Genius

Yueshu's life gradually got on track. His relationship with Minato Namikaze grew better, and under Tsunade's guidance, he began refining his chakra. Due to his Senju bloodline, he was born with an abundant supply of chakra, which surprised Tsunade for a moment, though she didn't dwell on it.

A month passed just like that. Yueshu spent his time learning to use kunai and practicing taijutsu, but another surprise arrived quite suddenly.

"Today, our class has a new student. Let's welcome her to introduce herself."

During class that day, a new student joined Yueshu's class.

As he shifted his gaze toward the door, a lovely young girl appeared in Yueshu's eyes.

She had flowing red hair cascading down her back, black pupils that revealed a sense of resilience, and a straight, upright posture—she looked like a very cool girl.

Yueshu stared at her. Of course, he knew who this was: Naruto's mom!

"My name is Kushina Uzumaki, and my dream is to become the first female Hokage!"

Kushina scribbled her name on the board and finished her introduction, instantly shocking everyone present.

However, Kushina was not met with applause, but with a burst of laughter.

"What, the first female Hokage? Look at her hair, and her face is so round. She looks just like a tomato."

"Now that you mention it, she really does! Tomato, tomato! Hahaha."

The class erupted into noise. The whispers, which were not meant to be quiet, all reached Kushina's ears, making her face turn redder by the second.

"Wow! She's turning red! She really is a tomato!"

"She really looks like a tomato!"

Yueshu watched from the side, curious himself about how Kushina's face could turn that red; paired with her slightly round face, she really did resemble a tomato.

"What did you say!"

Kushina said angrily, but it was of no use.

"Oh no, the tomato is angry."

"Hahaha, don't provoke her. She's the first female Hokage, after all."

In the end, Kushina was only one person and was no match for the crowd. She couldn't out-argue them, and she didn't even know how to insult people to begin with.

Minato Namikaze watched from the side, his eyes fixed on Kushina. His dream was also to become Hokage, so he was naturally interested in someone who shared the same goal.

Seeing Kushina outnumbered, Yueshu sighed helplessly.

He raised his hands and clapped loudly. The sudden applause caused the noisy classroom to fall silent.

"Mocking someone's dream is the lowest thing you can do. No matter what, at least she has the courage to think it and say it out loud. If you don't have the same determination as others, you have no right to laugh at their dreams."

In the quiet classroom, only Yueshu's voice remained. Everyone stared at him as he spoke calmly.

After his words, the students seemed to realize their mistake and fell silent, no longer talking about Kushina. Kushina herself let out a huff.

Just like that, the Kushina incident came to an end. It is worth mentioning that Kushina's seat happened to be right in front of Yueshu's.

"Thank you."

Her long red hair brushed past Yueshu's eyes as a soft voice reached him.

Yueshu smiled lightly and waited until Kushina was seated before replying. Of course, he kept his voice low so no one around them could hear.

"You're welcome. That was very cool."

As his words fell, Kushina's hand trembled slightly, and the corners of her mouth curled up in a way Yueshu couldn't see.

"Your goal is also to be Hokage, right?"

"My name is Minato Namikaze. Like you, my goal is to be Hokage."

Minato was very interested in Kushina, who shared his goal. As soon as class ended, he walked over.

As the "little sun" of the class, Minato was approachable. Although he was a genius, he came from a civilian background and was well-liked by his classmates. In the past, his sun-like smile was very effective, but unfortunately, it had the opposite effect on Kushina.

"A silly guy like you could never be Hokage."

"The one who is going to be Hokage is me!"

Kushina's two sentences were full of spirit, leaving Minato to offer a few dry laughs.

Yueshu watched the two of them from the side and couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"Silly, huh? That's quite the assessment, Minato."

Yueshu and Minato had a good relationship, so he laughed openly.

"That's certainly an unexpected thing to hear."

Minato scratched his head. It was the first time someone had called him silly, but what surprised him even more was what Kushina said next.

"And you, you look a bit like a girl. You have no manliness at all. You're a sissy."

Minato froze on the spot, while Yueshu laughed hysterically from the side.

Kushina showed no mercy. Minato's unique, gentle temperament was dismissed by her as being effeminate, so it was no wonder Minato was petrified.

Regardless, this served as the initial introduction between Yueshu, Kushina, and Minato.

The following days passed as usual. Although Yueshu had intervened to help Kushina, her situation remained largely the same; while no one dared to say it to her face, many people still gossiped behind her back that she was a tomato.

Kushina seemed genuinely angered by this, and once, she even stalked the boys who were bad-mouthing her and gave them all a sound thrashing.

Consequently, Kushina's nickname evolved as well, transforming from "Tomato" into "Bloody Habanero."

But none of that mattered; Himeshima Tsuki remained as he always was. Kushina, who sat in front of him, would often chat with him, and after a few exchanges, they grew quite familiar with one another.

Today, after months of theoretical lessons and throwing kunai, the Ninja Academy finally ushered in its first practical combat class.

The students were to spar against one another—a contest of skill, of course, where they would stop once the outcome was clear.

And at long last, the system quest was triggered once again.

Task Triggered: Defeat Minato Namikaze in the sparring match. Reward upon completion: One lucky draw.

Tsuki had been waiting a long time for this system quest; the system was the best and fastest path for him to grow stronger.

While warming up on the sidelines, Tsuki learned his opponent was to be Minato Namikaze, with their match scheduled for the final group.

The duel between the genius Minato Namikaze and the equally gifted Himeshima Tsuki had everyone filled with anticipation.

"Tsuki, go for it! Beat that sissy into the ground!"

