In Konoha: Three Choices at the Start

"Your Ice Release surprised me, but it freezes a little too slowly!"

His expression darkened. "It's over!"

With that, he charged at Liuyun.

"Yeah! It's all over!" A strange smile touched Liuyun's lips.

That smile gave Minato Namikaze a bad feeling.

Before he could think further, the scene before his eyes changed, and a figure appeared in front of him.

Minato Namikaze's face fell. "Oh no! Genjutsu!"

In reality, Liuyun walked slowly up to Minato Namikaze and pressed a Kunai against his neck.

He turned and smiled at Wang Tenggangyi, who stood nearby.

"Teacher! Can we call it now?"

Wang Tenggangyi took one look at Minato Namikaze's expression and understood.

This kid just kept finding new ways to shock him.

As he thought, Wang Tenggangyi appeared between Liuyun and Minato.

Chakra surged through him as he struck Minato Namikaze.

At the same time, he shouted, "Minato! Wake up!"

The blankness gradually left Minato Namikaze's face. Feeling the cold edge against his neck, he gave a bitter smile.

"I lost this round. Can you tell me when you put me under Genjutsu?"

Liuyun withdrew the Kunai and turned toward Mikoto and Kushina. His calm reply drifted back to Minato.

"When I kicked you!"

"When you kicked me? During our first exchange?"

Minato Namikaze froze, and his bitter smile deepened.

Liuyun really planned every move.

"Minato! Don't be discouraged! You did well. Just aim to beat him next time!"

Wang Tenggangyi patted Minato's shoulder to comfort him.

He thought highly of Minato Namikaze's talent and didn't want one fight to leave him obsessing over a loss.

"Don't worry, Teacher Wang Teng. I'm not that fragile! Next time, I'll beat Liuyun!"

"Good!" Wang Tenggangyi nodded.

He turned and called out, "I'm sure everyone knows the result of that fight!"

"Then I declare Uchiha Liuyun the winner of this sparring match! Class dismissed!"

With that, Wang Tenggangyi vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.

He needed to inform the Third Hokage. A prodigy had emerged in his class, and he couldn't take that lightly.

At the same time, the system's cold voice sounded again in Liuyun's mind.

"Congratulations, host. You completed Option 1. Reward: Mental Energy doubled."

Liuyun's mind felt clearer than ever, and his eyes seemed brighter. He could even faintly sense the Mental Energy within his mind.

Just then, Uchiha Mikoto and Kushina ran straight up to him.

Their cheeks were flushed with excitement.

Mikoto still showed some restraint, but Kushina held nothing back.

She hooked an arm around Liuyun's neck and shouted happily.

"Liuyun! I never knew you were this strong! You even beat that pretty boy Minato Namikaze!"

A short distance away, Minato Namikaze stumbled midstep.

Something cracked inside him. So that was how Kushina saw him.

A pretty boy! Minato Namikaze gave a miserable smile.

He had lost to Uchiha Liuyun, and even the girl he secretly liked thought of him that way.

His shoulders slumped. Ignoring everyone else, Minato Namikaze vanished in a flash.

He needed somewhere deserted to lick his wounds like a lone wolf.

Meanwhile, Kushina's words left Liuyun speechless. She really didn't think things through.

If I hadn't come along, you'd end up marrying the "pretty boy" you just mocked.

Of course, everything had changed now.

He shook his head and smiled. "There's a lot more to me than that. You'll find out someday!"

"Really? Then I'll make sure to find out!"

Kushina tilted her head, looking utterly serious.

"Congratulations on taking first place in the class, Liuyun!" Shikaku and the other two walked over.

"Minato just didn't know what my techniques could do. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been such an easy fight!"

Liuyun shook his head, sounding modest.

"Either way, you won this time!" Shikaku paused, then answered earnestly.

"As for next time, who can say?"

"Right. At least I won this time!"

Shikaku and the other two left. Hiashi and his brother, Hana Inuzuka, and the other children from prominent clans soon followed.

The night was not quite as sweltering as the day, but it was close.

