Chapter 283: Rumors

In Leaf Village.

"Boss, today's pork is good, help me cut a few catties, there are guests at home needing entertainment. Also this celery is not bad, I'll take some too."

In a food ingredients store, a red-haired woman was picking through the ingredients, occasionally selecting some fresh ingredients she valued and handing them to the boss to weigh.

"Kushina, today's tomatoes are extremely fresh, look at each one, bright red and shiny, just looking at them makes you hungry. Listen to me, whether you stir-fry, make a cold salad, or cook soup after bringing them home, they're great. And these chilies over here are exactly the specialty of the Fire Country..."

The store boss, while helping the customer weigh and price the selected ingredients, didn't forget to recommend the fresh vegetables at hand to his customers.

The boss, enthusiastic and chattering nonstop, completely failed to notice that as he uttered words like tomato, bright red, chili, etc., the customer in front of him grew increasingly grim.

If it weren't for seeing that the boss really is just an ordinary person and that it was truly an unintentional mistake with no malice, his customer would have probably exploded on the spot by now.

This made him develop a deep fear of tomatoes, chilies, and other such ingredients.

"No need, these are enough!"

After paying, Kushina picked up her purchased ingredients, turned and left directly, giving the enthusiastic boss no pleasant look.

This left the other party bewildered, having no idea just how reckless his own behavior had been.

"I heard that this time the village's hero, the Yellow Flash, ran into some trouble, being trapped by the Water Country's Mist Ninja on a desolate small island, the situation is urgent."

Just as Kushina was about to leave, a cautious discussion drifted into her ears.

It caused her left foot, which was about to step out of the shop door, to pause midair.

"Tsk!"

I don't know where this rumor came from, but how could Minato possibly be trapped by those Mist Ninja? It's absolutely hilarious.

Upon hearing this dubious news, Kushina didn't believe it at all; she knew her boyfriend's Flying Thunder God was formidable, and Mist Ninja could never trap him.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard that too. My nephew works in the Communications Unit, and I heard it was a Mist Ninja sneak attack that injured the other side. The incident occurred on an isolated overseas small island in the Water Country, with hundreds of miles of ocean all around and no connecting islands."

Hearing this, Kushina's left foot, which had been about to step out of the shop, slowly withdrew; she didn't rush out. Instead, she went back into the store, picked up a bright red tomato and examined it closely, seeming very satisfied with the vegetables and wavering over whether to buy them.

This left the store boss bewildered.

Meanwhile, the two chatting women completely failed to notice that someone in the ingredients store was eavesdropping on their conversation, and then said:

"I heard that the Hokage even issued a special order to block this news, saying they were afraid the villagers' companions couldn't control their emotions and would cause unnecessary trouble."

"I also heard that it was to save his comrades that the Golden Flash fell into the Mist Ninja's ambush."

"Is that right? That makes sense; otherwise, how could the village's hero be so easily defeated?"

Listening to the two women's theories, Kushina grew increasingly anxious; when she stepped out of the shop, her whole person became listless and dispirited.

"Kushina sis, what happened?"

After returning home and just putting down the ingredients in her hands, the clever Yeyuan Lin noticed her abnormality and asked her condition with concern.

"Nothing, just some idle gossip, not to be taken seriously."

She gave Yeyuan Lin a smile, but Kushina still didn't quite believe it—how could her boyfriend possibly fall so easily into the hands of the Mist Ninja?

"Something must have happened; is it the teacher who's in trouble?"

Only her teacher could make Kushina sis show such an anxious expression; … Yeyuan Lin the clever one began to connect this to what had happened to herself.

Her expression became very uneasy.

Affected by Lin's emotions, Kushina's inner anxiety turned into worry.

"I'll go to the Hokage's place for a bit, Lin, you stay at home; rest assured I'll be back soon."

After saying that, Kushina hurried out the door, even forgetting to close it.

Worried that the rumors she'd heard might become true, Kushina still felt she needed to go inside the Hokage Building to have a look.

People are just like that; if you earnestly tell them something, they might not believe it, but rather this kind of information they overhear unintentionally is taken seriously by them.

Uzumaki Kushina is no exception.

Returning to the Hokage Building again, watching the ninjas hurrying back and forth, she felt no matter how she looked at it that something was off.

It seemed something bad had happened.

"Kushina, there's nothing going on with Minato's side; he's just gone to negotiate with the Mist Ninja, and with his strength there won't be any trouble, right?"

The sudden arrival of Kushina left him dazed, but the Third Hokage still patiently gave her an explanation.

"You're not intentionally hiding it from me, are you?"

After sensing carefully, the Third Hokage opposite and those two women just now showed no malice and didn't seem like they were lying, so Kushina then asked:

"What's up with those outsiders? It seems like something urgent has happened."

"Nothing much; the Anbu sent word that the Cloud Ninja's AB team is still loitering at the border. Without Minato around, they've become rather reckless."

"Is that so?"

"As an old man, especially one sitting in his position, the Third Hokage is still very perceptive; at a glance he saw through Kushina's ulterior motive for coming this time."

He began to question Kushina about how she came by these messages.

"This morning while buying vegetables, I overheard two Leaf Village residents chatting; I got the information from them, though they probably had no ill intent and didn't seem to be deliberately deceiving me."

After saying that, Kushina still directed her doubtful gaze toward the Third Hokage seated behind the office.

She still felt that, compared to the Third Hokage, the Leaf Village residents' unintentional words were more worthy of her trust.

"This old geezer, though he smiles all day, managed to teach a disciple like Zilaiye who's unreliable; he himself is no good person."

"……Kushina, rest assured! My concern for Minato's safety as this old geezer is no less than yours."

Feeling a bit embarrassed under his gaze, the Third Hokage also felt rather helpless.

Feeling a bit embarrassed under the other's gaze, the third generation also felt quite helpless.