CHAPTER 178
"Sorry to keep you all waiting." Uzumaki Kushina emerged from the kitchen with a warm smile, greeting everyone with remarkable gentleness. Her sweet appearance and radiant smile immediately won over Ebisu and Genma, causing the two to whisper to each other, "Kushina-san... she must be an incredibly gentle person, right?" Hearing those words, Kushina's smile widened even further, her violet eyes curving into crescents as she cheerfully said, "Come and eat. Everything's ready." As she turned to place the dishes on the table, Guy clearly noticed her hand trembling ever so slightly. She was holding herself back. For the famous "Red-Hot-Blooded Habanero" to maintain the image of such a gentle and virtuous wife was no easy feat.
Guy silently suppressed the urge to laugh. The heaviness weighing on his mind from earlier had already faded considerably with Kushina's appearance. He knew very well that Kushina's nickname throughout Konoha had been the "Red-Hot-Blooded Habanero." During her Academy days, quite a few of her classmates had suffered at the receiving end of her fists whenever they provoked her. Her fiery temper was practically legendary. Now that she was Minato's wife, however, she presented herself as the perfect gentle hostess. Naturally, Guy had no intention of exposing her true personality. More importantly, he had absolutely no desire to experience that legendary temper firsthand.
Following everyone else, Guy walked toward the dining table. As the dishes were served and everyone took their seats, Minato Namikaze and Kushina personally carried plate after plate of food onto the table. The atmosphere quickly became warm and lively. Both husband and wife were excellent hosts, constantly finding topics of conversation with Guy, Ebisu, and Genma so the three newcomers wouldn't feel left out.
Before long, the conversation somehow drifted toward the "One Thousand Years of Death" technique that had caused such a commotion at the training ground earlier that day. The moment it was mentioned, Obito's face immediately stiffened, embarrassment written all over his expression as memories he desperately wanted to forget resurfaced. He couldn't help shooting Guy several resentful glares.
Minato smiled helplessly before gently saying, "Obito, don't underestimate that technique. It's one of Lord White Fang's greatest secret techniques." Obito curled his lips skeptically, but Minato simply shook his head before looking around the table and continuing, "Lord White Fang once used that very technique on the battlefield to heavily injure the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, bringing him to the brink of death."
"What?!" Obito's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he blurted, "Senior White Fang... actually poked through Ōnoki there?!"
The entire dining table instantly fell into complete silence.
Everyone's expressions became indescribably strange. Even Kakashi's eyelids twitched beneath his forehead protector, while several veins quietly bulged on Kushina's forehead. Yet after thinking about it carefully... that really was what had happened. No one could deny it.
Seeing that nobody refuted him, Obito became even more shocked. "That's... that's incredible..." he muttered absentmindedly. The humiliation from earlier gradually transformed into admiration. To think that such a ridiculous-looking technique could actually heavily wound a Kage-level opponent. Senior White Fang truly deserved his legendary reputation.
Guy, Ebisu, and Genma exchanged subtle glances. After all, the three of them had personally witnessed the entire battle. Although the process had been rather... peculiar... the result was undeniable. Obito had indeed received exactly the same treatment as Ōnoki.
Since everyone was still eating, they wisely and tacitly changed the topic.
After chatting for a while, Guy took the opportunity to ask about the coming days. "Captain Minato, are we going to remain stationed in the Land of Grass?"
Minato gently shook his head. "That hasn't been decided yet. We'll have to wait for the Hokage's orders from the village. However, I don't think we'll remain here for very long."
The moment they heard that, Guy, Ebisu, and Genma immediately became attentive. Their future deployment naturally concerned them greatly.
Minato calmly analyzed the current battlefield situation. "Although the Land of Grass occupies an extremely important geographical position and connects several major nations, the situation here has stabilized for the time being. To the northeast, Kumogakure's A-B Combo has only recently withdrawn, so they likely won't launch another offensive anytime soon. As for the northwest, after Lord White Fang's battle with the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki suffered severe injuries. Iwagakure should also remain quiet for a while."
After taking a sip of soup, he continued, "To the south, the Land of Rain appears to be dealing with serious internal conflicts. They're far too occupied with their own problems to involve themselves in the current Shinobi World War. Because of that, our forces here are actually somewhat excessive. It's highly likely that you'll all be transferred to a battlefield where reinforcements are more urgently needed."
"The Land of Rain..." Guy murmured, his thoughts stirring slightly.
"So Hanzo is still alive..."
He looked at Minato and asked, "Captain Minato, what's the current situation in the Land of Rain?"
Minato looked at Guy with mild surprise, seemingly not expecting him to be interested in such matters. Nevertheless, he answered patiently. "A new organization has emerged within the Land of Rain. If I remember correctly, it's called Akatsuki. The internal conflict there has become extremely intense. They're already overwhelmed dealing with their own affairs, leaving them with neither the manpower nor the energy to interfere in the broader war. As for the finer details, I don't know much beyond that."
"I understand."
Guy nodded and didn't pursue the topic any further.
However, he already understood everything internally.
This was precisely the period when Danzo and Hanzo had secretly joined forces. Under the guise of peace negotiations, Hanzo would lure Yahiko and the Akatsuki into a trap, using Konan as leverage to force Yahiko into making an impossible choice. Yahiko's death would ultimately drive Nagato into despair, causing the Akatsuki's ideals to completely change and setting the organization onto the path that would eventually shake the entire Shinobi World.
Even though Guy knew all of this, he also knew one thing equally well.
He absolutely could not interfere.
Whether it was Uchiha Madara hidden in the shadows, Black Zetsu manipulating history from behind the scenes, or Danzo pulling strings within Konoha, none of them were enemies he was capable of confronting at his current level. Recklessly involving himself would only lead to his own death. Even if his strength far surpassed the original Might Guy's at this point in time, he was still nowhere near qualified to step onto that stage.
Suppressing those thoughts, Guy quietly resumed eating.
At that moment, Minato Namikaze gently set down his chopsticks before looking toward Guy, Ebisu, and Genma with his usual warm smile.
"By the way, are the three of you free tomorrow morning?"
Guy looked up in surprise.
"I'd like to personally assess your abilities."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Beside him, Obito's eyes immediately lit up as he excitedly exclaimed, "Sensei! Are you finally going to help me get revenge?!"
Ebisu and Genma's expressions also stiffened slightly. Clearly, they had arrived at exactly the same conclusion. Was Captain Minato planning to personally teach Guy, who had bullied Obito so badly today, a lesson... along with the two of them?
Only Guy carefully observed Minato's azure eyes.
Within those calm blue eyes, there wasn't the slightest trace of teasing or any intention of standing up for his disciple.
There was only gentle curiosity.
Guy understood immediately.
No.
Minato Namikaze genuinely wanted to gauge their abilities.
Perhaps... he even intended to personally guide them.
Although Guy couldn't understand why the future Fourth Hokage had suddenly become interested in the three of them, receiving personal guidance from the future Yellow Flash of Konoha was an opportunity that countless Shinobi could only dream of.
"Alright!"
Guy immediately agreed without hesitation, anticipation flickering brightly within his eyes.
"Tomorrow morning, at the training ground. We'll definitely be there."
Seeing how readily Guy accepted, Ebisu and Genma quickly realized the significance of the opportunity and hurriedly nodded as well.
Minato Namikaze's smile became even warmer.
"Then it's settled."
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