Meeting Mito Uzumaki (Part 1)

The weeds on the ninja academy training grounds had just been trimmed, revealing the scent of damp earth.

As Uchiha Ling stepped onto the grounds in the morning light, he saw a flash of red in the distance, practicing hand seals by a wooden post.

Kushina's ponytail swung with her movements, her red hair dancing like flames. Her fingertips traced afterimages in the air, but she was always a beat too slow on the final seal.

"Hey, Kushina, at that speed with your hand seals, you'll get your head chopped off if you meet an enemy."

A familiar teasing voice came from behind. Kushina spun around abruptly, her cheeks instantly flushing. The wooden kunai in her hand nearly dropped to the ground. "Uchiha Ling! You were spying on my training again!"

"Who was spying?"

Uchiha Ling walked up to her with his hands in his pockets, a habitual smile on his lips. "You're the only one training so 'diligently' on the whole grounds, it's hard not to see you. Besides, who was begging me to train with her yesterday?"

Mentioning yesterday, Kushina's ears turned even redder.

During sparring practice yesterday, she had been criticized by Teacher Aoki Ken for a mistake in her hand seals. After school, she had tugged on Uchiha Ling's sleeve and whispered, "Can you come early tomorrow to help me practice my seals?" Now that he'd called her out on it, she wished she could disappear into a hole in the ground.

"I... I just wasn't performing well!" Kushina clenched her kunai, her neck stiff as she retorted, "If you're so good, teach me how to do my seals faster!"

"I can teach you," Uchiha Ling raised an eyebrow and extended his hand, "but there's a price. For example..."

Kushina blinked, then her face flushed. "A price is fine, a price is fine. How about I owe you a favor!"

[Detected target "Uzumaki Kushina" generating "Shyness" and "Joy" emotions. Emotion points +40]

The system's prompt sounded in his mind, and Uchiha Ling chuckled inwardly. Kushina was so simple; he could easily earn emotion points just by teasing her.

He dropped the playful expression, took the kunai from Kushina's hand, and demonstrated the hand seals.

To teach Kushina hand seals this morning, Uchiha Ling had specifically redeemed "Hand Seal Mastery" from the system store last night.

After redeeming Hand Seal Mastery, he found that the improvement was far beyond his imagination.

He could previously only perform three seals per second, but now he could do six seals per second, reaching the level of Uchiha Itachi in the original story.

For this reason, Uchiha Ling had specifically asked the system about the standards for Beginner, Proficient, Master, and Perfect.

[Beginner is for novices, barely able to perform the technique.]

[Proficient level is the level of a typical Chunin's signature ninjutsu.]

[Master level is the level of an elite Jonin.]

[Perfect level is the level achieved by a Kage-level powerhouse after years of immersion.]

"Hand seals aren't about speed, but about 'smoothness.' Your problem just now was in the transition between the Snake and Horse seals. You turned your wrist too sharply, which actually slowed you down. Come, follow me."

Uchiha Ling slowed down his movements, his fingertips tracing through the Rat, Ox, Tiger, and Hare seals. The transition between each seal was natural and fluid, as continuous as flowing water.

Kushina's eyes widened as she earnestly imitated him, her red hair falling beside her cheeks, swaying gently with her breath.

The sun gradually rose higher, and more people appeared on the training grounds. When Namikaze Minato ran over with his backpack, he saw this scene: Uchiha Ling stood behind Kushina, correcting her hand seal posture with his own hands. Kushina looked up, her eyes full of concentration, not even noticing him approach.

"Ling, Kushina, you're here early!"

Namikaze Minato's voice broke the atmosphere between the two. Kushina jumped away like a startled rabbit, her cheeks red enough to bleed.

Uchiha Ling, however, looked unperturbed and patted Kushina's shoulder:

"See? Remember what I just taught you? Don't forget it again during the sparring practice later."

"I won't forget!" Kushina muttered under her breath, but secretly practiced the hand seal she hadn't done well earlier.

In the afternoon sparring practice, Kushina indeed showed improvement.

Facing her opponent's Water Style attack, she quickly formed hand seals and unleashed "Water Style: Water Wild Wave" in counterattack. Although the power wasn't great, her hand seal speed was nearly double that of yesterday.

Teacher Aoki Ken noticed and couldn't help but nod, "Kushina, you've made great progress. Keep up the good work."

Kushina looked excitedly at Uchiha Ling, her eyes shining like stars. Uchiha Ling gave her an "OK" gesture, unable to hide the smile on his lips.

[Detected target "Uzumaki Kushina" generating "Gratitude" emotion. Emotion points +35]

During the lunch break, Kushina took out her bento box from her bag. A small Uzumaki clan crest was embroidered on the red box, and steam rose from it when she opened it.

"Here, I brought you lunch." Kushina pushed the bento box towards Uchiha Ling.

Kushina's other hand clutched her clothes, her red hair falling on either side of her cheeks, but it couldn't hide the blush spreading from her earlobes to her neck.

She didn't dare to look at the person in front of her, only staring at his shoes, her voice as thin as a mosquito's hum: "Thank you for training with me this morning. This is... this is homemade, and it has the fried meatballs you said you liked."

