Minato Squad

"Sizzle—"

Premium beef gave off an enticing aroma on the grill, its fat crackling as it browned to a glossy, succulent color that whetted the appetite.

But Chiba and the other two paid no attention to the sizzling premium beef. Instead, they stared blankly at the cards in their hands.

"This is a pass for the Konoha Library. With it, you can borrow any ninjutsu book, but you can't take them out of the Library. Also, Genin can only borrow ninjutsu below C-rank," Kushina Uzumaki explained when she saw their expressions.

The Konoha Library? Borrow ninjutsu below C-rank?

Chiba was a little dazed, followed immediately by wild joy. His Ninjutsu Talent was so absurd that he could learn hand seals after seeing them once. If he could read ninjutsu books or scrolls, then with his Ninjutsu Talent...

At that moment, Kushina Uzumaki handed over three more badges. They were carved from some strange wood and bore the Konoha emblem. Leaning closer with a mysterious look, she said, "But with these badges, your borrowing privileges go up a level. You can read B-rank ninjutsu as much as you want."

B-rank ninjutsu? Chiba froze again. "Teacher Kushina, were you late because you went to get these for us?"

"Shh!" Kushina Uzumaki covered Chiba's head with one hand. "What are you staring at? Put them away, quickly."

Seeing how serious Kushina Uzumaki was, Chiba and the other two hurriedly tucked the Library Cards and badges into their clothes.

At that moment, a waiter came over and set down the meat they had ordered. After saying, "Your dishes are all here. Please enjoy," he left to attend to the next table.

The barbecue restaurant was bustling with noise, and the wooden dividers between booths kept people from noticing them.

"Say... Teacher Kushina, you didn't steal these, did you?" Chiba narrowed his eyes, the corner of his mouth twitching.

From Kushina Uzumaki's expression and actions, he had guessed something.

"Shh! Shh!" Kushina Uzumaki covered Chiba's mouth again.

At once, cold sweat appeared behind Chiba, Hirohiko, and Yukina's heads.

She really had stolen them!

Kushina Uzumaki released Chiba's mouth, pointed at the three of them, and lowered her voice. "Be careful. Don't let anyone hear you. I swiped these while the Third Hokage wasn't paying attention. Make good use of them, and don't let anyone notice anything suspicious."

Hearing that, the three of them unconsciously touched the Library Cards and badges hidden against their chests.

Was Teacher Kushina really reliable...?

Still, none of them had any intention of returning the Library Cards.

"I'm sorry, Yukina. Your family's Gentle Fist is taught internally, and you reject all ninjutsu anyway, so this Library Card isn't much use to you." Kushina Uzumaki suddenly sighed.

Hyuga Yukina paused, then quickly said, "It's still necessary to understand some ninjutsu knowledge. It'll be helpful in battle too. Thank you, Teacher Kushina."

Chiba and Uchiha Hirohiko nodded repeatedly as well.

"Oh, right. Next time, I'll help you steal Konoha Style..." Kushina Uzumaki smiled faintly at that, then suddenly seemed to remember something and spoke.

But Chiba immediately stopped her with a look. At his signal, she slowly turned her head.

There, she saw a handsome blond man staring at her in astonishment. It was Minato Namikaze.

At that moment, a lukewarm, somewhat lazy voice came from nearby. "Obito, this is all your fault. You were late for so long that you made us and Teacher wait for a whole half hour. Now we can't even get barbecue."

"Kakashi, that was this morning! What does it have to do with all the barbecue seats being taken?"

"Alright, alright, stop arguing. Let's go eat ramen!" A female voice stepped in to mediate.

Then, two boys and a girl walked over.

One had silver hair and wore a mask. It was unmistakably Kakashi.

Another had oversized goggles tied around his forehead and delicate features. He was Uchiha Obito.

The only girl had short brown hair, large dark-brown eyes, and two purple markings on her cheeks. She looked dainty and adorable.

Chiba's pupils contracted slightly.

This was Rin Nohara, wasn't it? The eternal pain in Obito and Kakashi's hearts.

"G-Good evening, Minato!" Kushina Uzumaki's mouth twitched as she forced out an extremely strained smile.

He didn't hear what we just said, did he? Kushina Uzumaki and Chiba's group all broke out in cold sweat.

"Kushina! What a coincidence!" Minato Namikaze smiled gently. It looked like he had not heard Kushina's words about stealing things.

Whew! The four of them let out a collective sigh of relief inwardly.

