"This is the Kiyoshi residence?"
A gentle voice spoke.
"Yes, right here, Teacher Minato."
Another clear female voice added,
"Teacher Minato and Rin, just follow me; I know this place best."
A louder, slightly noisy voice chimed in.
Kiyoshi turned his gaze toward the gate.
Knock knock.
Someone was at the door.
Kiyoshi casually stored his ninja blade into a sealing scroll hanging at his waist and went to open the door.
The scroll was compact, almost like a piece of jewelry.
"Hello, Kiyoshi. I'm Namikaze Minato. In the rush earlier, I didn't get a proper chance to introduce myself."
Minato's golden hair swayed with the breeze as he smiled warmly.
"Hello."
Kiyoshi nodded.
Honestly, Minato was one of the better people in the ninja world.
Naturally, Kiyoshi had no aversion to such a person.
Yet being too good sometimes equated to weakness.
On the day Kushina gave birth, she was completely undone by Obito.
Even the newborn, utterly innocent Naruto, received a set of explosive tags.
It was nothing short of a wife-and-child massacre.
Unfortunately, Minato chose to forgive Obito during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Kiyoshi couldn't judge him—only felt it unfair to Kushina.
"Congratulations, Kiyoshi, on becoming a Chunin."
Standing beside Minato was Rin Nohara, wearing her ninja forehead protector, clearly a graduate.
"Congratulations on becoming a ninja, Rin Nohara," Kiyoshi replied,
While internally pondering that Minato and Rin arriving together likely meant class assignments had already been decided.
He had been busy with the Chunin exams and training, hardly paying attention to anything else or meeting Rin.
"You're unmatched, Kiyoshi. You graduated so quickly; we just graduated, and you're already Chunin."
Rin smiled, her face accentuated by violet markings, adding depth to her features.
She wore a tight ninja combat suit with a pale pink skirt tied at the waist, shorts underneath, and dark red over-the-knee socks.
"Hehe, Rin, I'm a ninja now too. Once I awaken my Sharingan, I'll shine in the village."
Obito rubbed his nose, now wearing a ninja forehead protector, still keeping his orange goggles.
"Listen up, Uchiha Kiyoshi. We're just students at the ninja academy for now, but once we're full-fledged ninjas, I'll catch up to you!"
Obito said confidently.
Like Kiyoshi, he had a Sharingan, but Kiyoshi had opened his first, gaining the early benefits.
Once Obito awakened his, he refused to remain at the bottom of the academy.
"Idiot."
Kakashi's lazy eyes glanced at the foolish Obito.
He then looked at Kiyoshi.
Kiyoshi and his team had all become Chunin.
Kakashi had become Chunin the year before.
Among the same batch, only civilian ninja Rin had quietly graduated, along with bottom-tier Obito.
Other students near graduation tended to take early graduation, especially during wartime, with relaxed conditions.
Kakashi could sense that the requirements were looser now, with many more Genin, likely in preparation for potential war.
"Let's grab a meal. I arranged with Jonin Yukitsuki to eat at Yakiniku Q. He went to find Kurenai and Asuma."
Minato said to Kiyoshi.
He observed Kiyoshi's small courtyard—larger than an average house but somewhat worn.
"Eh, Kiyoshi, you even have a summon?"
Rin noticed a white snake on the ground.
As she crouched to touch it, the snake flicked its tongue and bared sharp fangs.
"She's not very friendly to strangers."
Kiyoshi beckoned, and the snake quickly slithered onto him, disappearing into his sleeve.
"Isn't having a snake creepy? A summon sounds troublesome."
Obito thought snakes as summons were scary.
"A summon increases a ninja's strength."
Kakashi glanced at the snake's tail occasionally poking from Kiyoshi's sleeve, recalling his own summon contract.
He had eight ninja dogs as summons, with excellent scent-tracking abilities to aid in locating enemies.
"I remember Kakashi has several ninja dogs."
Rin glanced at him, a trace of melancholy lingering in her expression.
Kiyoshi's keen insight caught it instantly.
A slight smile curved his lips.
It seemed Rin and Kakashi's relationship hadn't progressed well.
Though dramatic, their feelings never came to fruition.
Earlier, Kakashi focused entirely on missions; later, because of Obito, he couldn't even consider Rin.
"Let's go, Kiyoshi. I've reserved a table at Yakiniku Q."
After chatting a while, Minato spoke.
The Land of Demons was far, and Obito and Rin were on their first C-rank mission, so Minato and Yukitsuki had agreed to dine together first.
Better to familiarize themselves for smoother mission cooperation.
Kiyoshi nodded, agreeing to go.
...
A few dozen minutes later, at Yakiniku Q.
The restaurant was busy, hosting Konoha and foreign guests.
Not all visiting ninjas left immediately; some foreign ninjas stayed for a few days.
During these days, Konoha's vigilance was highest—after all, spies were inevitable.
"Kiyoshi, here, here."
Yuhi Kurenai waved, seated with Asuma Sarutobi and Yukitsuki.
"Why are you so late?"
"Too many people outside at this time," Kiyoshi replied.
Despite being called a "village," Konoha was enormous.
It was the largest military hub in the country!
The Death Forest alone had a 10 km radius; there were more than forty such training grounds.
Not to mention the tourist area, Kikyō Castle.
Over ten thousand ninjas and at least hundreds of thousands of civilians lived in Konoha, though illustrations made it appear smaller.
"Come on, I've prepared your dipping sauce."
Kiyoshi noticed Kurenai had remembered his taste from a previous visit on the day of the Chunin exams.
No wonder her future "wife potential" seemed so graceful—she was a meticulous girl.
He sat beside Kurenai.
"Jonin Minato, I heard the Mōryō have been sealed for a thousand years, passed down by generations of priestesses."
Yukitsuki thought it sounded far-fetched.
If the Mōryō were strong, how could a priestess—without being a ninja—seal them?
Could priestesses even have kekkei genkai?
(End of Chapter)