Chapter 42

She was already qualified to be bound.

Xunjing planned to find an opportunity to bind both her and Minato.

As long as he ensured they would not reveal his secrets, he could feed them the Life-Nourishing Art, Haki training methods, and Sea King meat.

That would help them grow faster.

"Hm? Is that so?"

Kushina froze for a moment, concern appearing on her face. "Will body training be exhausting?"

"Uh... it's alright."

Xunjing paused briefly, then smiled and reassured her. "Relax. I have a special method that will keep you from suffering too much. Just trust me."

With Sea King meat as a nutritional foundation, along with the assistance of the Life-Nourishing Art, tempering the body was not actually that difficult.

"Mm, I trust you."

Kushina nodded and looked up at Xunjing. The instant her gaze met his, she hurriedly looked away, her cheeks burning.

Her heart pounded as she muttered inwardly, Why is he so handsome...

Before the window paper had been pierced, she had never thought in that direction at all.

But after Uzumaki Mito's little hint yesterday, the way she felt about everything had completely changed.

Still, she did not dislike this change.

This scene happened to fall into Minato's eyes.

Minato felt as though something were lodged in his chest.

Kushina... she likes Xunjing, doesn't she?

Minato silently acknowledged that fact.

For a moment, his emotions were a tangled mess.

Was his first love over before it had even begun?

Strangely enough, he did not resent Xunjing because of it.

He had seen it clearly just now. Kushina had been the one to approach him.

Xunjing seemed not to have realized that Kushina's feelings for him had long ceased to be simple.

"Minato, perfect timing! We were just discussing training!"

Noticing Minato's arrival, Xunjing raised a hand and beckoned him over.

But he quickly noticed that Minato looked a little downcast.

His mind worked quickly. After glancing at the blushing Kushina beside him, he roughly understood what was going on.

He discreetly checked Minato's favorability toward him.

It had not dropped. It was still at eighty-four points.

"Tch... Minato is way too broad-minded, isn't he? Now I feel a little guilty."

"Maybe I should stop dragging this out and find an opportunity to bind him and Kushina to me together?"

Xunjing pondered inwardly.

Putting himself in Minato's shoes, if someone else had snatched away the person he liked, he did not think he could avoid taking out even a little resentment on them like Minato had.

Minato also quickly adjusted his emotions and did his best to suppress that sense of loss.

Since Kushina had already made her choice, there was nothing for him to cling to.

He stepped forward and asked, "What are you planning to do?"

Xunjing immediately replied, "I'll make a Shadow Clone first and have it accompany you to find a suitable place to train. Somewhere more secluded."

"My original body will take Kushina to see Lady Mito first and explain the arrangement for us to use Shadow Clones to learn Sealing Arts from her."

"Once that's done, Kushina and I will meet up with you. We'll work out a training plan together and officially get started."

"Oh, right. Before we leave, how about each of us leaves a Shadow Clone at the academy?"

"No problem."

Minato shook his head. "After I went home yesterday, I practiced some more. My Shadow Clone can be maintained very steadily now."

"Alright. Then we'll first find a secluded place to leave our clones, then slip away directly."

After saying that, Xunjing called Minato and Kushina out of the classroom with him.

The three of them turned into an empty corner, each created a Shadow Clone, and sent them off to attend class.

Their original bodies quietly left the academy.

Along the way, Xunjing made another clone and had it take Minato to find a secret base first.

He himself headed to the Senju Clan compound with Kushina.

After meeting Uzumaki Mito, Xunjing directly explained why he had come.

"Using Shadow Clones to learn Sealing Arts?"

Uzumaki Mito did not agree immediately. Instead, she asked, "You need to understand that Sealing Arts demand extremely high Chakra control. You cannot afford to be careless while practicing them. Are you sure you can do it?"

"I have no problem."

Xunjing nodded with certainty. "Actually, I have a good memory. I memorized all the Sealing Arts materials I received from you long ago."

"Over the past few days, I've made time to practice every day, or had Shadow Clones practice for me. I've already built up some foundation."

"I've mastered at least a dozen basic Sealing Arts by now."

"If you don't believe me, I can demonstrate them on the spot."

After saying that, without waiting for Uzumaki Mito's response, he immediately formed a hand seal, bent down, and slapped the ground.

A Soundproof Barrier Sealing Technique instantly took shape.

Right afterward, he successively performed the Detection-Isolation Barrier, Four-Series Lamp Technique, Fire-Sealing Seal, and more.

Uzumaki Mito and Kushina stared wide-eyed.

"You truly keep surprising me again and again, child."

Uzumaki Mito stared at Xunjing for a long while before speaking with a complicated expression. "Your talent for Sealing Arts is this strong too."

After thinking it over, she finally nodded. "Alright, I approve your request."

"From now on, you may have your Shadow Clones come here to learn Sealing Arts."

She knew perfectly well that even if she did not take the initiative to teach him, Xunjing would catch up to her within a few years with his abilities.

This child's talent for Sealing Arts was even more impressive than hers had been back then.

Since she had already decided to forge a good relationship with him, she might as well give him more.

Perhaps it would bring unexpected returns in the future.

"Thank you, Lady Mito!"

Xunjing immediately thanked Uzumaki Mito happily.

"Thank you, Grandma! Hehe!"

Kushina hurriedly followed with her own thanks.

Uzumaki Mito glanced at her, a smile at the corner of her lips. "I said Xunjing could do it. I never said you could."

"Huh?"

Kushina's smiling face immediately stiffened.

Then she quickly scooted closer, acting cute as she massaged Uzumaki Mito's shoulders. "Please agree too?"

Kushina raised her head, stubbornness in her voice. "I still want to train with Xuanqi and become stronger!"

Uzumaki Mito chuckled softly and spoke unhurriedly. "I can agree if you want me to. From today onward, whenever you study Sealing Arts, you must meet the standards I set every day. If you fail, I can revoke your qualification to use Shadow Clones to learn Sealing Arts at any time. Do you understand?"

She was actually worried that Kushina would spread herself too thin and fail to fully master Sealing Arts.

For this child—a prospective Jinchuriki and a member of the Uzumaki Clan—Sealing Arts were the skills that could save her life.

Although, judging by the current situation, Kushina would most likely not become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in the end, none of the training she deserved could be neglected.

This was not only to deal with the Third Generation's group, but also to protect Kushina herself.

For now, the title of prospective Jinchuriki could at least make the village think more highly of her and offer her some care.

Of course, how genuine that care was remained hard to say.

Kushina gritted her teeth, forcing a troubled expression onto her face before finally nodding. "Alright, I agree!"

Uzumaki Mito waved a hand and smiled. "Then it's settled. Leave your Shadow Clones here to study with me, and you can go."

"Yes!"

Xunjing and Kushina exchanged glances, each creating a Shadow Clone before turning to leave.

Just then, Uzumaki Mito called out to Xunjing and reminded him, "Little Xunjing, your Chakra and vitality are far inferior to Kushina's. Don't make too many Shadow Clones. Creating several at once is not good for your growth. Remember that."

Xunjing knew that the old lady was sincerely thinking of his well-being. He quickly bowed, speaking seriously. "I understand. I'll be mindful of my limits."

If he had not been using Sea King meat at every meal to replenish nutrition and nourish his body, with the Life-Nourishing Art supporting him, he really would not have dared to mess around like this.

He had not forgotten that there was still a Shadow Clone in the Pirate World, studying medicine under Dr. Kureha.

Including the one at the academy, the one stationed here, and the one accompanying Minato—maintaining four Shadow Clones long-term at once was already quite a burden.