Konoha: This Uchiha is extremely sneaky

Chapter 272 Rumors

In Konoha Village.

"Boss, the pork looks good today. Could you cut me a few pounds? We have guests to entertain. And this celery looks good too, I'd like some as well."

In a grocery store, a woman with red hair was picking through the ingredients, occasionally selecting some fresh ones that she liked and handing them to the owner to weigh.

"Kushina, the tomatoes today are incredibly fresh. Look at them, each one so bright red and translucent, they look absolutely appetizing. Trust me, they're great whether you buy them for a cold salad, stir-fry, or soup. And these chilies here are a specialty of the Land of Fire..."

The owner of the grocery store, while helping customers weigh and price the selected ingredients, also took the time to recommend the fresh vegetables on hand.

The enthusiastic and talkative owner completely failed to notice that as he uttered words like "tomato," "bright red," and "chili," the customers in front of him grew increasingly displeased.

If it weren't for the fact that the boss was just an ordinary person and that it was truly an unintentional mistake without any malicious intent, his customers would probably have exploded on the spot by now.

This instilled in him a deep fear of ingredients such as tomatoes and chili peppers.

"No need, this is enough!"

After paying, Kushina picked up the groceries she had bought, turned around and left without giving the enthusiastic shopkeeper a friendly look.

This left the other party completely baffled, having no idea how reckless their actions had been.

"I heard that the village's hero, 'Yellow Flash,' has run into a lot of trouble. He's been trapped on a deserted island by the Kirigakure ninja of the Land of Water, and his situation is critical."

Just as Kushina was about to leave, a whispered conversation reached her ears.

This caused her left foot, which was about to step out of the store, to freeze in mid-air.

"cut!"

I don't know where this rumor came from, but how could Minato possibly be trapped by those Kirigakure ninja? It's a huge joke.

Hearing this dubious news, Kushina simply didn't believe it. She knew how powerful her boyfriend's Flying Thunder God Technique was; the Mist Ninja couldn't possibly restrain him.

"Yes! Yes! I heard about it too. My nephew works in the communications unit. I heard it was a sneak attack by the Mist Ninja that injured them. The incident happened on a small, isolated island in the Land of Water, surrounded by a vast ocean for hundreds of miles, with no other islands connected to it."

Hearing this, Kushina slowly retracted her left foot, which was about to step out of the store, and didn't rush out. Instead, she went back into the store, picked up a bright red tomato, and examined it closely, seemingly very satisfied with the vegetables and debating whether to buy them.

The shop owner was completely baffled.

The two women, completely unaware that someone inside the grocery store was eavesdropping on their conversation, continued:

"I heard that the Hokage even gave a special order to suppress this news, saying that he was afraid that some of his fellow villagers might lose control of their emotions and cause some unnecessary trouble."

"I also heard that he fell into the Kirigakure's ambush while trying to save his comrade, the Yellow Flash."

"Is that so? That makes sense. Otherwise, how could the village's hero have failed so easily?"

Listening to the two men arguing, Kushina grew increasingly uneasy, and when she left the store, she looked completely lost and disoriented.

"Kushina-neechan, what happened?"

Back home, just as she put down the ingredients she was holding, the clever Nohara Rin noticed her unusual behavior and asked her about her condition with concern.

"It's nothing, just some idle gossip, don't take it seriously."

Kushina smiled at Nohara Rin, still finding it hard to believe that her boyfriend could fall so easily at the hands of a Kirigakure ninja.

"Something must have happened. Did something happen to the teacher?"

The only person who could make Kushina look so uneasy was her teacher. Could it be...? The clever Nohara Rin then began to connect the dots and think about what had happened to her.

His expression became very uneasy.

Infected by Rin's emotions, Kushina's unease turned into worry.

"I'm going to see the Hokage for a bit. Rin will stay at home. Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

After saying that, Kushina hurriedly left, forgetting to close the door behind her.

Worried that the rumors she had heard might become true, Kushina still felt she had to go inside the Hokage Building to take a look.

That's just how people are. If you tell them something seriously, they might not believe you. But they'll take seriously news they overhear by chance.

Kushina Uzumaki was no exception.

When she returned to the Hokage Building and looked at the ninjas rushing around, she felt something was wrong.

It seems something bad has happened.

"Kushina, Minato is fine. He's just going to negotiate with the Kirigakure ninja. With his strength, he shouldn't have any trouble."

Kushina's sudden arrival left her completely bewildered, but the Third Hokage patiently explained it to her.

"Are you really not intentionally hiding this from me?"

After carefully sensing the situation, Kushina realized that neither the Third Hokage nor the two women seemed to harbor any ill intentions and did appear to be lying. She then asked:

"What's going on with those people outside? It seems like something urgent has happened?"

"Nothing much. News from the Anbu says the Cloud Ninja's AB combination is still lingering on the border. Without Minato around, they're acting with a bit more impunity."

"Is that so?"

"Hmm! But you, where did you hear about the Minato incident?"

As an old man, especially one in his position, the Third Hokage was very perceptive and immediately noticed the strangeness of Kushina's visit.

They began to question Kushina about how she obtained this information.

"This morning when I was buying groceries, I overheard two residents of Konoha chatting. I got the information from them, but they didn't seem to have any ill intentions and didn't appear to be trying to deceive me."

After saying this, Kushina turned her suspicious gaze toward the Third Hokage sitting at the back of the office.

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

This old man, despite his ever-present smile, is no good person himself, having produced such an unreliable disciple as Jiraiya.

"...Kushina, don't worry! I, this old man, care no less about Minato's safety than I do about you."

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable under the other person's gaze, the Third Generation also felt rather helpless.

(End of this chapter)