Chapter 323: Maternal Nature
This was simply as incredible as a fairy tale—a person long deceased now standing alive before him. Not genjutsu, not Transformation Jutsu, but genuinely, truly one who should be resting in the Pure Land.
Kakashi slowly pulled his headband back down, covering that Sharingan slightly trembling from shock. Though his heart still filled with hard-to-believe astonishment, the facts lay before his eyes—he had no choice but to believe.
"Kushina-sensei's wife... it really is you... I..."
His voice unconsciously lowered, gaze wandering uncertainly, never daring to meet Kushina's eyes.
"Hey now, calling me so formally?" Kushina's tone was natural and intimate. "This reminds me of when I was pregnant with Naruto—Minato asked you to serve as my guard. We were already quite familiar before that, yet you always had that all-business attitude."
She casually brought up past events while Kakashi could only nod at a loss, fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of his clothes.
"You've grown so much..." Kushina carefully examined this silver-haired jonin now much taller than herself, tone carrying some emotion. "It's almost like being in a dream. That little brat from back then has actually become such a handsome guy."
Ordinary small talk with a long-unseen acquaintance was a completely foreign experience for Kakashi. He could only clumsily nod in response, throat seemingly blocked by something, unable to produce a complete syllable.
Seeing Kakashi's awkward appearance, Kushina gently sighed. She set aside her casual chatting tone, deciding to ask some questions that had been weighing on her mind.
"These years, after Minato and I were gone, how have you been?"
"...After Sensei sacrificed himself..." Kakashi's voice was low and hoarse. "I joined Konoha's ANBU, then... several years ago, I left ANBU and became a supervising jonin..."
"ANBU, huh..." Kushina's brow furrowed slightly. "Your chosen lifestyle is as difficult as always."
However, her tone shifted to gentleness. "But as I said earlier, I need to properly thank whoever pulled you out of ANBU later. You're Naruto's teacher now, right?"
Kushina perceived something from Kakashi's answer. Based on her understanding of Kakashi's personality, he wasn't someone who'd voluntarily leave ANBU, so she deduced that Kakashi's friend had pulled him out.
"Yes..." Kakashi finally raised his head, a trace of complex emotion flashing in his eyes. "That kid Naruto... he's truly excellent, like Minato-sensei."
"But I already know," her voice carried suppressed emotion, "that Naruto previously, because of rumors spread by some damned old bastard, lived a... very lonely life..."
Hearing this topic, Kakashi's heart suddenly sank. He understood what Kushina would ask next. His just-raised gaze dropped again, nearly burying his entire face in his collar.
"Previously, after we were gone," Kushina's voice was soft yet every word clear, "did you ever care about Naruto?"
Kakashi's heart already held tremendous apology and guilt.
"...No," his voice was so low as to be nearly inaudible. "I'm... I'm deeply sorry... I... didn't meet him until Naruto graduated from the ninja academy..."
The expression Kakashi revealed at this moment was truly rare. In most people's eyes who knew him, Hatake Kakashi had always been a cheerful jonin, perpetually holding a copy of Icha Icha Paradise while carefree, appearing harmless to everyone.
Besides decisiveness in battle, normally one couldn't see any dark side to his personality—at most he was somewhat lazy.
However, at this moment, he hung his head like a criminal, his entire person shrouded in heavy guilt.
"...Why..." Kushina's voice carried deep disappointment. "You clearly had this responsibility. Why... one after another making me feel disappointed..."
Hearing his sensei's wife's disappointed words, Kakashi lowered his head even further. He didn't make excuses for himself—he'd never been someone who'd find excuses for his mistakes.
Disappointing his sensei's wife was fact. Ignoring young Naruto was also fact. These past mistakes—no matter how he apologized now, it seemed pale and powerless.
According to his understanding of his sensei's wife, when she spoke with this tone, it usually meant fury was about to explode. Kakashi silently prepared to take a beating—he even felt getting beaten might actually make him feel better inside.
Kushina gently set down her vegetable basket. Kakashi closed his eyes, waiting for the anticipated pain. Suddenly, he felt his entire person pulled forward by a force—was she about to strike?
He kept his eyes tightly shut, offering no resistance to what was coming.
"...?"
However, the expected pain didn't arrive. Kakashi confusedly opened his eyes, discovering he'd been pulled close not to be beaten but embraced into a warm hug. His head rested gently on Kushina's shoulder. This sudden gentleness left him at a loss.
"...Sen...Sensei's wife..."
The anticipated violence didn't occur—replaced instead by unexpected acceptance.
"I'm sorry... Kakashi..." Kushina's voice became exceptionally gentle. "Because my emotions ran high, I said some harsh things..."
She gently patted Kakashi's back like comforting an injured child. "I can also imagine that although you might not be as good as Naruto says, these years you've certainly had it tough too..."
"Obito... Rin—those two children's matters hit you hard, didn't they... You must have been in such pain... yet at that time... Minato and I also left you behind..."
"The one who should say sorry is me... clearly your elder, yet unable to do anything for you during your most painful time... instead just leaving like that..."
Kakashi's eyelashes trembled violently. This feeling of being considerate, being understood, had become too unfamiliar for him. An impulse to cry surged up—he struggled to restrain it.
When people bear pain alone, they'll instinctively activate psychological defense mechanisms, forcing themselves to be strong to cope with difficulties, but that doesn't mean they don't hurt inside.
When others proactively offer care, the brain judges this as a "safe environment," no longer needing tense defenses. Those deliberately suppressed grievances and sadness naturally flow out.
Those deeply buried pains were like never-opened letters, while others' gentleness and care were precisely the keys unlocking emotions.
After experiencing that gentle care Kakashi felt he didn't deserve, Kushina gently released him. Seeing this exceptionally vulnerable tall jonin before her, she couldn't help remembering the similarly depressed young Kakashi during that period after Minato's other two students successively sacrificed themselves.
She'd actually always tried treating Minato's students like her own children, but consecutive wars and later Kakashi's displayed coldness and precociousness meant Kushina could never find suitable opportunities.
"I still have lots of things I want to ask you." Kushina's tone recovered its usual warmth. "It's almost lunchtime now. Come on, let's go to Naruto's place. After I finish cooking, we'll chat while eating."
She gently proposed, but Kakashi still deeply sank in guilt unable to extricate himself.
"...No... no need to trouble you..." he declined in low voice. "Later, I'll report everything to you one by one..."
"Don't be so formal—I've said it several times already. Come on, really no need to be polite."
"...Really... really unnecessary..."
"Eh? I really don't like this about you. Hurry up, or I'm going to get angry."
"...This is... too much trouble...?!"
BAM!
Before Kakashi's third refusal finished, intense pain came from his head. The next second, his entire person had been knocked flat to the ground, stars spinning before his eyes.
"When I tell you to come, you come! How many times do I have to say it?!" Kushina withdrew the fist she'd just used on Kakashi's head, crimson hair moving without wind. "Dare not listen to me? You're a hundred years too early for that!"
She looked down at Kakashi on the ground, tone carrying undeniable dominance. "Now, immediately, right this instant, follow me home to eat. Understood?"
This familiar fist instantly pulled Kakashi back to over ten years ago. Back then, whenever he got stuck in mental ruts or was overly stubborn, his sensei's wife would always use this method to wake him up.
Kakashi lay on the ground feeling the burning pain atop his head. This long-absent, rough yet caring interaction method instead made him feel inexplicably reassured.
"Y...yes... I understand, Sensei's wife."