Because the written exam had already started, Gojo Yoru and Uzumaki Kushina stayed on the rooftop until the first subject ended, then went back down.
The two shadow clones Yoru had used as a disguise had already slipped off to an empty place and dispelled as soon as the exam ended.
Watching Yoru and Kushina enter from the back of the classroom—this time as their real selves—Namikaze Minato felt the last shred of fantasy inside him finally go out.
Just like his earlier feeling, he had no hope at all of ever winning Kushina's affection.
Because the way she looked at Gojo Yoru had changed completely.
Before, Kushina often glanced at Yoru—sometimes sneaking looks, sometimes staring openly.
But now, in her deep navy eyes, there was a light that hadn't been there before.
Minato wasn't unfamiliar with that kind of gaze. He'd seen it in plenty of people who liked him.
He'd even felt that same light himself the first time he saw Kushina.
It was the look you only had when you were staring at someone you liked—or when your whole world was that person.
Maybe… they'd already made it official.
Minato couldn't help a bitter smile, and once again a familiar regret rose in his chest.
It always came back to the same question—what if…
If, back then, he had been the first to stand up and show Kushina kindness… would the one sitting beside her now have been him?
Little did he know—even if he had done it, it wouldn't have worked the way it did for Gojo Yoru.
In this anime world—whether it's "mainstream" or "adult" versions—the hesitant, shy protagonist always ends up the tragic loser in front of a bold, thick-skinned "bull warrior" who takes action first.
Yoru didn't know what Minato was thinking. Even if he did, he wouldn't have secretly laughed like he used to.
Because he no longer considered Minato a rival—neither in strength nor in romance.
While the written exams for grades one through five were still ongoing, the sixth-year graduation exam finished first.
Who knows—maybe the graduation exam in this era was as simple as it was in canon?
In the afternoon, the practical exam also ended smoothly.
This time, Yoru didn't get matched against Minato, and he didn't get matched against Kushina either. He ended the last "pseudo no-rules" assessment by one-shotting his opponent.
Walking out of the academy together, Yoru suddenly said to Kushina, "Tomato-na, don't go back yet. Come to my place."
"Sure."
Kushina nodded, thinking Yoru was going to guide her nature-transformation training again.
As for the Rasengan, Kushina had mastered it two months ago—back at the end of January.
The three training stages of the Rasengan awakened Kushina's bloodline talent. Her chakra control improved almost daily.
And with her massive chakra reserves, she not only had endless chances to practice—she could also create shadow clones to help train.
Back when Yoru learned it, he could only attempt to condense a Rasengan a few times a day. If he failed, he had to rest and recover his chakra—forget using shadow clones to assist.
Their training speeds weren't comparable at all. It was pure talent suppression.
"Yoru, which nature transformation are we training today?"
The moment they arrived at Yoru's house, Kushina asked eagerly.
As long as she was with Yoru, even training was fun.
"We're not training nature transformation today. I'm taking you somewhere."
Yoru took Kushina's small hand and led her to the storage room on the first floor.
Under Kushina's flushed cheeks and wide-eyed stare, Yoru lifted an inconspicuous tatami mat, and the dark entrance to a basement appeared.
"This is…"
Kushina's red lips parted slightly. The embarrassment—and the thoughts that had drifted in a certain direction—vanished instantly.
"I'll go down first. Come down after there's light."
With that, Yoru went down.
A moment later, candlelight glowed up from the dark opening.
Kushina immediately went down too.
When she saw the basement clearly—bookshelves piled with scrolls and books, plus locked chests—she understood at once.
Still, she asked knowingly, "Yoru… is this your family's treasure vault?"
"Yeah. This is the Gojo family's inheritance."
Yoru walked to a shelf and patted the scrolls on it, smiling at Kushina. "I don't know whether living in the First Hokage's house means you can learn Senju secret arts or jutsu… but when we trained nature transformation, I noticed you still haven't learned the five elemental releases."
"A Rasengan alone won't be enough to deal with a natural-disaster-level beast."
He picked up a scroll and waved it in front of Kushina—who was staring at him blankly again—and continued, "So next, I'm going to expand your weapon arsenal."
Kushina's eyes watered again. The tears she'd shed today were almost catching up to the day she witnessed the fall of the Land of Whirlpools.
But unlike that day's grief and despair, these tears were filled with joy and emotion.
Because she realized Yoru's feelings for her were just as intense.
Otherwise, after learning about the jinchūriki matter, he wouldn't have immediately thought about helping her get stronger.
And to expand her arsenal, he had even brought her into his family's inheritance sanctuary.
That care—and that sense of "we're in this together"—made Kushina feel that becoming the Nine-Tails jinchūriki might not actually be such a terrible thing.
Lady Mito… you were right. As long as I've found what my heart can hold, then even if I become a tailed-beast vessel, I can still be happy.
Kushina thought that to herself, then smiled brightly at Yoru. "Alright. Then I won't hold back."
"Heh… don't celebrate too early. Get ready for hell training this vacation."
Yoru had no idea how big the payoff could be when you move a girl like that.
And he had no idea what consequences might come from giving away his family's foundation without holding anything back.
But the very next day, he found out.
"This… what is this?"
Pointing at an enormous scroll almost as tall as Kushina herself, Yoru was—rarely—completely stunned.
"This is our Uzushio Village Book of Seals," Kushina said with her hands on her hips, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You showed me your family inheritance, so of course I have to respond. You can read this scroll however you want. This vacation, you teach me ninjutsu, and I'll teach you sealing arts!"
Yoru stared at Kushina blankly. In that moment, he felt exactly what Kushina had felt yesterday—like the girl in front of him was radiating blinding golden light.
Not just any gold—rich-lady gold.
If his rationality hadn't still been holding him back—and if he weren't terrified of creating a lifelong black history he'd get mocked for—Yoru would've wanted to lunge forward and hug Kushina's thigh.
He only wanted the Strength of a Hundred Seal. He never expected to learn the entire Uzumaki sealing legacy from Kushina the way canon Minato did.
But this impulsive rich-lady actually brought the whole Book of Seals over.
And neither Uzumaki Mito nor the Anbu acting as Sarutobi Hiruzen's will had stopped her—how was that even possible?
For a moment, Yoru couldn't help feeling smug about his own charm.
From the Minato one-shot, it seemed Kushina had taught Minato sealing arts one technique at a time before they married.
But now, Kushina had shoved the entire scroll right in front of Yoru.
This "better-than-canon" treatment filled Yoru with a sense of accomplishment.
As expected—someone who knows the plot and understands character personalities, a true "bull warrior," is unbeatable!
~~~
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