Meeting Kushina is not exactly easy.
Previously, Mokgetsu usually arranged it by having the Anbu, who delivered meals at regular times, bring a message to set a meeting time.
But now that Mokgetsu has a rather special status in the Anbu, the process can be simplified, and no fixed time is needed for an appointment.
Near the designated meeting place, Mokgetsu saw Kushina standing under a big tree.
It seemed like a competition with Mokgetsu, because except for the first meeting when Mokgetsu arrived earlier, Kushina was mostly the one who arrived first.
Although Karei didn't know what Kushina looked like, when she caught a glimpse of that vivid red, she had a feeling that this person was the Uzumaki Kushina whom Mokgetsu spoke of.
"Kushina, good afternoon." Mokgetsu walked forward with a smile and greeted Kushina.
Kushina wanted to respond but was distracted by Uzumaki Karei standing beside Mokgetsu.
Kushina touched her chin and looked closely at Uzumaki Karei, with some hypotheses forming in her mind.
Since Mokgetsu brought someone to see her, there are only two possibilities: the person is either closely related to Mokgetsu or related to her.
Uzumaki Karei silently looked at Kushina; even without starting a conversation, she could distinctly feel the differences in their personalities.
After examining Uzumaki Karei, Kushina looked at Mokgetsu again.
"Uzumaki Karei, a survivor of the Uzumaki Clan."
"Mokgetsu, so you really do like red hair, I thought you…"
Both spoke at the same time, Mokgetsu introducing Uzumaki Karei, while Kushina voiced her inner assumptions.
"Thought what?" Mokgetsu looked puzzled at Kushina.
The first time he met Namikaze Minato and Kushina, he had complimented Kushina's hair to gain favor. Now, Kushina clearly misunderstood his relationship with Uzumaki Karei.
"Ahaha, it's nothing." Kushina laughed awkwardly to cover her slip.
"Hello, I'm Uzumaki Kushina." Then, with a solemn expression, Kushina introduced herself and looked at Uzumaki Karei.
Since the Uzumaki clan's destruction, Uzumaki Karei was the second Uzumaki clan member she had interacted with.
The other was Uzumaki Mito, who had also lived in Konoha with Kushina, but Uzumaki Mito had already passed away. Seeing another member of the Uzumaki clan, and someone of the same age, Kushina felt elated.
"Hello Kushina, I'm Uzumaki Karei." Despite Mokgetsu's help in the introduction, Uzumaki Karei still formally introduced herself.
Seeing a clan member after so long, Uzumaki Karei was also a bit excited.
As members of the Uzumaki Clan, the two of them discussed memories from their childhood in the Uzumaki.
In their conversation, they discovered that their homes in the Land of Whirlpools were only a few streets apart.
If not for circumstances such as Kushina being sent to Konoha and the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools, they might have been schoolmates in their homeland, attending school and going home together.
The conversation made them both fall silent.
Even the lively Kushina found it hard to remain in good spirits when recalling the downfall of her clan and country.
Her parents, along with every familiar relative, neighbor, and playmate, all perished in that war of national extinction, leaving her with no cause for happiness.
"Although I understand the excitement of meeting a clan member, don't completely ignore me either," Mokgetsu interjected, shifting the topic to himself.
"Hehe, just a bit excited." Kushina scratched her head, explaining.
Then, a thought crossed Kushina's mind, and with a curious expression, she asked, "By the way, how did you two meet? Weren't you on a mission, Mokgetsu?"
Kushina could tell if Mokgetsu was in Konoha just by the cooking; Mokgetsu would usually help make a portion for her when he was around.
If she didn't get to eat one day, it often meant he was out on a mission.
"I ran into her while on a mission in the Land of Grass," Mokgetsu replied succinctly.
"Just like that?" Kushina's eyes widened, finding it too simple, like describing going out for a meal.
"Actually, I encountered danger in the Grass Village, Mokgetsu-sama rescued me, and seeing my difficult circumstances, brought me back to Konoha," Uzumaki Karei added.
She was very grateful to Mokgetsu; he had helped her a lot, both in the Grass Village and in Konoha.
In Uzumaki Karei's heart, Mokgetsu was definitely a first-rate, kind-hearted person.
"Now that sounds right." Kushina nodded. Though Uzumaki Karei's account was simple, it was enough to imagine a perfect hero-saving-beauty scenario.
Due to her Uzumaki Constitution, getting kidnapped, then Mokgetsu came to the rescue and brought Uzumaki Karei to safety…
"Wait, no." The more Kushina thought, the more she felt a strong sense of déjà vu. Isn't this exactly what happened with her and Namikaze Minato?
Her relationship with Namikaze Minato wasn't good at first because she found him dull and strange and thought he wanted to compete for the Hokage spot.
It was when she got kidnapped by the Hidden Cloud, and Namikaze Minato rescued her, that she recognized the true Namikaze Minato, and their relationship began to change.
"Could it be that the world is just one big Minato and me?" Considering Mokgetsu's looks and Karei's identity in the Uzumaki clan, Kushina felt like she was in a parallel universe.
Kushina scrutinized the two again but dismissed the idea, realizing they didn't even seem like friends.
"First, I'll interact a bit to see what kind of person Karei is," Kushina decided internally.
Mokgetsu hadn't even had a girlfriend, and if it weren't for the lack of suitable friends, Kushina would have introduced someone to him long ago.