Chapter 322: Sensei's Wife
"Hmm... hmmm hmmm..."
Kakashi Hatake hummed a tuneless, carefree melody, carrying a large shopping bag stuffed full of fresh vegetables and various ingredients in one hand. Having just emerged from the nearby market, he strolled leisurely toward home.
In the days following the Konoha Crush Plan's conclusion, Kakashi as an elite jonin had initially been so busy his feet barely touched ground, handling mountains of post-war matters. Only recently had he finally freed himself from those tedious official duties, truly possessing leisure time of his own.
Due to the Third Hokage's serious injuries requiring long-term recuperation, the village temporarily existed in a leaderless state. Regular ninja mission assignments had also basically stopped.
The official external statement claimed the Third's old injuries had relapsed after the fierce battle with Orochimaru, requiring rest. However, some unreliable rumors also circulated among civilians, saying something about the Hokage being hospitalized by a mysterious woman...
Kakashi never believed or spread rumors. What woman could beat the Hokage into that state? He was more inclined to believe it was due to old injuries.
After all, needing to lie down for a while after experiencing such a major battle was perfectly normal in the ninja world—he himself often did exactly that.
Almost half a month since seeing those three little ones...
Kakashi walked leisurely while picturing his three students in his mind. This rare leisure time made him suddenly miss Team Seven somewhat. Since he had free time today, why not go check on them?
He'd deliberately purchased quite a lot of vegetables and shelf-stable ingredients, mainly planning to deliver them to Uzumaki Naruto, the only one among his three students without parents nearby to care for him... Hmm?
Just then, Kakashi's gaze inadvertently glanced toward one side of the street, instantly drawn and held by a bookstore whose sign was an ambiguous pink color.
Clatter—
The shopping bag in his arms dropped, ingredients spilling across the ground. Kakashi himself had already completely disregarded his image, his entire person pressed against that "not very proper" bookstore's display window glass.
Through the glass, he stared fixedly at the book covers inside, emitting a laugh filled with total pervert vibes.
"Heh heh heh..."
Kushina Uzumaki, who'd also just finished shopping at the market, carried a plain vegetable basket while planning what dishes to make Naruto tonight. When she raised her eyes, she couldn't help freezing in place.
That familiar yet strange figure ahead... silver-white hair, dead-fish eyes, signature mask.
Aside from having grown much taller, wearing a jonin vest, his entire outline appearing more mature and upright—this was clearly that boy Kakashi from her memories.
This indeed matched her imagination of what adult Kakashi would look like. However, the scene currently unfolding before her eyes completely overturned her understanding.
That boy who in her impression always carried somewhat premature maturity and aloofness was now shamelessly pressed against a bookstore that looked improper at first glance, emitting that kind of... laugh filled with total pervert vibes?
"Oh?! Latest volume?! With limited edition bonus?! Gotta buy it quickly!"
Hearing Kakashi's excitement-filled mutterings, watching him clumsily straighten from the display window and turn to rush into the bookstore with urgent appearance, Kushina's brow unconsciously furrowed slightly.
When had Kakashi become this kind of personality? The aloof genius boy had now become a... stuffy perverted uncle?
The instant Kakashi turned, his movements abruptly froze as though frozen solid by invisible ice. Even those dead-fish eyes that usually lacked energy violently contracted in that moment.
His gaze locked firmly on a woman not far beside him who was watching him with a gaze containing inquiry, confusion, and even a trace of "disappointed in how you turned out" complex emotions.
That vivid red hair, that gentle and graceful yet implicitly heroic face... All this, Kakashi only dared hope to see in his deepest dreams.
This was the one who'd once prepare lunch boxes before his missions, who'd laugh while ruffling his hair, but once angered even his sensei would retreat—his sensei's wife...
"Sensei's wife..."
This address buried deep in his heart escaped beyond his control. But immediately after, Kakashi vigorously shook his head, forcibly pulling himself from this absurd vision.
No... impossible.
On that night over ten years ago, Sensei and his wife had truly, definitely sacrificed themselves to protect Konoha. This was something he'd personally witnessed, and a wound in his heart that could never heal.
Did she just look too similar? ...That made sense. If Sensei and his wife were still alive, they'd be in their thirties now. But this woman before him who extremely resembled his sensei's wife looked even younger than himself by several years.
"Apologies," Kakashi quickly restrained all exposed emotions, recovering his somewhat distant appearance, inclining his head. "I mistook you for someone else and said strange things. Please don't take it to heart."
He spoke with calm tone, then bent down, silently beginning to pick up the scattered ingredients. Kakashi had no mood to buy books anymore, only wanting to leave this place that stirred his memories.
"...You're Kakashi, aren't you?"
However, just as he prepared to turn and leave, that red-haired woman he'd identified as "similar appearance" called out his name using an incomparably familiar tone.
Kakashi's about-to-step foot seemed nailed in place, abruptly halting.
"You recognized me, didn't you?" Kushina Uzumaki stepped forward closer, gaze gently watching him. "If your characteristics haven't changed, you must be Kakashi, right?"
She revealed a smile carrying some nostalgia. "I heard that now you're Naruto's supervising teacher, correct?"
Kakashi's reaction exceeded Kushina's expectations. Only hearing a "plop" sound, the just-picked-up shopping bag once again slid from his hands. Kakashi suddenly retreated half a step, hands somewhat frantically forming seals before his chest, movements even carrying newbie-like clumsiness.
"Release!"
He called out lowly, attempting to use the genjutsu release seal to break this unbelievable scene before his eyes.
"Honestly..." Kushina watching his actions couldn't help sighing, tone carrying some familiar intimacy. "I'm not a genjutsu. Toward your sensei's wife you haven't seen in so long, this is your first reaction?"
She slightly shook her head, eyes revealing some nostalgia. "You're still the same as always, not cute at all."
She didn't stop Kakashi's genjutsu release attempt, merely speaking in that slightly teasing tone from when she'd previously interacted with the young Kakashi, as though time had never passed.
Kakashi's brow tightly furrowed. The hand seals were complete, but the red-haired woman before his eyes still stood there, expression natural, gaze warm. Not genjutsu... Then could it be Transformation Jutsu? But this demeanor, every subtle expression was imitated too realistically—realistic enough to shock his heart.
"That's right, I've been revived." Kushina seeing his confused appearance proactively explained. "Though I wasn't willing either. But this is good—I can finally stay by Naruto's side."
"When I see Minato later, I can properly tell him about what Naruto looks like grown up..."
She paused, seeming to realize this topic's complexity, lightly waving her hand. "This explanation is quite complicated. Simply put, during that previous attack, someone used a forbidden jutsu to revive and control me, making me into a tool to attack Konoha. Later the control failed, but the forbidden jutsu itself wasn't released..."
Seeing Kakashi's still half-believing gaze, Kushina suddenly remembered something, pointing at his other eye always covered by his headband. "Right, don't you have the Sharingan? Using that to confirm should work, right?"