Attracting Attention

Ring, ring, ring...

The morning bell for dismissal rang, and Gojo Yoru rose from his seat, exiting the classroom through the back door.

Uzumaki Kushina, who had already received her textbooks and was copying Gojo Yoru's notes, immediately got up and followed him.

Along the way, Uzumaki Kushina's little mouth never stopped moving.

What did she see?

Wherever Gojo Yoru passed, whether it was boys or girls ahead, they all stopped and stepped aside to avoid him.

Some boys who were closer even turned to face the wall, terrified that their gaze might meet Gojo Yoru's.

Even so, a few male students who encountered him on the stairwell couldn't escape their fate.

Just because a male student took up too much space on the step Gojo Yoru was passing, Gojo Yoru grabbed him by the hair, pressed him against the wall, and rubbed him there, not even letting out a muffled groan.

Others who saw this quickly pressed themselves against the wall or crouched down, hugging their knees and curling into a ball, lowering their presence as much as possible.

Only the female students were spared Gojo Yoru's special treatment.

Watching Gojo Yoru deliberately picking fights, Uzumaki Kushina was dumbfounded.

She finally understood why everyone in the class was so afraid of Gojo Yoru.

So this guy really was a delinquent!

"Why are you following me?"

Walking out of the teaching building, Gojo Yoru suddenly stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked at Uzumaki Kushina, who was sneaking behind him, frowning slightly.

Uzumaki Kushina was startled by Gojo Yoru's gaze, her eyes instinctively darting away.

Then, as if she'd thought of something, she suddenly mustered the courage to look straight at Gojo Yoru and said with righteous indignation, "Teacher Yuya told you to look after me, so I wanted to follow you and learn about the school."

Gojo Yoru stared at Uzumaki Kushina for a few seconds, until she looked guilty and her eyes started shifting again, before he slowly said, "If you're afraid of being bullied, just do what I do—beat them until they're scared of you."

"I still have training to do. I don't have time to take care of you."

With that, Gojo Yoru headed out of the school.

Uzumaki Kushina stared blankly at Gojo Yoru's retreating back, and the confusion in her heart instantly scattered like dark clouds.

So that's it!

No wonder it felt so off.

It wasn't that Gojo Yoru was picking fights for no reason—if he didn't act this way, his unique, standoffish nature would get him bullied.

Rather than be bullied by others, he chose to bully them first, making everyone afraid of him!

He helped her because he saw his former self in her, didn't he?

At that moment, goosebumps rose all over Uzumaki Kushina's body, and her heart surged with the excitement of finding a kindred spirit.

So Uzumaki Kushina chased after Gojo Yoru again, staying right behind him.

Gojo Yoru acted as if he hadn't noticed Uzumaki Kushina behind him, and after leaving the school, he went to an abandoned training ground in the forest to begin his Body Flicker training.

As the "whoosh whoosh whoosh" of air being cut reached her ears, Uzumaki Kushina was once again left dumbfounded.

In her field of vision, a black afterimage was like a pencil scribbling wildly across the blueprint of the training ground—horizontal strokes, slanted strokes, vertical strokes—black lines crisscrossing everywhere.

This showed just how fast Gojo Yoru's speed was.

And this was only the tip of the iceberg.

Five minutes later, after warming up, Gojo Yoru appeared beside a Wood Golem in the open space, then rolled up his pant leg and untied the weighted iron plates strapped to his calf.

He tossed the weighted iron plates aside—whether intentionally or by chance, they hit the nearby Wood Golem squarely.

The next second, the Wood Golem shattered as if it had been rammed by a wild boar.

Bouncing in place a few times, Gojo Yoru vanished into an afterimage again.

This time, the training ground no longer had crisscrossing black lines.

Without using the Sensing Technique, only those with sharp eyesight could barely catch a blurry afterimage.

Even more astonishing was that before, the flickering afterimages had stirred up fallen leaves and produced sharp sounds of air being cut.

But now, the flickering of this afterimage made no sound at all, like the apparition of a ghost.

"Such a Body Flicker is truly unbelievable... Is he really just a fourth-year student?"

These words didn't come from Uzumaki Kushina. At this moment, the girl was completely stunned, too shocked to speak.

The one who said this was an Anbu member hidden in the trees, using the Invisibility Technique to secretly monitor and protect Uzumaki Kushina.

As a special unit directly under the Hokage, every Anbu member's specialty was never ninjutsu, but assassination and reconnaissance.

Among these, the Body Flicker Technique was one of their areas of expertise.

Every Anbu member had already trained the ordinary Body Flicker Technique to a masterful level, integrating it with the Five Elemental Natures to develop elemental Body Flickers or taijutsu-based high-speed movement.

They believed that the ordinary Body Flicker Technique, trained to their level, had reached its limit.

But now, on a child many years younger than them, he saw a more advanced Konoha Body Flicker Technique—one even they couldn't achieve.

That ghostly speed, those silent footfalls—every movement showcased formidable Chakra control and reflexes.

"A Body Flicker genius?"

Both the Anbu member and Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was still observing Gojo Yoru, murmured to themselves.

Gojo Yoru didn't notice the Anbu hidden in the shadows.

But he could guess that he had already caught Sarutobi Hiruzen's attention.

Today was Uzumaki Kushina's first day of school, so the Third Hokage was bound to be keeping a close watch.

Especially on the deskmate who ended up sitting beside her—Gojo Yoru was definitely on the list of people to monitor. They might have even dug up his entire background by now.

That was why Gojo Yoru deliberately brought Uzumaki Kushina here to train during lunch break. His goal was to display talent that was impressive, but not earth-shattering.

In an era before Body Flicker Shisui had yet to emerge, Gojo Yoru's ordinary Body Flicker—pushed beyond its limits—successfully drew Sarutobi Hiruzen's attention and regard. He was now labeled a Body Flicker genius.

But this was only the beginning.

To earn the Third Hokage's tacit approval and investment, Gojo Yoru still needed to prepare more surprises for him.

After another ten-plus minutes of practicing the Body Flicker, Gojo Yoru finally stopped.

Picking up the weighted iron plates and putting them back on, he glanced at Uzumaki Kushina not far away and frowned slightly. "Why did you follow me again?"

"I... I..."

Uzumaki Kushina's mind was still blank, and she stammered, unable to form words.

"Forget it..."

Gojo Yoru gave her an out. "Can you fight? Want to be my sparring partner?"

"Can... can I?" Uzumaki Kushina's eyes lit up, and she nodded eagerly like a chick pecking at rice. "I can fight! I'm really good at fighting!"

As if to prove herself, she rolled up her sleeves and struck a muscle pose, looking utterly adorable.

"Don't cry later, then."

A smirk tugged at the corner of Gojo Yoru's mouth as he charged toward Uzumaki Kushina.

A boy and a girl, both children, began brawling without any regard for gender boundaries.

"I see..."

Watching through the crystal ball, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but smile, his eyes filled with appreciation.

He had assumed Gojo Yoru was a troubled child—an orphan with some personality defects.

But now, it seemed he was just a good kid who knew how to protect himself, cold on the outside but warm at heart.