Before the match began, the formidable Kushina had already defeated her opponent and come over to cheer for Tsuki.

She looked delighted, punching the air with her small fists, appearing quite adorable.

Tsuki glanced at Minato Namikaze, who stood to the side with a solemn expression; the poor kid had no idea someone was calling for him to be beaten into the ground.

"Student Minato Namikaze, student Himeshima Tsuki, step forward."

As the teacher's voice rang out, the scene grew lively, and Tsuki and Minato stepped forward.

They first shook hands and exchanged polite words, then Tsuki and Minato began to square off.

Minato's eyes grew sharp, and his entire demeanor seemed to shift.

"Begin."

The moment the teacher's voice fell, the two figures blurred into motion.

They moved with rapid footwork, colliding in an instant. Looking closer, Tsuki and Minato were locked in a stalemate, their arms pressed against each other.

They locked eyes for half a second before moving in unison; refusing to remain deadlocked, they broke their contact and began to trade blows with taijutsu.

Straight punches, whip kicks, and blocks—these simple taijutsu techniques were executed with extreme proficiency and incredible speed by both of them.

Tsuki dropped into a deep squat to dodge a whip kick from Minato, then followed up with a sweep aimed at Minato's stance.

But Minato was no ordinary person; he quickly adjusted his body, leaping into the air on one foot to evade the attack, even managing to switch legs in mid-air to return a kick of his own.

Tsuki was naturally no slouch; one had to remember that he had a beauty at home who was a master of taijutsu.

Just like Minato, Tsuki switched legs and met the strike head-on.

Their feet collided, and though neither had the luxury to dwell on the momentary pain, a hint of a smile appeared on both their faces.

The next second, they both retreated, their hands reaching toward their waists where their ninja pouches held kunai and scrolls.

With a sharp flick of their wrists, several black kunai were sent flying.

Clang! The kunai collided in mid-air, and the two rushed toward each other again, though this time was different—both were now wielding kunai.

The sound of clang, clang, clang rang out incessantly. The teacher watching from the side felt a bit panicked; these were real kunai, not toys, yet he felt it wasn't the right time to call a halt.

Another clash of steel rang out, and this time, Minato was forced back several steps. Although a kunai was not a sword, Tsuki's mastery of swordsmanship still granted him a significant advantage; at the very least, Minato was no match for Tsuki in kunai combat and was suppressed throughout the exchange.

"As expected of you, Tsuki. I felt it the first time I saw you."

"You're going to be a formidable rival!"

Minato's voice carried a note of delight, as if he were happy to have found a worthy opponent.

"You as well."

Tsuki replied, causing Minato to smile.

"Time to end this!"

After saying this, Minato charged forward, and Tsuki stood his ground to meet him.

Using the momentum of his run, Minato slammed into him.

Kunai clashed once more, but this time, Minato incorporated his legs into the attack.

Minato kicked upward, and Tsuki caught the blow with his knee, but that wasn't Minato's true intent—he used the force of Tsuki's block to vault himself into the air.

In combat, leaving the ground is a major taboo, but Minato seemed to have done it for a specific purpose.

The crowd watched the scene unfold as Minato threw the kunai in his hand.

Tsuki deflected the strike with ease, followed immediately by gasps from those around him.

Looking up, the corners of Tsuki's mouth curled upward; Minato had given everyone a surprise.

The airborne Minato was rapidly weaving hand signs. A mere child who had just entered the Ninja Academy was actually capable of using ninjutsu!

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

In just a few seconds, Minato had completed the signs, his cheeks puffing out the moment the words left his lips.

A powerful gust of wind erupted from Minato Namikaze's mouth, blowing straight toward Yueshu.

A smile tugged at the corners of Yueshu's mouth; he had to admit that Minato Namikaze had surprised him once again.

Should he call him the greatest genius in Konoha? A pure, unadulterated genius without a drop of special bloodline.

However, Yueshu was no pushover!

Although Minato Namikaze's C-rank ninjutsu was indeed impressive, he was ultimately still a novice, and Yueshu exerted force to dodge it with ease.

Next up was Minato Namikaze's defeat.

The greatest taboo in combat is being airborne; the moment Minato Namikaze landed after his ninjutsu failed to take effect, Yueshu rushed up to meet him.

Minato Namikaze offered a wry smile as he looked at the kunai held to his throat, then at Yueshu, who was smiling back at him.

"A great fight."

"Even if I did lose."

Yueshu sheathed his kunai, stepped back, and performed the Seal of Reconciliation with Minato Namikaze.

"I won't lose next time."

"Same here."

Mission: Defeat Minato Namikaze in a spar completed. Reward: One lucky draw.

Yueshu and Minato Namikaze chuckled and slapped each other's palms.

The first duel between geniuses had been won by Yueshu.

"You beat that sissy, well done."

Once the combat class ended, Kushina came over and patted Yueshu on the shoulder while Minato Namikaze stood to the side, offering a dry laugh.

"Well, since school let out so early today, how about we go grab something to eat? My treat."

Yueshu smiled and suggested they hang out, acting as a peacemaker.

As a result, even though Kushina looked like she didn't want to go, she still "reluctantly" followed Yueshu and Minato Namikaze to wander around.

She hadn't been in Konoha for very long and hadn't really explored the village yet, so naturally, she was interested in the idea.

And so, the three little ones walked through the village together.

Dusk arrived quietly; Kushina and Minato Namikaze headed home one after the other, and Yueshu walked toward his own home as well.

Konoha under the twilight was slightly chilly, yet it still held a hint of warmth—it felt just right.