Kushina

Watching Minato Namikaze flee in panic, Qingyun shook his head helplessly. Jiraiya really was a bad influence on children.

Qingyun deeply despised the way Jiraiya and Hiruzen Sarutobi liked to peep on women bathing. If he got the chance, he would definitely teach those two a proper lesson.

Shaking off those stray thoughts, Qingyun closed his eyes and resumed practicing the Primordial Chaos Technique.

After more than half a year of training, Qingyun had reached advanced mastery of the Primordial Chaos Technique, unifying the Internal Force throughout his body. With this world's abundant Spiritual Energy, he had also deliberately refined his Internal Force over and over, making it exceptionally concentrated.

Yet Qingyun did not grow arrogant. Instead, he trained diligently every day. He knew full well that effort brought rewards.

The next day, as the first pale light appeared in the sky, Haku Qingyun opened his eyes and rose to his feet. He went to his usual training spot and slowly began practicing Tai Chi Fist.

After completing a set of Tai Chi Fist, Qingyun did not stop. He drew the Azure Edge Sword and began practicing Basic Swordsmanship.

As for Quanzhen Swordsmanship, Qingyun had not practiced it yet. He intended to thoroughly master Basic Swordsmanship before moving on to anything else.

His sword flashed until full daylight, and only then did Qingyun stop. He quickly took the lunch box Minato Namikaze handed him and rushed toward the Ninja Academy.

Spring gave way to autumn, winter passed, and spring returned. Throughout that year, Qingyun followed a highly regular routine, attending the Ninja Academy during the day, learning basic knowledge while also reading the medical books Tsunade had given him.

After a year of study, thanks to his immense mental strength and photographic memory, Qingyun had committed every medical book to memory.

Three months earlier, Tsunade had come to Qingyun looking unhappy. After he repeatedly asked what was wrong, he learned that a famous scene from Naruto had already taken place.

Just as in the original story, Tsunade had proposed training large numbers of Medical Ninja and ensuring that every squad had one, only to have her proposal rejected.

No one present, including Jiraiya and Orochimaru, had agreed with her proposal.

Ultimately, it was because Medical Ninja were extremely difficult to train. Besides basic chakra control, they needed an extensive foundation of knowledge. Only then could an outstanding Medical Ninja be trained.

All of that took too long, and the costs outweighed the benefits. Although Dan Katō eventually supported Tsunade's suggestion, he was outnumbered, and Hiruzen Sarutobi ultimately rejected the proposal.

By supporting her proposal, Dan Katō had also begun to win Tsunade's heart. The two were now passionately in love, which often left Jiraiya complaining to Minato Namikaze.

Qingyun knew that full-scale war was fast approaching. That gave him a sense of urgency, and he trained even harder every day, unwilling to waste a moment.

After all that training, if Qingyun converted the Internal Force in his body into Chakra, he would be no weaker than a Chunin.

Not only that, with the various Fire Release and Lightning Release techniques Orochimaru had given him and his own talent, Qingyun had quickly learned the Fire Release techniques Great Fireball Technique, Flame Bullet, and Phoenix Flower Jutsu.

He had also mastered the C-rank Lightning Release techniques Lightning Ball, Earth Flow, and Lightning Bind.

Moreover, his hand seal speed had reached five seals per second.

As for Medical Ninjutsu, he had learned not only the Healing Technique and Mystical Palm Technique, but even the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique.

Besides Ninjutsu, Qingyun had not neglected his Martial Arts either. He had reached advanced mastery of Tai Chi Fist, the first skill he had obtained, and comprehended the Way of Yin-Yang and the Eight Trigrams. He had also perfected Basic Swordsmanship and reached advanced mastery of Quanzhen Swordsmanship.

He had even devoted considerable effort to bringing the Golden Wild Goose Technique to advanced mastery.

At present, when Qingyun used the Golden Wild Goose Technique, he was considerably faster than a Ninja running normally, and far more agile than an ordinary Ninja as well.

Although it could not match the Body Flicker Technique, the Golden Wild Goose Technique required no hand seals. Each had its own advantages!

As he practiced the Primordial Chaos Technique during this period, some of the Natural Energy he absorbed was taken in by his Sharingan. Qingyun felt that, given a little more time, his Sharingan would advance to three tomoe.

