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"Mission: Rescue Kushina Uzumaki, who was abducted by Kumogakure. Complete. Reward: one draw."

"Mission: Survive this rescue. Complete. Reward: one draw."

The system's cold electronic voice rang in his mind, like an alarm that had sunk into his bones, and woke Yueshu at once.

The first thing he saw was a ceiling, one he knew well: the ceiling of his room.

"I'm back?"

Yueshu murmured. He remembered hearing a voice just before he closed his eyes, and that had reassured him.

He knew who had come. That was exactly why he trusted that Kushina would be all right.

"Ow, that hurts."

Yueshu tried to move, but a wave of pain immediately made him grit his teeth.

"I almost died."

Yueshu's lips curled slightly. He'd suffered serious injuries, but Kushina had been rescued, just as he'd hoped.

That was enough.

And that wasn't all he'd gained, either. First and foremost, he had two draws from his rewards.

Taking a deep breath, Yueshu decided to use them. This time, he'd realized what he was capable of.

He was only a little stronger than an ordinary Chunin. That was nowhere near enough. Besides, this only reflected his combat strength; it didn't mean Yueshu was actually a Chunin.

"System, two draws."

"Congratulations, host. You have obtained the Kusanagi Sword and Swordmaster."

"Another sword-related reward? Is the system trying to make me wield a sword?"

Yueshu joked.

"Never mind. Wielding a sword sounds pretty good. Who hasn't dreamed of being a swordsman?"

Yueshu didn't dwell on it. He was quite satisfied with the swordsmanship and the Kusanagi Sword. Their ranks might not be especially high, but they were still a decent source of power.

Besides, he'd already planned to practice Hatake Kenjutsu. He'd intended to take the path of close-combat weapons anyway.

No matter where you went, there was never a shortage of people who used swords. Even in the Naruto World, where ninjas were dominant, samurai existed. Some of them didn't use chakra at all and could defeat Jonin with nothing but their physical prowess, though only a rare few could do that.

"Status."

Name: Himeshima Tsuki

Condition: Normal

Abilities: Rasengan (A-rank) Three-Tomoe Sharingan (B-rank) Senju Bloodline (Awakening) (A-rank) Swordmaster (B-rank) Fire Style Ninjutsu Pack (S-rank) Kusanagi Sword (B-rank)

Combat Strength: Jonin (??)

His combat strength had risen once again, from Chunin level to Jonin.

The system only gave an estimate of his combat strength, which didn't necessarily reflect his overall ability. Even so, this alone was enough to astonish the entire Naruto World.

After all, Yueshu was only eight years old. No one had ever seen an eight-year-old Jonin in the Naruto World.

Not even Kakashi or Itachi, who had both skipped grades all the way up, had been this monstrous.

It was easy to imagine just how terrifying Yueshu was now.

"Prodigy" was no longer enough to describe him. Yueshu had risen to the very peak of all geniuses.

He was a monster!

"Now I can become even stronger. I won't have to risk my life just to buy time for Konoha's reinforcements to arrive like I did before."

Yueshu clenched his fist. Everyone wanted to be stronger, no matter who they were.

Yueshu was no exception. In truth, he didn't particularly want to become all that powerful, nor did he dream of conquering the Ninja World. He didn't want to be a hero. He only wanted to live a relaxed life, like he had before crossing over, without having to worry about the world around him.

In his previous life, it had been money. In this life, it was strength! In this world, the strong were absolute rulers.

Yueshu clenched his fist, and just then, the door to his room suddenly swung open.

"You look pretty lively."

Yueshu didn't need to turn around. He recognized the voice immediately.

Who else could that teasing voice belong to? It was none other than the owner of the house, Tsunade.

"Well, it still hurts."

"If you know it hurts, then why are you moving around? You should've held back when you acted on impulse."

Tsunade sat beside Yueshu, looking as if she couldn't believe how reckless he was.

As a medical ninja, Tsunade hated people who didn't take care of their bodies.

"I couldn't help it. The situation was unusual. There wasn't time to think about anything else."

"Oh? You care a lot about that little Uzumaki girl, don't you? Have you fallen for her?"

Tsunade teased him.

