By the time late spring finally turned into pretty much warm enough for early summer to creep in, our little… group, or whatever we were, had become something you could actually call a team. It wasn't official, of course. But everybody else in the Academy already thought of us as a separate entity floating in orbit around our own world, barely in the same space as the rest of the students...
And honestly? I didn't mind it. I don't think any of us did, nor did the teachers. As for Kushina? She had fit into our clique faster than even I ever expected her to. She was not as advanced as we were, but... She was working hard on it. Some days, she arrived at training with her hair a frizzy mess because she'd burned chunks of it during her own time, training at home. But she never gave up.
As for Sayuri, to my surprise, she slid into Kushina's life like she'd always been there, being her best friend, fussing over her burned hair, braiding it, scolding her for not drinking enough water, and poking her forehead when she got too heated, calming her down. Of course, Kushina liked to pretend she was annoyed by it, but she always leaned on Sayuri whenever she felt a bit down... or annoyed... or just wanted to talk to someone who wasn't Minato or me.
"Again!"
Minato's shouting brought me out of my thoughts, as I blinked my eyes and watched the two. Somehow, he had evolved into a strange hybrid of a training partner and a terrifying mini-teacher when it came to Kushina. I didn't know he had this side of him...
"No!" Kushina yelled back, clinging to the tree branch, hanging upside down, doing her best to hold her clothes the right way, not letting them flip into her face and reveal something indecent. "I hate this stupid exercise, dattebane!"
"It's not about what you hate or don't," Minato answered, trying to sound kind but also a bit strict. "Enemies won't ask what your preferred way of doing things is!"
In the end, she grunted but showed she was ready before Minato threw a kunai at her, watching as she dodged, flipping around, grabbing the kunai mid-air, flinging it back at Minato... only to lose her touch, fall down, and land on her head with a loud crack and moan. She can control her chakra well, but... the moment she needs to multitask and focus on something else, like catching and throwing, it goes awry, and once again, she had managed to slip off the tree.
"That's the third time," Sayuri whispered as we watched the two. "I think Minato won't be able to make her do it a fourth time in a row."
"No," I agreed. "But I don't think he will try to force her. She improved nonetheless... Previously, she couldn't even catch the kunai."
While we spoke, Kushina sat up, muttering curses, the kind that I think if they were in the show... they would be bleeped out.
"I can break a boulder," she groaned, rubbing her head, "I can run for hours. I can wrestle anybody!" She stopped mid-sentence, her face going red, and pointed accusingly at Minato. "But this stupid thing? No! It's all stupid! If I can dodge, why do I need to do all that nonsense?! Isn't that enough?!"
"Maybe," I sighed and pushed myself up from beside Sayuri. "All right, come here! Let's work on what you can do well, then."
"Hmph. Like what?" She snorted.
"Like genjutsu."
"Want a smack on your head, dattebane?" Her eyes narrowed, scowling at me, "My genjutsu sucks."
"No," Minato corrected her gently, "Your resistance is great! Greater than mine, for example. Also, your sensing is super great. And your breaking ability is ridiculous for a beginner! You managed to come out of Renji's genjutsu yesterday, no?"
"Self-inflicting pain was a good choice," I nodded. "So I would also say, you are good at it... Even if it's not about casting the jutsu, but fighting back against it."
"Fine," she said dramatically, throwing her hands up, "Teach me, dattebane... But no weird illusions like last time! I don't want to relive thirty minutes of you saying... what was it...? Focus your breathing."
"It was educational," I chuckled, making her snort, rolling her eyes.
"It was torture!"
"Heh," Sayuri laughed softly beside us, "It was kind of funny."
"Traitor," Kushina hissed at her, of course, making her stick her tongue out in response.
As for the teaching and training we were doing, it was nothing... advanced. We worked on visualization drills, sense disruption, sound manipulation, and basic perception nudges. Kushina didn't catch on instantly, I mean, when it was about dishing it out, but she caught on fast when it was about noticing if she was put under an illusion. The best thing? With her, I could improve my eyes and get a feel for how to cast illusions with my Sharingan way faster than I thought it would be possible. The best thing was, I barely needed any hand-signs... seeing the chakra like I did... It was already cheating by manipulating the chakraflow... and it was almost second nature. Damn... these eyes are a nightmare, if you really think about it!
