"Ninja Art: Head-Pat Technique!"
As Minato spoke, the chakra in his hand condensed into the shape of a glowing hand emoji, which flew straight toward Seisui's head.
Pop!
It landed neatly on top of him, transforming into a chakra hand that started patting his head.
Seisui blinked.
Oh, you've got to be kidding me, Minato… you actually went and developed such an evil jutsu?!
Though his heart was filled with mild irritation, Seisui couldn't help but feel a strange longing as the chakra hand continued to pat him.
No wonder he's called a genius… this guy really managed to create something this wicked!
With that thought, Seisui stepped closer and slung an arm around Minato's shoulder, just about to speak—only for Kushina to silently push his hand away and place her own arm around Minato instead.
Uchiha Haru caught the exchange and gave Kushina a look of approval.
Kushina smiled back in acknowledgment.
Seisui didn't pay much attention to their silent exchange. Instead, he looked at Minato seriously.
"Minato, I've treated you pretty well, haven't I?"
Minato hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"I taught you the Rasengan, helped you out so many times, even showed you—"
Before Seisui could finish, Minato suddenly clamped a hand over his mouth, eyes darting nervously toward Kushina.
Seeing that, Seisui immediately understood.
He glanced guiltily toward Haru. That was close…
The Sexy Jutsu must never be revealed.
If Haru found out, his dignity would evaporate on the spot.
Even though Minato would also be embarrassed, Seisui couldn't risk Haru or Kushina learning about it. After all, in Minato's mind, that technique was his own creation.
If Minato got flustered and blurted it out in revenge, Seisui's face would have nowhere to hide.
Both Haru and Kushina eyed them suspiciously before exchanging looks.
They could both feel it—these two were definitely hiding something.
Something that absolutely could not be spoken of.
"Are you two hiding something from us?" Kushina asked, her tone sharp.
"No, no! Of course not—you're imagining things!" Minato's denial came fast—three times over, in fact.
Which only made Kushina more suspicious.
Seisui looked toward Haru, who was watching him quietly. Before he could say anything, she smiled softly.
"Men should have their little secrets too," she said gently. "Tell me when you're ready."
Her calm acceptance made Seisui exhale in relief. He pulled her into a quick hug.
Kushina, meanwhile, stared at Haru in disbelief.
Oh, come on. We're supposed to be sisters in spirit, and you're playing the understanding girlfriend now?
Suddenly, she felt like she'd become the violent woman of the group—like Tsunade-sensei all over again.
Seeing her frustration, Minato stepped forward and wrapped her in his arms.
"No matter what you're like," he whispered, "I'll always like you."
"Minato…" Kushina's eyes shimmered as she looked up at him.
"Kushina…" Minato gazed back, equally tender.
"You two…"
Seisui sighed. "We're still standing in the middle of a public street, you know."
He had no doubt that if they were a few years older, those two would've gone straight off to make little Narutos already.
At his words, Minato coughed awkwardly and stepped back, cheeks red.
Kushina also pulled away, equally flustered.
"Minato, I've treated you pretty well, right?" Seisui asked again, serious-faced.
Minato, thinking it was something important, nodded gravely.
"Then there shouldn't be a problem teaching me that jutsu, right?"
A glowing head-pat emoji popped up over Seisui's head as he spoke.
Minato blinked, looking at him speechlessly.
"…Don't you already have one?" he asked, pointing at the floating emoji.
"No, it's not the same," Seisui shook his head solemnly. "Yours feels more… insulting."
Brothers, have you ever met someone this dense?
Though exasperated, Minato finally sighed and nodded. "Fine. I'll teach you later. It's actually a simple technique."
"Perfect," Seisui said cheerfully, taking another bite of his takoyaki. "By the way, this is really good. You guys sure you don't want some?"
He waved the paper tray temptingly.
"Kushina, you want some?" Minato asked.
"I don't! I want dango!" she declared, spotting a vendor ahead selling tricolor dumplings. She dashed toward it excitedly.
Minato followed her, while Seisui and Haru exchanged a look and trailed behind with faint smiles.
After all, this trip to the Land of Hot Water was supposed to be a bit of fun.
Behind them, five cultists from the Church of Jashin—disguised as ordinary civilians—continued tailing the group from a distance.
"Haru, are those guys right in the head?" Seisui asked casually, glancing back at the disguised pursuers.
"Who knows," she replied, lowering her voice. "Maybe they're just insane."
"Wouldn't be surprising," Seisui sighed. "Anyone who worships that so-called Jashin can't have a stable brain."
Haru nodded in agreement.
After all, normal people wouldn't disguise themselves as women but keep men's faces while trying to blend in with the crowd.
Even the nearby townsfolk were giving them wide berth.
You'd have to suffer at least ten years of brain damage to pull off something like that.
The group wandered around the city for quite some time, eating, shopping, and playing as they pleased.
Eventually, Seisui glanced up at the sky. "Let's head outside the city."
"Someone's coming."
"If we fight here, civilians might get caught in it."
At his words, Minato, Kushina, and Haru all froze briefly before their expressions turned sharp.
"They're here, huh…" Minato murmured, stepping forward beside Seisui.
The four of them moved swiftly through the city gates, heading for an open plain.
As they walked, Seisui extended his chakra senses—and couldn't help but whistle.
"There are a lot of them… at least one jonin, maybe seven or eight chunin."
"With power like that, and they still worship a dark god?" He shook his head. Unbelievable.
Even though Jashin cult's deity was real in this world, the name alone screamed "bad news."
When they finally reached a wide, empty area outside the city, Seisui stopped and turned around, smiling faintly at the seemingly empty air.
"Come on out," he said. "I've known you were there for a while."
At once, more than ten figures flickered into view.
"Well, well… didn't expect you to notice us," sneered the lead cultist, a scarred jonin wearing the symbol of Jashin.
"The High Priest said we only needed to knock you out and bring you in, but…"
He licked his lips, a cruel smile spreading across his face.
"Before we sacrifice you, maybe we should play a little first."
"Oh?" Seisui chuckled lightly, not moving an inch.
Behind him, Minato, Haru, and Kushina were already in a battle stance.
"Tell me," Seisui said calmly, eyes glinting, "did it never occur to you that if we knew you were following us… maybe we led you here on purpose?"
The jonin's grin faltered. His eyes widened slightly. "Who are you people?!"
They might have been lunatics, but reaching jonin rank required some intelligence.
"Us?" Seisui smiled, unsheathing his blade in one smooth motion.
"Just ordinary chunin from Konoha."
The steel gleamed as he raised it, the blade catching the light of the setting sun.
"When you first saw me, you were like frogs gazing up at the moon from the bottom of a well."
"But now that I draw my blade—"
"—you shall know what it feels like for a flea to face the heavens."