Naruto: Choosing from Birth

"Okay!"

Kushina nodded firmly.

Uchiha Cheng was a little surprised. He had thought she would haggle, given her personality.

Without saying anything else, he carefully roasted a fragrant leg of lamb and handed it to Kushina.

Kushina held the enormous lamb leg in both hands, her tiny body making for an oddly comical sight.

Then she took a deep breath, shook her little head, and immediately buried herself in the task.

"Cheng-nii, stop messing with Kushina-chan."

Mikoto tugged lightly at Uchiha Cheng's clothes with her fair little hand and spoke softly.

"Relax. I'll make her stop when she can't eat any more."

Kushina's face was covered in grease. Every so often, she stood up and moved around to aid her digestion.

Beads of fragrant sweat finally trickled down her smooth, pale cheeks.

"Kushina-chan, I'll help you eat it." Unable to watch any longer, Mikoto stood up sympathetically to help.

"That works too. If you can't finish it, forget it. I'll count this as you passing."

For the first time, Uchiha Cheng saw Kushina in a new light. This little girl was pretty impressive.

"No, this is our promise. I can definitely finish it."

Kushina refused Mikoto's help. Her childish face, covered in sweat and grease, held an inhuman determination.

"But..."

Mikoto still wanted to persuade her.

Uchiha Cheng raised a hand to stop Mikoto.

"Forget it, let her continue. This is her resolve—or rather, her Nindo."

"As promised, I'll seriously guide her in her training."

"Thank you!" Kushina lowered her head and resumed her arduous battle.

Uchiha Cheng watched the scene intently. This girl, who had experienced the destruction of her country and the loss of her family, was more resilient than many adults.

She carefully cherished everything before her and would not allow anyone to look down on her. Yet she had retained her own innocence, striving to uphold her Nindo.

Perhaps that was this girl's unique strength, and what made her powerful.

Then... what is my Nindo?

And... can the Mystical Palm Technique treat overeating?

In the end, Kushina forced herself to keep going with her round little belly for two hours and finished the entire roasted lamb leg.

Fortunately, the lamb leg had plenty of bones, so there was not as much meat as it had seemed. Besides, Kushina had always been a little foodie with an astonishing appetite.

Everyone enjoyed the grand lunch to the fullest.

After the meal, the Kumogakure students also had to bid everyone farewell and return to Kumogakure with the delegation.

Everyone saw them off all the way to Konoha's gates.

They shouted for them to come again next year, saying they could bring less of anything else, but they had better bring enough money.

"Uchiha Cheng, next time—next time, I'll show you the power of the upgraded version of my Lightning Release Armor: the Thunder God Armor!!!"

"Goodbye, you Konoha bastards!"

The future Fourth Raikage, A, Yotsuki Ai, Sabi Buraza!

With two front teeth missing and a mouth full of brash words, he waved at the Konoha students.

Then he caught up with Killer B, Takada Asaka, the delegation, and the others who had been waiting for him.

They gradually passed beyond the straight village road and disappeared into the vast sea of forest.

Afterward, Uchiha Cheng accompanied Kushina on a slow walk through the village to help digest the belly she had swollen from overeating.

Only, the words of the passersby along the way were a little...

"Whose child is that? She's so little, yet she already has such a big belly?"

"Maybe she's a dwarf. She only looks small. She might even be older than you."

"Keep your voice down. Didn't you see that boy wearing Uchiha Clan clothes? He'll have you locked up in detention."

Uchiha Cheng's face darkened. How had he never known that Konoha's villagers had such vivid imaginations?

It seemed it was time to straighten things out. Joining the Konoha Military Police Force was imperative.

"Um... how about you go back? I can slowly walk home by myself."

Kushina was so embarrassed that even her ears had turned red.

"No. What if your stomach starts hurting? I really do know the Mystical Palm Technique. If I pressed against your little belly and used it, you'd probably be fine in no time, but you refused. You're so fussy!"

"You're the fussy one! How can a girl let someone touch her so casually?"

"Then why did you kiss me last time?"

"You were the one who deliberately stood in front of me. Aaaah! Uchiha Cheng, I'm going to hit you!"

Thud!!!

"Why didn't you dodge?"

"I was afraid your stomach would hurt if you started running!"

"Waaah..."

"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly crying? I'm the one who got hit, and I didn't even cry!"

Near evening, Uchiha Cheng personally escorted the now-recovered Kushina home.

"Cheng-nii, I'm home! See you tomorrow!"

With the setting sun behind her, Kushina waved to Uchiha Cheng. Her fiery red hair complemented the sunset clouds in the sky, making her especially beautiful.

Uchiha Cheng waved back as well, only turning to leave after watching her enter the house.

Night was about to fall, and most of the pedestrians on the road had already returned home early to prepare dinner.

In this peaceful evening, with its scattered houses and fiery sunset clouds, the scene was a perfect painting.

"No! It's too quiet. There were still insects and birds making sounds everywhere else along the way, but not here!"

"Damn it! Something happened. In the original story, Kushina had this ordeal, but I just didn't know when exactly it happened."

But he remembered that she had been wearing a forehead protector when it happened. She should have already graduated by then, yet Kushina had not even graduated now.

Never mind, he would go back and check first. In the instant his thoughts raced, Uchiha Cheng hurried back the way he had come.

He returned to Kushina's residence and shouted loudly, but as expected, received no response.

Boom!!!

He directly smashed open the front door.

"Ah!!!"

A scream rang out. Kushina emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a bath towel, holding a change of clothes, her face full of panic.

"Uchiha Cheng! What are you doing?"

Huh?

This was fucking awkward. Could he say that he thought she was in danger, so he had smashed open her front door?

"Ah? Hahaha. Just now, I saw a shadow enter your house. I was worried you might be in danger, so I rushed in. By the way, why didn't you answer when I called for you?"

"That shadow was you, wasn't it? I was about to take a bath. How was I supposed to answer? I don't care! You have to pay for this door!"

As she spoke, Kushina walked toward Uchiha Cheng with her change of clothes in hand.

The instant she came close, a cold glint stabbed out from within the clothes in her hand.

It instantly pierced through Uchiha Cheng's body.

At the same time, "Kushina" transformed into a man wearing a white mask with blue patterns.

"Mission complete!"

"I didn't expect him to possess the Sharingan at such a young age, and he even showed it off at the Academy. He practically handed himself to us. After this, Lord Danzo will definitely value me greatly!"

Mizukiro let out a cold laugh. He had originally worried that this young Uchiha, who had displayed such great power at the Ninja Academy, might possess some extraordinary ability. That was why he had used today's opportunity to set this ambush.