Things went back to how they were before Kushina arrived.
I mean, the classes were still boring, but now I had a new friend who wasn't a serious mutt about studies like Minato.
Both Kushina and I were equally uninterested in classes—though for different reasons. For me, this was too easy. As for Kushina... she was just built different.
Anyway, it had been over two months since Kushina came here, and the number of students she'd beaten up had officially exceeded the number of days she'd attended class.
Now, as a sincere friend, I of course helped her beat them up. Why not? I was bored as hell anyway.
And hey, it wasn't without its benefits. Unlike Minato, who would try to stop her and had earned the prestigious title of "Sissy," I was seen as strong and manly in her eyes. Considering my goal was to woo her, this was the perfect start.
Although there were some complaints about me here and there.... As long as I didn't go too overboard, the ninja academy wasn't against bullying, after all we were trained to become killers here.
I'd now decided to start walking Kushina home every day. We were close enough already, and with all the dating rumors going around the academy, it made sense.
"Minato, you'll have to go back alone today," I said calmly, sounding only slightly apologetic.
"Finally decided to leave with Kushina, huh?" Minato replied, like he'd already expected it.
"Hey, don't look so sullen. With the rumors about me and Kushina floating around, your fangirls have gotten a major boost. If you wanted to, you could leave with a different girl each day of the month."
Yeah, that was true. Since everyone thought I was with Kushina now, my original fangirls had jumped ship. They'd hopped onto Minato, who was also a top student and had good looks. It worked out—I found them annoying to deal with anyway.
"Shut up..." Minato mumbled, flustered.
"Alright, alright. See ya tomorrow then." I waved and ran toward Kushina.
Kushina didn't have many friends here besides me. Maybe Minato and Mikoto Uchiha counted, but she wasn't exactly close to either of them. Minato was more of an acquaintance, and Mikoto? Well, she was an Uchiha. Kushina definitely couldn't hang around those all the time. And since Mikoto lived in the Uchiha district and Kushina in the Senju compound, walking home together wasn't really feasible.
So she usually went back alone. Which is why she looked genuinely happy when she saw I'd come to walk with her.
We chatted the whole way and reached the Senju compound before we even noticed.
It was a nice place—lots of trees, calm atmosphere, peaceful vibes. Kushina lived in the biggest house here. Technically, I am a Senju... or Enju. Maybe, if things go well, I could even move in someday…
The Senju were known for their thousands of jutsus, and considering my talents, I'd benefit a lot from learning them. For me, jutsus weren't just attacks—they were research materials. The more I knew, the easier it would be to create more. I was especially interested in Earth Style jutsus and the Flying Thunder God technique. Both would be insanely useful for what I had in mind.
"Mahoraga, since you're here, why don't you come in?" Kushina said brightly. "Grandma Mito and Big Sis Tsuna have been wanting to meet you ever since I told them about you."
Now that was easier than I expected. I accepted the offer, but not without pretending to hesitate—no way I was gonna let my eagerness show.
Alright, brain, time to get into action. We're putting on a perfect act here.
We were greeted by a few servants, and after some minor, forgettable events, I found myself sitting at the table for lunch. The others there were Kushina, Mito, and Nawaki.
Nawaki was actually an assist, to be honest. Super gullible. We became friends in like, five minutes. Good guy. Like Naruto, just without the plot armor and cheats.
"How did you learn all these jutsus on your own?! I can't even wrap my head around one when my sis teaches me..." Nawaki whined.
As expected, our conversation had gradually shifted to my jutsu knowledge after I mentioned I already knew several. Nawaki was interested. Too bad he lacked the talent…
I mean, I could see his chakra with my Six Eyes. About the same level as mine. But come on—I'm just an ordinary clan kid, while he's the grandson of Hashirama Senju. Plus, thanks to my micro chakra control, I can use chakra three times more efficiently. Which meant my apparent chakra capacity looked three times bigger than his. And that's ignoring the age gap—I'm not even seven yet. He's about to turn eleven.
"I mean… it's pretty simple, right? Just read it once, understand it in detail, figure out how it works, and you can do it," I said, pretending to be confused. Gotta flex the talent. No point hiding it here—I was advertising myself.
"Just read it once? Really? Maybe I should try that… Maybe sis just doesn't know how to teach..." Nawaki muttered, thinking aloud.
If I were him, I'd never have said that. Because—
"Huhhh?! What did you just say, you brat?! I don't know how to teach?! Clearly you're the idiot who just can't learn!!" came a loud yell from the doorway.
Yep. That was Tsunade. Student of the Third Hokage, future Legendary Sannin, and future Fifth Hokage.
Of course, I'd already sensed her coming. It was within my plan to steer the conversation this way…
So while Nawaki was getting his ass kicked by his sister, I could only offer him a silent prayer.
Once Tsunade was done beating some sense into him, she turned to me and asked, "And who might you be?"
But before I could answer, Kushina jumped in.
"Big Sis! This is my friend Mahoraga, the one I told you about!" she said enthusiastically.
She forgot the important part, though.
So I turned to her, gave a small smile, and then faced Tsunade.
"Hello. You must be Lady Tsunade. I've heard a lot about you—especially from Kushina. I'm Mahoraga Enju, her classmate and friend," I said gracefully.
"Enju?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
That made me smile—but I quickly turned it into an awkward grin.
"Uhhh… I'm descended from the Senju clan. My grandparents were Senju who gave up the surname. Same with my father. My mother was a civilian. But apparently, they liked the name so much that even when they changed it, they just went from Senju to Enju," I said, scratching the back of my head, trying to look as embarrassed as I could, like this was some shameful family history.
Tsunade and the others smiled at that. It didn't seem like much had changed… but I could feel it—they were noticeably warmer toward me now.
After all, blood ties matter a lot.