Kushina completely tuned out Kazuyama's ranting, extracting only the useful information—namely, that there was nothing wrong with Minato.
"That's good. That guy's been gone for so long and didn't even send me a message."
"It's obvious Lady Tsunade has returned."
"So he actually went to the battlefield in the Land of Grass again and didn't even come back to the village? That makes me so mad!"
"When he gets back, he's going to pay for this!"
Minato and Shirakumo were still as restless as ever, just like the year before. Shirakumo led a team to the Land of Rivers, while Minato went straight to the Land of Grass.
Konohagakure was now engaged in war on three fronts, with active battlefields in multiple directions. Apart from the resident ninja stationed in the village, nearly everyone else was deployed. As for his sensei, Orochimaru, he probably wouldn't be staying long either. With Kirigakure joining the conflict, the situation had become even more tense.
Seeing Kushina's indignant expression, Kazuyama grinned. He didn't owe her anything—he was just enjoying the entertainment.
"Kushina, you really should scold him for this."
"Back in the Land of Hot Water battlefield, Minato never even thought about his own safety when fighting."
"He didn't even dodge when a sword was right in front of his face."
"Even if he knows the Flying Thunder God Technique, he shouldn't have done that, don't you agree?"
This wasn't just nonsense from Kazuyama. The truth was, Minato's reflexes and dynamic vision were simply too good. Even if a blade was just a centimeter away, he could still dodge in time. But to Kushina, these words had an entirely different meaning.
"What?! That bastard! I specifically told him to be careful! Not to be reckless!"
"That idiot! The second he leaves the village, he forgets everything I said! When he comes back, I'm going to give him a serious scolding!"
As the Red-Hot Habanero's red hair bristled in anger, Kazuyama's grin widened. But he wasn't done yet.
His expression suddenly shifted, as if he were hesitating over something difficult to say.
"Kazuyama, what's with that face?"
"Just spit it out already! What, do you think I'd beat you to death?"
Kushina caught his expression instantly and started firing off questions at him.
Heh, this was exactly what he'd been waiting for.
"Since you asked so sincerely, I'll tell you."
"Kushina, have you ever noticed that Minato is a bit different inside the village compared to when he's outside?"
Kushina froze. Different? What was that supposed to mean?
"This is just my personal observation," Kazuyama continued. "But I feel like when Minato is in the village, he's polite, courteous, a good guy—just like me."
That last comment nearly made Kushina roll her eyes, but she forced herself to hold back and kept listening.
"But once he leaves the village, he changes. He becomes… wild. Arrogant. Like he's letting out all the pressure he's been holding in. Do you get what I mean?"
Kazuyama's words were tactful—so tactful that Kushina furrowed her brows.
He wasn't in a rush, simply waiting for her to process it.
"You're saying that Minato acts one way in front of me and another behind my back?"
Kushina Uzumaki wasn't Naruto Uzumaki. Though she was hot-tempered and known as the Red-Hot Habanero, she was sharp. Otherwise, when Kumo tried to kidnap her, she wouldn't have thought to leave clues with her red hair.
Kazuyama had put it subtly, but after thinking it through, she understood exactly what he meant.
"You guessed it yourself—I never said it."
"If Minato asks, big sister, you can't betray me."
Suppressing a smile, Kazuyama seriously stepped back, putting distance between them.
"No, Minato has always been good to me. Why would he avoid me?"
"Kazuyama, did you guess wrong?"
But Kushina still had faith in Minato. She couldn't believe he would do something like that.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"I saw him with my own eyes, sitting on a big rock under the moonlight, grinning like an idiot. What do you think he was smiling about?"
"It can't be that he was thinking about you while staring at the moon, can it?"
Kushina fell into thought again, quickly forming a new explanation. But when she saw Kazuyama's serious expression, she swallowed the words that were about to leave her lips.
"Are you saying there's a side of Minato that I don't know about?"
"Maybe he's crazy. Or maybe he's a warmonger?"
Yes! That was it!
Kazuyama nodded enthusiastically. One way or another, he had led Kushina down the wrong path.
"So, sister Kushina, I think you need to have a serious talk with him."
"Tell him to rein it in a bit. After all, this kind of split personality looks pretty weird."
"If that doesn't work, you could always beat him up to get all that madness out of his system!"
"So he doesn't have any energy left to do anything else."
Kazuyama was a master at using every opportunity to his advantage. He never wasted a chance to boost his own position.
Poor Minato had no idea that while he was fighting bravely at the front, Kazuyama was stabbing him in the back.
"That's a good point..."
"You're right, Minato can't keep this up. When he gets back, I'll give him a proper stress-reduction training!"
"That's enough—thanks a lot, Kazuyama!"
"I'm leaving!"
With a plan in mind, Kushina turned and left, while Kazuyama watched her go, barely holding back a grin.
Once she was out of sight, he burst into laughter.
"Kazuyama, you're really bad," Chōmei teased, clearly amused.
"Minato is in for a few beatings when he gets back."
"If I'm not bad, then who is?" Kazuyama smirked. "But I wonder how things are going on the battlefield in the Land of Grass."
"We have to head to the Daimyō's Manor in a few days, and I doubt it'll be an easy job."
"Just a big red circle around the word 'security' on the scroll… That's going to be a problem."
"The only person who would circle 'security' on a scroll is Old Man Third. And if he specifically circled it for me, the meaning is obvious."
"This is basically telling me to stir up trouble at the Daimyō's Manor."
Kazuyama wasn't as sharp as the Nara Clan, but he was definitely sharper than Kakashi—at least in his own opinion. Either way, he had figured out the Third Hokage's message instantly.
"Gee, the Daimyō's Manor… The Fire Daimyō is loaded."
"I wonder what kind of benefits I can get this time."
Since he was given the task—and he loved this kind of thing—it was only natural to stir up trouble at the Daimyō's Manor.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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