In a very bold move, Saiki reached out and grasped Kushina's long, pale hand where it rested on the table.
Having her hand suddenly taken, Kushina looked up, her large eyes staring at Saiki in confusion.
Despite her usually boisterous personality, a blush crept across Kushina's face. She tried to pull her hand back, stammering, "Sai... Saiki, what are you doing?"
But Saiki's grip was firm. Even as the second most violent woman in the village behind Tsunade, she couldn't break free.
Seeing this, she glared at him angrily. "Saiki, let go of me right now! I'm getting mad!"
There was a hint of anger in Kushina's voice, but it was heavily laced with an inexplicable panic.
Saiki looked at her, his eyes steady and gentle. "Sensei Kushina, please don't be angry. Just listen to me, okay?"
"Listen to what? Let go of my hand first!"
Normally, between a teacher and a student with a significant age gap, holding hands wouldn't be a big deal.
But Kushina's intense reaction revealed that subconsciously, she didn't view Saiki merely as a student. She still harbored a strong sense of gender boundaries toward him.
Seeing her act like this, Saiki—who genuinely hadn't had any ulterior motives at that moment—couldn't help but tease, "Sensei, why are you blushing?"
Called out, Kushina's tension eased slightly. She glared at him again, feigning anger. "Nonsense! Why would I, your teacher, be blushing?"
However, the flush on her cheeks refused to fade. She turned her head away, avoiding his gaze.
Saiki stopped teasing and spoke seriously. "Sensei Kushina, what is your dream?"
Startled by the sudden question, Kushina hesitated before replying, "Why are you asking that? It's none of your business."
The subject successfully changed, Kushina seemed to forget about Saiki holding her hand.
Of course, with Saiki staring at her so intently while gripping her hand tightly, she was still quite nervous.
Seeing her reluctance to answer, Saiki guessed she felt her dream was either too distant or she feared being mocked.
When she was younger, Kushina dreamed of becoming Hokage to prove herself. But as she grew up and faced reality, she realized that as a foreigner and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, that dream was practically impossible.
So, Saiki answered for her. "Sensei Kushina, your dream is to become the Hokage, isn't it?"
Hearing her deepest dream spoken aloud, Kushina's body trembled slightly. She looked at Saiki with a mix of shock, nervousness, and a touch of shyness, asking involuntarily, "How did you know?"
Saiki smiled faintly. "I figured it out when I saw you looking so lost and heartbroken."
Hearing this, Kushina realized she had essentially just confirmed it. She hurriedly tried to cover it up. "N-no... I never... I never thought about becoming Hokage."
Her expression had already betrayed her. Saiki didn't press the issue further. Instead, he asked, "Then tell me, Sensei, what do you think it means to be the Kage of a village? What kind of person should a Hokage be?"
Perhaps she would have been too embarrassed to discuss her dream of being Hokage with anyone else, but guided by Saiki, Kushina fell deep into thought. Her voice hesitated slightly as she answered, "To be Hokage... the responsibility is to guard the village and protect everyone, right? So the Hokage must be a powerful and wise leader."
"Is that all?" Saiki asked.
Kushina looked confused. "Is there more?"
As someone who had mastered the Uzumaki clan's incredibly complex sealing jutsu, was Kushina stupid?
Not at all. But she was truly, deeply naive.
Saiki shook his head, his gaze turning profound. "No. That is only a fraction of a Hokage's responsibility. Sensei, you only see the bright, glorious side of the Hokage. You haven't seen the darkness that lurks behind the title."
Kushina frowned. "Darkness? Saiki, what do you mean?"
Saiki sighed softly. "Sensei, do you know what the position of Hokage really is? It isn't just about honor and power. It is accompanied by endless sacrifice and brutal infighting. The major ninja clans of Konoha all covet that seat. The political scheming and backstabbing between them is far more complex and vicious than you can imagine."
"Hiruzen Sarutobi moved against me and Sister Tsunade because we threatened his rule. Isn't that exactly what you've been agonizing over? Honestly, there's nothing to be conflicted about. That is simply the kind of man Hiruzen was. If he wasn't, he would never have become Hokage in the first place."
Hearing this, Kushina fell silent. It wasn't that she understood nothing; if she were completely ignorant, she wouldn't have been so lost in the first place.
In her mind, the Hokage was supposed to be a towering, heroic figure. Discovering the darkness within Hiruzen Sarutobi made her deeply question the elder she had always respected, and consequently, her own dream.
Kushina kept her head bowed, her eyes flickering with complex emotions.
Seeing this, Saiki knew she had absorbed his words. He continued, "Sensei, your dream isn't wrong. Wanting to be Hokage isn't wrong. What is wrong is this world—a world built on endless conflict and necessary sacrifices."
Kushina looked up at Saiki. "Saiki, what should I do?"
Saiki looked at her, squeezing her hand reassuringly, and offered a warm smile. "Sensei Kushina, you don't need to change a thing. You just need to hold onto your dream and remain the truest version of yourself."
As a "salted fish" with no grand ambitions of his own, Saiki genuinely sucked at giving motivational speeches. However, the effect seemed surprisingly good.
Kushina felt a warm current flow through her heart. She looked at Saiki, her eyes shining with gratitude. "Thank you, Saiki."
Saiki shook his head. "You don't need to thank me, Sensei. I just wanted to tell you that there's nothing wrong with your dream. It's just that many things aren't as simple as you thought. So, there's no need to feel lost about what's happening now."
Explaining the intricate, twisted relationships between ninja and ninja, clan ninja and civilian ninja, and ninja and ordinary humans—and why Hiruzen Sarutobi ended up the way he did—was something Kushina might never truly understand.
So, for Kushina, a simple bowl of "chicken soup for the soul" was exactly what she needed.
And sure enough, Saiki's "chicken soup" worked wonders. Kushina's gaze gradually hardened. She took a deep breath, as if making a profound resolution.
"You're right, Saiki. I can't let this make me give up on my dream. A Hokage should be someone who guards the village and protects everyone. That has always been my belief."
Saiki looked at her and nodded approvingly.
After the pep talk, Kushina's eyes fell back to the table. Saiki's two hands were still firmly clasping her single, pale hand. She tried to pry his fingers open with her free hand, but the situation remained deadlocked.
Her face flushed red again, but she forced herself to overcome her shyness and said, "Alright, Saiki, you can let go of me now, right?"
Saiki had a profound appreciation for Kushina's blood-red hair; it made her pale skin look incredibly striking.
The red hair also gave her an aura of vibrant, bursting vitality.
Okay, let's be honest: Saiki was just a scumbag. He was vulgar, he was lecherous, and he coveted her body.
If he had his way, Saiki wouldn't let go at all. Holding her hand felt amazing—her fingers were soft as silk and slender as scallions.
However, he knew exactly what kind of temper Kushina had. Before, he could excuse it as "comforting" her. If he didn't let go now, and she actually lost her temper, things would get very complicated!
He slowly released her hand, then scratched his head, feigning awkwardness. He laughed nervously, "I'm sorry, Sensei Kushina... I... I just got a little too excited."
Kushina's face was still flushed, but she maintained a facade of calm. "Mm... it's fine."
With that, a sudden, awkward silence fell between them.