The dinner party was in full swing. With the war about to end and the hard times finally over, everyone's mood lightened, and the conversation began to drift in other directions.
"Kushina, how's work in the logistics department? Is it going smoothly?" Akemi asked.
"Hmm? It's alright. I'm mostly doing calculations, not physical labor. Most female ninja are assigned this kind of work," Kushina said.
"Because women tend to be more meticulous, this type of work that requires such ability is best suited for them," Fumori Masaki said. "At first, I was a bit worried if Kushina could handle it, given her bold nature."
"What do you mean? No matter what, I'm still a girl, Fa—Father," Kushina said, a little embarrassed. Although she had been adopted, calling him 'Father' wasn't easy. In the past, she had called Fumori Masaki by other names.
Fumori Masaki smiled slightly. He understood Kushina's feelings and didn't dwell on it, instead asking, "I heard your performance in the logistics department has been quite good. You should get a good evaluation score, and your promotion to Chunin shouldn't be too far off."
"Wow, Kushina, you're doing so well," Akemi said, looking at Kushina with some surprise. She had been busy in the research department, focused on scientific research, and didn't have much energy for other things.
"It's just alright."
"Among your peers, is Kushina the best performer?" Satomi asked curiously.
At this, Kushina tilted her head in thought and said, "No, those guys who can go to the battlefield are much more formidable than me."
Although the logistics department plays a very important role, battle ninja constantly face danger on the battlefield and often make sacrifices. If battle ninja earn merits, their achievements carry more weight than those working in the logistics department.
No matter what, the Hidden Leaf Village is still a ninja village, and ninja prioritize combat. Because of this, the status of battle ninja is still higher than that of ninja in other positions. Unless one truly lacks talent in combat or is interested in other work, most people choose to become battle ninja.
"In your class, there seem to be two very outstanding individuals: one named Uchiha Fugaku, and the other Namikaze Minato," Fumori Masaki asked nonchalantly.
"That child, Fugaku." As the head of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Kagami immediately remembered who Uchiha Fugaku was. His father was relatively close to him, so he was not greatly affected by the internal clan purge this time. "His performance on the battlefield seems to be quite good."
Although Uchiha Fugaku initially joined the combat unit as an auxiliary, after the second year of the war, he was able to selectively participate in certain operations, and his talent as an Uchiha gradually became apparent, occasionally earning him significant merits on the battlefield.
"I remember seeing Uchiha Fugaku's name on the list as well," Fumori Masaki nodded. "However, I don't seem to have seen the name Namikaze Minato."
"Him," Kushina said, pouting slightly at the mention of his name. "He's not like Fugaku, not so eager for Achievements. To put it bluntly, he's more conservative, so he hasn't earned much merit. But his performance in the unit is pretty much par for the course."
"Oh, Kushina seems very familiar with him," Akemi said, looking at Kushina with a meaningful smile, as if hinting at something.
Seeing this, Kushina turned slightly, her face flushed, and said, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I just heard that girls Kushina's age tend to value romance more. I was just wondering if Kushina had her eye on someone." Akemi laughed.
Most ninja mature early, but they also have a childish side. Coupled with the emphasis on early marriage in this era, most female ninja prioritize love over ninjutsu training at a young age. Even after joining a department, because battle ninja have higher status and logistics departments have lower status, they might consider marrying early, which improves as they get older or achieve success in their careers.
"No way! Who would—that conservative guy—" Kushina exclaimed, startled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"Ah, I haven't said who it is yet."
"Seriously, Akemi-nee!"
"Alright, alright," Satomi said. "Akemi, stop teasing Kushina. Never mind her, tell us about yourself. Is there anyone you like? You and Asuna are not getting any younger; you're both old maids."
Honestly, if Akemi and Asuna were in Fumori Masaki's previous life, they would still be students. Due to the unique nature of the ninja world, they had to join early—Fumori Masaki had tried to delay it as much as possible—and because of the era, Akemi and Asuna should have already been married.
Akemi and Asuna didn't expect to be dragged into this and let out a surprised "Ah." As if reminded, Maki also looked at her daughter, Mizuki, and asked, "Mizuki, is there anyone you like?"
The pleasant dinner party suddenly turned into a marriage-Urge association. Fumori Masaki didn't expect it to become like this and couldn't help but smile wryly. He had originally wanted to ask about Namikaze Minato's situation, as he had been away and thought Kushina, who was Minato's contemporary, might know more.
Although due to the butterfly effect, neither Kushina nor Namikaze Minato could be the same people as in the normal timeline—their birth times were different! However, Kushina's powerful bloodline didn't have any issues because of this. So, did Namikaze Minato also have the same talent as in the normal timeline?
In the normal timeline, Namikaze Minato was the youngest Hokage, described by his teacher Jiraiya as someone with unparalleled ninja talent. If Namikaze Minato in this timeline also possessed the same talent, Fumori Masaki felt he might be considered a future Hokage successor.
According to the archives Fumori Masaki had gathered, Namikaze Minato's talent was definitely not bad, and he was among the top students in his class. However, as Kushina said, Namikaze Minato in this timeline seemed to have a more reserved personality, without such a strong desire to stand out, making it impossible to judge his true abilities.
Perhaps Namikaze Minato's abilities were exactly as they appeared on the surface, or perhaps his potential abilities were much higher, but he simply didn't have the desire to show them, so others didn't see them.
Fumori Masaki couldn't be sure which was true. He consciously gathered some battlefield reports that included Namikaze Minato, and indeed, as Kushina said, Namikaze Minato's performance was par for the course. He neither stood out excessively nor lagged behind, but perfectly executed his missions.
