"Today, we'll continue learning." Mito sat on a cushion beside them, holding an ancient sealing jutsu diagram. "Mirai, you said you'd mastered the Four Symbols Seal yesterday. Let me test you."
She casually drew a simple jutsu formation on the floor and had Mirai demonstrate the sealing process on the spot.
Without another word, Mirai formed hand seals, guided his Chakra, and set the seal. The entire process flowed smoothly, without a single unnecessary movement.
In the original story, the Four Symbols Seal had been used by Shimura Danzō to seal an entire bridge at the cost of his life.
A whole massive stone bridge. Its power had been tremendous.
But Mirai was only using a miniature version right now. With his astonishing control, there was naturally no need for him to pay with his life.
It only consumed a bit of Chakra.
Mito nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. You can begin learning the Five Elements Seal."
She pulled out a new scroll and handed it to Mirai. "The Five Elements Seal involves balancing Chakra of five different attributes. It's far more complicated than the Four Symbols Seal. Read through it yourself first, and ask me if there's anything you don't understand."
Mirai took it and immediately lowered his head to read.
Then Mito turned to Kushina. "Kushina, have you memorized the core chant of the Four Symbols Seal yet?"
Kushina: "..."
Mito sighed. "I knew you hadn't. Take this. Copy the second section fifty times, then recite it to me when you're done."
Pouting, Kushina accepted the paper and brush, lay across the table, and began copying. But before her brush had moved more than a few times, her gaze drifted uncontrollably toward Mirai beside her.
He sat cross-legged with the scroll spread over his knees. One hand turned the pages while the other traced the flow of the jutsu formation in the air. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his lips moved faintly as he murmured something under his breath.
The lamplight fell over his red hair, casting it in a warm glow.
Kushina stared blankly, her brush tip frozen over the paper. She did not even notice a drop of ink spreading across it.
Mito saw all of it. She lifted her teacup for a sip and let out a long sigh in her heart.
That child's feelings were impossible to hide.
But she did not expose her. The thoughts of young people were sometimes less beautiful once spoken aloud.
Better to let things take their course, as long as it did not interfere with what mattered.
An hour later, Mito rose to her feet. "I'm going to prepare dinner. You two keep practicing here, and no slacking off."
Once she had gone far enough away, Kushina immediately tossed aside her brush, scooted over to Mirai, and lay beside him with her chin resting on the tabletop, head tilted as she watched him.
"Mirai, how's your studying going?"
"Not bad." Mirai did not look up. "The theoretical framework of the Five Elements Seal is more complicated than the Four Symbols Seal, but their core logic is connected."
"I don't understand."
"...Then master the Four Symbols Seal first."
"No, I just want to watch you study."
Mirai finally looked up and gave her a helpless glance. "Are you done copying?"
"No."
"Then go copy it. If Grandma Mito comes back and catches you slacking off, she'll flick your forehead again."
Kushina puffed out her cheeks but did not leave. She buried her face in the crook of her arms, leaving only her eyes visible as she muttered, "Let me rest for a while... No one's rushing me anyway."
"...How are you supposed to become the Hokage's woman acting like this?"
"Then when can I become the Hokage's woman?"
"Uh, at least... more than ten years from now?"
"Then I'm not in a hurry. It'll still be time to work hard ten years from now."
Mirai was so exasperated by her twisted logic that he did not know whether to laugh or cry. He simply ignored her and lowered his head to continue reading the scroll.
Kushina remained lying beside him, quietly watching him.
The dim Sealing Room held only the soft rustle of turning pages and their shallow breaths.
She suddenly felt that staying like this forever would not be so bad.
Izumi Uchiha, Mikoto Uchiha, none of them mattered.
After all, the one by his side after school was Kushina Uzumaki.
Of course, it would have been even better if Grandma Mito had not insisted that she learn sealing jutsu.
When their evening training ended, the two returned to the main house and happened to run into Tsunade coming back from outside.
She was clearly in a terrible mood. Her blonde hair hung messily over her shoulders, her pretty face drawn long, and even the force with which she kicked off her shoes was stronger than usual.
"Tsunade, what's wrong?" Kushina asked with concern.
"I'm annoyed. Leave me alone." Tsunade collapsed onto the sofa, as though all the bones in her body had been pulled out.
Mirai Uzumaki's eyes shifted as he walked over to her. "Tsunade, want me to give you a massage? You massaged me for a month. It's my turn to return the favor."
Tsunade glanced at him, hesitated for a moment, then lazily rolled over and lay facedown on the sofa. "Go ahead. I'll take a bath first. Focus on the important spots later. My shoulders are killing me."
"Okay~"
Tsunade went to soak in the bath. When she came out, she wore only a short towel, exposing broad stretches of her pale shoulders and back. Droplets of water still clung to her skin.
A pair of taut, shapely long legs extended from beneath the towel, making Mirai Uzumaki's eyes light up. As expected of the woman who could use the Heavenly Foot of Pain!
He swallowed and rubbed his hands together before sitting beside her, placing both hands on her shoulders and beginning to knead them.
Tsunade let out a comfortable hum and relaxed completely.
She did not treat Mirai like an outsider at all. He was just a seven-year-old brat. What improper thoughts could he possibly have?
As the massage continued, the towel gradually loosened and slipped down slightly, exposing more and more of that snowy-white, rounded skin.
Mirai enjoyed the view while massaging her. Tsunade really did have an incredible figure.
