The Return to Daily Life

"Mission: Rescue Kushina Uzumaki from the Cloud Village completed. Reward: one lucky draw."

"Mission: Survive this rescue operation completed. Reward: one lucky draw."

The cold, electronic voice rang out in his mind like an alarm clock piercing deep into his marrow, jolting Himeshima Tsuki awake instantly.

What met his eyes was a ceiling, one he knew all too well—it was the ceiling of his own room.

"I'm back?"

Tsuki murmured to himself. He remembered hearing a voice at the very end, which was what had allowed him to close his eyes in relief.

He knew who had arrived, and it was precisely because of that that he trusted Kushina would be alright.

"So painful."

Tsuki tried to move, but a surge of agony immediately made him grit his teeth.

"Almost died there."

Tsuki curled the corners of his mouth. Although he was severely injured, Kushina had been saved just as he had intended.

That alone was enough.

Besides, it wasn't just that; he had gained quite a bit, starting with the two lucky draw opportunities he had been rewarded.

Taking a deep breath, Tsuki decided to proceed with the draws. This time, he had truly recognized his own limitations.

He was only slightly better than an average Chunin, which was completely insufficient. Furthermore, that was merely his displayed combat power; it didn't necessarily mean he was a Chunin in every sense.

"System, two lucky draws."

"Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Kusanagi Sword and Swordmaster."

"More sword-related stuff? Is the system trying to turn me into a swordsman?"

Tsuki joked, venting his thoughts.

"Whatever, being a swordsman isn't bad. Who doesn't have a dream of being a master of the blade?"

Tsuki didn't dwell on it too much. He was quite satisfied with the sword technique and the Kusanagi Sword. While their grade might not be top-tier, they were still a decent source of power.

Moreover, he had originally intended to practice Hatake Kenjutsu and follow the path of cold weapons anyway.

No matter the place, there was never a shortage of sword users. Even in this Naruto World, where ninjas reigned supreme, there were still samurai. Some of these samurai didn't even use chakra, relying solely on their physical bodies to defeat Jonin—though, of course, those were only a rare few.

"Status."

Name: Himeshima Tsuki

Status: Normal

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

Combat Power: Jonin (??)

His combat power had risen once again, moving from the Chunin level to the Jonin level.

Although the combat power provided by the system didn't necessarily represent his overall capability, this alone was enough to shock the entire Naruto World.

One had to remember that Tsuki was only eight years old. An eight-year-old Jonin had never been seen before in the Naruto World.

Not even Kakashi or Itachi, who had been promoted through the ranks at record speeds, had been this monstrous.

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

"Genius" was no longer enough to describe him; Tsuki was already standing at the very pinnacle of all geniuses.

He was a freak of nature!

"With this, I can become even stronger. I won't have to risk my life just to stall for time until Konoha's reinforcements arrive like I did before."

Tsuki clenched his fists. No matter who it was, everyone hoped for greater strength.

Tsuki was no exception. In truth, he didn't crave immense power, nor did he have any dreams or ambitions of conquering the ninja world. For Tsuki, he had no desire to be a hero; he simply wanted to live a leisurely life like he had before he transmigrated, without being troubled by the world.

In his past life, it was economics; in this life, it was strength! In this world, the strong were the absolute kings.

As Tsuki gripped his fists, the room door suddenly slid open.

"Still feeling energetic, are we?"

He didn't need to turn his head; just by the sound of the voice, he knew who it was.

Who else could it be but that teasing voice? It was none other than the owner of this house—Tsunade.

"Well, it still hurts quite a bit."

"If you know it hurts, then stop moving around. Why didn't you hold back when you were being so reckless?"

Tsunade sat down beside Tsuki, wearing an expression of exasperation.

As a medical ninja, Tsunade detested those who didn't take proper care of their own bodies.

"I had no choice. The situation was special; there was no time to think about all that."

"Oh? You're quite concerned about that little girl from the Uzumaki clan. Did you fall for her?"

Tsunade teased with a smirk.

"That's not it at all! What on earth are you thinking? I'm only eight years old, do you really think I'd be thinking about such things this early?"

"Who knows? Eight isn't exactly young, but it isn't old either."

