Two months later,
Yuki Seisui and a few close friends were enjoying themselves at the Duel Arena.
As for Jiraiya, he had only trained them for a few short days before vanishing again. Rumor had it the Hokage had given him a mission, but what it was, nobody knew.
Tsunade, on the other hand, was still in the village. Ever since the panda cub showed up, Uzumaki Kushina seemed completely enchanted by it, and her relationship with Seisui had grown closer.
This made Minato quite jealous. He was the one who showed up first, after all.
"Minato, you loser, still can't beat him?"
Laughing loudly, Kushina gave Minato a firm pat on the back as they left the arena.
"You lose to Seisui every single time! What a letdown!"
"I-I just let my guard down this time!"
Flushed red, Minato tried to defend himself. "Next time, he won't stand a chance!"
Nara Shikaku lay sprawled on the ground like a beached fish, too exhausted to speak. Ever since he'd started training with Yuki Seisui, his status at home had soared. His hard work had even earned him bigger portions at dinner.
But every time they left the Duel Arena, his whole body ached, especially his back. Even with all the taijutsu training he'd done under Might Duy, the soreness never went away.
Yuki Seisui lay next to him and sighed.
"Minato's catching up fast, his talent really is something else."
Uchiha Haru stood nearby, stretching out her limbs to help recover from fatigue.
"You've got the nerve to call him talented?"
Yuki only shook his head and glanced at Minato and Kushina sitting together. His own strength was cheated, the result of knowledge and power he brought from another life. Minato's strength, though, was the real deal of pure talent and hard work.
There was no fair comparison. A cheat is strong, sure. But someone who can catch up to a cheat? That's what real genius looks like.
And Minato was one of those rare geniuses.
Thinking that, Yuki turned to look at Haru. She was half a genius too. With her double-tomoe Sharingan, she could actually go toe-to-toe with him.
The same couldn't be said for the Ino–Shika–Cho trio. They were lagging behind now. Only by teaming up could they keep up with him in a fight.
"Seriously, what kind of monster are you?"
As time passed, Nara Shikaku finally pushed himself off the ground with a sigh.
"It feels like you get stronger every single day."
"Hahaha! I'm going to be Hokage, remember?"
Yuki Seisui declared it boldly, prompting Uchiha Haru to blush. After all, her dream was to become Hokage.
Was he… confessing again? But hadn't he already done that? If he suddenly asked her now, Will you accept me? Would she say yes?
Her heart began racing, and she subconsciously turned her head away.
"Minato, look!" Kushina nudged him excitedly, whispering like she'd discovered treasure. She pointed straight at Haru.
"Those two, something's going on, I swear!"
Minato followed her gaze just in time to see Haru blushing and turning away from Seisui. He smiled faintly, then glanced back at Kushina. If only she would react like that too…
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Kushina blinked, confused by Minato's gaze.
"Just saying… something's definitely going on between those two."
She asked curiously, her face filled with mischief and a hint of shipping enthusiasm.
"Seisui's totally pursuing Haru," Minato said without hesitation, happily throwing Yuki under the bus.
"No way, I never noticed at all!" Kushina's jaw dropped in shock. "He kept it so well hidden, I didn't see a single clue!"
They'd spent two months training together, and she hadn't suspected a thing. Well… no wonder. Yuki hadn't actually done much pursuing, his shadow clones had ruined everything. But he didn't say any of that aloud.
Yamanaka Yukio wasn't far from the group and had heard the whole conversation clearly. He gave a knowing nod, like a teacher recognizing a promising student.
He'd recently been studying dating advice books. Didn't matter if the lines worked or not, as long as you got the conversation started, it was progress. Minato had remembered things well.
Inoichi adjusted imaginary glasses and pulled a notebook from his coat to begin jotting down notes.
June 7th: Seisui said only those who endure seven layers of loneliness can understand the true meaning of love. Only then can one become a true master of romance, a true strong one.
Of course, that wasn't exactly what Seisui had said. He'd just spouted something flashy during a duel with Minato, but Inoichi had added his own interpretation.
Only through the depths of solitude can a true powerhouse be born! Thus our world begins!
Meanwhile, Seisui had no idea what Inoichi was writing about. When he saw everyone had recovered, he stood up and called out:
"Alright, my treat today. Let's go get some barbecue!"
"To celebrate two months of uninterrupted head pats!"
"Yay, I got head-patted!"
Akimichi Choza jumped up and cheered, confusing the rest of the group. They weren't exactly sure what the whole head-pat thing meant, but it didn't sound like something that deserved that much excitement.
"…Head pats."
Uchiha Haru thought back to the first time she lost to him and got her head patted. It had actually felt… kind of nice. Remembering it now, she couldn't help but touch her hair lightly.
Seeing everyone's mixed reactions, Yuki Seisui just grinned. He'd made some good money over the past two months, more than enough to cover the feast.
"Where's Uncle Dai, though?" He counted heads and scratched his own. "We're missing one."
Nara Shikaku looked up at the sky.
"Let's give him a bit more time."
"Yeah…"
"That's all we can do."
They didn't have to wait long—Might Duy soon came sprinting toward them.
Originally, Seisui had wanted him to join their training group, but Might Duy had declined.
"Youth is all about forging ahead and pushing your limits!"
He was determined to train alone and surpass his own boundaries. There wasn't much Seisui could say to that.
Seeing him approach, Seisui stood and waved.
"Uncle Dai, you're the last one!"
"Huh?" Still catching his breath, Duy blinked. "Last one?"
"We're going out for a barbecue!" Shikaku chimed in. "Seisui's treating, we're going to eat real good tonight!"
"Then wait for me!"
Duy gave them a dazzling thumbs-up, his teeth gleaming.
"Youth is about knowing when to rest and when to push forward!"
"Seisui, I knew you were one of us!"
"Waaah! You're the embodiment of youth!"
"…Yeah."
Yuki Seisui wasn't sure how to respond. No matter how many times he saw Uncle Duy like this, it always threw him off a bit. Especially now, with Minato standing there in a bright green jumpsuit, too.
He had bought a black battle uniform… yet every day, he still wore that green bodysuit. All he was missing was a World's Best Son badge on his chest.
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