"Mirai! Can you teach me that kunai-throwing technique from yesterday again?"
"Mirai, Mirai! Can you be my sparring partner during Taijutsu class? My parents said it would be good for me to learn more from you!"
"Me too, me too! Mirai!"
Early the next morning, Mirai Uzumaki and Kushina Uzumaki walked into the classroom side by side and were immediately surrounded by a group of girls.
The Kurenai-haired boy stood in the middle of the young girls, a faint smile on his face.
Feeling that the watchful gazes were still there, Mirai did not let down his guard in the slightest.
"Sure. The key to the Shuriken Throwing Technique is..."
Minato Namikaze sat in the front row and turned to watch the scene, a hint of envy showing in his azure eyes.
He muttered quietly, "That's amazing... Mirai has only been here for two days, and he's already this popular."
A bespectacled boy beside him leaned over. "Minato, you're not bad either. You got full marks in yesterday's throwing class too."
"It's different." Minato smiled, his gaze settling on Mirai Uzumaki, who was surrounded by girls.
"Mirai isn't just strong. He has this... how should I put it? He makes people want to get close to him.
"If you want to become Hokage, I think the first thing you need is everyone's approval."
"You want to become Hokage?"
"Yeah." Minato nodded seriously, his golden hair shining in the morning sunlight. "I want to become a Hokage who can protect everyone."
There was light in his eyes as he said it.
Meanwhile, Kushina Uzumaki sat at her desk with her cheeks puffed out like a pufferfish.
Her Kurenai-colored hair swayed faintly behind her, a sign of her turbulent emotions.
Watching the girls chatter around Mirai Uzumaki, she unconsciously scratched at the surface of her desk with her fingers.
"What's with this... I was the one helping him yesterday..." she muttered softly.
"And Mirai didn't even comb his hair before coming to school. What do these people even see in him..."
Just then, Mirai Uzumaki broke free from the crowd and sat down beside her. "Yo, Kushina. What are you spacing out for?"
"Nothing!" Kushina snorted and turned her head away.
"...Your face is puffed up like a bun."
"None of your business!"
After thinking for a moment, Mirai Uzumaki pulled a piece of candy from his schoolbag and placed it on her desk.
"Here. Grandma Mito stuffed it into my pocket before I left this morning. She said it's sweet tangerine-flavored."
Kushina glanced at the candy, then at him. The corners of her mouth rose despite herself before she hurriedly forced them back down. "...I'm not a child."
"Then I'll eat it if you won't."
"Give it to me!" Kushina snatched up the candy, unwrapped it, and stuffed it into her mouth. She mumbled, "At least you've got a conscience..."
Mirai Uzumaki smiled but said nothing.
Kushina was a little tsundere. He had known that from the beginning, though she was easy enough to appease.
She would grow up to be a great beauty someday!
You have to start young when looking for a girlfriend. I, Mirai Uzumaki, am only doing this to ensure the purity of the Uzumaki Clan bloodline!
Without realizing it, Mirai Uzumaki glanced toward the corner of the classroom.
A quiet girl with long, straight black hair sat there reading, as though everything around her had nothing to do with her.
Izumi Uchiha.
The aloof girl who had landed all three kunai precisely in Kurenai during yesterday's throwing class remained expressionless today.
"Mirai! Stop looking. Class is about to start." Kushina tugged on his sleeve.
"Oh, right."
That afternoon, it was practical combat class.
Teacher Toriyama Kazunari stood on the training ground with a roster in hand.
"Today's practical combat class will be one-on-one battles! The rules are simple: no lethal Ninjutsu, and stop when the point has been made! Losers are not allowed to cry!"
A burst of laughter rose from below.
As for the rule against lethal Ninjutsu, it was clearly aimed at Mirai Uzumaki. Most of the other second-year children had not even encountered Ninjutsu yet.
"Alright, those whose names I call, step forward. First match: Kushina Uzumaki versus Yamanaka Midori!"
Kushina perked up and skipped onto the field.
Her opponent was a girl with a golden ponytail who looked somewhat nervous.
"Begin!"
Kushina took a deep breath and recalled the Taijutsu fundamentals Tsunade occasionally taught her.
Although Tsunade spent most of her time at the gambling tables, the occasional burst of inspiration that led her to offer a few pointers was already a crushing advantage over ordinary students.
Kushina charged forward in a single stride, sidestepped Yamanaka Midori's punch, and followed up with a sweeping kick.
Smack!
Yamanaka Midori fell flat on the ground.
"Winner, Kushina Uzumaki!" Teacher Toriyama Kazunari's whistle rang out.
Kushina turned and waved at Mirai Uzumaki in the crowd, her smile bright as sunshine.
Mirai Uzumaki gave her a thumbs-up.
Students continued taking turns to fight, but honestly, the battles between the little children had no technique to speak of, and Mirai Uzumaki was getting sleepy watching them.
Only when Minato Namikaze stepped onto the field did Mirai become more alert, wanting to observe the strength of the future Fourth Hokage in his childhood.
Minato Namikaze came from a civilian background and had yet to learn any Ninjutsu, but in terms of Taijutsu alone, he was already enough to crush ordinary students.
Minato Namikaze won beautifully, like the blazing sun melting snow. Even his opponent did not lose too badly.
He even reached out and helped the other student up. "You weren't bad as an opponent either!"
His warm smile was always like a little sun.
"Next match: Mirai Uzumaki versus Izumi Uchiha!"
The entire field fell silent for a moment before erupting into excited discussion.
"Whoa! The strongest versus the strongest?"
"You all saw Mirai's Adamantine Sealing Chains yesterday, right? He tied up more than ten people in one move!"
