Kushina's Blood

Rin easily dodged Mizuno's shuriken, chakra flowing down to the soles of her feet.

Like a gust of wind, Rin activated her Byakugan, the veins around her eyes bulging.

She could immediately see the flow of chakra through Mizuno's body and the locations of his acupoints.

When Mizuno looked up, Rin was staring at him without expression. Her slender, chakra-infused fingers were already poised to strike.

At the last moment, Mizuno's extraordinary reflexes set his body in motion.

Rin's Acupoint Strike swept past like a sudden gust, barely missing him.

"Hm?"

Rin was a little surprised. She'd planned to end the fight quickly, but hadn't expected him to react in time.

Even she couldn't match those reflexes right now.

After all, neural reflexes were largely innate.

He was a genius, but a genius was all he was.

Rin's gaze sharpened. With chakra boosting her speed, she caught up to Mizuno in an instant and landed a clean hit.

His meridians were blocked, and his chakra sealed.

Mizuno collapsed helplessly to the ground, unable to muster any strength.

Without a renowned teacher to guide him, he knew only the Three Basic Jutsu. His fundamentals were solid, but he was no match for Rin. His defeat had been inevitable.

"The winner is Hyuga Rin."

Sakurai Utsugi announced the result.

The fight had left not only the teacher of the opposing class questioning everything, but him too. He hadn't expected it.

Rin, the quiet little girl who hardly ever spoke, had been this strong.

To put it bluntly, after seeing her speed, the two teachers thought they might not be able to beat her.

It was an embarrassing thought for teachers, but also an honor.

After all, being able to teach a powerful ninja was a teacher's pride.

Rin calmly released Mizuno from the Acupoint Strike, then returned to her seat without a word and sat beside Yayoi.

"How was it?"

Yayoi asked.

"Very quick reflexes. Solid fundamentals. He's a genius."

Rin's assessment was devoid of emotion.

Yayoi nodded. He wasn't surprised. Mizuno would become the Fourth Hokage and master the Flying Thunder God Technique someday, so it made sense that he was a genius.

Yan came over as well. Seeing Rin silently standing beside Yayoi, she felt something was off, though she had no reason to suspect anything. She couldn't say why the feeling lingered.

Before she could think it through, the teacher's voice rang out.

"Next match: Uchiha Yan versus Uzumaki Kushina."

Yan had no choice but to step onto the field.

Her opponent was Kushina, with long, wine-red hair and a round, adorable face. When she saw Yan, she flashed her a wide smile.

"Form the confrontation seal."

The two held out their hands, then quickly retreated.

"Give it your all, Kushina."

Yan spoke gently.

"Will do!"

Kushina focused on the match as well.

She wasn't good at throwing weapons. As an Uzumaki, naturally endowed with great vitality, Kushina preferred to crush her enemies with her fists.

"I'm coming for you, Sister Yan!"

Not knowing what Yan was capable of, Kushina chose to strike first.

The moment the match began, Kushina charged forward and raised her fist.

Yan, by contrast, stood perfectly still. Only when Kushina closed in did she begin forming hand seals, unhurriedly.

"Genjutsu."

Before Yayoi's eyes, a clone remained where Yan had been after she formed the seals.

Yan herself simply sidestepped, letting Kushina crash into the clone.

"Sorry, Sister Yan. I win."

Looking down at the Yan beneath her, Kushina thought she could feel her body heat—and saw that her bright smile remained as sunny as ever, even on the ground.

"I win."

"I win, Kushina."

Yan held a wooden kunai to Kushina's fair neck.

"Genjutsu? When did you—"

Only then did Kushina realize that the person beneath her was just a clone.

"The winner is Uchiha Yan."

"What an amazing Genjutsu. No wonder she's an Uchiha."

Compared with Rin's match, Uchiha Yan's victory seemed inevitable.

Even though it had been a complete rout, it was no surprise coming from an Uchiha.

After all, the Uchiha were widely considered the Ninja World's foremost clan in Konoha, second only to the disbanded Senju Clan.

By the time Yan returned, Rin had fallen silent again. She sat quietly, and Yan didn't know what to say. She gave Rin a suspicious glance, then sat beside Yayoi.

"Kushina's physically strong. She has more chakra than you, Miyoshi-kun."

"Mm. She's an Uzumaki, so it's no surprise."

Yayoi glanced at the grinning Kushina.

"I could ask her for a little blood later and see what sets the Uzumaki apart from the Senju."

Once the fights between the promising students were over, the combat class devolved into rookies fighting rookies.

Yayoi got matched against a rookie too, and subdued his opponent with ease.

With his current physical abilities, beating a child who wasn't even a Genin was far too easy.

"Kushina, want to grab something to eat?"

After the combat class ended, Yayoi took the initiative and invited her.

"I need your help with something."

"Sure!"

Kushina agreed readily.

As soon as she heard he needed help, she said yes without hesitation.

Friends were supposed to help each other. It was a way to build bonds, and a way to become friends.

Grandma Mizuto had told her to make more friends and build friendships of her own.

Now someone who seemed to be Tsunade's student had invited her out. Of course she wouldn't refuse.

Konoha Barbecue Restaurant

A place where you could always eat your fill.

Yayoi, Rin beside him, and Kushina across from them devoured the food on the table.

As for why only Rin had come along, that had to do with Yan's training under her Second Grandfather.

Every afternoon, she trained under Grandfather Enichi's guidance until they graduated.

Yayoi had been lucky enough to watch once. The training had been incredibly strict.

But from what Grandfather Enichi had said, it was to make sure Yan was strong enough to protect herself on the battlefield.

Yayoi didn't say anything. Judging by Yan's attitude, she seemed able to endure it.

Seeing the workload, Yayoi couldn't help wondering whether the pressure had forced Yan's Two Tomoe Sharingan to awaken.

Yan had once told him why she'd awakened her Two Tomoe Sharingan, but the reason had been too ridiculous. Yayoi had assumed she was joking.

Perhaps Grandfather Enichi had said something to Yan.

"I'm full."

Kushina's voice brought Yayoi back to the present. He'd nearly forgotten his goal.

Looking at Kushina's satisfied smile, Yayoi was already wondering how much blood to draw from her.

This young Jinchuriki needed a lesson.

Kushina patted her round little belly and declared confidently,

"If you need help with anything, just say the word!"

Kushina was all hearty loyalty at that moment, like a righteous older brother.

Yayoi didn't bother with formalities. He took out the Blood Collection Needle.

Five minutes later

Kushina walked out of the barbecue restaurant, looking a little weak and pale.

"That guy's not human. He took so much of my blood."

Kushina complained,

"I should've eaten more."

She patted her cheeks. Before long, color returned to them, and she hummed a little tune as she headed toward the center of Konoha.

Meanwhile, inside the barbecue restaurant,

Yayoi put away the Blood Collection Needle. This was a precious blood sample.

"Rin, go pay."

"Mm."