Moreover, after a year of exploration, Qingyun had discovered that his Sharingan could indeed absorb and purify Internal Force. Though he did not understand exactly how it worked, it was a good thing, so he no longer dwelled on the reason.

"Big brother, it's time to go to the Ninja Academy."

Minato Namikaze came up beside Qingyun with a smile and reminded him.

Hearing him, Qingyun sheathed the Azure Edge Sword, hung it at his waist, and went over to Minato Namikaze. The two walked side by side.

“Has your Teacher still not come back?”

Qingyun asked curiously.

"No. He's currently on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, keeping watch against Iwagakure."

Minato Namikaze looked worried, clearly very concerned about Jiraiya's safety.

"Don't worry. Jiraiya is experienced and powerful. He'll be fine."

Seeing the worry on Minato Namikaze's face, Qingyun offered some reassurance.

At those words, Minato Namikaze felt somewhat relieved. Neither said anything more as they raced toward the Ninja Academy.

Before long, the two took their seats and quietly waited for class to begin.

Qingyun idly leafed through a medical book.

Tsunade was currently guarding against Sunagakure and was not in the village, so Qingyun had been reviewing all kinds of knowledge, planning to surprise her when she returned.

Soon, the bell rang. Iruka Umino was usually very punctual, but for some reason, he still had not arrived today.

Just as Minato Namikaze and the others were wondering what was going on, Iruka Umino entered the classroom with a red-haired girl whose lowered head hid her face.

Iruka Umino tapped the desk and said loudly, "We have a new classmate joining us today. Kushina, introduce yourself first. Tell us things like what you like, what you dislike, and what your dream is."

At his words, the red-haired girl clenched her hands, looking extremely nervous. When she remained silent for a long time, Minato Namikaze and the others began murmuring among themselves.

After a long while, the red-haired girl finally gathered her courage and said loudly, "My name is Kushina Uzumaki. I like Salted Ramen, and I don't like tomatoes or bitter foods. My dream is to become Konoha's first female Hokage."

After finishing, Kushina nervously looked at her classmates, wondering how they would react.

Minato Namikaze stared blankly at the girl who shared his dream, then gave her an encouraging smile.

The others, however, were nowhere near as polite as Minato Namikaze. They all began mocking her!

"Haha! This girl with the weird hair wants to become Hokage? What a joke."

"Yeah! She says she doesn't like tomatoes, but isn't her hair as red as one? No wonder she hates eating them! Haha!"

"Red-haired witch—that nickname suits you perfectly. As for becoming Hokage, you've got no chance."

Hearing their remarks, Kushina's eyes glistened with tears. But proud as she was, how could she cry in front of everyone? She forced back the urge to weep and clenched her fists. Just as she was about to shout, a different voice reached her ears from among the seats.

"Do you know how shameful it is to mock someone else's dream? Before you ridicule someone, take a good look at yourselves! All of you, apologize, or don't blame me for getting rough!"

The furious shout startled everyone. When they saw that it was Qingyun speaking, his face cold, they hurriedly murmured their apologies.

During this time, Qingyun had placed first in every exam, long since establishing himself as unbeatable in their minds.

Moreover, Qingyun was usually very aloof, and they instinctively feared him. Seeing his cold expression now made their hearts tremble even more, afraid that he would come after them.

Kushina looked at the cold-faced Qingyun and gave him a grateful smile.

Yet Qingyun only glanced at Kushina before lowering his head and continuing to read.

Kushina looked at Qingyun curiously. She could not understand why he treated her so coldly when he had been willing to help her.

What a strange person.

That was Kushina's assessment of Qingyun.

Seeing that Qingyun had silenced the entire room, Iruka Umino nodded in satisfaction, then told Kushina to find herself a seat.

Minato Namikaze watched Qingyun's cold expression with great curiosity. Qingyun had never spoken up for someone like this before. What had gotten into him today? Could he like that girl? But judging by his behavior, that did not seem right!

Minato Namikaze's stare made Qingyun uncomfortable all over. After a moment's thought, he realized what Minato Namikaze was thinking.

Without looking up, he explained calmly, "That girl's background is similar to ours. I used to be just like her, constantly enduring insults and ridicule from the people around me. Seeing her like that today reminded me of my life in the Uchiha clan, so I couldn't help stepping in. Don't get the wrong idea."