As for Kushina's chakra and mind? Although she was easily irritable and sometimes haphazard, she was also pretty sharp.
"Be alert," I said, raising a hand to cue a sound-displacement trick. Which was already part of the illusion, because I didn't really speak, I just snapped my fingers, already initiating the genjutsu, so she heard me say that was already part of it. The moment I snapped my fingers, Kushina frowned and closed her eyes... And broke it in under a few seconds.
"You're a natural." I shrugged, seeing her do it.
"I told you," she said proudly, pointing a thumb at her chest. "Uzumaki people are awesome. Even at things we suck at!"
"That's not how the proverb goes," Minato murmured, but then pulled back his head when Kushina's gaze snapped at him.
"Now it does!"
"Okay, okay!" I snorted, pursing my lips, "Then let's try something more advanced, Miss Habanero!"
Well... that was how my genjutsu-based training turned into a taijutsu exercise, which was mostly about me dodging. When I felt like this was the best opportunity to switch, I grabbed Minato, thrusting her at Kushina, while I slipped out from the enraged Uzumaki bull's vision.
Maybe it wasn't the best of the ideas... Minato didn't know how to hold back at all and flipped her onto her back three times in under a minute. Yet each time he did so, Kushina stood up instantly, brushed the dirt off her clothes, clenched her fists, and charged at him again. Her style wasn't refined, or controlled... Or anything resembling the word technique when it came to fighting and not grappling... but she hit like a truck. The same one that sent me here, as every impact made my bones hurt just from watching. No wonder that Minato heavily relied on his speed to keep him safe, something that was the proper antithesis to how Kushina liked fighting.
"You're strong," Minato shrugged after she forced him to retreat instead of parrying once again.
"I know." Kushina puffed her chest, already chasing him.
"But you leave your right rib open every other step."
She froze the moment he spoke, stopping mid-strike, looking down, seeing that Minato's palm strike was only a hair away from hitting her.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"
"I thought you knew," Minato mumbled, pulling back, scratching his face, looking dumbfounded.
"MINATO!"
I choked on my own spit laughing, watching her try to REALLY hit him... but of course... he was faster... But at least, they were getting closer and closer. Ahh... I'm such a good wingman!
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At the same time, back in the village, a report was delivered the moment Fugaku entered his office in the morning. Standing inside, his patrol commander bowed, placing the scroll onto the table.
"Updates on Uchiha Renjiro's activities..." His subordinate said, bowing his head, while Fugaku dismissed him with a nod, waiting until the door slid shut before unrolling the scroll.
He read in silence, making sure every detail was understood... Then he read it again, this time with his Sharingan active. The conclusion was still the same, both times: abnormal.
"No," Fugaku murmured to himself, fingers tightening on the parchment. "It's... Bright."
Smiling to himself, he tapped on the table, repeating the words inside the document:
"Taijutsu improvements are beyond even the older academy students. Mastery of genjutsu fundamentals, already using the advantages of what a Sharingan can offer. An awakening of the Sharingan's second tomoe at age nine. Frequent training with Minato Namikaze. Addendum: The clanless boy's raw talent is beginning to alarm even jōnin evaluators. Addendum 2: The Uzumaki girl is now constantly hovering around the two."
"The Uzumaki girl..." He muttered as he exhaled softly. There was something strange about her appearance, and he couldn't find out what it was... Yet. But, he could tell that something was happening in the background and possibly at such a high level that only those really close to the Hokage knew about it.
Shaking the thoughts away, Fugaku exhaled one more time, his smile returning. He will have to get close to the kid the moment he exits the Academy, before someone else gets the idea that such a promising Uchiha should belong to them. With that in mind, he sealed the scroll and pulled another toward himself, one that was a personal note he intended to deliver to Renjiro's father later in the week.
"Your son is progressing well." He began writing, "The clan is observing with great pride, and I would like to begin personal mentorship when appropriate."
