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"Truly remarkable."
Uchiha Motoya stood on a high platform, looking at the two young people chatting in the arena, sighing this way for what felt like the hundredth time.
Both Sawara Kiri's mastery of those two powerful Ninjutsu without hand signs and Namikaze Minato's exceptional combat wisdom displayed under extreme conditions deeply stirred his heart.
He even felt a bit jealous of the young men.
They were only fifteen years old.
And from commoner backgrounds.
Namikaze Minato at least had the guidance of Lord Third's direct disciple, Jiraiya, and had undergone systematic elite Ninja training.
But Sawara Kiri was truly a blank slate.
His background indicated that both the unprecedentedly fast Body Flicker Technique and the considerably powerful Chakra Ball were entirely self-developed.
Uchiha Motoya understood what this implied.
Turning his head to look at his eldest son beside him, who looked fierce but was actually empty-headed and a bit dull, Uchiha Motoya felt an even greater sense of disparity.
Sometimes, he wondered if he should even let this boy inherit the clan leader position.
Although his strength was barely passable, he lacked the brains for it.
As he secretly sighed to himself, Uchiha Motoya suddenly remembered something and asked:
"Fugaku."
"Yes, Father."
"If I recall correctly, Sawara-kun has a very good relationship with a child from our clan, doesn't he?"
Uchiha Fugaku was startled, having diligently memorized the information before coming. He nodded and replied:
"Yes."
"Sawara-kun and the daughter of the Shimaji family, Uchiha Megumi, were classmates in the Ninja Academy."
Uchiha Motoya's eyes lit up, and he immediately pressed: "How is their relationship?"
"I heard it's quite good…" Fugaku seemed to understand, whispering, "Father, are you planning to use her to get those two Ninjutsu from Sawara Kiri?"
"...?"
"You fool! Short-sighted!"
Uchiha Motoya, who had just felt a hint of relief, instantly plummeted to rock bottom upon hearing that.
He glared fiercely at his foolish son. If the Konoha higher-ups weren't present, he would have slapped the idiot on the spot.
"Ninjutsu, Ninjutsu! All you care about is those paltry Ninjutsu!"
"Times have changed. Do you think our Uchiha can still fight alone like in the Sengoku period?"
"For our Uchiha to rise, we need people! Talented people!"
"You—"
Fugaku's shoulders twitched from his father's scolding, and he instinctively pursed his lips and lowered his head.
Seeing his appearance, Uchiha Motoya's fighting spirit momentarily deflated, and he lost the desire to continue speaking.
This idiot truly is…
"That's enough."
"You don't need to concern yourself with anything related to Sawara Kiri."
Uchiha Motoya looked down at the two figures leaving with the medical team and said impatiently: "Once the current affairs are settled, you're to report to the front-line tactical headquarters."
"The clan doesn't need you for now. At least learn how to wage war first."
"Yes."
A few hours later, Namikaze Minato emerged from the Konoha Hospital entrance. Aside from significant physical exertion and a dull ache in his ribs, the rest of his injuries had mostly healed.
Kiri had been very precise with his attacks; even the most severe blow landed on his chest and abdomen, causing no fatal damage, not even a fracture. The entire fight was kept at a 'demonstration match' level, and Kirii still had reserves even at the most intense moment.
Minato had personally witnessed the tragic state of those Rock Ninja. If Kiri had truly gone all out, he didn't even know if he could have lasted twenty seconds.
The reason for this, he thought, was both to showcase more of his talent to the higher-ups and to preserve some face for him, the so-called 'genius.'
Being a Ninja isn't just about fighting; it's also about human relations.
It was regrettable.
In terms of physical injury, these wounds were minor.
However, the blow to his inner self was quite severe.
This sense of defeat, where the 'injuries were controllable,' wasn't something he could simply laugh off.
Because of this, from the moment he began treatment at the hospital, Namikaze Minato had been replaying his battle with Kiri, forgetting to look where he was going and walking forward instinctively.
Unconsciously, he found himself in a quiet, mountain-side district.
When he finally snapped out of it, two figures had appeared before him.
"Minato?"
One of the people standing at the entrance called out his name, teasingly adding: "Are you here to see your little girlfriend again today?"
Namikaze Minato paused at the words, then realized, looking at the district completely covered by a massive barrier before him. He smiled at the guard opposite him:
"Ah, yes!"
"How has Kushina been lately?"
"That's not for us to know." The guard, Daimon-kun, waved his hand, motioning for him to go inside, "Don't forget to sign the visitor log."
"Okay, thank you both."
Namikaze Minato smiled politely and stepped into the barrier.
As Uzumaki Kushina's boyfriend, he was one of the very few people in all of Konoha who could freely enter and exit this district.
Ever since Kushina had the Nine-Tailed sealed inside her at the age of twelve, she had been confined here, practicing how to control the Nine-Tailed's power as per Lord Third's instructions.
In reality, this was already a quite lenient approach.
Konoha Village even cleared an entire district for her alone to use as a training ground, while also allowing a small group of people closest to her to visit occasionally.
In other Villages, even daily mental torture of a Jinchuriki to train their mental endurance wouldn't be considered out of line.
As for the Jinchuriki developing psychological issues?
Compared to their formidable combat power, mental illness was just mental illness.
Of course, Konoha wasn't much better.