In the end, Kushina was simply too bold. These Library Cards granted access to the ninjutsu in the Konoha Library—such sensitive items. She had actually dared to steal them directly from the Third Hokage... That was utterly audacious! If she were discovered, who knew what would happen?

Chiba wiped the sweat from his forehead, only to realize that Minato Namikaze was studying him. His expression stiffened. He coughed and said, "The fire on this grill is really strong. It's so hot."

Hyuga Yukina and Uchiha Hirohiko also sensed Minato Namikaze studying them. Cold sweat trickled down their backs as they nodded repeatedly in agreement with Chiba.

As Minato Namikaze looked at them, he thought, So these were the three geniuses? "Teacher, what are you looking at?" Kakashi and the other two had already walked over. Seeing their teacher standing beside a table, Obito asked, "Did a seat open up?"

"How could that be? Most people just started eating. How could anyone already be done?" Kakashi poured cold water on him from beside him.

"Come on, come on, that's enough!" Rin Nohara smiled as she tried to smooth things over, lest they start arguing again.

"Kakashi, Obito, Rin!" Seeing the three of them, Kushina Uzumaki greeted them with a smile.

"Mm... Teacher's girlfriend..." the three of them said in unison.

That made Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze's cheeks flush slightly.

What?! The Fourth Hokage and Kushina were actually the innocent romance type? Chiba was astonished. Judging from their reactions, they were completely like the innocent romance leads in a love manga!

"Ahem... Kakashi, Obito, Rin, let me introduce you. These are my students: Taki Chiba, Uchiha Hirohiko, and Hyuga Yukina." Kushina Uzumaki gave a light cough and introduced Chiba's group to them.

"Hello, students of Teacher's girlfriend." Uchiha Obito flashed a broad smile. "I'm Uchiha Obito. One day, I'll become Hokage."

"Hatake Kakashi." Kakashi spoke very briefly. As he did, he glanced at Chiba and gave a slight nod. Chiba returned the nod.

The two of them could be considered acquainted.

"Hello, I'm Rin Nohara." Compared to the two boys, Rin Nohara's smiling introduction was much gentler.

"Hello!" Chiba and the other two greeted them as well.

"Uh... Hirohiko! Are you Hirohiko?" Uchiha Obito belatedly noticed something.

Uchiha Hirohiko kept a poker face and nodded. "I am... Senior Obito."

Hirohiko thought for a moment before adding "Senior" as a sign of respect, although... he had heard that within the clan, this Senior Obito was the dead last of his generation.

Huh!!! This was the super genius everyone in the clan talked about, Hirohiko, who awakened the Sharingan at seven? He didn't seem so annoying after all.

Obviously, that "Senior" greatly improved Obito's impression of this super genius. He said with great seriousness, "If you have any questions in the future, feel free to ask me."

Uchiha Hirohiko nodded. "Yes, Senior Obito."

Uchiha Obito wanted to say something more, but Kakashi poured cold water on him from the side. "Before that, Obito, how about you ask this junior of yours how to awaken the Sharingan?"

"K-KA-KA-SHI!" Uchiha Obito's forehead veins bulged.

"Alright, alright!" Rin Nohara hurriedly grabbed Obito to keep the two from fighting.

Kakashi merely shook his head helplessly and let out a heavy sigh.

Watching his three students, Minato Namikaze smiled gently. "Then we won't disturb you any longer. We'll be going now."

"Mm!" Kushina Uzumaki looked at Minato Namikaze and nodded lightly, her cheeks bright red. Then, in a nearly inaudible voice, she said, "You're leaving on a mission tomorrow, right? Get some rest early."

Although her voice was nearly inaudible, Minato Namikaze seemed to hear her clearly. He nodded. "I understand. Thank you. Well then, goodbye."

The latter half was addressed to Chiba and the other two.

"Goodbye..." Chiba and the other two replied.

As Minato Namikaze left, Rin Nohara dragged away Obito, who was baring his fangs and claws in an attempt to attack Kakashi. She apologized to Chiba and the others, "Sorry about that."

Then she dragged Obito away, while Kakashi followed behind with half-lidded eyes and a shrug, further provoking Obito.

"Kakashi, just you wait!"

Meanwhile, Chiba and the other two stared at Kushina Uzumaki, who was acting like a bashful young girl, and all three of them went completely blank.

Was this really Teacher Kushina, who beat people up at the drop of a hat and was bold enough to steal from the Third Hokage?