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What Fugaku didn't know was that, at the same time, Hiruzen was lifting his pipe to his mouth, leaning back as two ANBU stood quietly before him, holding three separate reports. He had already finished reading them, but he needed the scent of tobacco to calm the storm of both excitement and concern swirling in his mind.
"Minato's progress continues to accelerate?" He asked in the end, blowing smoke out of his nose.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," the ANBU on the left answered. "His speed is already near chūnin levels, and his ability to analyze combat situations is unprecedented among academy students."
"Mhm," Hiruzen nodded slowly. "I trust your evaluations... I got the same reports from the Academy, too, although they never really observed their private sparring sessions." Smiling, he took another puff from his pipe before speaking again, "Renjiro.... Second tomoe already… And developing battlefield genjutsu applications? Incredible..."
"Yes, Hokage-sama. Once again... the Uchiha's fearsome reputation shows itself, even in peacetime."
"Maybe he will be useful if we ever have an emergency... especially if something goes wrong with the transfer..." The other ANBU spoke up this time, making Hiruzen shake his head.
"If we need to rely on a child's help, I will offer my head to the people. I am already ashamed that we had to bring young Kushina to the village..." He added, closing his eyes for a moment, "I'm just glad that her life is stabilizing thanks to her new friends."
Friends... That was the word Hiruzen wanted to hear more of in his reports. Kushina's early days in Konoha were lonely, painful even, but now, finally, she had found people who accepted her. People who even protected her and treated her as an equal... that was what she needed the most because those bonds will be the only thing that will help her deal with the fate that awaits her...
"The future jinchūriki needs that more than anything." He muttered, his eyes going soft, confusing the two ANBU about what he meant, but neither of them dared to interrupt his thoughts. "These three cannot be allowed to scatter into random genin squads later." He spoke up, suddenly sounding authoritative, "They must be properly cultivated."
With that, he reached into his drawer and pulled out a small summoning toad contract, then another scroll, with Jiraiya's personnel file. Currently, he was once again out on assignment, but summoning him back would take only an hour... And Hiruzen had already thought up a new mission for him that would keep him busy for the foreseeable future.
"I want Minato and Renjiro evaluated for early graduation," Hiruzen said firmly, glancing at the ANBU before him, "And Kushina… she must be under a mentor capable of handling both her spirit and her burden." Hearing him speak, the two ANBU exchanged glances behind their masks.
"You intend to ask Jiraiya-sama to take them as students?" One of them asked, noticing the things appearing on the Hokage's table.
"Not ask," he corrected them, "I am going to assign him this mission. He will grumble, and he will complain... He will swear he is too busy writing that wretched book of his, looking for inspiration for that nonsense." He sighed, shaking his head, "But no one else can teach children like Minato and Renji. And no one else can guide and also protect Kushina until she is ready for the transfer..."
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Just as the Third Hokage was sending his summons, deep under the roots of the trees that made up the village, somewhere hidden, where only the burning torches illuminated a narrow stone room... Someone was knocking on a hard table, thinking. In that room, the dim light flickered across the faces of three kneeling operatives as Danzō's single eye traced the report cards laid out before him.
"Two tomoe," He murmured to himself, "At nine years old..."
He had expected something like this, of course. But what caught his attention was not the dojutsu, but the restraint the boy was showing, over and over again. Especially his chosen tactic in a 5-vs-1 confrontation. The use of nonlethal precision... and that level of tactical maturity at such a young age… Then, even forgiving his 'enemies.' Well, at least the one who came asking for it.
"A boy like that," Danzō said softly, "should belong to Konoha. Not the Uchiha. As for the speed of his friend… It's reaching concerning levels."
What he didn't like, though, was Kushina's involvement... The future jinchūriki. She was to become a weapon of immense power, and she should be locked away and guarded, only used when times were dire. She was not to be... meddled with like this. He didn't like that, not one bit. She can't form weird attachments... a weapon doesn't need feelings after all.
"Emotional attachments create hesitation," he shook his head, "Hesitation creates failure... Begin drafting transfer protocols," he told the kneeling agents, his one eye finally moving onto them. "Accelerated recruitment."
"Of which subject, Danzō-sama?"
"Of all three," Danzō answered. "But particularly the Uchiha. We must move before the other parties do..."