"Sorry, you look a bit like someone I know."
Uchiha Hayato apologized, making Minato Namikaze roll his eyes.
"Old buddy, listen to this, doesn't it sound like a cheesy pickup line?" He glanced at Kushina, whose eyes seemed to be spitting fire, and silently took a step back, mourning for Uchiha Hayato in his heart.
Pikachu was still the best. He squeezed Pikachu's small round face, and a tingling sensation ran through his hand.
Kushina glared hatefully at Uchiha Hayato's retreating back, but inwardly she blamed herself. It was all her fault for not confessing sooner, which allowed a suspected love rival to appear.
The girl's heart was conflicted; perhaps Hayato wouldn't necessarily accept love at first sight.
"Who are you people? Why are you interrupting our training?"
The Byakugan girl felt a bit confused, but a spark of anger also rose in her heart. Although Kushina's words were directed at them, her gaze was fixed on her, and she hadn't done anything.
"My name is Yakushi Nonou, and this is my friend, Hyuga Ruri," the blonde girl stepped forward to introduce.
"Hello, Yakushi Nonou. I'm Uchiha Hayato, this is Uzumaki Kushina, and the one with the same hair color as you is Minato Namikaze. Is there something you need here?" Uchiha Hayato was curious. Besides Minato, he hadn't actively approached any other plot characters, so why were they seeking him out?
"Ruri said she was very interested, so we followed her," Yakushi Nonou explained. "I also wanted to see what kind of person you are."
"Wh-who's interested in this guy?" Hyuga Ruri's face seemed to be steaming red. She glanced at Chimchar, who was squatting on the wooden stake. "Right, I just, I just wanted to see a Summoned Beast I hadn't seen before."
"Woo?" Chimchar blinked in confusion.
"We're discussing our future training plans. If you two don't mind, you can join us," Uchiha Hayato smiled, seemingly completely unaware of the faint scent of gunpowder in the air.
"Whether Kushina forgives you is her business; you don't need to ask me specifically. I hope your performance isn't just a flash in the pan," he said to Dekai.
"Kushina, it's up to you. You decide." Uchiha Hayato turned around, and she, who had been locked in a gaze with Hyuga Ruri, immediately averted her eyes and stood obediently.
"Oh, okay." She nodded.
"I forgive you," Kushina said. Deep down, she even felt like she was making a mountain out of a molehill, but since Hayato defended her, she wouldn't dwell on it. "If you dare to call me 'rotten tomato' with those boys again, I won't be so polite."
Kushina's immense Chakra exploded, and she punched a training stake, shattering half of it.
She rubbed her slightly reddened fist, a mischievous smile on her face.
Dekai felt cold sweat trickling down his forehead. This girl, even without Uchiha Hayato's Helping Hand, they probably wouldn't have fared well.
"I understand."
His gaze shifted to Pikachu. How did another Summoned Beast with such a unique style appear?
"This is a Summoned Beast Hayato summoned for him. Isn't it amazing?" Kushina boasted, as if she herself had summoned the Pokémon.
"Didn't Hayato summon that too? What does it have to do with you?" Hyuga Ruri retorted.
"Alright, alright, don't argue," Uchiha Hayato promptly stopped the two women who were about to quarrel and continued, "Now that Kushina has forgiven him, I'll continue explaining our training plan."
Seeing Uchiha Hayato's serious expression, Kushina also put aside her intention to retort to Hyuga Ruri.
"Under the leadership of Lord Third, Konoha Village has gradually prospered, but the Ninja World is not peaceful. Minato, have you heard about the friction on the Land of Fire's border?"
Minato Namikaze nodded to Uchiha Hayato and said, "The Ninja of Hidden Sand Village have repeatedly clashed with us before, and there seems to be something happening on the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire."
Minato Namikaze looked worried. He only regretted that he hadn't grown up yet and didn't know how long this short peace would last.
"If the conflicts are not resolved for a long time, then a war will inevitably break out—the Second Shinobi World War."
"We are all just Ninja Academy students right now. If war breaks out, we might graduate early and go to the battlefield, so we must quickly improve our strength."
"A Ninja's strength is composed of several parts: their Chakra volume, the Ninjutsu they use, their Ninja intellect, the Ninja tools they carry, and the Summoned Beasts they possess." Uchiha Hayato squatted down and drew characters on the ground.
"Chakra volume cannot be increased in a short time. Ninja tools can be bought and stored. As for a Ninja's intellect, those who haven't truly experienced life and death cannot train it; simply learning and paying attention to information is enough."
"The rest is what we need to do. If Chakra volume is insufficient, then we must control the use of Chakra and minimize unnecessary waste."
"As for Ninjutsu, it also has to do with Pokémon." Uchiha Hayato glanced at Hyuga Ruri. "Except for clan Ninja, it's difficult for us to learn various Ninjutsu right now. But Pokémon have their skills. As we train with Pokémon, we make them stronger and at the same time learn their skills, turning them into our own Ninjutsu."
Aside from Kushina and Minato, the rest of them looked bewildered, knowing nothing about Pokémon.
Minato Namikaze excitedly clenched a fist. For him, a commoner, this point was something he greatly yearned for.
"Kushina, why don't you try with me?" Uchiha Hayato stood up and invited Kushina.
"Me?" Kushina pointed to herself. "Hayato, what are you going to do?"
"Just want to try a Ninjutsu I learned from a Pokémon," Uchiha Hayato clasped his hands together. "Please, Kushina, I won't hurt you. Minato just fought with me, so you're the only one I can ask."
"Come on!" Kushina replied with a smile. She was happy to be able to do something, but she wasn't sure what Ninjutsu Uchiha Hayato was going to use on her, and there was a hint of apprehension in her heart.
"Fake Out."
Pale blue Chakra clung to Uchiha Hayato's palm, showing no signs of threat whatsoever.
Uchiha Hayato's palm pressed against Kushina's lower abdomen, and Chakra subtly surged in.
"What's going on? Why can't I move?" Kushina's voice was a bit panicked. She felt as if her body no longer belonged to her, and she was completely paralyzed in place.
"This is a move learned from Chimchar, a Ninjutsu that uses Chakra to enter the enemy's body and paralyze them. Those who are affected will be temporarily unable to move for a period of time."
"Of course, this move has two drawbacks. The first is that it requires physical contact."
"Hayato, stop talking and quickly restore me!" Kushina shouted, and her Chakra immediately surged, restoring sensation to her body.
"The second drawback is exactly that—breaking through the effect of Fake Out with powerful Chakra." Uchiha Hayato grinned as he supported the slightly dizzy Kushina.
"Gentle Fist?"
Hyuga Ruri's pupils contracted, and she exclaimed loudly.
[First use of skill, hidden quest completed]
[Reward obtained: Draw attempts * 10]