In Fumori Masaki's view, while Namikaze Minato's missions could have been expanded to achieve greater results, doing so would have involved certain risks and potential sacrifices. If Namikaze Minato chose not to seek glory for this reason, then perhaps there could be greater expectations for his potential abilities.
At this moment, the girls, being pressed about marriage by their parents, were caught off guard. When Mizuki's mother asked her, she stammered, her gaze involuntarily drifting towards Asuna, but then she suddenly froze.
Asuna and Akemi both looked as if they were deep in thought. Seeing this, Satomi excitedly asked, "Do you have someone in mind? If you do, tell your mother."
Akemi and Asuna didn't know how to answer, only saying they were considering it, but they never mentioned whether they had a specific person in mind. Still, Satomi was happy, because at least she knew her daughters were considering the matter.
Maki, seeing this scene, looked at her daughter with a sense of disappointment, while the latter pouted slightly, looking at Asuna. Noticing her mother's gaze, she shrugged slightly, indicating that she hadn't found a man she liked yet.
"They're still young. Honestly, why get married so young? Getting pregnant and having children too early isn't good for the body. It's not the Warring States period anymore, where the death rate was extremely high," Fumori Masaki said, shaking his head.
As someone from modern civilization, Fumori Masaki understood the harm of early childbirth to a woman's body. At least around twenty years old was a healthier time. In the past, due to high child mortality rates, early marriage and childbirth were unavoidable, and while he found it disagreeable, Fumori Masaki reluctantly accepted it. But now, the situation in Konoha was much better than in the past. Both medicine and the environment could guarantee safety, so there was truly no need to marry so early.
"You, as a father, are not at all worried. I was this age when I married you," Satomi said, somewhat dissatisfied with Fumori Masaki's attitude.
"What's there to worry about? The ninja world situation will improve, and they'll have plenty of time to find partners," Fumori Masaki said.
"Hmph." Satomi let out a soft snort. As a mother, she was quite anxious, but since Akemi and Asuna seemed to have some ideas, she could only wait.
Maki, however, was truly getting a headache. Why couldn't her daughter be a little more ambitious? At least other people's daughters had some ideas, but her own had none at all.
Kushina, looking both curious and hesitant to intervene in adult conversations, thought for a moment. Seeing Tsunade on the side looking detached, she curiously asked, "Then, Tsunade-nee, do you have a partner?"
Everyone else's gaze fell on Tsunade. Tsunade was older than all the children present. Although Tsunade's parents weren't there, as close friends and relatives, they still asked about it.
Tsunade was instantly caught off guard. She had originally wanted to avoid this topic and had been feigning ignorance, but Kushina had dragged her into it. She glared at Kushina, who shrank her neck, looking innocent. Tsunade thought, "I'll deal with you later, you brat."
Facing Satomi and Maki, Tsunade racked her brain but couldn't find a definite answer, especially when the two posed a rather difficult question: "Speaking of which, you used to be very close with Akemi and Asuna. Could it be that they haven't found partners yet because they're following your example?"
How was Tsunade supposed to answer that? It wasn't that she didn't want to find a partner; while many surely wanted to pursue her, there weren't that many she liked. But what did her not finding a partner have to do with Asuna, Akemi, and Mizuki not finding anyone?
This was too unfair!
Watching their wives question Tsunade, Fumori Masaki and Uchiha Kagami exchanged glances, shook their heads helplessly, clinked their cups, and drank, waiting for this farce to end.
The farce finally ended, and the hotpot was mostly eaten, but the girls clearly still had things to talk about. At this point, Fumori Masaki looked at Uchiha Kagami, indicating it was time.
"I'm going to the study. I have some official business to discuss with Masaki. You all can chat here," Uchiha Kagami said.
"What time is it, and you're still talking about official business?" Satomi and Maki said with some dissatisfaction, but still allowed the two to go to the study to talk.
Fumori Masaki and Uchiha Kagami entered the study together. Uchiha Kagami let out a sigh of relief and shook his head with a wry smile at Fumori Masaki: "I didn't expect it to be so lively."
"Lively is good, better than looking glum," Fumori Masaki said, then asked, "Alright, you can pretty much tell me what you wanted to talk about now, can't you?"
"This is actually just my own idea, and I can't say for sure if it's accurate," Uchiha Kagami said, pondering, then looked at Fumori Masaki. "This started when I used my Mangekyo Sharingan to enter Roshi's mental space and talked with the Four-Tails Son Goku."
"Oh, you talked with the Four-Tails Son Goku too?" Fumori Masaki nodded slightly and asked, "What did you talk about?"
"We talked about a few things. At first, I hoped he could talk to you, since it would be troublesome if the Tailed Beasts weren't cooperative," Uchiha Kagami said. "But then, I learned some incredible things from him, things about the Age of Mythology."
"Oh?" Fumori Masaki was truly curious. He and Uchiha Kagami sat down in the study. "What's the situation? Tell me in detail. Since you plan to discuss it here, it must be very important."
As Fumori Masaki spoke, he set up a barrier. With his perception abilities, no one in the entire Hidden Leaf Village could eavesdrop.
"It's about the mother of the Sage of Six Paths." Uchiha Kagami's very first sentence made Fumori Masaki's eyebrows twitch. He quickly said, "You might not know about this yet, let me tell you in detail."
Fumori Masaki naturally knew about it, but he wanted to know how much Uchiha Kagami understood. At the same time, it wasn't convenient for him to reveal that he knew, so he nodded slightly, signaling Uchiha Kagami to continue.