Her thighs were white and long, the curves of her upper body were equally impressive, her waist was slender, and her skin was so smooth and firm that it seemed to glow.
He nearly lost control of the force in his hands.
Just then, Tsunade suddenly opened one eye and shot him a sidelong look. "Brat, what are you looking at?"
"The scenery." Mirai kept a straight face. "Beautiful scenery."
Smack!
A sharp knock landed on his head.
"Scenery, my ass! Massage properly!"
Grimacing, Mirai rubbed his head and obediently withdrew his gaze, continuing the massage.
But he thought, I'll make you pay for that sooner or later, Tsunade.
After massaging for a while, Mirai's hands gradually grew lighter, and his tone turned casual. "Tsunade, you were in a bad mood today because you lost at gambling? How much did you lose?"
"What do you mean, how much did I lose?!" Tsunade suddenly rolled over, nearly letting the towel slip off. She hurriedly grabbed it and held it in place, glaring at Mirai. "Do I look like someone who only loses money at the gambling table?"
Mirai silently stared at her for two seconds.
Tsunade grew guilty under his gaze and looked away. "...Fine, I did lose a little today, but that's not the point!"
"Then what is?"
Tsunade sighed, rolled back onto her stomach, and spoke into the sofa cushion. "At today's Jonin Summit, I proposed setting up medical units within ninja squads, with at least one medical ninja assigned to every team.
"That way, when someone gets injured during a mission, they can receive treatment immediately. A lot fewer people would die."
She paused, her voice gaining a hint of irritation.
"But the old men in the logistics department rejected it outright. They said the budget was insufficient, there weren't enough people, and the training period was too long.
"The other Jonin all thought it was unnecessary too. They said things like, 'Ninjas should already know how to treat their own wounds,' and, 'Who has time in the middle of a battlefield to let someone treat them?'... A bunch of stubborn old fools."
"Only one person agreed with my proposal."
Mirai's hands paused slightly. "Who?"
"Dan Katō." There was surprise and gratitude in Tsunade's voice. "He said, 'Every ninja on the battlefield is a precious resource. One more medical ninja means one more life saved.'"
"Unfortunately, his words carried little weight too, so the proposal ultimately failed."
The moment Mirai heard that name, his expression turned serious.
Dan Katō.
Tsunade's boyfriend in the original story. He later died in the Shinobi World War. His death, along with Nawaki's, left a lifelong shadow in Tsunade's heart and caused her to develop hemophobia.
So this was how it began—everyone in the room opposed her, and only Dan Katō supported her. How could Tsunade not remember him?
"What about Senior Jiraiya and Senior Orochimaru?" Mirai asked.
"They were both out on missions and didn't attend the meeting. Otherwise, at least Orochimaru could have said something for me..."
Tsunade's voice grew quieter and quieter, carrying obvious disappointment.
Mirai was silent for a moment before speaking.
"Tsunade, I think your proposal is very good."
Tsunade tilted her head slightly, revealing one eye as she looked at him. "What does a little brat like you know?"
"I do know." Mirai's hands continued massaging, but his tone was serious. "Think about it. If someone in a ninja squad is seriously injured during a mission, wouldn't they have no choice but to retreat?
"But if the team had a medical ninja, they could treat the injury on the spot and continue the mission.
"Also, medical ninjas could assess their teammates' physical condition beforehand and prevent non-combat losses caused by excessive exhaustion."
Tsunade froze.
"And another thing," Mirai continued, "if every team had a medical ninja, those medical ninjas would gain far more experience in combat than they would simply working in hospitals.
"A medical ninja who grows through real combat is a hundred times stronger than one who only knows how to treat injuries."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Tsunade abruptly sat up, and the towel nearly slipped off again. This time, she did not even think to grab it. Her eyes widened as she stared at Mirai. "You... Where did you learn all that?"
"It was written on a sealing scroll," Mirai lied without changing expression, though his gaze had already started wandering.
He could not help it. With Tsunade's towel slipping down, the attraction of a certain place was simply too great.
As the saying went, the greater the mass, the greater the gravity. So Mirai could not be blamed for this either.
"One of Grandma Mito's scrolls talks about the history of battlefield medicine."
Tsunade stared at him for several seconds, then suddenly pulled him into her arms and hugged him tightly.
"You little brat... You really are..." Her voice was muffled, carrying a faint nasal tone. "You understand things better than those stubborn old fools."
Mirai was buried in a patch of soft warmth and instantly forgot what he had wanted to say.
Facial cleanser—this was the legendary facial cleanser!
He felt like he was about to lose control of his nosebleed.
Luckily, he was only a child. Otherwise, he would have made a fool of himself.
Tsunade released him after hugging him for a while. In her eyes, Mirai was only a child, so there was nothing wrong with hugging him.
She lay back down and pulled the towel up to cover the beautiful scenery. Much of the gloom on her face had already faded.
"But what good is it if only you agree? If it can't pass the Jonin Summit, then everything I say is pointless."
Mirai rubbed his still somewhat dazed nose and looked at Tsunade's disappointed profile, his eyes shifting again.
Tsunade is mine. I definitely can't let Dan Katō have her.
So the best solution was to help Tsunade get this proposal approved himself.
That would both cut off Dan Katō's chance to win her favor through this and make Tsunade see him in a new light.
The corners of his lips slowly curled into a smile.
"Tsunade, how about... I help you come up with a solution?"
Before you continue