In the forty - second year of Konoha, Kaze was already eighteen years old.
Under Tanzō's integration, the Anbu and Root merged into one.
Thanks to his outstanding previous achievements, Kaze won the appreciation of the minister and managed to get the position of an Anbu squad captain.
Moreover, an article he casually wrote before won the Best Spiritual and Civilization Construction Award within the department.
The title was "My Father, the Minister".
After just completing a long - term mission, Kaze led his team back to the Anbu hall to hand over the mission.
"Captain Kaze, long time no see~"
Just then, a figure appeared beside him and gently patted him on the shoulder.
Then she put her hands behind her back, stood aside, tilted her little head, and waited for Kaze's response with a smile.
"Long time no see, Captain Yukiko."
Kaze turned around with a smile. Yukiko's delicate face and perfect figure came into view.
It turned out that Yukiko was known as Sarutobi's widow. No man in Konoha dared to approach her, except Kaze.
During her previous period of depression, only Kaze stayed by her side to care about her.
So, naturally, the two of them changed from "acquaintances" to "good friends".
"Ahem, well, you guys go and hand in the mission first. I'll have a chat with Captain Yukiko."
Kaze coughed twice and said to his team members.
"Humph."
Vivi Uchiha sneered and strode past Kaze on her long legs, walking straight into the distance.
"Can't even walk straight when seeing a pretty woman. What a spineless guy."
"Uh..." Kaze felt a bit embarrassed because of Vivi's rudeness.
Seeing this, the other team members quickly left with awkward smiles.
"Your team member seems to be a bit hostile towards me?" Yukiko frowned slightly and asked.
"Not really." Kaze scratched his head and said, "She's just like that. She always has a cold face, but she's actually a nice person."
"Forget it. Don't talk about this." Yukiko grunted twice and showed her smile again.
"Have time to go with me to that barbecue restaurant on West Street. I've been craving it for a long time, but I can't finish a set meal by myself."
"Sure, no problem." Kaze naturally had no objections and replied with a big smile, "How about tonight?"
"What, Captain Kaze already has an appointment for lunch?" Yukiko asked casually.
Unexpectedly, Kaze nodded and said seriously, "Yes, I've made an appointment with a very important friend."
"A very important friend?"
For some reason, Yukiko suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable.
"Who is it?" She pouted and asked unhappily.
Kaze's lips curled up slightly. It seemed that he couldn't help smiling just at the thought of that person.
"His name is Minato Namikaze. He's my Childhood... Well, scratch that. He's my lifelong friend and rival."
The Namikaze Family.
Nowadays, Minato is no longer the poor and destitute orphan he used to be.
As a rising star in Konoha, known as the Yellow Flash, he has become a high - income elite in Konoha.
He no longer lives in the shabby house. Instead, he bought a two - story western - style building.
"Minato!"
"Kaze!"
The moment they saw each other, they hugged each other tightly and didn't let go until a while later.
They entered the house and sat down at the table.
Kaze found that the table was filled with all his favorite dishes.
Well, he was kind of touched.
"Kaze, how have you been lately?" Minato set the tableware for Kaze and asked with a smile.
Kaze tilted his head and thought for a while, then replied, "Apart from the missions being a bit boring, it's just so - so."
"What about you, Minato? Have things been going smoothly for you lately?" Kaze asked while picking up some dishes.
"Me? I've taken over a new class recently. There are two... rather troublesome kids."
Minato smiled helplessly. It was obvious that he was more than just a little troubled.
"Oh, really? Tell me about it." Kaze became interested and immediately asked curiously.
"One kid is too lively, while the other works too hard." Minato said.
Could it be...?
Kaze stroked his chin, looking thoughtful.
"Minato, are you talking about a kid who likes to wear goggles and another who likes to wear green tight - fitting clothes?"
"Ah, yes, yes." Minato nodded repeatedly.
But soon, he looked at Kaze suspiciously: "Wait a minute. How do you know that?"
"I've been silently keeping an eye on you, so I naturally know." Kaze lied calmly.
"Kaze..." Minato was deeply touched upon hearing this.
What he didn't know was that Kaze had simply read about the Hokage.
"Good grief! Putting the king of slacking off, Obito, and the workaholic Might Guy in the same class. This is going to be crazy."
Kaze thought to himself secretly, "I just wonder if Rin Nohara is still in the same class as Obito."
But it didn't really matter.
With his current strength, even if Obito turned evil, he could beat him with one hand.
In front of the "Land of Purity", everyone is equal, well, except those who can use the [Sage Art]!
"Minato, your cooking is still as good as ever." After enjoying the delicious food, Kaze praised him with satisfaction.
"If you like it, I'll cook for you every day from now on." Minato smiled warmly while tidying up the chopsticks and bowls.
"Come on." Kaze waved his hand and joked.
"Come on, you're just kidding. Once you marry Kushina, you'll forget all about me."
"It's marry, not be married to." Minato corrected seriously.
"Later, when you have a son, name him Naruto Uzumaki." Kaze ignored Minato and said to himself.
"Even if Kushina and I have a child in the future, we'll only name him Namikaze... No, not Naruto!"
"
Minato retorted, "It doesn't even sound as good as Menma Namikaze."
Menma?
Hey, pal, that name isn't in fashion. It's considered unlucky.
Since the two friends hadn't seen each other in a long time, they had plenty to catch up on, and it wasn't until four or five in the afternoon that they finished chatting.
It was almost time to meet Yukiko, so Kaze reluctantly said his goodbyes.
With his hands in his pockets, Kaze sauntered down the street casually towards the barbecue place in the west.
Suddenly, the idle chatter of the villagers nearby reached his ears, and Kaze's face instantly darkened.
"…He actually gave up the mission on his own, causing the village to suffer such heavy losses. I used to admire him so much."
"Yeah, even his teammates have come forward to condemn him. You can tell how big his mistake was!"
"What a pity. I thought he'd be the next Hokage. How could he make such a stupid mistake?"
"Who knows what Sakumo Hatake was thinking! The village clearly forbids abandoning missions. As a veteran ninja, isn't he just blatantly breaking the rules?!"
"Exactly! And in the end, the village has to pay for his mistakes. What the hell for? I spit on that!"
It wasn't just one or two people talking. Many villagers were whispering to each other, gossiping animatedly.
Kaze's heart sank to the bottom.
This incident was supposed to have been hushed up. How could it come to light again...?
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