The Mysterious Kakashi

"Teacher Kushina, where are we going?"

"Teacher Kushina, try this. It's super delicious~"

At some point, Kurenai had started clinging more and more to Kushina, leaving Shiranui Genma feeling a little resentful.

It had to be said, women and men were entirely different creatures. If women didn't see eye to eye or get along, they might become bitter enemies. But if they got along well and clicked, they could instantly become confidantes or close friends.

Before long, Kurenai and Kushina were whispering secrets to each other, making Genma roll his eyes repeatedly.

Was this really a mentor? She was only chatting with the little girl. At the very least, she should show some concern for the boy and demonstrate gender equality.

And that little girl had been completely drawn in by the beautiful older sister. Was this really his teammate? Was she still his girlfriend? The more he thought about it, the more dangerous it seemed.

Feeling utterly helpless, Genma glanced at Dieyewasi beside him, who had started munching on snacks, and immediately understood.

Dieyewasi was eating snacks, but he seemed unhappy. He was clearly turning his frustration into appetite.

So Genma joined him in chewing snacks and gradually got used to Kurenai and Kushina walking so closely together, like sisters.

"Alright, we've reached the Forest of Death. Now, my lessons begin!"

After leading the three of them into the Forest of Death, Kushina began introducing all kinds of plants and animals. It was hard to imagine that Kushina, with her airheaded sweetness, could explain everything so skillfully and attentively.

Some of it was knowledge useful for surviving on the battlefield, including pharmacology. Even Genma found some of it quite surprising.

It had to be said, Kushina was truly an outstanding mentor. Even he, who considered himself widely read, felt that he had benefited greatly. Everything was extremely practical.

The only downside was that Kurenai admired Kushina even more now. Like a little sister, she stayed at Kushina's side asking question after question, and before long, "Teacher" had become "Sister"...

"The plants ahead are denser. Kurenai, come with me and let's prepare over there. You two aren't allowed to come over. Stay where you are!"

For the first time, Kushina's tone turned serious. Genma and Dieyewasi were both confused, but since Kushina was a Chunin, they did not dare disobey.

Not long after, the two emerged from the thick vegetation. Kurenai was now wearing the same black thigh-high socks as Kushina, and her little face was flushed red, making her look incredibly cute and alluring.

So... she had wanted Kurenai to wear thigh-high socks to keep the grass and branches from scratching her legs... No wonder her tone had become so serious.

Genma had actually told Kurenai to prepare a pair of long athletic pants, but now it seemed thigh-high socks suited her better...

Unable to help himself, he swallowed like a lecher, only to draw repeated snickers from the two beauties, one big and one small.

Meanwhile, Dieyewasi honestly kept his gaze away from Kurenai and Kushina, as though some prehistoric beast lurked in that direction.

"Alright, let's keep going~"

At Kushina's command, the three continued their wilderness survival journey.

Perhaps to make the training more challenging, the road ahead was extremely difficult. There were countless traps and mechanisms, along with ferocious beasts and poisonous insects.

For powerful ninja, such things were hardly worth mentioning. They could pass through them casually. Therefore, after gaining a sufficient grasp of the three's general abilities, Kushina would wait at the endpoint and watch them clear each trial.

Their group was actually quite strong. There was no need to mention Genma—he already possessed strength close to that of a Chunin. Kurenai and Dieyewasi were both close to Genin level, but their strengths lay in entirely different areas.

Kurenai excelled at Genjutsu, making it easy for her to deal with wild beasts. Dieyewasi was meticulous and skilled at analysis and planning, making him a little strategist.

When it came to on-the-spot tactical arrangements, Genma was still a notch below Dieyewasi. But everyone had their own strengths. Genma's overall abilities were already formidable, and he was currently the strongest among the three.

After crossing a stretch of swamp, they finally caught sight of where the main group had set up camp.

By coincidence, another team arrived shortly after they stopped there. It was the group behind them.

"Hey, Genma, Kurenai, Dieyewasi!"

They did not even need to look closely. Obito's energetic voice immediately gave him away.

"That sunny little boy seems very close to you all~" Kushina looked in the direction of the voice and saw the excited Obito, then someone who made her especially delighted. "Ah, since you're all so close, let's set up our camps together!!"

Naturally, Kushina did not recognize Obito. Her eyes were fixed on the blond man beside him.

Seeing Kushina's reaction, Genma understood at once. This had to be Namikaze Minato, the man who had picked up the hottest girls at the fastest speed and fathered the strongest child.

Obito and Rin appearing was within Genma's expectations, but Namikaze Minato being their leading teacher surprised him slightly. However, the man behind Minato, wearing a bird mask and carrying a short blade, made his pupils contract.

That appearance... wasn't it the Anbu version of the young Kakashi?

