Thunder Dharma King

Shangguan Yue worked by himself for quite a while before he finally finished tidying up. He looked at Uzumaki Kushina, who was sitting off to the side, staring blankly at him, and said irritably,

"Why are you still standing around?

I've fixed up the room for you. Take a look and see if there's anything else that needs doing.

If not, I'm going to train."

Uzumaki Kushina looked at the cold, bare room and felt no desire to settle in. After just experiencing the destruction of her country and village, she couldn't bring herself to care about any of it.

The only thing she could find comfort in was Shangguan Yue. Perhaps his powerful display just now had stirred something in her heart.

At that moment, Shangguan Yue had no idea what Uzumaki Kushina had been through. He wasn't some die-hard Naruto fan.

"I... I don't have anything else to tidy up. As long as I can live here, it's fine."

Uzumaki Kushina looked at Shangguan Yue as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, that was all she managed. Seeing this, Shangguan Yue didn't press her.

"All right. Call me if you need anything. Someone will bring dinner over later, so you don't have to cook."

Shangguan Yue left the room and headed to the training ground to continue practicing Thunder Breathing.

He was still working on the same move: "Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash."

Uzumaki Kushina sat on the steps of the house, quietly watching Shangguan Yue train.

Lightning coiled around him as he charged back and forth across the training ground.

At first, he was like a headless fly. Before long, however, he'd gotten the hang of it and could control precisely where he landed.

But he was still clumsy at first and put too much force into his strikes, leaving the training ground chopped to pieces.

"Whew. I finally have an ability I can show off. I'd better keep the others hidden for now."

Shangguan Yue contentedly continued training in Thunder Breathing. He didn't stop until the Akimichi Clan delivered dinner.

Uzumaki Kushina watched Shangguan Yue sit across from her and wolf down the small mountain of food laid out on the table. His appetite rubbed off on her.

She joined him, stuffing food into her mouth until grease covered her face. Her appetite grew, and the more she ate, the more she enjoyed it.

"Hey, hey, hey, you little glutton. You've got quite an appetite, don't you?

If you eat that much, there won't be enough for me."

Kushina jumped in fright, her eyes brimming with tears as she lowered her head. "I... I'm sorry."

Shangguan Yue felt bad. "Ahem, it's fine. I wasn't scolding you. I'm just wondering if you're sure you can eat that much."

Shangguan Yue glanced at Uzumaki Kushina's stomach in puzzlement. "It's not even that big. How can you fit so much meat in there? You've eaten almost as much as your own body weight."

Kushina blushed shyly. "I... I really can eat this much. I ate this much at home, too. Is it too much? Then... then I'll eat less from now on."

Seeing Kushina look so hurt, Shangguan Yue felt a pang in his heart.

"No, no, no. I'm worried you'll get a stomachache. It's fine—I'll have them bring more. Eat as much as you want."

Shangguan Yue created a Shadow Clone. "Go tell the Akimichi Clan's food delivery people to bring twice as much as this from now on."

The Shadow Clone looked from Shangguan Yue to Uzumaki Kushina, making her blush.

"Hey, what are you staring at? Hurry up and go."

"Okay~ Kushina, I'm rooting for you."

Shangguan Yue kicked him, and only then did the Shadow Clone leave. "Tch. What a blockhead. Shouldn't have tried to play matchmaker. He's hopeless."

In the days that followed, Uzumaki Kushina watched Shangguan Yue train every day. Afterward, they ate, chatted and joked around, then went back to their own rooms to sleep.

The days passed, and before long, a whole year had slipped by. Uzumaki Kushina had finally grown close to Shangguan Yue.

Shangguan Yue had also gradually gotten to know Uzumaki Kushina and learned about her past. He began to feel for her.

He understood that he was the person she spent the most time with here. It wouldn't be wrong to say that he was her family.

But Shangguan Yue knew that Uzumaki Kushina would eventually end up with Minato Namikaze, so he had no improper thoughts about her.

That left their relationship in a rather delicate place. Meanwhile, Shangguan Yue had made quite a name for himself at school that year.

He'd fought his way from the first grade to the second, then through the third, all the way to the sixth. Shangguan Yue had become Konoha's undisputed prodigy.

His Thunder Blade had countless girls swooning over him and earned him many admirers. People had even given him the nickname "the first to bully the weak and fear the strong," though he himself claimed to be the Thunder Dharma King.

After clearing the entire Ninja Academy, Shangguan Yue saw that his Luck Points had climbed to more than 2,000. He couldn't help feeling bitter.

He'd thought the Ninja Academy would be a great place to level up, but he'd been wrong. The students there weren't strong enough to give him many Luck Points.

If not for the 500-point reward he'd earned after clearing the Ninja Academy and making a name for himself, he wouldn't even have reached 2,000.

That put an end to his idea of staying at the Ninja Academy indefinitely. But it wasn't wartime, and the academy's program lasted six years.

One day, Shangguan Yue headed to the Ninja Academy with Uzumaki Kushina and Nawaki.

Since Kushina was enrolling that day, Shangguan Yue went in person instead of sending a Shadow Clone. Kushina seemed extremely uneasy along the way.

Nawaki tried to reassure her. "Don't worry, Kushina. The kids at the Ninja Academy are all friendly.

And you've got Big Brother Yue with you. Just tell them his name, and no one at the academy will dare pick on you."

Kushina answered timidly, "I understand, Cousin Nawaki."

Shangguan Yue added, "Listen to Nawaki. Once you get to class, just tell them your big brother is Shangguan Yue, and that he's in the second grade. Then you'll see how strong your big brother is."

Hearing that, Uzumaki Kushina grew glum and grumbled inwardly, Am I really just his little sister? I don't want that.

Before long, the three of them arrived at the first-year entrance exam. As expected, Kushina passed.

The vast chakra reserves and physical strength she'd inherited from the Uzumaki Clan put her far ahead of ordinary people.

And since Kushina was the last surviving member of the Uzumaki Clan, she was assigned to First Grade Class A as soon as she arrived in Konoha.

In the crowd, Shangguan Yue spotted a blond-haired boy. Looking at the scrawny Minato Namikaze, he felt a slight stir in his heart.

*This guy looks so weak. Can he really protect Kushina?

No wonder Kushina calls him a sissy. He looks like such a pretty boy—his skin is even fairer than a girl's.*

Shangguan Yue kept staring at Minato Namikaze, attracting his attention. Minato Namikaze looked back at Shangguan Yue and smiled warmly.

Huh, is he looking at me? That smile is dangerous. I like women, not men.

Shangguan Yue quietly followed Uzumaki Kushina until she entered First Grade Class A and went up to introduce herself.