When coincidence's mom opened the door, coincidence was already home

After a thorough and spirited discussion, Kakashi and Obito were put in charge of the fishing group.

Meanwhile, the two thoughtful girls volunteered to gather firewood in preparation for the bonfire party.

Everyone else took on the task of gathering other ingredients. They were all looking forward to the picnic and eager to do their part.

"Hayato, let's compete and see who can get more food." Guy rolled up his sleeves and spoke with a serious expression.

Hayato could only shake his head, looking helpless.

He knew that even if he refused, Guy would start the competition on his own.

So he might as well go along with it.

Once everyone knew their assignments, they quickly split up while the sun was still above the horizon.

Hayato carried a sharp kunai, a choice he had thought through carefully before setting out. Now it seemed especially wise.

He ventured deep into the forest and, thanks to his keen powers of observation, soon spotted traces left behind by small animals.

Following the trail, Hayato unexpectedly came across two lively, adorable squirrels. They scampered busily through the woods, completely unaware that someone was quietly following them.

A smile appeared on Hayato's face. He didn't intend to eat the little squirrels, but he knew that squirrels liked to store food.

If he followed them, perhaps he could "borrow" some of their provisions.

So he carefully trailed them until they led him to their secret stash.

Looking at the scene before him, Hayato felt quietly pleased with himself, as satisfied as a hunter who had caught his prey.

He gently spread out a piece of white silk and carefully picked up the fruit from the squirrels' nest one by one.

As he worked, he spotted a conspicuous red hair near the edge of the nest. The unexpected discovery made him frown.

"Coincidence?"

He turned to look at the two squirrels, huddled tightly together in fear, and felt a pang of regret. "Too bad you can't talk to me."

With a sigh, Hayato put the hair back where he had found it and decided not to disturb the two innocent little creatures any further.

He knew that even if he had a hunch, there was nothing he could do with his current strength. So he continued searching for food, and soon found a pheasant hidden in a patch of grass.

"Not bad."

Hayato was secretly delighted. He quickly took a kunai from his ninja pouch, aimed, and threw it without hesitation.

The kunai flew like an arrow and pierced the pheasant's leg. It fell to the ground, unable to escape.

Hayato hurried over and picked it up. Just as he was about to leave, a gentle voice sounded behind him. "Little boy, I'd like to ask you something."

Hayato turned around and saw a blond young man gazing intently at him. It was Minato Namikaze. Hayato recognized him at once,

and recalled the red hair he had seen by the squirrels' nest. That confirmed that today was the day Kumogakure would try to kidnap Kushina.

Talk about coincidence. Coincidence's mom opened the door, and coincidence was already home. Hayato couldn't help thinking.

"Sure. Go ahead," Hayato replied calmly.

Minato nodded slightly, considered his words, then asked,

"Have you been around this area for a while? Have you seen a girl with red hair?"

After thinking for a moment, Hayato shook his head.

"I haven't seen any red-haired girls."

Minato looked disappointed. Just as he was about to leave, Hayato spoke again.

"I haven't seen a red-haired girl, but I did see some red hair in one place. I don't know if it's the kind you mean."

Hope lit up Minato's face, and he quickly asked, "Really? Can you tell me where you saw it?"

Hayato nodded and led Minato to the squirrels' nest.

Minato spotted the strand of hair right away. He crouched down, gently picked it up, and looked gratefully at Hayato.

"Little boy, thanks for showing me the way. I'll be sure to repay you someday. By the way, I'm Minato Namikaze. What's your name?"

"Uchiha Hayato," Hayato replied briefly.

Minato smiled and nodded. He reached out to pat Hayato on the head in thanks, but Hayato nimbly dodged him.

Minato didn't mind. He smiled, then hurried off.

Something must have happened to Kushina, Minato was sure of it.

The most urgent thing now was to rescue her.

Watching Minato disappear into the distance, Hayato felt little emotion. They had only met by chance.

As for Minato's promise to thank him, Hayato didn't take it to heart. All he had done was point the way.

He was sure Minato could have found the clues Kushina left behind even without his help.

As the sun began to set, Hayato glanced at the sky and decided to head back to the stream.

He carried a small bundle full of fruit in his left hand and the pheasant in his right, walking briskly through the woods.

Before long, he returned to the stream and saw Obito arguing with Rin about fishing techniques.

"Rin, I'm telling you, it's definitely the fishing rod. If I had a good rod, I'd catch more than Kakashi."

"Sure, sure. I believe you," Rin replied, not wanting to discourage Obito.

Nearby, Kakashi was staring at the fish in the bucket, thinking about the best way to cook them.

"What are you thinking about, Kakashi?" Hayato walked up beside him and asked curiously.

Kakashi looked up and smiled. "I'm wondering what to do with these fish."

At that, Hayato handed him the kunai. "Here. You can use it to gut them."

Kakashi looked surprised. "You brought a kunai on a picnic?"

"Just tell me if it's useful," Hayato replied, offering no further explanation.

Kakashi thanked him, took the kunai, and began gutting the fish.

At the same time, Guy came over to Hayato, visibly excited. "So, Hayato, how was your haul? Let's compare." As he spoke, he showed off his catch—a gray-brown hare and a squirrel.

It had taken him a lot of effort to catch the two animals, and he thought this time he had it in the bag.

"What about you?"

Hayato pointed to the pheasant struggling on a rock. He had tied its legs together.

"Over there."

When Guy looked over, he immediately brightened. "Haha, I have two, and you only have one. I win this time."

"No, you don't. Hayato brought back lots of fruit for us, too. Besides, we can't just count the number of animals. That chicken obviously has more meat than your hare and squirrel. I think Hayato won," Kurenai said, backing him up from the side.

"Oh, I guess that makes sense. Ah, I lost again." Guy rubbed his head, sounding disappointed.