Individual Growth

Hyuga Ao slowly finished a set of Gentle Fist and stopped, taking the towel handed over by a maid to wipe the thin sweat from her neck and head. She instructed the maid to prepare a medicinal bath while contemplating the changes deep within her marrow.

Now Hyuga Ao bathed in medicine twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.

In the morning she refined, in the evening she nurtured.

Paired with a specially formulated medicinal diet, Hyuga Ao clearly felt that her Marrow Cleansing and Organ Refining had accelerated.

She estimated that at this pace, within three years at most, she would complete Marrow Cleansing and unlock Shikotsumyaku.

And once she had Shikotsumyaku, she could consider whether to participate in the Second Shinobi World War, because Shikotsumyaku was incredibly strong for self-preservation.

Hyuga Ao assumed a Gentle Fist stance, closing her eyes to feel the flow of force and Chakra within her body.

"Excellent!" Hyuga Ao's eyes lit up with joy. As they said, poverty limits learning while wealth empowers martial arts. Now that she was receiving resources from the ninja clan, her physique was visibly strengthening.

Typically, a Core Condensation Martial Artist had already trained their body to its limit by the time they condensed their core, focusing more on nurturing.

But Hyuga Ao was different. Her body was still developing, so she could use core condensation to achieve perfect physical training.

With the supply of various medicinal herbs and nourishing food, her physical strength advanced by leaps and bounds.

Moreover, a body grown this way was different from the Raikages of past generations, who forcibly tempered themselves through natural environments and Nintaijutsu.

Hyuga Ao had grown up from childhood with optimal food and optimal training, developing the most natural physique possible. This kind of body had limitless potential.

If placed in the Nasuverse, it could even exist as an innate skill, Natural Body.

Hyuga Ao bathed and changed clothes, taking the outfit handed over by the maid before preparing to head to the Ninja Academy.

Because at this time, Uzumaki Kushina had already lost her beloved grandmother and become the vessel of the beast of calamity, the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki.

Her heart was filled with confusion and fear, exactly when she needed a friend's comfort.

Today was also the end of Kushina's observation and adaptation period, the day she began attending the Ninja Academy.

Inside the Ninja Academy.

Namikaze Minato arrived at the classroom and found that Hyuga Ao and Uzumaki Kushina, both of whom had taken long leaves, were present today.

He approached to greet them but immediately sensed something was wrong.

The usually lively and cheerful Kushina was now lying in Hyuga Ao's arms, her shoulders trembling. Drawing closer, he could hear faint sobbing sounds.

Was Kushina... crying?

Minato sat down quietly and shot Hyuga Ao a questioning look.

Hyuga Ao gently patted Kushina's back and let out a silent sigh.

She really hadn't expected Mito Uzumaki to not even last until Kushina's graduation. In the original timeline, it shouldn't have been this soon either.

By the timeline, she hadn't taught Kushina much either. Was she really that confident in Hiruzen Sarutobi?

Hyuga Ao looked at the crying Kushina with pity, shook her head slightly, and signaled that she'd explain later.

Kushina had already calmed down by then. In the days since Mito Uzumaki's passing, she thought she had held back all that grief.

But she hadn't expected that when she came to the Ninja Academy today and saw Hyuga Ao's gentle smile, the grievance and sorrow in her heart would be utterly unstoppable.

After venting her emotions for a while, though, Kushina slowly recovered.

Once her feelings were released, Kushina immediately felt awkward and embarrassed about the situation.

Oh god! She had cried in Ao'er's arms for so long, tears and snot staining Ao'er's pants, and Namikaze Minato had watched her cry the whole time.

Kushina felt mortified to the point of death.

Hyuga Ao, who was silently communicating with Minato, noticed that something was off with Kushina in her arms.

She saw Kushina's face growing redder and knew that if she didn't take action soon, Kushina would turn into the Bloody Habanero.

Hyuga Ao leaned down, gently hugged Uzumaki Kushina, and whispered in her ear:

"It's okay, Kushina. Everything will pass."

Hearing Hyuga Ao's words, Uzumaki Kushina was deeply moved, and all her previous concerns seemed to melt away.

With a friend like this, what more could she ask for?

