only thirteen or fourteen?! Sorry, she had severely underestimated the children here. At thirteen or fourteeen, she was still playing in the mud.
KAMISAMA truly was KAMISAMA, nothing mortals like her could possibly compare to. Better just worship him.
"Is everyone okay?" Kushina pulled out a handkerchief, handed it to the short-haired young girl, and asked with a smile. She knew how it was: Minato usually looked gentle and mild, but when it came to training, he was more serious than anyone. Holding back was completely out of the question.
Rin took the handkerchief, gave Kushina a slight nod in gratitude, and said, "We're fine. I've benefited a lot from this training. As expected of Sensei Minato, and thank you so much for coming to comfort us, Sister Kushina, especially at a time like this."
The goggles-wearing boy beside her wore a look of utter confidence—which would have been far more convincing if not for the several scratches still marring his face. "I am Uchiha Obito! The man who's going to become Hokage! How could a little training like this defeat me?" He patted his chest with supreme confidence, believing that one day, he would have his own face carved onto the Hokage Monument.
"Hokage?" The moment Kushina heard that word, she surged with energy. She grabbed the goggles-wearing boy firmly by the shoulders. "That's right! No matter what, hold fast to yourself, march bravely forward, and keep pressing on toward the Hokage, Obito-kun!"
"That's right, hehehe." The goggles-wearing boy grinned widely, revealing a blindingly brilliant set of white teeth. That smile was more dazzling than the sunlight.
"Hmph, what a loser." A cold sneer escaped Kakashi's lips. His dark eyes swept briefly over Obito before he leaned back against a wooden post and stopped looking at him.
"Hey, Kakashi! I am *not* a loser!"
"Hh, loser."
"Agh! You bastard!"
The very next second, Obito wanted to charge straight over and punch him twice just to show him what pain felt like. So what if Kakashi was just a tiny bit more handsome than him, had slightly superior Ninjutsu, and was a little bit younger? And besides...
Obito glanced sideways at Rin standing nearby. Why was he always being called a loser right in front of Rin? He had his pride, you know.
Kushina grabbed Obito by the scruff. "Now, now, calm down. If you're going to fight, do it fairly and squarely. You're all this exhausted, so just give it a rest."
"Let go of me, you ugly woman!"
"Ugly woman?"
Kushina felt as though she had taken a critical hit. Her eyes gradually darkened, her hair slowly began to stand on end, and her entire body was enveloped in a terrifying aura. Then, she slammed a fist down right onto the top of Obito's head. "You've got a death wish, don't you!"
"I'm... I'm sorry!"
Eep! She almost forgot how terrifying this woman was! Sob, sob, sob—she vowed she would never dare defy her again!
Minato laughed awkwardly. Kushina really was terrifying after all.
Kakashi froze as well. It was best never to anger this woman.
Rin offered an awkward smile, though she still looked at Obito with worried eyes; that definitely must have hurt.
Hiatohi stood completely dazed, her mind blank. She now realized her mom had actually been far too gentle in the past. She finally understood where Daddy got the name "Red Hot-Habanero." She must never, ever anger her in the future, or she would surely be beaten to a pulp. Amen. Rest in peace, Comrade Obito.