What Comes Next

"Yueshu, Yueshu!"

An excited voice suddenly rang out in his dream. He was just about to slowly open his eyes when, the next second, Yueshu got the most abrupt wake-up call imaginable.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

The girl's voice reached his ears. Yueshu was still a little dazed, and he hadn't even opened his eyes to see what was in front of him when he was blown away.

Like a kite with its string cut, Yueshu was sent flying without warning before crashing into a tree.

The impact was loud enough to make the tree shake.

"Ow, ow, ow."

Yueshu clutched the back of his head.

His eyes were still full of confusion, and he was barely awake.

"What's going on?"

Yueshu slowly got to his feet.

As soon as he stood up, he saw Kushina standing there with puffed-out cheeks.

Her red hair was damp with sweat, and her eyes were fixed on Yueshu so intensely that he started to feel uncomfortable.

"Kushina, what's wrong?"

Yueshu asked cautiously. Having lived through several decades, he knew better than to argue with a girl. No matter what happened, it was always your fault.

"Hmph."

Kushina huffed and didn't answer.

"—"

Yueshu considered himself a pretty clueless guy. After all, he'd spent decades across two lifetimes without ever getting past his first time—he'd never even had a girlfriend, or even a close female friend. Meanwhile, his wives in another dimension changed several times every season.

"Idiot. Look where Kushina's standing."

Just as Yueshu was wondering what to do, Mikoto's voice came from nearby.

"Where she's standing?"

At Mikoto's words, Yueshu immediately looked over at Kushina.

Kushina still looked angry, but her petite figure was standing on the river. Ripples from her steps were still spreading across the water.

Yueshu's eyes gradually brightened, and the corners of his mouth lifted.

Kushina had successfully completed her Water Walking training!

Ever since their special training began, Kushina's progress had consistently lagged behind Mikoto's. Of course, they were only practicing tree climbing and Water Walking for now.

As a member of the Uchiha Clan, Mikoto naturally had better chakra control. Although Kushina was also from a renowned clan, her chakra control was no different from an ordinary person's.

Yueshu knew the reason for that. Kushina wasn't merely a surviving member of the Uzumaki Clan—she was also the vessel for the Nine-Tails.

Just as with Naruto in the original story, the Nine-Tails' presence disrupted its Jinchuriki's chakra, causing problems when they tried to use it.

The clearest example was Naruto's inability to even use the basic Three Basic Jutsu properly. His Clone Technique, in particular, had made the problem plain for everyone to see.

Yueshu could still remember that limp, pathetic clone.

Though later, Naruto turned clones into one of his trump cards.

But Naruto was the main character, after all. Not everyone could make clones into a trump card, especially the Jinchuriki.

Kushina wasn't an especially outstanding genius. She might have been pretty good among ordinary people, but she wasn't particularly impressive compared to those from the great clans.

At first, there hadn't been much difference. But as time passed, the gap between Kushina and Mikoto's progress became obvious.

By the time Mikoto had finished her tree-climbing training and moved on to Water Walking, Kushina was still struggling to climb trees. No wonder she was so excited after finally learning Water Walking—and no wonder she'd gotten angry when Yueshu hadn't immediately realized what she'd accomplished.

"Kushina!"

Yueshu called out loudly to Kushina, who was still sulking.

Kushina quietly turned her eyes toward him.

Yueshu smiled. It wasn't as dazzling as the smiles of Minato Namikaze or Sakumo Hatake, like little suns, but it was full of a boyish brightness.

"Good job."

Yueshu flashed his teeth in a grin, and Kushina's lips lifted slightly in response.

"Hmph. You're so dense."

Kushina muttered under her breath, then composed herself and turned toward Yueshu.

Mikoto stood beside Yueshu for a little while, as Kushina slowly walked over from the river.

Yueshu watched Kushina, never noticing Mikoto's cheeks turning red beside him.

This smile was unlike any Yueshu had ever given—not just for Mikoto's sake. It was full of youthful spirit, and Mikoto, standing so close to him, couldn't help staring for a moment. When she came back to her senses, her cheeks had reddened.

Yueshu had no idea that his unintentional smile had had such an effect.

Yueshu wasn't bad-looking. He simply tended to seem very lazy, and rather mature for his age.

When a boy who usually seemed so mature suddenly looked like a real boy, it was hard for the people around him not to notice.

It was like a celestial maiden casting off her heavenly shawl and descending to earth. Wouldn't all the mortals turn to look?

"Good!"

Kushina came ashore, and Yueshu called out again.

Kushina and Mikoto turned their attention to Yueshu.

"Let's do it next week."

"What next week?"

Yueshu flashed his teeth in a natural grin.

"What? Do I really need to say?"

"Of course, the graduation exam!"

Yueshu's words brimmed with confidence, and his conviction immediately infected Kushina and Mikoto.

Their unease vanished under the influence of Yueshu's words.

It felt as if a bright light were guiding them along a dark road.

Kushina and Mikoto gazed at Yueshu.

Yueshu wasn't tall—he was only eight, after all. He didn't look particularly strong either, just like a boy his age.

He stood there with his slender frame. His usual lazy air and listless gaze were gone, replaced by bright eyes and an eager expression.

Kushina and Mikoto stared at him, dumbfounded.

They had never seen Yueshu like this before.

He was completely unlike himself, shining like a ray of light.

Kushina's eyes softened, and her anger had already disappeared.

"Honestly."

"That doesn't seem like you at all."

"Yeah."

"That doesn't seem like you at all."

Kushina and Mikoto spoke one after the other, and just like that, Yueshu was back to his usual self.

"Huh? Really? I thought I looked pretty cool."

Yueshu returned to the way he'd been before, but the light in his eyes hadn't dimmed. It still shone just as brightly.

As if...

As if he were looking at something.

That was what Kushina and Mikoto thought.

The first step in their special training plan to graduate early was finally complete. It had taken less than two weeks, which was undeniably impressive progress.

Jiraiya hadn't been seen since his last visit to the Ninja Academy. When Yueshu asked Tsunade, she said he'd taken Minato Namikaze on another mission.

Himegami's token was still inside the ninja pouch at Yueshu's waist. The characters engraved on it still gave him that same unsettling feeling.

There was something waiting for Yueshu to find the answer to. He didn't know what it was, and it had never appeared in the original story.

Yueshu's hand unconsciously tightened around it. The ninja pouch at his waist seemed to be growing warm. That heat slowly spread throughout his body, then gathered in his heart.

"I'm not the kind of person who gets all fired up, and I can't be bothered to act that way."

"But!"

"I'll find the answer, no matter what. For your sake, and for mine!"

That was what Yueshu said in his heart.

He could feel a sense of peace welling up from deep within him.