"Of course not! What's going on in that head of yours? I'm only eight. Isn't it a little early to be thinking about that?"

"Who knows? Eight is neither too young nor too old."

Tsunade shrugged.

Yueshu sighed.

"Anyway, did you come in here for something? Surely you didn't come all this way just to say that."

"Well, I noticed some movement in here. Can't I come check on you?"

Tsunade ruffled Yueshu's hair, wearing a hearty grin.

"Humph."

Yueshu put on a disdainful expression.

"Hahaha, I'll stop teasing you. Get some rest. That little Uzumaki girl is really worried about you. She's come to see you several times and even helped take care of you."

"Be sure to thank her properly."

Tsunade waved and headed for the door. She closed it behind her as she left.

Yueshu sighed again.

Tsunade was always coming over to tease him, whether she had a reason or not.

Still, he'd never expected Kushina to come take care of him.

As he imagined the clumsy Kushina trying to look after someone, Yueshu couldn't help smiling softly.

What he didn't know was that Tsunade hadn't gone far. She remained perfectly still just outside the door.

"That presence... Yueshu, who are you, really?"

Tsunade whispered, just loud enough for herself to hear.

She could still remember how Yueshu had looked when she'd reached his side two days ago. He'd seemed close to death, but a tremendous vitality had kept him going.

Tsunade knew that vitality very well. Few people in the entire Ninja World knew it better than she did.

It belonged to a legend of the Ninja World: her grandfather, Senju Hashirama. It was the purest Wood Release chakra, brimming with vitality.

That presence hadn't appeared in decades. Wood Release had long since vanished, but now it had appeared in Yueshu.

It was no wonder the First's granddaughter had been so shaken.

Whatever Tsunade was feeling, Yueshu's own emotions were complicated.

Not long after Tsunade left, the main character behind the uproar that had recently unsettled all of Konoha came to visit him: Kushina Uzumaki.

Could anyone imagine Red Hot Habanero suddenly turning into a gentle, ladylike girl?

Yueshu certainly couldn't. But there was no helping it; he'd seen it with his own eyes.

Kushina's red hair was still a delight to the eye. She wasn't her usual boisterous, bold self. Instead, she seemed almost girlish, opening Yueshu's eyes to a whole new side of her.

"How are your injuries?"

Kushina sat beside Yueshu, a hint of tenderness in her eyes.

"Much better. Tsunade might not look it, but she's the best medical ninja in Konoha."

Yueshu smiled, showing her he was all right.

"That's good."

After Kushina spoke, she fell silent, and the room grew quiet with her.

"Um..."

"Hmm?"

"Did you mean what you said before?"

"Before? What did I say?"

Kushina took a deep breath and looked into Yueshu's eyes. Her round face had turned red, like a tempting apple.

"What you said when you came to rescue me."

Yueshu paused, looking at the blushing Kushina before him.

"Hahaha."

Yueshu couldn't help laughing, leaving Kushina flustered.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing. I just thought your reaction was kind of funny, Kushina."

"What part of it is funny?"

For once, Kushina looked like a shy girl, nothing like her usual big-sister self.

"Well..."

Yueshu stopped laughing.

"Every word was true."

His voice was quiet, but it carried a weight that belied its softness.

"Whether it was that I didn't want to lose you, or anything else..."

Yueshu gave a bitter smile.

"I don't really like being a hero, but I wouldn't mind being your hero."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Kushina burst out laughing.

"'I'll only be your hero'? That's so ridiculous."

"But..."

Kushina looked seriously into Yueshu's eyes.

"I'll make an exception for you."

"My hero, I look forward to getting along with you from now on."

Kushina tilted her head and gave Yueshu the most beautiful smile he'd seen since coming to the Naruto World.

"Honestly, you can count on me!"

The sun shone brightly outside the window. A gentle breeze carried whispers of love from far and near.

As the days passed, Kushina visited Yueshu every day. Minato Namikaze also made time to visit him now and then. Other than them, no one else came to see Yueshu.

Tsunade's Mystical Palm Technique was truly impressive. In only a few days, Yueshu had nearly recovered.

One thing worth mentioning was that after that day, Kushina and Yueshu grew much closer.

