Izumi Uchiha

At the same time.

Ninja Academy playground.

Teacher Toriyama Kazunari stood before the target area, holding a kunai as he demonstrated.

"Listen up! There are three most important things in kunai throwing—center of gravity, rotation, and timing of release! Watch closely!"

With a flick of his wrist, the kunai flew out and struck the bullseye with precision.

"Smack—right on target!"

Scattered applause rose from below.

Toriyama Kazunari smugly adjusted his glasses. "All right, now come up and try one at a time! Line up by student number!"

The first to step up was a chubby boy. He threw with all his strength—the kunai skimmed past the edge of the target and embedded itself in the back wall.

"Fail! Next!"

The second, third, fourth...

"Fail! Next!"

Occasionally, someone managed to hit the target, but Toriyama Kazunari merely curled his lip. "Passable. Next!"

When it was Kushina Uzumaki's turn, she took a deep breath and walked to the throwing line.

Yesterday's "calling in the parents" incident had become known throughout the school. The playground was silent now, and no one dared jeer anymore.

Still, Kushina felt as though every gaze was fixed on her.

"Come on, believe in yourself, Kushina!" Minato Namikaze gave her a gentle smile, warm as a little sun.

But Kushina did not look at him. Instead, her gaze fell on the red-haired boy in the crowd, whose hair matched her own.

Mirai Uzumaki met her eyes and smiled as well. "Don't be nervous. Just do as the teacher said."

Only then did Kushina look away and take another deep breath.

Biting her lip, she picked up a kunai and hurled it with all the strength she had—

"Whoosh—smack!"

The kunai traced an exaggerated arc, sailed far beyond the target, hit the ground, bounced twice, and rolled into the grass.

The entire field fell silent for a moment.

"Ha ha... mmph!" Someone nearly laughed, only for their companion to clamp a hand over their mouth.

Remembering the unlucky students who had been tied up like rice dumplings by the Golden Chains yesterday, they forcibly swallowed their laughter.

Kushina's face flushed bright red, and her red hair stirred without wind like a burning flame.

She grabbed a second kunai and threw it with all her might—

"Whoosh—smack!"

It flew even farther off course than the first, stabbing into the ground three inches in front of Teacher Toriyama Kazunari's feet.

Cold sweat poured down Toriyama Kazunari's face as he took half a step back. "Uh... well... you certainly have strength. Your accuracy just needs more practice..."

Blushing furiously, Kushina gripped the third kunai, her fingers trembling.

"I'll teach you!" Mirai Uzumaki rubbed his forehead, stepped out of the line, and patted Kushina on the shoulder.

"You're using too much force. Relax your wrist a little, like this."

Standing behind Kushina, he held the wrist gripping her kunai and adjusted its angle. "Look at the bullseye. Don't stare at the whole target—look at that red dot."

"Breathe. Don't hold your breath."

Feeling the warmth on her wrist, Kushina's face turned even redder. She looked exactly like a tiny chili pepper.

Mirai... he's holding my hand?

"What are you spacing out for?"

Hearing Mirai Uzumaki's words, she came back to herself and glared at him.

Only then did she focus, silently telling herself, Just pretend a dog has bitten my hand!

Kushina Uzumaki slowly adjusted her breathing and relaxed her wrist a little.

"That's it—release!"

The kunai flew out, tracing a beautiful arc—

"Smack!"

It struck the outer edge of the bullseye. It was not the center, but it embedded itself firmly in the target.

Kushina froze, then abruptly turned to Mirai Uzumaki. Her red hair flew up as she exclaimed, "I hit it! Mirai, I hit it!"

"I told you that you could do it." Mirai Uzumaki grinned, took a step back, and slipped both hands into his pockets.

Teacher Toriyama Kazunari watched in utter amazement. This kid was only seven—his teaching was better than Toriyama's own?

When it was Mirai Uzumaki's turn, he casually picked up three kunai. He could not even be bothered to spend much time aiming before flicking his wrist.

The movement was precise and elegant.

"Smack! Smack! Smack!"

The three kunai flew out almost simultaneously. One struck the bullseye dead center, while the other two lodged above and below it, forming a perfectly straight vertical line.

The whole field sucked in a breath.

Toriyama Kazunari adjusted his glasses, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Full marks..."

Minato Namikaze went immediately after him. His kunai also hit true, lodging steadily within the bullseye zone.

"Full marks." Toriyama Kazunari nodded, silently making a note of the blond brat.

"Next—Izumi Uchiha."

A little girl with long, straight black hair stepped out from the line. Her features were exquisite, like those of a porcelain doll, but her expression was as cold as freshly fallen snow.

She walked to the throwing line, picked up a kunai unhurriedly, and barely paused—

"Whoosh—smack!"

Bullseye.

The second kunai—"Smack!" Bullseye.

The third—"Smack!" Bullseye.

All three kunai were neatly embedded in the exact center of the target, their spacing almost perfectly identical.

Toriyama Kazunari opened his mouth, and only after a long while did he manage to squeeze out, "...Full marks."

Mirai Uzumaki narrowed his eyes as he watched the expressionless girl with long, straight black hair.

Izumi Uchiha... He repeated the name in his mind. Was she a genius of the Uchiha Clan?

No matter what, her throwing technique was clean and decisive, without the slightest unnecessary movement, and just like him—

She had proudly chosen to throw three kunai. She truly was an Uchiha.

After finishing her demonstration, Izumi Uchiha returned expressionlessly to the back of the line, not looking at anyone from start to finish.

"Are all Uchiha Clan members this aloof?" Mirai Uzumaki muttered quietly.

Minato Namikaze smiled beside him. "Not exactly. I heard from my parents that Uchiha Clan ninja are all very capable, but their personalities are indeed rather... reserved."

"Reserved?"

Minato smiled helplessly but did not reply.

Kushina happily tugged on Mirai's sleeve beside them. "Mirai! I really hit it just now! Look at that target, my kunai is still in it!"

"I saw it, I saw it. Impressive, impressive." Mirai Uzumaki perfunctorily patted her head, but his gaze drifted toward Izumi Uchiha again.

The girl stood quietly at the very end of the line, like a silent black lily.

An Uchiha girl who had never even appeared in the original story, and she was this pretty.

Then just how beautiful must Mikoto, the so-called number one beauty of the Uchiha Clan, be?

Mirai Uzumaki rubbed his chin, planning to visit the upper grades when he had the chance.