At the recently opened Ichiraku noodle shop, Liuyun, Kushina, and Mikoto sat on brand-new seats.

They waited for a young Ichiraku to show off his cooking.

Kushina, meanwhile, chattered like a little bird, recounting Liuyun's performance that day with animated gestures.

Her amazement was written all over her face.

Liuyun and Mikoto listened with smiles, making for a warm scene.

"Why aren't either of you saying anything?" Kushina finished her story and looked at them, pouting in displeasure.

"You're doing the talking. We just have to listen!"

Uchiha Mikoto smiled behind her hand.

"True! With me here, all you two need to do is listen!"

Kushina patted her flat chest and nodded solemnly.

Her scatterbrained manner could have given Naruto a run for his money. Liuyun couldn't help smiling.

She's adorable when she gets confused!

I can't wait until you grow up so I can play Cao Cao for real!

(The Ice-Ice Fruit's side effect has been removed after feedback from the experts in the comments!

When using the Ice-Ice Fruit's powers, only physical stamina is converted into Chakra. All its other abilities still work, including Elementalization! Please don't roast me, everyone! Sob!)

I'm So Proud of My Clever Kushina! (Third Update!)

Of course, Liuyun was only daydreaming. To win them both over, he would have to wait until...

He rubbed his chin and thought carefully. If he remembered right, people in the Naruto World were already considered old enough at sixteen...

Hinata had been about sixteen in Shippuden...

Kushina and Mikoto were both nine now and would turn ten next year.

The Second Shinobi World War ran from year thirty-two to thirty-seven. That meant he could, just as it ended...

Heh, heh, heh! Liuyun wore a grin any man would recognize.

"Ugh! Liuyun's thinking about something dirty again. Look at that grin. It's disgusting!"

Kushina knitted her brows, her face full of distaste.

"It is a little disgusting. He's probably thinking about something indecent again!"

"I've seen him make that face several times over the past few months!"

Uchiha Mikoto nodded in agreement, then reached over and gave Liuyun's waist a hard pinch.

A move girls learned without being taught!

The pain at his waist snapped Liuyun out of his daydream.

"Ow! Ow! Mikoto, let go! Let go!"

Liuyun clutched his waist and drew in a few exaggerated breaths, putting on a show of how much it hurt.

In truth, it didn't hurt at all. Mikoto had barely used any force.

How am I supposed to win her over if I don't act pitiful? A man's got to play that card sometimes.

Don't be so clueless about what women are thinking.

Otherwise, you're destined to stay single forever.

In my old world, men outnumbered women by thirty million. Some reached middle age without ever marrying.

So why could some men change girlfriends as easily as clothes?

And why could they do it without being rich heirs?

Because they understood women and knew what to say. The right words could make all the difference.

Liuyun's cry worked at once.

Uchiha Mikoto's face filled with worry. She blew on the spot she had pinched and rubbed it with her pale hands.

"Liuyun! Are you okay? I—I didn't pinch that hard!"

She kept rubbing as she hurried to explain, and the worry on her face made Liuyun's heart ache.

"Mikoto! You're so worried about him that you've lost your head. He's obviously faking it!"

Kushina leaned forward, puffed out her flat chest, and spoke with utter confidence.

She raised a pale finger and exposed him without mercy.

"Look at his face. He doesn't look like he's in pain at all! He's just saying it hurts to get your sympathy!"

Uchiha Mikoto followed Kushina's pointing finger and found Liuyun smiling sheepishly.

She gave him an annoyed look and pulled her hands away.

"You're awful! Don't joke about that!"

"I was just trying to lighten the mood!" Liuyun scratched the back of his head and grinned shamelessly.

Then he shot Kushina a glare, tilted his head, and asked in puzzlement.

"When did you get so clever?"

"Are you saying I'm stupid?"

Kushina's expression changed. Her little face turned fiercely indignant.

Liuyun wished he could take a time machine ten years into Konoha's future and then...

"No! No! My Kushina has always been the cleverest!" Liuyun waved his hands hastily.

"Shameless! Since when did I become yours?"