"Shinno, who was just at the door?"
Kushina pressed the back of her hand against her still-warm cheeks, calling out through the kitchen door.
"ANBU. My appointment letter should arrive soon."
"Huh? Weren't you just transferred to a regular combat unit? Where are you headed now?"
"Take a guess. If you get it right, there's a reward. If you're wrong, you have to kiss me."
"Hehe~ I'm not falling for that! If ANBU came to deliver the news, it must be for an important position. You just left the Analysis Division, so they wouldn't send you back there. That means it's either the Intelligence Department or the Sensory Barrier Team?"
"Wrong answer. Come here, you owe me a kiss."
"Hey! You were just here a moment ago!"
Kushina looked at the locked kitchen door, which Shinno easily opened using a key formed from his earth-natured chakra. Her face, which hadn't fully cooled down yet, turned red all over again.
"That doesn't count."
Shinno wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning in once more to savor her lips.
Things might seem unremarkable to an old married couple, but for young lovers, no amount of affection ever seemed enough.
Just then, the scent of burning food wafted through the air.
Kushina playfully smacked Shinno's chest twice before rushing to salvage whatever was left in the pot.
"Now will you tell me where you're being assigned?"
"You don't want to guess anymore?"
"Nope, not guessing. I fell into your trap once, I'm not doing it again."
"Didn't you just say you're not dumb?"
"Hmph~ It's exactly because I'm not dumb that I won't guess again! You sneaky bastard, if you keep making me guess, then it has to be something I'd never figure out."
Kushina scrunched up her little nose and stuck her tongue out at him.
She looked so adorable that it was hard to resist the urge to pinch her soft, flawless cheeks.
"I'm being assigned to Root."
Shinno said it with a smile.
Kushina's mouth fell open, and the spatula in her hand slipped, falling straight into the pot.
She spun around, worry clear in her eyes as she looked at him.
"I don't have the Curse Seal of Absolute Obedience, and I'm being placed as an actual deputy minister. The Third Hokage probably wants me to keep Danzo in check. As for Danzo, he likely has his own plans—but nothing I can't handle."
Shinno reassured her.
"If you ever need to deal with Danzo, make sure to call me! I just came to an agreement with that grumpy fox inside me! Hehe~ I'll show you what an unbeatable golden body looks like!"
Kushina's eyes sparkled with excitement.
She raised her right arm, flexing her bicep in an attempt to show off.
But her delicate, pale arm lacked any real sense of power—if anything, it just made her look even cuter.
If it weren't for the sound of the front door opening, she probably wouldn't have been able to escape from Shinno's 'evil clutches.'
"Kushina, there's another brat eating with us today, so make an extra bowl. Shinno, you got a moment? I have been bored out of her mind these past few days—you know what to do, right?"
Tsunade walked in barefoot, a small slug perched on her head.
She grabbed Shinno by the arm, practically dragging him out of the kitchen.
If she weren't starving from running around all morning, she would've been tempted to skip the meal altogether and head straight for some fun.
The gambling district… it was a place she could never get out of her head.
"I got it, I got it."
Shinno looked at Tsunade's naturally stunning face, which was now twisted into a mischievous smirk as she wiggled her eyebrows.
Couldn't she put that face to better use?
And the way she was speaking… if someone overheard, they'd think he was taking her to a brothel.
"...Shinno-senpai, Kushina-senpai, sorry to intrude."
Kakashi stepped into the room, switching into a pair of indoor slippers left for guests.
With his usual dead-fish eyes, he walked into the living room and bowed respectfully to both of them.
"Don't look at me. This kid lost another teammate on a mission. The Third asked me to help 'counsel' him. But seriously, what do I look like, a therapist? Since I heard you were back, I figured I'd bring him here instead."
Tsunade lazily sprawled onto the couch, looking like she couldn't be bothered to deal with it.
Sure, she was a medical ninja, but Kakashi's problem wasn't physical or even a severe mental breakdown.
It was just a lingering shadow in his heart caused by Sakumo's death.
What the hell was she supposed to do about that?
Might as well let Shinno throw a few genjutsu at him.
"...Was it Rin? Or Obito?"
Shinno's eye twitched slightly as he turned toward the exhausted-looking Kakashi.
"...A Konoha ninja I didn't know."
Kakashi avoided his gaze and mumbled his answer.
Lately, Minato-sensei had been taking on high-difficulty missions, and their team simply couldn't keep up.
As a result, they had been left behind.
Ten days ago, the Third Hokage assigned them to a joint operation with another squad.
The chunin leading that team ignored his advice and recklessly dragged Obito along with him.
Their squad wasn't strong enough.
And yet, he still completed the mission.
He didn't understand why the blame was suddenly placed on him.
"Tell me what happened."
Shinno relaxed slightly when he heard that Rin and Obito were safe.
Since he wasn't in a rush, he decided to hear the full story.
Kakashi stared at Shinno but didn't say a word.
According to Konoha's regulations, even C-rank missions were restricted from being disclosed to unrelated individuals.
For B-rank missions and above, a report had to be submitted to the Hokage's office first for approval.
"Start from the moment the Hokage assigned the mission."
Shinno assumed Kakashi didn't know where to begin, so he offered a starting point.
"...Confidentiality regulations."
Shinno nearly choked on his own breath.
He'd been a ninja for years.
He'd always chatted freely about anything below A-rank missions, and even for S-rank ones, he just kept his voice down.
This was the first time he'd met someone as rigid as Kakashi!
After thinking for a moment, he tried again.
"Your biggest problem right now is communication. First, you need to take a few lessons in conversational skills. Then, we'll work on fixing your mindset."
Kakashi frowned slightly but still nodded in agreement.
Tsunade, who had been lounging on the couch waiting for food, nearly burst out laughing.
For once, she wasn't the only one suffering!
"Let's start before dinner."
Shinno pinched the bridge of his nose.
For the first time, he realized how exhausting it was to talk to someone.
With a single-handed seal, he cast a custom version of the D-rank genjutsu, dragging Kakashi into an illusion.
He glanced at his system interface and issued a command.
"System, grant Kakashi the trait Master Sidekick."
(T/N: Master Sidekick (Green): A true professional in playing the supporting role never lets a conversation fall flat. Slightly enhances eloquence and debate skills during conversations. When speaking with superiors, flattery and sycophantic skills improve slightly. When speaking with subordinates, encouragement, praise, and comforting skills improve slightly.)
It was at least a green-rank trait.
He wouldn't waste it on a nobody.
Besides, Kakashi's stiff way of speaking was unbearable.
At least now he'd be able to hold a decent conversation.
A faint green glow, invisible to anyone else, merged into Kakashi's body.
Inside the illusion, Kakashi's emotions fluctuated wildly, his expressions shifting constantly as he writhed in agony.
He had no idea something was off.
"What kind of genjutsu did you hit him with?"
Tsunade raised a brow at Kakashi, who had only been trapped for a couple of seconds before clutching his stomach in pain and dropping to his knees.
"A modified Naraku Seeing Technique. In addition to inducing fear, it also disrupts vision, hearing, and pain perception. The execution difficulty is around high B-rank, I'd say? The strength of the genjutsu… well, he's not breaking out of it anytime soon."
"I meant, what's in the illusion?"
"A father's love and concern for his son."
Finally, after being tormented by this brat all morning…
Justice has been served.
Pls Drop some Power Stones
Fanfic is finished on (258 chapters in total.)
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