Tsunade shrugged her shoulders.

Yueshu sighed.

"Anyway, is there a reason you came in? You didn't come all this way just to say that to me, did you?"

"Well, can't I just come over to check on you when I notice some movement over here?"

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

"Tch."

Yueshu put on a look of disdain.

"Hahaha, I'll stop teasing you. Get some rest. That little girl from the Uzumaki clan has been very worried about you; she came looking for you several times and even helped take care of you."

"Make sure you thank her properly."

Tsunade waved her hand, walked to the door, and closed it behind her as she left.

Yueshu sighed once more.

That Tsunade, she always comes over to tease me whenever she has the chance.

Still, it's truly unexpected that a girl like Kushina would come to look after me.

Thinking this, Yueshu pictured Kushina clumsily trying to take care of him and couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.

What he didn't know was that Tsunade, who had just stepped out, didn't leave right away; instead, she stood silently by the door.

"That aura... Yueshu, just who are you?"

Tsunade whispered, her voice audible only to herself.

She still vaguely remembered two days ago, when she had rushed to Yueshu's side. He had been on the verge of death, yet a surge of vigorous vitality had been constantly sustaining his life.

Tsunade was intimately familiar with that life force—there were few in the entire ninja world more familiar with it than she was.

It belonged to the legend of the ninja world, her grandfather—Senju Hashirama's aura. It was the purest, most untainted Wood Release chakra, overflowing with vitality.

An aura that hadn't appeared in decades, a Wood Release that had long since vanished, had now manifested in Yueshu.

It was no wonder the First Hokage's granddaughter was so emotionally shaken.

Regardless of Tsunade's state of mind, Yueshu's own feelings were quite complicated right now.

Not long after Tsunade left, the protagonist who had been keeping all of Konoha in an uproar—Kushina Uzumaki—came to visit him.

Could you imagine Kushina, known as the Red Hot Habanero, suddenly transforming into a gentle, ladylike figure?

Yueshu certainly couldn't have imagined it, but he had no choice; he was seeing it with his own eyes.

Kushina, with her head of red hair, was as eye-catching as ever. She wasn't her usual boisterous, heroic self, but rather acted like a shy young woman, which was a real eye-opener for Yueshu.

"How are your injuries?"

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

"A lot better. Don't let Tsunade's attitude fool you; she is, after all, Konoha's greatest medical ninja."

Yueshu smiled, indicating that there was nothing to worry about.

"That's good."

Kushina fell silent after saying that, and the room suddenly grew quiet as well.

"Um."

"Yeah?"

"What you said before... were you serious?"

"Before? What did you say?"

Kushina took a deep breath and looked into Yueshu's eyes. Her small, round face was already flushed, looking just like an enticing apple.

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

Yueshu froze, looking at the blushing Kushina in front of him.

"Hahaha."

Yueshu couldn't help but laugh out loud, leaving Kushina at a complete loss.

"What are you laughing at!"

"Nothing, it's just that your reaction, Kushina, is quite interesting."

"How so!"

It was rare to see Kushina acting like such a young woman, a complete reversal of her usual bossy persona.

"Well."

Yueshu stopped smiling.

"Everything I said is true."

Himeshima Tsuki's voice rang out softly, yet it carried a heavy weight despite its lightness.

"Whether it's the fact that I don't want to lose you, or anything else."

Tsuki gave a bitter smile.

"Although I don't particularly like being a hero, I'm quite willing to be yours."

"What kind of talk is that?"

Kushina burst into a giggle.

"What do you mean, 'only my hero'? You're really reckless."

"But."

Kushina looked into Tsuki's eyes with sincerity.

"I'll grant you permission."

"My hero, please take care of me from now on."

Kushina tilted her head, revealing the most beautiful smile Tsuki had seen since arriving in the Naruto World.

"Honestly, leave it to me!"

Outside the window, the sun was bright and the breeze blew gently, carrying the whispers of love from near and far.

Days passed one by one. Kushina came to visit Tsuki every day, and Minato Namikaze would occasionally find time to drop by as well; other than them, no one else came to see him.

