Minato crouched in front of the large tent, muttering to himself, filled with self-reproach.
For some reason, he suddenly shouted, "Damn you, Seisui!"
"That brat is pretty damn annoying," Tsunade appeared beside him, arms crossed, her long golden hair tied up.
"Went with Jiraiya in the middle of the night to raid the Sand ninja camp…"
"What a despicable brat!" Tsunade sounded genuinely angry.
That morning, Jiraiya had returned with a few Sand ninja prisoners and handed her a vial, claiming it was Chiyo's poison.
Even after pressing him, Jiraiya had been evasive, which infuriated her.
It took repeated questioning, even threats with her fists, before Jiraiya finally admitted that they had raided the Sand ninja camp.
Tsunade's words made Minato feel equally indignant.
"Right! And in the middle of the night, too! That's way too dangerous!"
Before he could finish, Tsunade stomped her foot and gritted her teeth, shouting, "And you didn't even invite me along for such an exciting mission?!"
"Right… uh?" Minato hesitated, unsure whether to continue voicing his concerns about danger as he stared at her, perplexed.
Have I already gotten too old?
Can't keep up with the times?
Aren't ninjas supposed to be, you know…
He couldn't even finish the thought.
Since entering the ninja academy, he had spent almost every day with Yuki Seisui, dueling in the arena once daily.
He'd never really experienced how other ninjas carried out their missions.
For a moment, he couldn't find the words to describe it.
Tsunade glanced around, not seeing Yuki Seisui, then looked back at Minato.
"Where's that brat, Seisui?" she asked.
"Did he run off to the Sand ninja camp again?"
Minato shook his head.
"They went to the bamboo forest," he said.
"To… take a bath," he added with a hint of complaint.
"But they've been there all morning," he said, his voice tinged with lingering frustration.
Tsunade didn't care much, continuing, "When they come back, just tell them not to cause trouble."
"One time is enough for this kind of thing. Any more would be rude."
"I understand," Minato nodded. Then, as if recalling something, he asked, "By the way… what about Nawaki?"
"I didn't see him this morning."
"Nawaki?" Tsunade scoffed. "He's with a little girl."
"Nawaki? With a little girl?"
"Together?!"
"Mm," Tsunade nodded casually, stretching her arms, pointing toward the gathering of ninjas. "He's over there. If you want to find him, just go."
"I'll go study Chiyo's poison first," she said, leaving Minato stunned in place.
If he remembered correctly, Nawaki liked Minato's friend, Mina?
Minato stayed crouched, scratching his spiky hair, perplexed.
"No… why is he now messing around with another girl?"
"What do you mean 'messing around with a girl'?" Yuki Seisui suddenly appeared behind him, curiosity in his eyes.
Startled by the sudden voice, Minato spun around and saw Yuki Seisui, dripping wet, with Uchiha Haru beside him.
Seeing it was Yuki Seisui, Minato exhaled, explaining, "It's Nawaki. Tsunade just came by and said he's messing around with a little girl over there and is still with her."
"Hmm?" Yuki Seisui frowned. "Isn't he supposed to like Mina?"
"So why is he with some other girl?"
"I don't know," Minato said, shaking his head. Then, realization hit, and he stared at Uchiha Haru, eyes wide.
"Is something wrong?"
Haru smiled at him.
Minato felt like he'd seen a ghost.
Haru normally wore a blank expression around everyone. Only around Yuki Seisui did she show even a hint of warmth—and that was just a little.
But now… he saw her smiling continuously, even speaking with him while smiling.
Seeing Minato still staring, her smile disappeared. She asked again, "Is something wrong?"
Seeing her expression change, Minato swallowed nervously. "Uh… nothing."
"But… you look better smiling than not," he said sincerely.
"Mm," Haru nodded.
"Just from a trip to the bamboo forest… how did you change so much?!"
Minato was filled with self-doubt. The past two days had been confusing.
First, they caused a ruckus at the Sand ninja camp. Then Nawaki, who always claimed to like Uzuha Mina, was seen with another girl.
And now… something even more surreal.
Haru, usually expressionless, was smiling at him!
"This must be an illusion…" Minato muttered.
"I must be trapped in a Mangekyo genjutsu!"
"I'm still protecting the medical ninja convoy, for sure!"
His voice grew louder as he talked to himself. He nodded firmly, then looked at Yuki Seisui, who was silently staring at him.
"Even if you disguise yourself well…"
"…I can still tell at a glance—you're not human!"
"You're an illusion of Seisui!"
Minato formed hand seals. "Genjutsu: Release!"
Seeing his words and actions, Yuki Seisui just tapped him on the head with his index finger.
"You've lost it, haven't you?"
"What genjutsu could silently affect me?!"
"I'll wake your sleeping mind myself!"
Minato clutched his head, glaring at Yuki Seisui.
"That's too cruel!"
"You deserve a bit of cruelty," Yuki Seisui said matter-of-factly.
"Hss~!" Minato drew in a sharp breath.
"Go check on Nawaki," Haru said from the side. She realized she wasn't smiling, so she added a small smile, looking at both of them.
"Mm," Yuki Seisui nodded and took her hand.
Minato followed, staring at their joined hands. One hand still holding his head, he muttered in a strange rhythm:
"A team of three… one is always extra. I'm like a lone stray dog, wandering alone…"
"You're like a lonely stray dog, roaming a grassland that isn't yours," Yuki Seisui called out ahead, rapping his words in a sing-song way.
"Stray dog, stray dog, you shouldn't be looking for your bone here!"
"You're too much!" Minato shouted, blushing. He formed a head-pat expression with his chakra.
Yuki Seisui glanced back at the expression Minato formed and grinned crookedly.
"Minato, want to see my ultimate technique?"
"Head-pat rebound," he answered.
"This is a jutsu you can't touch."
"Damn it!" Minato muttered, dissipating the head-pat chakra construct. "That's not a jutsu!"
"You're just cheating with a Gunbai!"
"Anyway, it's a head-pat rebound!"
They bantered while walking, Haru smiling as she watched Yuki Seisui.
But when she looked at Minato, that smile had a hint of lethal intent.
Perhaps… this was the legendary "smile hiding a blade."
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