"Boom—"
Soon after entering, he felt the ground shake.
A cloud of dust rose from the distant forest training ground.
Clearly, Kushina was practicing her Sealing Technique.
Namikaze Minato quickly walked over.
Before long, he saw Uzumaki Kushina, under the watchful eyes of two Anbu squad leaders in white cloaks, diligently trying to wrap the chains formed by the Adamantine Chains around herself.
Tailed Beast Chakra, floating like bubbles, continuously seeped from the seal, drifting onto her skin.
The girl's long red hair seemed to truly flare like a crimson tail, deep whisker marks adorned her fair cheeks, and even the pupils in her eyes had turned into vertical slits.
Just maintaining Three-Tails in a conscious state exhausted all her strength.
"Hmph!"
It took nearly another quarter of an hour before Kushina finally drew all the Tailed Beast Chakra back into her body, exhaling a long breath.
Then, she immediately turned towards Minato, hands on her hips, and energetically shouted with a wave of her small hand:
"Hey! Minato!"
"You've been staring over here with those mushy eyes since just now, and you're still standing so far away!"
Uzumaki Kushina said, then eagerly jogged towards him.
The two Anbu behind her were about to follow, but Kushina immediately turned her head fiercely and yelled exasperatedly:
"What are you doing? Haven't you ever been in love?!"
"Still daring to follow!"
"Go on, all of you, get away!"
The two Anbu exchanged glances but didn't continue to follow, merely standing at a distance and watching.
Kushina then ran up to Minato with a grin, complaining with some dissatisfaction: "They're driving me crazy! They even wait outside the bathroom door, like guardian deities!"
"Don't mind them, Anbu guards are all like that." Minato said with a hint of helplessness, quietly lowering his voice, "Lord Third is just like you; he even gets constipated."
"Pfft—hahaha!"
As if imagining Lord Third constipated with Anbu listening outside, Kushina burst into laughter. But halfway through, the girl suddenly punched him:
"I don't get constipated."
"I've been eating my vegetables properly lately!"
"Ugh!"
The punch landed squarely on his side, making him yelp in pain.
"Minato?!"
Kushina froze, then said awkwardly: "Did…did someone beat you up? Are you badly hurt?"
Namikaze Minato looked at her rather plaintively, feigning a pitiful tone:
"Oh right, I just came out of Konoha Hospital."
"I just got thoroughly beaten up today, completely defenseless, and I'm covered in injuries!"
"Huh?!"
Kushina's eyes immediately sparked with fire, her fists cracking as she clenched them, gritting her teeth, and saying menacingly:
"Who dared to beat you up?!"
"Watch me beat them back for you!"
"The other day, I could even control Three-Tails! Today, I'll show you the power of the Tailed Beast Ball's—"
"Wait! Wait!"
Minato immediately softened, wrapping his arms around Kushina's waist to stop her from rushing out, and quickly said:
"Just kidding, just kidding!"
"Actually, it was a work injury from a advancement assessment."
"Huh?"
Kushina looked at him with obvious suspicion: "Didn't you get promoted to Jonin last year? How are you getting promoted again?"
"This time, I was assessing someone else."
"And got beaten up like this?" Kushina had a knack for witty remarks.
Minato immediately became a little dejected, sighing:
"Yes~"
"Do you remember, back in the Ninja Academy, there was a boy named Sawara Kiri in our class?"
Kushina thought for a moment, then offered a rather distinctive characteristic: "That guy who seemed a bit perverted!"
"Hahaha, that's called being composed!"
"He's become incredibly strong now; I'm afraid many veteran Jonin can't compare to him."
Namikaze Minato smiled, recounting the whole series of events involving Sawara Kiri to Kushina, like telling a story, to enrich her boring daily life.
"Ugh, he sounds like a super dangerous guy!" Kushina said after listening, pouting as she gave her assessment.
Minato didn't say anything, instead falling silent for a while. He sat on the hillside, gazing at the district below, somewhat lost in thought.
Suddenly, he reflected: "Kushina, was I too arrogant before?"
"..."
"No."
"You're just too stupid."
Namikaze Minato was startled by her words, turning to look at Kushina beside him.
Kushina also sat on a rock on the hillside, hugging her fair legs, and said nonchalantly:
"If you're not fast enough, then just run faster."
"If the Jutsu isn't powerful enough, then just research a better one."
"If you can't do any of that, then find a way to surpass him in other areas!"
"Grandma always said," the girl turned her head with a cheerful smile to look at her beloved, saying brightly, "There's never been a perfect person in this world."
"Everyone living in this world is merely an ordinary person who constantly recognizes and makes up for their own flaws."
"If there's something you're not good at, then why not just correct it?"
Uzumaki Kushina said, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Namikaze Minato, her tone devoid of any doubt:
"If it's Minato, you can definitely do it."
"If it still doesn't work, I'll sneak out and beat him up for you!"
The girl looked utterly menacing.
Namikaze Minato watched her quietly, then suddenly, for no reason, reached out and stroked her soft red hair, leaning his forehead against hers, relying on her, and whispered:
"Kushina."
"I will continue to work hard, until… the day you can walk out of here openly."
At his words, the seemingly wild red-haired girl also quieted down, resting her forehead against his, letting out a soft, somewhat shy hum, her cheeks flushed:
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