Kakashi had joined the Anbu? Then why had he come to take part in a lower-grade survival exercise!?

Unable to make sense of it no matter how he thought about it, Genma frowned until Kurenai noticed.

"What's wrong, Genma? Is something off?"

"Something is definitely off, but digging too deeply into it might not be a good idea."

Kurenai did not like thinking about overly complicated matters. Seeing how vague Genma was, she gave up asking and immediately ran over to Rin.

The two had spent time together many times already and had become extremely close. Calling them best friends would not have been an exaggeration.

Once the two teams gathered together, Kushina and Minato's relationship was immediately made crystal clear.

The exchanged glances, endless tenderness, and intimate forms of address were so devastating that even Kakashi, behind his mask, seemed to have taken critical damage.

Of course, Kushina and Minato were not quite bold enough to do anything too obvious. They merely decided to camp together, assigned everyone their tasks, and then went off for a walk.

It looked like a walk, but everyone understood that they were probably going to meet with the other team leaders or something, so no one paid it any more attention.

After the Camp had been set up, the restless Obito started shouting, "Everyone, let's play a game!"

"No. I'm going to train for a while." To Obito's surprise, the white-haired, masked, smug-looking guy he had noticed directly rejected him.

"What the heck? His temper's even worse than Kakashi's! Good thing we won't be on the same team in the future. Even Kakashi is better than him~"

Obito watched the white-haired, masked, smug guy leave and spoke disdainfully.

Watching all of this, Genma suddenly found Obito rather amusing. At present, it seemed the only ones who did not know who that masked man was were Obito and Dieyewasi.

He really wondered how Obito would look down on Kakashi once he found out.

Still, Kakashi's behavior just now seemed somewhat abnormal. Even if he did not want to play, he probably would not have chosen to train.

Kakashi had suddenly become diligent. The only possibility was that something had happened that made him feel an intense sense of urgency.

What could it be?

He now bore the title of Konoha's Little White Fang and had inherited his father's will. He should not be the type to abandon his teammates.

Yet now, he wore a mask, never revealed his identity, and had come to participate in a survival exercise for academy lowerclassmen...

Shiranui Genma considered every possibility and came up with several immature guesses.

But no matter how much he guessed, it was pointless. This concerned Kakashi, and as a student himself, there was nothing he could do.

With the mindset that less trouble was better, he politely declined Obito's invitation and went off to train as well.

His Shadow Clone continued reading and practicing Taijutsu as usual, while he himself worked on consolidating his Ninjutsu.

Seeing that Genma did not want to play, Kurenai lost interest too. Obito's enthusiasm gradually faded, and he joined the others in training.

Before long, Kushina returned with her arm linked through Minato's. Seeing that the Camp had been set up and her students were diligently training, she should have been happy. Instead, she became a little melancholy. "Little Sun, these students are all so hardworking. Honestly, I really like them. I really want to become their team leader~"

As a Jinchuriki, her freedom was restricted. Becoming a Chunin was already a considerable relaxation of those restrictions.

To become a Jonin, one needed to complete many S-rank missions, and the village's comprehensive personal assessment would determine whether someone could become a Jonin.

A Jonin needed sufficient accomplishments and exceptional overall strength.

Kushina did not lack strength, but to prevent accidents, she could not undertake S-rank missions.

However, in order to experience the joy of leading students, Kushina had voluntarily applied to serve as a leading teacher for the academy's survival exercises.

From constantly making mistakes in the past, such as taking the wrong route, to now regularly making students feel that they had gained greatly, Minato knew she had put in countless efforts.

His heart aching slightly, Minato gently comforted her. "Just wait a little longer. Once I become Hokage, I'll work hard to change everyone's views of Jinchuriki. I believe that one day, you'll be able to lead students on missions and train diligently with them."

"Mm-hm." Tears dampened Kushina's face, and beneath the setting sun, the two of their shadows gradually leaned together.

With Minato's comfort, Kushina regained her usual cheerfulness. Pointing at Kakashi and the others training under Minato's leadership, she said, "Those are your students, right? They all seem pretty strong, especially that white-haired one. He's just as impressive as the boy in my team. But speaking of which, this is the team you'll be leading in the future, right? Is it really okay for that white-haired boy to wear a mask?"

"Ah~ He's a little special, and his identity needs to be kept confidential, so this is the only way. But the other two children both acknowledge him very much, so there shouldn't be any problems."

"Uh, that silly-looking boy seems to be going to pick a fight with the white-haired kid. Is that really okay?"

"Ahem, I actually haven't told the other two his identity either. Their relationship should improve once they spend more time together..." Minato was not entirely sure himself. Judging by Obito's behavior, it might be a long time before he recognized that the white-haired boy behind the mask was Kakashi.

His superiors had assigned him to protect Kakashi, and confidentiality was the top priority. He had not even told Kushina anything.