She lifted her head, shot Namikaze Minato a fierce glare, then began cleaning herself up openly and naturally.

She was back to being the usual Kushina.

Namikaze Minato, who had been glared at, could only awkwardly rub his hair and give a helpless wry smile, wondering what he had done to upset Kushina this time.

In the afternoon, after finishing their Shuriken and taijutsu training for the day, the three gathered to share their recent experiences.

"What, you're engaged!" Kushina's high-pitched shout startled countless birds from the trees.

Beside her, Namikaze Minato also looked at Hyuga Ao in surprise.

"Who's the guy? What does he look like? How old is he? What does his family do?"

Hyuga Ao looked helplessly at Kushina, who was peppering her with questions. Maybe this was how a normal girl would react.

"Calm down, Kushina! Calm down!"

Hyuga Ao quickly grabbed the excited Kushina, inwardly regretting that she ever thought tossing out that news would distract her.

They say three women are as loud as five hundred ducks, but right now, Kushina alone was worth five hundred.

Thankfully, Minato stepped in to help: "Ao'er, what did you mean earlier when you said the Hyuga clan head took you as his disciple?"

Though it was a rescue, it also came from Minato's own curiosity. As someone who knew about the Caged Bird, he also understood Hyuga Ao.

Namikaze Minato knew that Hyuga Ao's conflict with the Main Family was irreconcilable.

Seeing Kushine successfully drawn in by Minato's question, Hyuga Ao shot him a grateful look.

Then she put on an air of smugness:

"The Main Family saw how gifted I am, so they begged me to be their disciple."

"From now on, I'm a Hyuga young miss. Come on, Kushina, today I'm taking you on a shopping spree down the whole street."

With that, she subtly signaled Minato to play along.

Though his own questions remained unanswered, long-standing tacit understanding made Minato cooperate in shifting Kushina's focus.

With Minato's help, they finally managed to steer Kushina's attention toward shopping and eating.

Hyuga Ao, Kushina, and Namikaze Minato walked down Konoha's snack street.

Namikaze Minato was loaded down with bags and packages, wearing an utterly defeated expression.

He deeply regretted helping Hyuga Ao coax Kushina into going shopping.

Wouldn't it have been better to let Hyuga Ao suffer alone? What a perfect chance for payback! Women were way too troublesome when buying things!

Up ahead, Hyuga Ao strolled along in high spirits. After all, nothing beat the joy of spending money on orders.

Especially when it was the Main Family's money.

The happiest of all was Kushina. What could be better than having a loaded friend?

After shopping, they went to eat at the Akimichi Clan's barbecue, a place Hyuga Ao could never have afforded before.

The Akimichi Clan's barbecue joint was strictly high-end, usually frequented by jonin gathering with friends.

There, Hyuga Ao spotted many faces she recognized from her past life's Naruto but had never seen in person.

Soon, though, their attention was captured by the barbecue.

Not wanting to cook it herself, Hyuga Ao paid the staff to grill for them.

And the professionals really made a difference.

The meat before them was fragrant and tempting, tender and flavorful.

Now Hyuga Ao finally understood why Choji always wanted to go eat barbecue whenever he came back.

High in the sky hung the bright moon, created by the Sage of Six Paths' Chibaku Tensei. Through all the years and all the turmoil of the ninja world, it remained unchanged, waiting for the day it would be awakened.

Below, Kushina recalled the day's experiences and smiled warmly. She opened the scroll Mito had left her and began studying it closely.

"Grandma Mito, you said a Jinchuriki's heart must be filled with love. Now I've come to feel it too."

At the Minato residence.

Namikaze Minato was punching a pad hung on the wall, one short, explosive strike after another.

"Today, both Ao'er and Kushina kept things from me. That means they know telling me wouldn't help. If I want to become the Hokage who protects everyone, I need to get even stronger!"

At the Hyuga compound.

Hyuga Ao endured the searing pain without making a sound. With more people around her now, breaking the Caged Bird required even more silence and caution.

So, even though it felt like a red-hot dull blade was slowly slicing through her brain, Hyuga Ao's sleeping face remained as serene and peaceful as ever.

Just like the ninja world at this moment.

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