Three familiar voices called out from outside the door. As it opened, the beaming face of Nohara Rin was revealed, alongside the masked and aloof Hatake Kakashi, and Uchiha Obito, who looked every bit the lovesick fool. "Why is this guy here too?!" Seeing Kamizuki Hikari, Rin blurted out instinctively. "Exactly! Can’t you see Rin doesn’t like you? Hurry up and leave!" Obito rushed forward, trying to push Hikari out of the room. "Wait... hold on. Something is not right here." Hikari blocked Obito’s hand, staring at his perfectly unscathed face with a doubtful expression. "Somehow... I feel like you should have wrinkles by now." "You’re the one who should have wrinkles!" Angered, Obito swung a hand at Hikari. "You’re just trying to ruin my reputation in front of Rin. Don’t tell me you’re aiming for her too!" Kakashi’s cold eyes also shifted toward Hikari with clear wariness. Having Obito around was already bothersome enough—if you added Hikari into the mix, it was unbearable. "What could I possibly see in her? She’s flat as a board!" Hikari shot back with irritation. With a figure comparable to Sakura’s, he couldn’t find anything appealing. "You’re beyond saving..." Rin’s smile vanished as she threw a punch at Hikari. "Hopeless scum, go die!" "Hey, hey, what did I even do?!" Hikari instinctively caught her fist, baffled at her furious expression. "I admit what I said was wrong, but isn’t this an overreaction?" Rin glared at him with burning anger. "Tsunade-sensei is already entangled with you, and now you’re going after Kurenai too? One is my teacher, the other is my best friend. How am I supposed to face them now?!" At last, Hikari realized where he’d gone wrong. He studied Rin carefully. Judging by her face alone, she did indeed meet his aesthetic standards. "Why are you nodding while looking at me like that?" But then... Hikari’s gaze drifted downward, taking in Rin’s... regrettable figure. His look of appreciation turned into disappointment. "Sorry. You’re really not my type. You’d be better off choosing one of these two instead." Rin froze, and her rage skyrocketed. "You hopeless bastard! Go to hell!" "Monster Strength Punch!" Rin’s strike was immediately followed by Kakashi’s Chidori and Obito’s Mangekyō Sharingan. Hikari instinctively flickered away, reappearing right behind Minato. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! So you mastered space-time ninjutsu, huh? No wonder you’re so cocky! Damn it, take this!" Seeing Hikari, who had just slighted Rin, escape again, Obito’s fury surged. His left eye’s Sharingan spun again. Minato hurriedly shouted, halting his three idiotic students. He hadn’t expected to nearly be killed by his own students attacks right here in his office. With just one command, the three immediately stood obediently like schoolchildren. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾※𝙣𝙚𝙩 Three grown shinobi nearing thirty, now acting meek as kids. "Do you understand what you did wrong?" Minato asked, half his anger already gone but still needing to address it. "We understand!" the trio chorused. "Fine. I’ll let it slide today because I’m in a good mood. But if any of you ever dares to use such a dangerous jutsu inside my office again, then get ready... Kushina has been experimenting with new recipes lately. I think you’ll get to enjoy them." The trio, previously unfazed, paled at Minato’s not-so-subtle threat, looking as if they’d caught a deadly illness. Obito, in particular, gagged twice. "Please have mercy, sensei!" "Now you’re scared, huh?" Seeing their reaction, Minato sighed inwardly. Kushina, oh Kushina... do you know what a nightmare your cooking is for these kids? How have I even survived all these years? "Sensei, please! Anything but that!" Rin begged desperately. She could endure any other punishment, but eating Kushina’s food? Never. Just one look at Obito, slumped like a wilted eggplant, made the outcome obvious. "Alright, I’ll spare you this time." Minato didn’t push further, but his tone grew serious. "However, Kushina specifically asked me to check something. If you three don’t give me a good answer, then tonight’s dinner will definitely be a feast." "What is it, sensei? Tell me! As long as it’s within my power, I’ll do it without hesitation, even if it costs my life!" Obito immediately volunteered. For him, as long as it wasn’t Kushina’s food, anything was acceptable. "It’s simple: your marriage prospects. Kushina said if you three don’t settle down soon, she’ll arrange blind dates for you. Especially you, Kakashi and Obito. There’s a place called Nadeshiko Village, full of beautiful girls looking for husbands. You get what I mean, right?" Kakashi and Obito: ’Sensei, we don’t want to get it!’ But whether they wanted to or not didn’t matter. As Minato’s students, they knew he was always gentle yet firm. His decisions were not to be questioned. And the problem here was—it was Kushina’s idea. "Sensei, this glorious mission should go to Kakashi. As much as I hate to admit it, he really is just a tiny bit more handsome than me. For Konoha’s honor, please send him!" Obito didn’t hesitate to throw Kakashi under the bus. If Kakashi was out of the picture, then he’d finally have a chance with Rin. Not a bad plan. Except Kakashi wasn’t about to agree. "Sensei, since Obito is so eager, I think we should let him go instead. My handsome genes should stay in Konoha where they belong." As he spoke, Kakashi glanced at Rin. Her face flushed red, and she lowered her head, clearly lost in thought. "Kakashi should go! He’s the one who needs to!" "No way, it should be Obito. With his personality, he’d never find a wife in Konoha anyway." "You’re the one who’s going to be single for life!" As the two began arguing again, Minato raised his voice. "Enough! Both of you stay here. Rin and Hikari, come with me. Kushina is cooking tonight—we’re going grocery shopping." "Chotto matte, Minato-sensei, I was wrong!" Obito cried, lunging forward to cling to Minato’s leg. But Minato, being the fastest man in the shinobi world, flickered away in an instant, already out of the Hokage building. "Obito, you’ve got this! I believe in you!" Hikari called out to the sulking Obito, unsure why he felt compelled to say it. But saying it felt... oddly satisfying. Yeah, real satisfying! Read 40+ advanced Chapters on my P@treon. [email protected]/KakuzuTL