Uzumaki Kushina's Attachment

"Rizhan, you know how important the Uzumaki Clan is. If they fall into another country's hands, the Jinchūriki will have no protection in the future. They're the best vessels for Jinchūriki."

"I know!"

"If you know that, then why haven't you sent anyone to guard them? We'd rather destroy them than let another Hidden Village plunder them."

"I have my own arrangements. I'm the Hokage, Danzo!!!"

"Hmph! If you won't do it, I will!"

Danzo stormed off, flinging his sleeve in anger. Hiruzen Sarutobi was left behind, fuming helplessly. "I'm the Hokage! What I say goes!"

Inside the house, Uzumaki Mito looked troubled. "Sigh... Yunting."

"Lady Mito."

Senju Yunting appeared in Uzumaki Mito's room.

"Yunting, please send someone to check on the Land of Whirlpools and the Village of Whirlpools."

"It's my duty, Lady Mito."

Senju Yunting left with the core members of the Senju Clan, bound for the Land of Whirlpools.

Time slipped by in silence. Two months later, news arrived from the Land of Whirlpools: it had become dust in history.

Senju Yunting returned to Konoha with the surviving troops. Hatake Sakumo also came back wounded, bringing the Anbu with him. One woman had joined their party, too.

Everyone was weighed down with grief. Uzumaki Mito read through the intelligence Hiruzen Sarutobi had given her and listened to Senju Yunting's account. She was helpless, unable to do anything.

"Hashirama, I'm tired. The Konoha you left behind was wonderful, but without you, it's changed all the same."

Uzumaki Mito seemed to age ten years in an instant. Her whole body was heavy with fatigue, and her former vitality was gone.

Far away in the Land of Rain, Tsunade received the news and punched the ground in front of her, cracking it.

"Damn it..."

None of this had much impact on Shangguan Yue.

The day after his sword techniques merged, Shangguan Yue had been waiting eagerly from early morning.

"Fusion successful. Obtained Thunder Breathing, S-rank (growth potential)."

This Thunder Breathing wasn't the same as the other Thunder Breathing. Shangguan Yue's version was even more powerful.

By using breathing to connect with his Lightning Release Chakra, he could continuously temper his body. This was a passive effect.

By actively breathing in large amounts of Lightning Release Chakra, he could move like lightning, gaining incredible speed, immense strength, and lightning-fast reflexes.

The techniques that came with it were just like Ghost Blade's, making Shangguan Yue roll his eyes. "Chuuni, if you can't do it, just admit it. Could you stop copying other people?"

"How is it copying? I only borrowed the name to make it easier for you to use. The principles are completely different, and it's much more powerful. Try it if you don't believe me."

Shangguan Yue eagerly claimed the reward. Information about Thunder Breathing appeared in his mind, and his breathing began to change imperceptibly.

At first, Shangguan Yue only felt a tingling sensation in his airways, as though he were being shocked. The change in his breathing made his lungs struggle to keep up, and his face flushed red.

After an unknown amount of time, just as Shangguan Yue was about to give up, he suddenly felt refreshed to the depths of his being. His whole body relaxed, and the discomfort vanished.

Two months later, Shangguan Yue had gradually grown used to Thunder Breathing until it became instinctive. He also began practicing its techniques, wanting to see how powerful they really were after Chuuni's outrageous claims. As a customer, he didn't believe a word of a salesperson's hype.

Shangguan Yue steadied his breath and crouched slightly, one hand resting on Longque's hilt. White mist curled from his mouth, mingled with faint arcs of lightning, as he murmured,

"Thunder Breathing: First Form: Thunderclap and Flash."

Shangguan Yue shot forward, leaving an arc of lightning in his wake. The ground scorched beneath him. In the blink of an eye, he appeared behind a tree fifty meters away.

Still holding his drawn-sword stance, he sheathed Longque, its golden arcs of lightning fading away. Everything fell quiet again. Shangguan Yue turned to look.

"Chuuni, are you messing with me? You couldn't even cut down that tree."

"..."

Before Chuuni could say anything, all the trees in front of Shangguan Yue toppled over. Their cut edges were scorched, but the cuts were smooth. As soon as the trees hit the ground, they snapped apart, leaving a mess scattered everywhere.

"Th-that's amazing!!! Sugoi—and so cool."

"Who's there?"

Shangguan Yue looked toward the voice and saw Nawaki. A little girl with red hair stood beside him. The color suited her perfectly, and she was adorable.

With her rosy cheeks and red hair, she looked like a persimmon, making him want to take a bite.

Nawaki saw Shangguan Yue reach for his sword and jumped in alarm. His jaw had only just dropped in shock, and he hurriedly waved his hands. "Brother Yue, it's me! Nawaki!"

Shangguan Yue tucked Longque behind his back and looked at the little girl, who was gazing at him with an infatuated expression. "Nawaki, I know it's you. Who's this?"

"Ahem, this is Uzumaki Kushina, my cousin. She'll be living with the Senju from now on. I didn't have an extra room at my place, so I brought her over to my sister's."

"All right. Hello, I'm Shangguan Yue."

"H-hello, I... I'm Uzumaki Kushina."

Uzumaki Kushina lowered her head shyly, unable to meet Shangguan Yue's eyes. Why is his surname Shangguan? Isn't this the Senju Compound? But he's so handsome and strong!!!

"Brother Yue, she'll be living next door to you from now on. Ahem..."

Seeing Nawaki hesitate, looking bashful, Shangguan Yue felt a chill. "What are you trying to do? If you have something to say, just say it!"

"It's just... Ahem, Brother Yue, could you teach me that move you just used?"

"I can't. You don't have a Lightning Release Chakra nature."

Faced with Shangguan Yue's blunt refusal, Nawaki was near tears. "Aaaah, why don't I have a Lightning Release Chakra nature? I hate you, God!"

"Enough fooling around. Do you have anything else?"

"Huh? No."

"If you're done, then leave. Have some sense. Get lost."

Shangguan Yue kicked Nawaki out the door and turned to Uzumaki Kushina, coolly tossing out a single line. "Come on. I'll show you to your room."

He headed for Tsunade's bedroom without looking back. Kushina followed close behind, gazing at Shangguan Yue's back with a yearning in her eyes that she couldn't explain.

Before long, Shangguan Yue noticed that Kushina had drawn up alongside him, walking right beside him. He brought her to the room next to Tsunade's.

"Here. This is your room from now on. Want me to help you get it ready?"

"I..."

When Kushina didn't speak for a long while, Shangguan Yue said, "Then I'll be off. I still have to train."

As Shangguan Yue turned to leave, Kushina grabbed his hand. "D-don't go. I'm scared. Could you help me?"

Shangguan Yue hadn't wanted to. He'd just used the First Form and hadn't had his fill yet. It had taken a lot out of him, but he had plenty of chakra.

But the moment he looked up, he saw Kushina's big eyes brimming with tears, not quite spilling over, sparkling as she gazed at him. His heart softened after all.

"All right. I'll help you."

Shangguan Yue walked into the side room, and Kushina followed, holding onto the hem of his clothes. She watched as he tidied up the room for her.

I love this feeling. If only it could last forever.