Naruto: People are in Konoha, the system arrived 20 years earlier Chapter 023

Feeling Kushina’s grip, as warm and sincere as the spring sun, Hayato spent a great deal of effort politely and firmly extracting his hand from her warm, strong one.

“Actually, I didn’t help much. It was all Minato-哥哥’s credit.”

“Minato already told me,” Kushina shook her head, a gentle smile on her lips. “If you hadn’t pointed me in the right direction, who knows how long I would’ve been wandering around. Maybe I really would’ve been abducted to another country, or even worse, I might have met with an unfortunate end.”

As they chatted, Kushina suddenly remembered she hadn’t introduced herself. She quickly smiled and said, “Oh, right! My name is Uzumaki Kushina. You can just call me Big Sister Kushina!”

After saying that, Kushina naturally extended her right hand, intending to gently caress Hayato’s somewhat tender cheek, but the latter deftly avoided it with agile movement.

Seeing this, Kushina couldn’t help but cover her mouth and chuckle, her eyes sparkling with a mischievous yet warm light. “What’s wrong, Hayato? Are you shy?”

“No, I’m not.” Hayato quickly denied it. He just wasn’t used to being doted on like a child. He gladly accepted the caresses from his elders at home, but he always maintained a moderate sense of vigilance and distance when it came to others’ touches.

“Alright, Kushina, let’s go inside first. Standing at the door isn’t the way to entertain guests,” Minato gently reminded her from the side, his tone full of tenderness and care.

Hearing this, Kushina rubbed the back of her head and chuckled awkwardly, “Right, right, right! I completely forgot! Please come in quickly.” As she spoke, she stepped aside to clear the path, warmly inviting Hayato into the house.

Stepping inside, a warm and comfortable atmosphere enveloped them. Though the room was slightly messy, it exuded a sense of authentic and casual living, as if one could glimpse Kushina’s usual liveliness and unruliness.

Seeing this, Kushina quickly stepped forward and tidied up a bit, saying apologetically, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t expect guests today, so I didn’t get to tidy up beforehand. Please excuse the mess.”

Minato also joined in the tidying, and the two worked together in silent understanding, gradually making the somewhat cluttered room neat and orderly.

Seeing this, Hayato could only find a clean and tidy tatami mat to sit on, quietly observing everything.

After Minato finished tidying up, he turned and walked over to Hayato, smiling as he handed him a steaming cup of tea. “Hayato, haven’t you enrolled in the Ninja Academy yet?”

Hayato shook his head and replied, “I already enrolled this year.”

“Ah, you’ve already enrolled? But you look so young,” Kushina curiously leaned closer, scrutinizing Hayato from head to toe.

“I’m already three years old,” Hayato answered earnestly, as if enrolling in the Ninja Academy at three was a perfectly normal thing.

“Then why aren’t you at school? Skipping class isn’t right, you know,” Kushina said, feigning seriousness, though her eyes sparkled with mischief.

“That… I have my own reasons.” Hayato paused slightly, not spilling all his secrets at once, but simply brushing off the topic.

“To be honest, if I didn’t see how young you are, I’d have thought you were already a capable ninja,” Minato said with a smile from the side, his eyes full of admiration.

Hearing this, Kushina looked at Hayato in confusion. No matter how she looked at him, he seemed like a two or three-year-old child.

Seeing Kushina’s confused expression, Minato explained, “When I met Hayato nearby just now, he was diligently training.”

“Eh, really?” Kushina looked at Hayato in surprise, her eyes sparkling with admiration and curiosity.

She suddenly felt terrible, realizing she wasn’t even as hardworking as a three-year-old child.

“If I had been stronger back then, I wouldn’t have been taken away. And now…” Kushina’s voice gradually lowered, a hint of dejection flashing in her eyes.

Minato walked over to her and gently patted her shoulder, comforting her, “It’s not your fault, Kushina. It was an accident, no one could have predicted it.”

“Did something happen?” Hayato asked curiously.

Seeing Hayato bring this up, Minato had no intention of avoiding the topic, especially since Hayato was a key figure in the whole incident last time.

“It’s like this: last time, Kushina was kidnapped by ninjas from another country. The situation was quite serious,” Minato said softly, his tone a bit grave.

Of course, he wouldn’t say which country’s ninjas they were, and this matter hadn’t been widely spread in the village yet; many people didn’t know about it.

“So, is it possible that a war will break out?” Hayato frowned, asking in a low voice. Although his words were light, they revealed a maturity and composure beyond his age.

At this, both Minato and Kushina were stunned.

They looked at Hayato’s tender yet resolute face, finding it hard to imagine that he was just a child who looked only three years old.

“Hayato, are you really only three years old?” Kushina leaned closer to Hayato’s face, as if trying to see through him.

Hayato spread his hands and chuckled helplessly, “Otherwise? Do you think I’d lie to you?”

“But your behavior and demeanor really aren’t like a child’s. You’re very mature,” Kushina said with a smile.

“Then I’ll take that as a compliment,” Hayato also smiled, not refuting her.

“We don’t know the aftermath of that incident yet,” Minato said softly, his voice tinged with worry. “But it’s said that the Fire Daimyo is currently negotiating with the other daimyo, hoping to resolve this peacefully.”

He hadn’t expected the kidnapping incident to still be unresolved. Hayato fell into thought. If a war broke out, it might be an opportunity for him.

But he remembered the Third Great Ninja War was still several years away. Surely it wouldn’t change just because he pointed Minato in the right direction, would it?

Seeing Hayato’s silence, Minato thought he was worried about the possibility of war. He squatted down and looked into Hayato’s resolute eyes, saying, “And don’t worry, even if a war really breaks out, the adults in the village will do their best to protect you. You don’t need to worry.”

“Mm, I understand.” Hayato nodded, his eyes revealing a firm conviction. “I’ll also work hard to train and not be a burden to anyone.”

Seeing the atmosphere become a bit heavy, Kushina quickly jumped in to lighten the mood. “Alright, alright, Hayato, to thank you for your help last time, I’m planning to cook for you myself and treat you to a good meal. Is there anything special you’d like to eat?”

“Udon noodles,” Hayato blurted out without thinking. It was one of his favorite foods.

“Alright, no problem!” Kushina waved her hand, readily agreeing. “I’ll make sure you’re full!”

With that, Kushina rolled up her sleeves, intending to cook herself. Minato, seeing this, quickly stepped forward to help. “Let me help you.”

“It’s fine, I can do it myself.” Kushina pushed Minato out of the kitchen. “You go chat with Hayato. I’ll be done soon.”

Minato, seeing this, could only smile and nod, then turned and sat beside Hayato. The two began chatting about the Ninja Academy and their respective training experiences.

Just then, a book accidentally fell out of Minato’s backpack. Hayato inadvertently glanced at the contents of the book, seeing it filled with messy circles and lines, with dense text written alongside them. A conjecture suddenly arose in his mind.

That, could it be…

“Minato-哥哥, what is this…?” Hayato asked, pointing at the book on the ground.

Hearing this, Minato quickly picked up the fallen book and said with a smile, “This? This is an idea for a ninjutsu that I’ve been researching recently. Although there are still many imperfections, I’ve always wanted to perfect it. Do you want to take a look? See if you can help me add anything?”

With that, Minato handed the book to Hayato. Although he didn’t really think Hayato could help him complete the ninjutsu idea, out of curiosity and admiration for Hayato, he decided to let him see it.

Although he didn’t really think Hayato could help him complete it.

Hayato took the book and examined it carefully.

‘Sure enough, it’s the Rasengan,’ Hayato thought to himself.