After Kushina placed the bento box on the stone table under the cherry blossom tree with a flushed face, Uchiha Ling also sat down, tapping the lid of the box with his fingertip:

"Hurry up and open it so I can see. I practiced hand seals with you for half an hour this morning, so let me taste if this 'thank you' is sincere enough."

As he spoke, he had already taken the chopsticks Kushina offered, picked up a fried meatball, and put it in his mouth. The crispy exterior and tender interior melted on his tongue. The salty and sweet flavors mixed with a hint of sea salt, tasting even better than the ones he'd eaten at the Konoha snack street last time.

"Kushina, your cooking is amazing. If you don't become a ninja, opening a meatball shop would definitely be a hit," Uchiha Ling said indistinctly.

Kushina's cheeks flushed slightly. "My grandmother taught me. Grandma says that Uzushio Village's fried meatballs need a tiny bit of sea salt to have the taste of the ocean."

Mentioning her grandmother, her eyes softened, and she gently stroked the clan crest on the bento box. "Grandma is my only family in Konoha. Her health isn't very good. I visited her yesterday, and she asked if I had any friends at the ninja academy..."

She looked up at Uchiha Ling, hesitated for a long time, and then whispered, "Uchiha Ling, do you... do you have time tomorrow afternoon? Grandma wants to meet you."

Uchiha Ling was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "Meet me? Your grandmother knows me?"

"Yes," Kushina nodded, her ears turning red. "I told Grandma that you've helped me a lot and even taught me ninjutsu... Grandma said she wants to thank those who helped me."

[Target "Uzumaki Kushina" detected experiencing "anticipation" and "nervousness," Emotion Points +30]

"Sure," Uchiha Ling agreed readily. "I don't have any classes tomorrow afternoon, so I'll go with you. But, will your grandmother mind that I'm an Uchiha?"

"Not at all!" Kushina immediately retorted. "Grandma says that regardless of the clan, as long as someone is a good person, they are worth befriending."

"Don't worry, have I ever let you down?" Uchiha Ling patted his chest, thinking to himself, Writing an essay on the Will of Fire alone isn't enough. If I can gain the approval of Mito Uzumaki, it would be like adding a protective amulet to myself.

In the afternoon, as soon as the school bell rang, Kushina grabbed Uchiha Ling and ran toward the southeast side of the village.

"Slow down, Kushina. Your grandmother's house isn't going anywhere." Uchiha Ling was dragged along by her, a helpless smile hanging on his lips.

"No way, Grandma must be waiting anxiously!" Kushina didn't slow her pace, and soon they arrived at the Senju clan compound.

The streets here were quiet and tidy. Cherry blossom trees along the road were in full bloom, and the mansion entrance featured a black plaque symbolizing their status, engraved with the golden Konoha emblem.

Pushing open the heavy wooden gate, the scene in the courtyard instantly came into view—calla lilies unfurled their broad leaves, red flowers from the royal poinciana tree littered the ground, and wisteria vines climbed over the wooden corridors, their pale purple petals drifting in the breeze as a faint floral scent filled the air.

Mito Uzumaki sat on a stone bench under the corridor, wearing a dark blue kimono with a sash tied at her waist embroidered with both the Senju and Uzumaki clan crests.

"Grandma!" Kushina hurried over, knelt beside Mito, and gently took her hand. "Why are you sitting in a drafty spot? The wind is so strong, you'll catch a cold."

Mito Uzumaki looked up, her gaze landing on Uchiha Ling. Her eyes were calm, yet carried a power that could peer into one's soul.

"Come in, Kushina, and the little one from the Uchiha clan."

Uchiha Ling took a deep breath, composed his expression, and followed Kushina as they removed their shoes and stepped into the tea room.

The tea room was softly lit, permeated with the faint scent of tea and sandalwood. An elderly woman sat kneeling on the tatami, elegantly arranging the tea set.

She wore a simple, elegant kimono, her white hair groomed meticulously. Though her face was etched with the marks of time, her eyes were clear and profound, as if they could see through anyone.

Her aura was as vast as the sea; beneath that calm exterior lay a terrifying power capable of destroying the world. This was Mito Uzumaki.

Uchiha Ling immediately bowed, keeping his posture very low. "Junior Uchiha Ling pays his respects to Lady Mito."

"No need for such formalities, child. Come and sit." Mito looked up and smiled gently. Her gaze lingered on Uchiha Ling for a moment—a look of scrutiny, yet devoid of malice, more like the curiosity and assessment of an elder toward a younger generation.

Kushina sat obediently beside Mito, signaling with her eyes for Uchiha Ling to sit opposite them.

Uchiha Ling sat upright as instructed, his back straight, his posture respectful yet not servile. He could feel that although Mito's gaze was gentle, it carried a tangible pressure that caused the chakra within his body to accelerate its circulation involuntarily.

"This girl Kushina has been talking about school a lot lately, mentioning two friends who take good care of her. One is named Namikaze Minato, a bright and cheerful child; the other is you, Uchiha Ling."

Mito spoke slowly, her voice peaceful like a murmuring stream. "She says you are very strong, very special, and... quite different from the others in the Uchiha clan."