"Minato, what you need to do now is learn to climb trees as quickly as possible, and then build a rapport with Pikachu," Uchiha Hayato said with a smile.
"I understand, Shadow Clone Technique." Minato performed the Ninjutsu, creating two Shadow Clones, and walked towards the deeper part of the forest that had not been destroyed by Pikachu. Pikachu, holding a Lemonade, waddled behind him.
"Xiao Yan, let's train too!"
Uchiha Hayato patted Chimchar, whose eyes were burning with fighting spirit, telling it not to stare at Pikachu anymore.
Infernape, as Chimchar's final evolution, possesses both Fire and Fighting attributes. Hayato was not surprised by Chimchar's fighting spirit; in fact, he felt even more gratified.
Not all Pokémon are suited for battle; even if they are powerful, they may not be able to perform to their fullest, such as the Slaking with its Truant ability or Ash's disobedient Charizard back then.
Charizard had followed Ash since it was a Charmander, but after evolving to its final form, it became arrogant and refused to listen to commands. When Leon's Charizard competes in the World Champion Tournament, will Charizard remember its past adventures with Ash?
Uchiha Hayato reined in his wandering thoughts and patted Chimchar's head: "Xiao Yan, Pikachu has already evolved, and you haven't been born for long. You will definitely surpass it in the future, don't worry."
"Ow ᗜ ˰ ᗜ"
"Hayato, what about me? What kind of training do I need to do?" Kushina asked, tilting her head while holding the Pokémon egg. She always felt that Hayato's training plan had forgotten her, and couldn't help but wonder if it was just her imagination.
"Kushina?" Uchiha Hayato scratched his head, "Don't you need to watch the egg?"
"That kind of thing, a Shadow Clone can do it too!" Kushina frowned, instantly creating hundreds of Shadow Clones, which gave Hayato a headache.
Indeed, Hayato's training plan seemed to exclude her. The girl was a bit pouting, determined to find out what was going on.
"Kushina, I think you're already very strong. I don't know how to teach you any better," Hayato said, a bit helplessly.
He wasn't making excuses. In the anime, Kushina was bullied by a group of mischievous kids, and even confronted by the older brother of one of those kids who had become a Genin. Yet, she managed to turn the tables, showing that her strength at this time was already comparable to a Genin.
Setting aside the anime and just considering Kushina herself, with the Uzumaki Clan's chakra-rich physique, her proficiency in sealing Ninjutsu, and the future Nine-Tailed, Kushina's life was practically laid out for her.
She could have lived as an ordinary female Ninja.
Can I interfere with the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki storyline? Uchiha Hayato sighed inwardly. Unless he displayed even greater strength, it would be impossible to change the future.
Thinking of this, Hayato's gaze towards Kushina showed a hint of pity.
Kushina, however, didn't notice. Instead, she lowered her head, fiddling with her red hair, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"I'm not as amazing as you say…"
She looked up, her small mouth slightly pouting: "Hayato, you can't be so biased. I just want to be part of your training plan."
Actually, she just wanted to spend more time alone with Hayato and be more important to him. Kushina felt frustrated. Recalling their first meeting, although Hayato had helped her, he had never specifically cared for her since then, only treating her as an ordinary companion.
Their daily schedule was perfect: going to school together, eating together, training together, and interacting with Pokémon every day.
Everything was fulfilling, making her feel happy.
Happy things overlapped. And these happy things brought me more happiness. What I got should have been a dream-like happy time… But why did it turn out like this…
Kushina felt a little heartache for Hayato. His smile was always sunny, but his actions were as if he was being chased by an invisible enemy, constantly pushing himself and his companions to improve their strength. War is very dangerous, and one can lose their life at any time. Having been born in Uzushiogakure, she understood this perfectly.
But Hayato had never experienced war. Was it necessary to go to such lengths?
She also wanted to help him, and she also wanted to stand by his side in a closer capacity!
"Is… that so?" Uchiha Hayato was a bit flustered. He saw the girl's thoughts, and even though his mind was already mature, being directly hit by her affection still made him somewhat panicked.
"Haha… ha, well, Kushina, you can tell me anything you want to do," Uchiha Hayato let out two dry laughs to cover his awkwardness. "As long as it doesn't go against my will, you can do anything."
"Pfft." Kushina covered her mouth. It was the first time she had seen Hayato so flustered, completely different from the confident impression she had of him before.
This Hayato is more interesting, Kushina thought. She stopped her laughter, and her eyes lit up when she heard Hayato's words.
"Anything I ask for?"
"Cough, of course. You can even ask me to prank the Third Hokage's Hokage Rock, as long as it's not too excessive."
Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been wearing an aunt-like smile, suddenly changed his expression, puffing out his beard and Glaring. What did he mean by saying it was okay to draw on the Hokage Rock?
Wasn't that excessive?
Humph! Hiruzen Sarutobi snorted coldly.
However, Uchiha Hayato's behavior actually made him feel more at ease. After all, he was still a child, and having such romantic feelings was perfectly normal. If Hayato had always been very calm, like an adult, then he would have started to worry.
Kushina imagined Hayato climbing onto the Hokage Rock to play a prank, and the smile on her face grew even brighter.
"I won't ask you to do something like that!" Kushina had her Shadow Clone hold the Pokémon egg and fell into thought.
"Ehm… I got it!" Kushina seemed to have thought of a good idea and nodded repeatedly. "You can definitely fulfill this wish of mine."
"What is it?" Uchiha Hayato felt a little uneasy, but he had to fulfill his own words.
Speak frankly, and keep your promises.
"Hehe, it's not something difficult for you," Kushina's eyes curved into crescent moons. She coughed twice, putting on a formal demeanor. "I wasn't born in this Village, and I've been here for over a month, but I haven't properly explored it. As someone born and raised in Konoha Village, I'm sure you can take me around, right?"
As Kushina spoke, her tone gradually became a little timid. She turned sideways, secretly watching Hayato's reaction.
What did I think it was? So it was this kind of request. Uchiha Hayato breathed a sigh of relief.
"Of course, anytime. Xiao Yan, let's rest for today. You can go into your Poké Ball, or you can train with Minato and the others."
Chimchar's eyes widened, unable to believe that Hayato had just said they would train, and now he was going shopping with this woman.
"Let's train together tomorrow. I'll bring you something delicious when I get back."
"Squeak!" Chimchar reluctantly agreed. He wanted to be a fighting monkey, secretly working hard when Hayato wasn't looking, to amaze everyone in the future.
"Let's go now!" Kushina cheered internally, then turned to her Shadow Clone and said, "Clone, I'm leaving the Pokémon to you."
"What? Can't you watch the egg yourself?" The Shadow Clone grumbled unhappily. "I also want to go on a date with Lord Hayato…"
"Da-da-da-da… a date!" Kushina's face flushed. "It's not a date!" She lowered her head, not daring to look at Hayato's expression.
"Then let me go instead. You, the main body, can just stay home," although it was a clone, the Shadow Clone's aura was not small.
"Go then, it's just a date anyway," Kushina gritted her teeth.
"A date? Alright," Uchiha Hayato said with a gentle smile. "Kushina, let's go."
After speaking, he took Kushina's small hand and walked out of the training ground.