But even so...
Kushina really hadn't expected Kakashi to answer like that.
That guy seriously deserved to stay single for the rest of his life.
"Kakashi... is he an idiot?"
Kushina snapped in exasperation, not even trying to lower her voice.
Beside her, Kurenai Yūhi could only sigh and shake her head.
What a perfect opportunity that had been.
And Kakashi had actually given Rin Nohara that kind of answer.
It was so frustrating it left her speechless.
"It's okay."
Rin shook her head. She was still smiling, but anyone could tell the smile on her face now was tinged with bitterness.
"Sigh..."
Even Kushina didn't know what to say.
Rin and Kakashi had both once been Minato's students, so Kushina had always cared about them. If the two of them had really ended up together, she would have sincerely blessed them.
But now...
There was nothing she could do.
Just as the atmosphere turned awkward and helpless, Shiki suddenly turned his head, as if he had sensed something.
He looked toward a direction outside the shrine grounds, a faint smile appearing on his face.
At the same time, Kurama, sealed inside Kushina, opened his eyes in mild surprise.
"That chakra... heh. So it's that trash after all."
The presence felt a little strange, but Kurama could still recognize it easily.
To him, it was never anything worth caring about in the first place.
A Tailed Beast Bomb would be enough to erase that kind of existence entirely.
Why would something like that ever matter?
With that thought, Kurama simply closed his eyes again and went back to sleep.
"Sigh... I really wonder when I'll ever become someone like Lord Shiki."
Out in the courtyard, Kakashi was practicing with his blade when he suddenly let out a quiet sigh.
It wasn't that he dreamed of having the same strength as Shiki.
Kakashi knew better than anyone how unrealistic that was.
What he envied most wasn't Shiki's power.
It was everything else.
Not only did Shiki have Tsunade Senju by his side—the woman who had become the Fourth Hokage—but he also had someone like Kurenai, who was gentle, dependable, and understood him.
It was enough to make Kakashi feel jealous to the point of tears.
As for Rin...
At Obito's dying request, Kakashi had already made up his mind to protect Rin Nohara for the rest of his life.
But when it came to being together with her...
For some reason, it always felt like something was missing.
"Sigh..."
He let out another helpless breath.
Then suddenly, Kakashi seemed to sense something.
His brow twitched.
In an instant, he disappeared to the side.
Boom!
A violent explosion tore through the place where Kakashi had just been practicing with his blade.
No matter what else could be said, Kakashi was still a genius who had become a jōnin at the age of twelve.
His instinct for danger was never weak.
"Huh?"
White Fang short blade in hand, Kakashi's face turned sharp with caution.
At the same time, because of that explosion, the quiet Land of Demons was thrown into chaos.
"Enemy attack!"
"There's an enemy attack!"
"Gather everyone!"
"Protect Lady Shion!"
The people of the Land of Demons reacted quickly.
Under the shouted orders, they rushed into action at once. In a matter of moments, the courtyard was heavily surrounded.
Even Shion herself had already arrived.
"Did something happen?"
"Lady Shion, it's too dangerous here. I'll escort you back first!"
As Shion's guard, Ashiho stood beside her with a tense expression.
"No. I want to stay with my people."
Shion shook her head firmly.
She was still young, but she already carried the sense of responsibility a priestess should have.
Hearing that, Ashiho couldn't say anything else.
He could only remain at her side and guard her even more carefully.
"Don't worry. We're here."
Just as the atmosphere grew more and more tense, Shiki's calm voice suddenly cut through it.
"Mr. Shiki!"
Shion turned to look at him, surprise in her eyes.
Ashiho, on the other hand, was visibly relieved.
"My lady, please leave this to them!"
He knew very well that the people standing before him were all shinobi from one of the Great Ninja Villages.
They had to be strong.
Shiki said nothing more. He only gave Shion a small smile.
Then Kushina waved her hand confidently and grinned.
"Relax! With me here, everything'll be fine!"
Boom!
The moment her words fell, another explosion erupted in the courtyard.
A strange chakra burst outward and slammed directly into the Land of Demons.
Kushina's confident expression froze on the spot.
That slap to the face had come way too fast.
She had just said everything was fine, and the enemy immediately bombarded the place.
This was ridiculous.
Not saying anything else, Kushina quickly focused.
But after sensing the chakra more carefully, she couldn't help turning to look at Shiki beside her.
"This chakra... why does it feel so weird?"
Shiki glanced at Kushina with a little surprise, then quickly understood.
"Right. The Uzumaki clan's sensory abilities were never weak. Makes sense that you'd notice it."
"What's that supposed to mean? Of course my sensory ability isn't weak!"
Thinking she was being underestimated, Kushina shot back immediately.
Shiki didn't bother arguing. He simply continued looking toward the source of the explosion.
"No need to panic."
"It's just an old acquaintance."
"An old acquaintance?"
Kushina frowned in confusion.
"Yeah."
Shiki nodded, his expression calm as ever.
"The direction's right. Since I'm here, what exactly are you worried about?"
"..."
Kushina was speechless.
Mostly because of how absurdly calm Shiki looked.
And for some reason...
That calmness made her feel strangely reassured.
Wait… don't tell me… since when did I start paying attention to him?
The thought popped into her head, making her heart skip.
Kushina hurriedly shook it off.
Impossible.
Someone like him was never meant to have anything to do with me in the first place...
He really has this weird way of making people feel safe...
No, stop. Don't think about weird things.
It's probably just because he's the kind of person who makes everyone around him feel more at ease.
That's all. Right... being friends with someone like that would be enough.
But... Shiki-kun really was cool just now...
Kushina's expression changed back and forth as her thoughts spiraled into complete chaos.
And by the time she finally snapped back to reality—
she realized that Shiki, Kurenai, Rin, and the others had already...
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