Tsunade's Mystical Palm Technique was truly formidable, and within just a few days, Tsuki's body had almost fully recovered.

It is worth mentioning that after that day, the relationship between Kushina and Tsuki rose sharply.

Although Tsuki didn't notice anything, Tsunade saw it clearly: Kushina obviously had other thoughts regarding Tsuki.

It was different from their previous friendship or camaraderie as classmates; it was a feeling that held more purpose.

A child's heart is still tender and does not yet understand what this is; it was merely the beginning of their emotions taking root.

Beyond this, Tsunade also began her own work. She started secretly investigating Tsuki's origins, even contacting Jiraiya, who was far away in Amegakure.

Meanwhile, Tsuki, unaware that his Wood Release had been exposed, continued his daily life as planned.

"Lady Tsunade, are you working again today?"

Shizune walked into Tsunade's room carrying tea, finding Tsunade sitting cross-legged on the tatami.

Tsunade had been like this for the past few days, suddenly busy with something. Although Shizune didn't know what it was, it had to be important, as even her training had been pushed aside.

"Yes, sorry to trouble you, Shizune."

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

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

Tsunade whispered. Over the past two days, she had gathered information on Tsuki, but unfortunately, there was nothing useful.

"Senju, Himeshima—"

Only Tsunade's soft voice filled the room.

And Jiraiya, currently in Amegakure, had also begun to take an interest in Tsuki because of Tsunade.

Tsunade wouldn't normally be interested in a child, let alone take one in.

"Himeshima, Himeshima... I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before."

At this very moment, Tsuki had no idea that two of the Legendary Sannin, who had just made a name for themselves in the ninja world, were interested in him. He was still living his school life just as he had before.

After recovering, Tsuki went to school as usual. However, because of the Kushina incident, Tsuki had become famous in one fell swoop, becoming the most renowned genius in Konoha, even surpassing the civilian genius, Minato Namikaze.

"Tsuki, is your body alright now?"

The one who spoke was Tsuki's only male friend, the previously most famous civilian genius, Minato Namikaze.

At this moment, he felt no jealousy or frustration at being surpassed; instead, he offered his concern with a sun-like smile.

"Don't worry, I'm completely healed. It's nothing serious."

Tsuki quite liked Minato; after all, he had a good personality, real strength, and a decent appearance—what reason was there to dislike him?

"That's good. We have another practical combat class in two days. I'll have to beat you then, so you can't be in bad shape."

Minato said half-jokingly.

"Bring it on. I won't lose."

Regarding Minato's challenge, Tsuki accepted it directly, just as he always did. It was a bit of a bully move, though; Minato's current combat level was only that of a genin, and a common one at that. With Tsuki already at the level of a jonin, it was like an adult picking on a child.

But Minato didn't know this, and seeing his friend in such high spirits, he felt much more at ease.

"You two, the teacher is already at the door—are you still going to chat?"

Kushina drifted over with a comment, and the two men realized the teacher had indeed already reached the doorway.

"I'll be going then."

Seeing this, Minato Namikaze, being a good student, said his goodbyes and returned to his seat, as did Yueshu.

"You and that sissy are still as close as ever."

"If you say that about Minato, he's going to be sad."

Yueshu couldn't help but laugh bitterly at the nickname Kushina had for Minato.

Although Minato did indeed have a delicate air about him and a very refined face, calling him a sissy was a stretch.

"Tch."

Yueshu gave a wry smile; it seemed Kushina's opinion of Minato wouldn't be changing anytime soon.

"Quiet, everyone, quiet. We are going to begin our lesson now."

"You have all been studying for a year now. You haven't fallen behind on chakra refinement, kunai practice, or taijutsu training, and you've done well—though there are still a few individuals who have been slacking off."

"Today, we are going to learn the fundamental ninjutsu for a ninja: the Body Replacement Technique, the Clone Technique, and the Transformation Technique—collectively known as the Three Basic Jutsu."

"The Three Basic Jutsu consist of the Clone Technique, the Body Replacement Technique, and the Transformation Technique—"

As the teacher lectured from the podium, Yueshu realized that he had been in school for a year without even noticing, and the time to learn the Three Basic Jutsu had finally arrived.