Yueshu hadn't noticed anything, but Tsunade had seen it clearly: Kushina had obviously started to feel something more for him.

It was different from the friendship or classmate bond they'd shared before. This was a feeling with a clearer purpose.

Children's hearts were still young and tender. They didn't understand what it meant; their feelings were only just beginning to grow.

Aside from that, Tsunade had started on her own work. She began secretly investigating Yueshu's background and even contacted Jiraiya, who was far away in Amegakure.

Yueshu still didn't know that his Wood Release had been exposed. He simply carried on with his usual daily routine.

"Lady Tsunade, are you working again today?"

Shizune carried a cup of tea into Tsunade's room, where Tsunade sat cross-legged on the tatami.

Tsunade had been like this for the past few days, suddenly becoming busy with something. Shizune didn't know what it was, but it had to be important. Tsunade had even put her lessons on hold.

"Yes. Sorry for the trouble, Shizune."

Tsunade was deep in thought. Shizune set down the tea and left without disturbing her.

"Himeshima Tsuki. I've never heard of that surname. A war orphan who survived in Amegakure, with a Konoha Forehead Protector strapped to his thigh."

Tsunade murmured. She'd spent the past two days gathering information about Yueshu, but unfortunately, she'd found nothing useful.

"Senju... Himeshima..."

Only Tsunade's quiet voice filled the room.

Jiraiya, who was in Amegakure, had also started to take an interest in Yueshu because of Tsunade.

Tsunade usually wasn't interested in children, and besides, she seemed to have taken him in.

"Himeshima, Himeshima... The name sounds a little familiar."

Meanwhile, Yueshu had no idea that two of the three Konoha Sannin, recently famous throughout the Ninja World, had taken an interest in him. He continued with his school life as usual.

Once he'd recovered, Yueshu went back to school as before. But after the Kushina incident, his fame had soared, making him the most famous young genius in Konoha—and even eclipsing Minato Namikaze, the civilian-born prodigy.

"Yueshu, are you feeling all right now?"

The one who spoke was Yueshu's only male friend, the once-famous civilian-born prodigy Minato Namikaze.

He wasn't jealous or upset at being surpassed. Instead, he wore a sun-bright smile as he asked how Yueshu was doing.

"Don't worry, I'm completely fine now. There's nothing to worry about."

Yueshu liked Minato. He had a good personality, was strong, and was handsome. What was there not to like?

"That's good. We've got another practical lesson in a couple of days. I'll have to beat you then, so you'd better be in good shape."

Minato joked.

"Bring it on. I'm not going to lose."

As always, Yueshu accepted Minato's challenge. He was just being a little unfair about it: Minato's combat strength was currently only at Genin level, and he was an ordinary Genin, while Yueshu was already at Jonin level. It was almost like an adult picking on a child.

But Minato didn't know that. Seeing his friend looking so lively put him at ease.

"You two, are you going to keep chatting when the teacher's already at the door?"

Kushina's voice drifted over from nearby. Only then did the two boys notice that their teacher had indeed reached the doorway.

"I'll head in first."

Seeing this, Minato Namikaze, being a good student, said goodbye and returned to his seat. Yueshu did the same.

"You're still so close with that sissy."

"If you talk about Minato that way, you'll hurt his feelings."

Yueshu could only laugh helplessly at the way Kushina referred to Minato Namikaze.

Though Minato Namikaze did have a somewhat delicate air about him, and a rather pretty face, calling him a sissy was still a bit of a stretch.

"Tch."

Yueshu smiled wryly. It seemed Kushina's opinion of Minato Namikaze wasn't going to change anytime soon.

"Quiet down, quiet down. We're starting class."

"You've all been studying for a year now. You've kept up with chakra control, Kunai practice, and Taijutsu. Good work, though a few of you are still slacking off."

"Today, we're going to learn the basic ninjutsu every ninja needs to know: the Three Basic Jutsu."

"The Three Basic Jutsu are the Clone Technique, the Substitution Technique, and the Transformation Jutsu—"

The teacher lectured at the front of the classroom. Before he knew it, Yueshu had already been in school for a year, and the lessons on the Three Basic Jutsu had finally begun.