"Izumi is amazing too! She hit Kurenai with all three throws in throwing class!"
"Mirai will definitely win!"
"Of course he will! Mirai knows Ninjutsu!"
Mirai Uzumaki stepped onto the field. In just two days, he had already gained quite a few little fangirls.
Izumi Uchiha slowly walked forward from the opposite side, her long, straight black hair swaying gently in the wind. No emotion could be read from her expressionless face.
But her clenched fists gave her away.
During yesterday's throwing class, the Kurenai-haired boy had earned the same perfect score as she had, and he had thrown all three kunai at once, arranging them in a precise vertical line.
To be honest, she was a little unconvinced.
How could a genius of the Uchiha Clan be outdone by someone else?
"Begin!"
The moment Toriyama Kazunari finished speaking, Izumi Uchiha moved.
Her Taijutsu was highly polished, her movements clean and sharp without a trace of waste. Her footwork was nimble, and her transitions between offense and defense were nearly seamless.
It was obvious that she had received strict training at home.
Mirai Uzumaki twisted aside to evade a punch, lowered his head to avoid a sweeping kick, and retreated several steps in a row.
"Whoa! Mirai is backing away!" someone below exclaimed.
"Izumi Uchiha is so strong!"
But Mirai Uzumaki was not panicking. At this point in time, Izumi Uchiha had not yet awakened her Sharingan.
Although her Taijutsu was solid, she lacked any true finishing move. Most of her attacks followed set patterns.
Sure enough, after several exchanges of Taijutsu, Izumi Uchiha saw that she could not break through and leaped backward to widen the distance. Her hands rapidly formed seals.
Katon: Great Fireball Technique!
She took a deep breath and forcefully exhaled!
A massive fireball nearly two meters in diameter erupted from her mouth, carrying a scorching heatwave as it blasted toward Mirai Uzumaki!
The entire field was in an uproar!
"That's... a Great Fireball?! How old is she?!"
"The Uchiha Clan is way too ridiculous!"
"I didn't expect Izumi to know Ninjutsu too! Is Mirai going to lose?"
The little children had no idea which Ninjutsu was strong and which was weak.
The Great Fireball's sheer spectacle did not seem inferior to Mirai Uzumaki's Adamantine Sealing Chains at all!
The fireball roared toward him, and the heatwave curled the hair of the students in the front row.
Mirai Uzumaki's eyes narrowed slightly.
A C-rank Ninjutsu was indeed impressive for a seven-year-old, but to him—
He shifted to the side and gave a light push with his foot, slipping past the edge of the fireball in one fluid motion. He even had the leisure to pat nonexistent dust from his shoulder.
"Not bad. You can already use such a big Great Fireball at this age."
He praised her sincerely.
Izumi Uchiha's expression only turned colder. She felt that he was merely humoring her.
"You used Ninjutsu first!"
The corners of Mirai Uzumaki's mouth rose. His sleeve shifted slightly, and a Golden Chain shot out without a sound.
Adamantine Sealing Chains!
The chain was incredibly fast and came from a tricky angle, curving around toward Izumi Uchiha's ankle from the side.
By the time Naori sensed something was wrong, it was already too late. The chain wrapped around her ankle, throwing off her balance as she pitched forward.
At the same time, a second chain shot from Mirai's other sleeve, precisely winding around her waist, arms, shoulders...
By the time Izumi Uchiha reacted, she was already hanging in midair in a rather awkward position.
Her legs were spread apart, her arms restrained behind her back, and her entire body hung half a meter above the ground in the shape of a large "X."
The entire field fell silent.
Izumi Uchiha's face abruptly turned the color of Kurenai.
The flush spread from her ears all the way down her neck, the Kurenai-colored flush especially obvious against her black hair.
She gritted her teeth and struggled desperately, but at its peak, even a Tailed Beast could not break free from the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Mirai Uzumaki was far from that level, of course, but Izumi Uchiha was only a seven-year-old girl.
"Let... let me go!" Her voice trembled with shame and fury.
Mirai Uzumaki froze for a moment before realizing that the way he had tied her up seemed a little inappropriate.
"Uh—Teacher, I won! Announce the result already!"
Only then did Toriyama Kazunari snap back to his senses. He hastily blew his whistle. "Winner, Mirai Uzumaki. Mirai, get her down quickly!"
Mirai Uzumaki quickly withdrew the Adamantine Sealing Chains. Izumi Uchiha dropped from midair, staggered a step, and regained her footing. She lowered her head, her black hair concealing her expression.
She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails nearly dug into her palms.
"Izumi..." Mirai Uzumaki walked up to her, wanting to say something.
Izumi suddenly raised her head. Her eyes were slightly tinged with Kurenai, but there were no tears in them—only blazing fire.
"I will defeat you," she said, emphasizing each word. "I definitely will."
After saying that, she turned and walked back to the end of the line. No one dared speak to her along the way.
Mirai Uzumaki watched her stubborn back and scratched his head.
"...Looks like I made an enemy."
Kushina leaned over and stared at him suspiciously. "Those chains of yours just now... why did you tie her up like that?"
"That... that was an accident! My control just isn't precise enough yet!"
"Really?"
"Really! Truer than pearls!"
Kushina snorted, but there was a trace of a smile hidden at the corner of her mouth.
Mirai was still the same Mirai who went to and from school with her and brought her candy. That had not changed.
At the edge of the crowd, Minato Namikaze silently watched everything unfold. Along with envy, there was now a hint of contemplation in his eyes.
To become Hokage, being popular alone was not enough.
He also had to be strong—strong enough to earn everyone's recognition.
He looked at Mirai Uzumaki's back and quietly clenched his fist.
"I need to work harder too."
Before you continue