Eroding Kushina Bit by Bit

"Your eyesight is that good?"

Kushina Uzumaki muttered.

She could barely make out the road herself.

"If you're scared, follow me."

Kiyoshi had Kushina follow behind him.

Konoha's technology was fairly advanced, with refrigerators, display screens, and all kinds of modern equipment.

But it was normal for streetlights to break down. Kiyoshi had never seen this area renovated; many of the buildings were old.

"Okay."

Kushina agreed to Kiyoshi's suggestion and followed behind him.

Well, it was different from the usual scenery.

With the streetlights broken, it was a rare experience for Kushina as well.

She looked toward some point in the darkness, her eyes dimming slightly.

Kiyoshi happened to turn back and caught the change in Kushina's eyes from the corner of his vision.

In the world of Naruto, every ninja village was extremely hostile toward the "Power of the Sacrifice."

The "Power of the Sacrifice" was what they called Jinchuriki—people who sacrificed themselves to seal Tailed Beasts within them and coexist with them.

Unfortunately, no one appreciated that kind of heroic sacrifice.

In the vast Konoha Village, the only place Kushina could move about was within the circular Sealing Barrier centered around the Uzumaki Clan shrine.

In other words, she could not even travel all of Konoha. Every day, she could only see the same scenery, drowning in the "whirlpool" of this era with no way to break free, over and over again...

And two Anbu watched her at all times.

"My name is Kiyoshi Uchiha. What's yours?"

After walking a few steps, Kiyoshi pretended to ask out of curiosity.

"I..."

Kushina glanced at Kiyoshi walking ahead of her, seemingly hesitating over whether to tell him her name.

Then she suddenly felt that his name sounded familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.

Kushina thought carefully and finally came up with a clue.

"I heard about you from Minato. Are you from the Land of Lightning?"

Kushina's rosy lips parted slightly.

"That's right. I only came to Konoha a few months ago. I've become much more familiar with this place, but there are still many places that feel unfamiliar."

Kiyoshi's voice carried a trace of loneliness.

Art of Speech (White) made his words sound more sincere.

It was just that the higher the other party's status compared to Kiyoshi's, the weaker the effect became.

"Me too. My name is Kushina Uzumaki."

Behind him, Kushina excitedly patted her chest, making the captivating curves tremble slightly.

"I came from outside too, though I arrived a few years before you."

It was the first time Kushina had met someone with circumstances similar to her own.

After Whirlpool Country was destroyed, she was the only surviving descendant of the Uzumaki Clan to come here.

The other scattered survivors of the clan had also dispersed throughout the Shinobi World, concealing their names and no longer using Uzumaki as their surname.

In her excitement, Kushina began asking Kiyoshi how he felt about coming to Konoha.

Kiyoshi deliberately stopped and began chatting with Kushina.

His black eyes reflected Kushina's vivid red hair and delicate face.

His Eye Power stirred.

It had to be said that, as Naruto's mother, Kushina was exceptionally charming.

Kiyoshi suppressed that stirring. The Anbu were still watching.

Making contact with Kushina today was enough. The rest could develop slowly, eroding her bit by bit.

That way, Kiyoshi's Eye Power would increase, and Kushina likely would not suffer the tragic fate from the original story either.

Everyone had a bright future ahead.

After a while, the two gradually emerged from the alley. The streetlights in the distance grew brighter, casting their glow over them.

Yet as the light and shadow shifted, the shadows on Kiyoshi's face became even deeper.

Konoha streets.

Natsu Hyuga had waited in line for quite some time before buying dessert, then hurried toward the Hyuga Clan.

"You're back so late."

Ginka Hyuga, who had gone out for a stroll, ran into Natsu as she returned.

"Lady Ginka, I was delayed on the way."

Natsu lowered her head and recounted what had happened on the road.

"Uchiha?"

A thoughtful glint flashed through Ginka's eyes. It seemed a new Uchiha had arrived in the village. The clan head had even instructed every Hyuga clansman not to let the Byakugan leak out, and had inspected the Caged Bird Curse Mark on the foreheads of the branch family members.

"The Uchiha are an inherently evil clan. Stay away from him."

Ginka spoke.

"...Yes."

Since it was Ginka's order, Natsu could not argue.

Though she did not know why the Uchiha were called "inherently evil."

The two left the street and headed away into the distance.

"These people really do love judging others with prejudice."

Kushina and Kiyoshi emerged from the alley and heard someone mention the "inherently evil Uchiha."

She had also been bullied before because of her red hair, so she strongly empathized with him.

"It's fine."

Kiyoshi shook his head.

An inherently evil Uchiha, huh.

His unique way of awakening his eyes had already doomed him to never become a "kind" Uchiha.

Whether it was Kushina, Natsu Hyuga, or that main family member, all of them would become nourishment for his growth.

"Then, see you next time."

Kiyoshi waved goodbye.

Kushina returned the gesture.

After Kiyoshi left, a blond-haired man came to find Kushina.

"Sorry. I went out on a mission today and got back late."

The man had a gentle face and smiled apologetically.

"Don't let it happen again, Minato."

Kushina forgave Minato Namikaze for being late this time.

Just as they were about to leave, she suddenly remembered that Kiyoshi Uchiha, whose circumstances were similar to hers, had not shown any strange reaction to her red hair.

"What is it?"

Minato Namikaze caught his breath, recovering from the Physical Energy he had spent running over.

He had thought Kushina said she was fine, but was secretly sulking.

"It's nothing."

Kushina shook her head.

Minato Namikaze scratched his head, utterly confused.

A month passed, and Kiyoshi finally had all the basic theoretical knowledge committed to memory.

The school handed out books and had reissued all the ones from previous years.

There was not actually much to learn, since the Ninja Academy was attended by children after all.

The six-year system had been established with children's memory and attention spans in mind.

He had an adult soul and learned quickly.

Later, the Uchiha Clan also gave Kiyoshi some materials—preliminary education that ordinary Uchiha ninja would receive.

Thus, Kiyoshi mastered all of it through self-study alone.

"Huh? Kiyoshi, you're graduating early?"

Kurenai Yuhi, who had only just gotten used to receiving tutoring from Kiyoshi, felt as if the sky were falling when she heard the news.

Although her father, Mahiru Yuhi, also taught her genjutsu and knew more than Kiyoshi did,

interacting with someone her own age was clearly more relaxing than facing her strict father.

"Yeah. I submitted my application yesterday."

Kiyoshi said.

"Then... then I want to graduate early too."

Kurenai thought for a moment before speaking.

Her father had already taught her many of the things the Ninja Academy taught.

Only true civilians needed to follow the curriculum step by step. Before that, many students from ninja clans with resources at home could graduate early.

Of course, there were different levels of early graduation. Kakashi's grades belonged to the very highest tier.

"Are you sure?"

Kiyoshi looked at Kurenai.

Kurenai's face still had a bit of baby fat, making her look soft and round. At that moment, though, her little face was tense, and she looked extremely serious.

"Mm."

Kurenai nodded.