"He never thought of helping you as trouble, y'know," she said, managing a grin. "Minato's about as fond of you as I am. He'd do anything to protect the people of the village, as if they're all his family too. Even now, he doesn't need to be sitting in the office running everything to do what he can. Besides, I'm pretty sure he's got a soft spot redheads that cause trouble."

Her grin grew and she winked at Adela before scooping up her tea for another sip.

"But you're right about one thing, even with whatever advantage you may have in terms of who you've impressed, you do still need to fight on. That's why I told you. Some people might relax knowing how many people with influence are backing them in the beginning. Just put your heart and spirit into chasing your goal and you'll get there."

She put down her cup to raise one arm bent and with a fist while her other hand clapped down behind her elbow. Her universal sign of encouragement and telling the other person to keep fighting the good fight.