Kushina Uzumaki

"It's over, Kazan!"

A took Yugito Nii away and conceded their defeat.

Only then did Minato Namikaze let down his guard. He turned to Kazan with a smile as bright as the sun.

Chakra receded like the tide.

The emerald-green steam quickly dispersed, and Kazan's pupils returned to normal.

"I'm exhausted."

"And thanks."

Kazan let out a breath. The moment he released the Eight Gates, his body protested.

Not violently, but it was definitely protesting.

Clearly, he still wasn't strong enough.

"Kazan of Konoha wins!"

Shinku Yuhi swiftly announced the result.

Simple and decisive.

Kazan had defeated a Perfect Jinchuriki and advanced. It was thrilling, and people felt as though a new star of Konoha was rising fast.

The villagers of Konoha cheered, proud of his victory.

Shinku Yuhi walked up to Kazan and congratulated him. "Congratulations, Kazan. As of today, you're a Chunin."

"The exam isn't over yet, Uncle."

"True, it isn't."

But that no longer mattered.

After the strength Kazan had just shown, who could stand against him?

"Come over for dinner when the exam's done. Your aunt has a present for you."

"Sure. I'm starving right now."

Kazan patted his stomach. After that workout, he was getting hungry.

Yugito Nii left the field.

The exam continued.

After reaching the final eight, Kazan faced the Grass Ninja who had said he wanted a taste of a Ninja from the Five Great Shinobi Villages' blood.

He had watched Kazan's battle with Yugito Nii, yet he hadn't backed down.

Because he specialized in Genjutsu.

"If I defeat a Genius like you, even I should become famous throughout the Shinobi World, right?"

He let out a sinister chuckle.

The man was devious. Before Shinku Yuhi had even announced the start, he had begun casting his Genjutsu.

Holding a bell-like weapon, he struck it in a steady rhythm. Its jingling rang on and on.

Shinku Yuhi saw through it at once but did nothing to stop him.

As Konoha's Genjutsu master, an elite Jonin, and Kurenai Yuhi's father, he refused to be the only one who had come off badly against Kazan.

He wanted someone else to enjoy the experience too.

"Begin!"

Only after the technique was complete did Shinku Yuhi announce the start.

The smile on Kazan's opponent's face widened. His Genjutsu was already in place.

"The head of Konoha's Genius is mine!"

Laughing, he whipped out a Kunai and lunged for Kazan's throat.

"My Genjutsu travels through sound. It doesn't target just one person. Everyone who heard it is caught!"

"So even if I kill you, they won't react in time!"

He licked his lips, looking bloodthirsty.

Boom!

Just as he reached Kazan, an overwhelming surge of Chakra erupted from Kazan's body, cracking the ground again.

Kazan broke through the Genjutsu in an instant, his body wrapped in blue-white Chakra.

"What?!"

The man's smile vanished. Terrified, he froze in place.

Bang!

Kazan punched him into the wall, knocking him unconscious.

"Think about it. Would a Konoha Jonin fall for your Genjutsu that easily?"

Kazan lowered his fist and cleaned out his ear.

Now that felt good!

Shinku Yuhi felt thoroughly refreshed. That Grass Ninja's expression of utter despair was exactly how he had felt for the past two weeks.

"The winner: Kazan of Konoha!"

He quickly announced the next match.

Kazan's victory crushed the remaining candidates' hopes.

None of them had Yugito Nii's strength. If even Genjutsu, one of the best ways to counter a Taijutsu fighter, failed, they had no chance.

And so it proved.

Kazan quickly defeated every opponent and won the Chunin Ninja Exams.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The moment the Chunin Ninja Exams ended, fireworks rose around the Training Ground.

Unfortunately, it was daytime, so all anyone could enjoy was the noise.

With the exam over, Kazan changed into a white suit like the one Lucci had worn during his CP0 days, becoming a menace in a suit.

He wasn't tall enough yet, though, so he left the overcoat off his shoulders.

So handsome!

By the time Kurenai found Kazan, he had already changed.

His outfit was unusual, unlike anything anyone else wore. It gave him a fashionable air, as though he were ahead of the trend.

"Kazan, what's this...?"

"Oh, I had it custom-made a while ago. It's comfortable."

That was a lie.

He wore it simply because it made him look cooler. Even his dress shoes were white. The whole outfit was ridiculously flashy.

"Come on. Didn't your mom say she was throwing me a victory party?"

"Oh, right. I need to get back and help."

Kurenai trotted up beside him. With her hands clasped behind her back, she glanced at Kazan, then glanced again, and again, and kept glancing...

"Even though you've become a Chunin, it doesn't seem like anything's changed."

"Don't be silly. Chunin is just a title."

Kazan rolled his eyes. Even if he had the title of Admiral right now, he still couldn't beat a Tailed Beast at full strength.

A title was just a title.

"Not bad, you little wrecking ball."

Just then, Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze came out too.

When Kushina spotted Kazan, she dragged Minato over.

She acted like they were old friends, every bit the big sister, and gave Kazan's shoulder a few hard pats.

"Not bad, not bad. You're solid, all right. No wonder you sent someone flying so far with one punch."

Seeing Kazan's puzzled look, she introduced herself.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Kushina Uzumaki, Minato's wife. He's the ninja who stepped in just now and stopped that shadow's successor for you. Pretty handsome, isn't he?"

She had exactly the same personality as Naruto. They might as well have been made from the same mold.

She had no sense of personal space and treated everyone the same way.

Kazan also sensed immense malice inside Kushina.

It had to be the Nine-Tails.

"You're a Jinchūriki too?"

"Uh... you can sense it?"

"Yeah. That malice is almost suffocating. The female cat from Kumogakure was cuter."

Boom!

Inside Kushina Uzumaki, the sealed Nine-Tails slammed against the Sealing's gate.

"You damn brat!"

The Nine-Tails couldn't stand being told he was inferior to any of the other eight Tailed Beasts, in strength or anything else.

He was the Strongest Tailed Beast of them all. Even Madara Uchiha had come specifically to capture him.

Sure, that was a damn humiliating chapter of his past, but he was still the Strongest in every way. No arguments!

"Why are you so angry? Was anything I said wrong?"

"And why don't you behave yourself and work with this lady, like Kumogakure's Two-Tails does? Then you'd have some freedom."

Kazan leaned down and spoke toward Kushina's Sealing—her stomach.

"You can talk to the Nine-Tails?"

Kushina froze for a moment, then flew into a rage.

"Who are you calling a lady, you little bastard? I'm eighteen every year!"

She swung a fist down at him with all her might.

Clang!

"Ah!"

Kushina shrieked. Her fist had turned bright red from the impact, and she rolled on the ground without a shred of dignity.

"Iron Body!" Kazan said, then kept needling her. "Get up. Don't pretend I hurt you, lady. You're the one who throws punches whenever you get upset."

"You little brat!" Kushina sprang up. Her long red hair rose despite the lack of wind, and, unwilling to accept defeat, she threw another punch.

Clang!

"Ahh!"

She let out another piercing scream. Now both fists were bright red, as if they'd been roasted over a fire.

Kazan gave her a disdainful look and said two words again. "Iron Body!"

Iron Body my ass!!!