"Role-playing?"
Zabuza felt it had been a long time since he'd faced such a mental challenge.
Minato smiled apologetically. "Believe it or not, I'm telling the truth."
Haku looked curious. "So that boy with the Sharingan came here last time for this very reason?"
"That's right," Kakashi nodded.
Zabuza sneered coldly. "Sending a kid to test us?"
But damn it, he really did scare the hell out of a few people!
"Speaking of which, I do have a big question about this," Minato said. "Before the Third Shinobi World War officially began, I had contact with Yagura Karatachi once or twice."
"The Third Shinobi World War?!" Zabuza stared at the blond youth before him, who claimed to be Minato Namikaze but looked about the same age as him.
"Well, that's beside the point," Kakashi interjected. "Let Minato-sensei continue."
Zabuza nodded, and Minato went on.
"Yagura always had a baby face and a childlike build, but he was actually a little older than me. He's really sensitive about this. If anyone mistakes his age, he'll get furious, stomp his feet, and argue endlessly with them. He's a stickler for details, childish at times, and has a bad temper."
Watching Zabuza's face twist in disbelief, Minato continued.
"He's also very gentlemanly with women. A man who deeply loves his family and comrades."
He recalled their meeting years ago.
Since both Minato and Yagura were polite and gentlemanly, they had a good first impression of each other.
Back then, when Yagura pulled out photos to brag about how beautiful his wife was and how adorable his son was, Minato and Kushina had just started dating. The idea of having a son was nowhere near their thoughts. Feeling instantly outdone, Minato found himself a bit displeased.
"You must have fallen under some genjutsu, or maybe you met a fake Yagura Karatachi," Zabuza sneered.
Burying his face in the gloom, the man who had once tried to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage spoke, "The Yagura I know doesn't match any of what you've described. He's a madman, more bloodthirsty and brutal than me. He seems to hate Kirigakure, using tyranny and force to seal the gates of the Land of Water. For missing-nin, he has people specifically hunting them down. Their fate..."
Before he defected, he had seen Yagura personally execute several missing-nin.
That extreme madness and darkness...
That man seemed to be taking out his hatred on Kirigakure.
But beyond the graduation exams and the slaughter of those with Kekkei Genkai, what else could make that man hate his own village so much? If he truly had grievances, why not reform things after becoming Mizukage?
Standing to the side, Haku reflected on his own past.
Simply because he had the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, his father had killed his mother, then raised a cleaver toward him, tears in his eyes.
Except for Zabuza, this world had no need for him anymore...
"What are you thinking about, Haku? Hurry up."
Haku had been momentarily distracted, and by the time he snapped back, Zabuza and Minato had already finished their conversation.
Minato: "No need to see me off. I'm still used to the Flying Thunder God technique—it's faster. As for you two, you'd better find another place to stay. If you need proof of a fake death, I'll gladly help you out."
"Hmph! We'll see about that."
Zabuza wasn't afraid of death, but his mission wasn't finished yet. It wasn't the right time.
Besides, if he died, Haku would most likely follow him, and that would be too much trouble. He'd have to decline.
Minato Namikaze and Kakashi Hatake returned to the training grounds where their students were practicing.
With the Shadow Clone Technique to help him, and free from any idol-like pressures, Naruto eagerly sought guidance from Obito and Kakashi. He had already mastered the Water Walking Technique.
For the first time, Sasuke tasted the bitter reality of learning slower than Naruto. His frustration grew, and he became more and more unable to get past it. Sakura wanted to help, but Sasuke waved her away.
Minato first shared the intelligence with Obito, instructing him to figure out how to channel that dark, crazed feeling himself before impersonating the Fourth Mizukage and meeting Zabuza.
During their break, he also gave Sasuke some extra coaching.
Sasuke, naturally, didn't harbor the same resistance to the Fourth Hokage's guidance as he did toward his peer Sakura. After receiving useful instruction, he even awkwardly muttered a thank you.
Kakashi, his teacher, deliberately teased him, "Oh my, oh my. If you showed me the same respect you show Minato-sensei, your teacher here would be absolutely delighted."
Sasuke snorted. "First, fix your habit of showing up late! And toss that damn book of yours!"
"Give me a break. I don't want to see that book for at least three days." The psychological trauma was too deep. Having to read that racy book in front of Minato-sensei, Obito, and Rin?! If it weren't absolutely necessary, he wouldn't even do it for the reward of an A-rank mission.
Meanwhile, Naruto was off in the distance, helping Obito impersonate the Fourth Mizukage.
Minato Namikaze stood next to Sasuke, watching Naruto and Obito. He chuckled softly,
"Their personalities are quite similar, aren't they?"
"That Obito Uchiha doesn't seem like a typical Uchiha at all," Sasuke remarked.
Minato laughed heartily. "You're not the first to say that. Fugaku-senpai once said the same thing."
"My father?"
"Yes." Minato's gaze softened. "But precisely because Obito's personality is so different from the others in the Uchiha Clan—because he genuinely seeks friendship with non-Uchiha people—people tend to forget his elite lineage. They come to truly care for him and are willing to help him. That's why Fugaku Uchiha had great expectations for him…"
Sasuke fell silent for a long time. "Fourth Hokage…"
"Haha, I'm not the Fourth Hokage yet. Just a jōnin of Konoha."
"Forget that! I'm asking you—what happened to the Uchiha Clan?! Why did Itachi do what he did?!!"