Little Kushina Wants to Get Stronger

The fact that Uchiha Kurohane had awakened his Sharingan at the age of nine was so shocking that it shattered the record for the Uchiha clan since the founding of Konoha.

The entire venue fell into complete chaos. Even Uchiha Setsuna could not restore order, and he was forced to adjourn the clan meeting.

Uchiha Kurohane used the excuse of needing to finish his homework to slip away immediately.

At the same time.

Kushina Uzumaki walked into Uzumaki Mito's room and spoke earnestly to her grandmother, who was sitting on the bed with her eyes closed in meditation.

"Grandmother, can you teach me powerful ninjutsu? I want to become stronger!"

Kushina Uzumaki recalled how she had been too terrified to do anything when Uchiha Kurohane was surrounded by three genin earlier.

She felt deeply ashamed and filled with regret.

Although the outcome was positive and Uchiha Kurohane had easily defeated the enemies, that was only because he was strong and the enemies were merely genin.

In the future, when they participated in the Ninja World War, they would encounter chunin and jonin, and the number of enemies would only increase.

Kushina Uzumaki wanted to fight alongside Uchiha Kurohane when that time came; she wanted to protect him, which was why she wanted to become stronger.

Seeing the determined look in Kushina Uzumaki's eyes, Uzumaki Mito wore a look of surprise.

"You are destined to become the jinchuriki of Konoha. The ninjas of Konoha will use every means to protect you, so you do not need to fight yourself. Why do you want to become stronger?"

Kushina Uzumaki's small face flushed red. She lowered her head shyly, twiddling her index fingers together.

"That is because... because... there is someone I want to protect."

After hesitating for a while, she finally voiced the thoughts in her heart.

Uzumaki Mito revealed a gratified smile.

As a jinchuriki herself, she knew the tragic fate that awaited them.

She believed that the only way to bring happiness to a jinchuriki was to fill their empty heart with love.

As a ninja of Konoha, Uzumaki Mito was well aware of the village's exclusionary customs.

She had been worried that Kushina Uzumaki would be unable to make friends at school.

Now, she realized her worries had been unnecessary.

A strong sense of curiosity welled up within Uzumaki Mito.

Kushina Uzumaki had only been at school for two days; who could she possibly want to protect so soon?

Who was capable enough to earn that?

Uzumaki Mito immediately thought of a golden Pineapple Head—Namikaze Minato.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had once told her that Namikaze Minato was a rare prodigy, seen only once in a century.

He possessed immense talent, ranked first in his class, and, most commendably, had grasped the Will of Fire at such a young age.

At the time, Sarutobi Hiruzen had guaranteed to Uzumaki Mito that Namikaze Minato would certainly protect Kushina Uzumaki well, telling her not to worry.

Uzumaki Mito trusted Sarutobi Hiruzen's judgment and held high expectations for Namikaze Minato.

With a playful, gossiping tone, Uzumaki Mito asked with a smile, "Who is this person you want to protect? Is he your boyfriend?"

Kushina Uzumaki's face turned even redder, and she immediately retorted in a shy, flustered manner.

"No, don't say such things! He's just a classmate..."

Kushina Uzumaki stuttered nervously, her speech becoming incoherent.

Watching the young girl who couldn't hide her feelings, Uzumaki Mito sighed in her heart at the beauty of youth.

"Don't be shy. Grandmother is not an outsider; I will support your romance."

Kushina Uzumaki felt so ashamed she could have died. To prevent her grandmother from overthinking, she continued to explain.

"No, Grandmother, you really misunderstood. There is truly nothing between us; we are just ordinary classmates... If I had to say, he should be my underling!"

Uzumaki Mito raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"What is an underling?"

Because Uzumaki Mito had spent so much time within the barrier without anyone to talk to, she had become disconnected from the times.

She did not quite understand the meaning of "underling" as used by the youth today. She hadn't asked last time, but this time, she couldn't help but want to inquire in detail.

Kushina Uzumaki had a competitive personality, and upon hearing this question, she proudly puffed out her chest.

"I am his big sister-boss. I will protect him, and he will listen to my orders. That is what an underling is."

Although in reality, Kushina Uzumaki acknowledged that she acted as Uchiha Kurohane's underling, because she was older than him, she considered Uchiha Kurohane to be her underling in her heart.

And she felt incredibly proud of herself for having an underling.

Uzumaki Mito was conservative in her thinking, interpreting "henpecked" as a man who feared his wife.

She happened to find Namikaze Minato a bit effeminate, confirming her suspicions.

Thinking she had the answer, Uzumaki Mito did not press the matter further.

"Very well, I shall teach you a powerful ninjutsu that can make you dozens of times stronger."

Upon hearing this, Kushina Uzumaki's large eyes lit up instantly.

She lunged to the side of Uzumaki Mito's bed, grabbed her hand, and asked, "Dozens of times stronger? What kind of ninjutsu is that powerful?"

Uzumaki Mito pursed her lips into a smile and proudly revealed the name of the technique.

"Multi-Shadow Clone Technique."

Chirp, chirp!

The sound of birds outside the window woke Uchiha Kurohane up.

Uchiha Kurohane climbed out of bed at a leisurely pace, let out a yawn, and instinctively glanced at the clock on the table.

8:55 AM.

He would be late in five minutes!

However, there was not a ripple of concern in his heart.

After obtaining the ability of the Yatagarasu Substitute, he could swap places at any time with any crow he had signed a Summoning Contract with.

He had signed contracts with hundreds of crows, secretly distributing them to every corner of Konoha, including the Ninja Academy.

It only took one second to weave the hand signs, and he could instantly teleport into the Ninja Academy.

After washing up, Uchiha Kurohane immediately wove the signs, though not to teleport to the school, but to a deserted forest.

Although yesterday's battle had been effortless, Uchiha Kurohane had encountered a problem during the fight.

He did not know the cooldown time for the Yatagarasu Substitute's automatic activation when attacked; this was a crucial detail he needed to understand clearly.

Uchiha Kurohane took a shuriken from his pouch and drew it across the skin of his arm.

This was to trigger the Yatagarasu Substitute's automatic defensive ability.

Poof! With a sound, Uchiha Kurohane swapped places with a nearby crow, instantly appearing on a tree branch.

Uchiha Kurohane counted to three in his heart, then used the shuriken to slash his arm again.

Slash!

This time, he did not swap places; a three-centimeter-long wound appeared on his arm, and a streak of blood welled up from the cut.

Since he did not swap, it meant the cooldown for the Yatagarasu Substitute's automatic activation was longer than three seconds.

Uchiha Kurohane licked the blood from his wound with his tongue, tasted the metallic tang, and continued his testing.