Awakening Of Uchiha [Naruto/One Piece]

Chapter 42 Big Sister Kushina Said She Would Protect Me?

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"Hey! Katsumi, your name is Katsumi, right? Mikoto told me!"

"Hello! I'm Kushina, Uzumaki Kushina!"

"If someone bullies you in class in the future, just tell them my name. I promised Mikoto I'd take care of you, hehe!"

At that moment, Kushina stood up and waved energetically at Katsumi.

Hearing this "big sister" declaration, Katsumi couldn't help but find it amusing.

"Then I'll rely on you to take care of me in the future!"

He didn't ruin her moment but simply smiled and nodded in agreement.

"KUSHINA!!! SIT DOWN!"

The head teacher, Kuroda Ichito, roared, veins bulging on his forehead as he glared at Kushina.

This girl was becoming more and more unruly!

But in truth, he couldn't do anything to Kushina.

If he dared, Tsunade-sama would certainly make his life miserable.

Not to mention, Uzumaki Mito stood behind Kushina as her greatest supporter.

With such powerful backing, Kushina was not someone he could afford to offend.

"Yes, yes!"

Kushina, having achieved her goal, didn't argue. She obediently sat back down.

At this moment, Namikaze Minato, sitting two rows ahead of her, overheard Kushina's bold proclamation. He glanced back at her, feeling amused.

"I didn't expect Kushina to have the makings of a big sister… Interesting."

"HEY!"

However, his obvious gaze and smirk were like nails on a chalkboard to Kushina.

Feeling mocked, she slammed her desk and glared at Minato. "Yellow-haired sissy, are you laughing at me?! Damn you!"

"Ah? No…"

Minato quickly tried to explain, but Kuroda Ichito's patience had already run out.

"UZUMAKI KUSHINA!!! SIT DOWN!" he roared angrily.

Then, he turned to Minato with a warning glare. "And you, Namikaze Minato! Don't start learning bad habits!"

"Yes, sir!"

The two immediately quieted down, though Minato still hadn't had a chance to defend himself.

Kushina, meanwhile, added another mental note against Minato.

"It's all because of that sissy! If not for him, I wouldn't have been scolded again!"

She also grumbled to herself. "And what does the teacher mean, 'don't learn bad habits'? Is he implying that I'm a bad influence?"

"Who does he think he's looking down on? This is complete discrimination!"

…

After that, Katsumi introduced himself under Kuroda Ichito's prompting.

He then walked down from the podium, meeting the curious and varied gazes of his classmates.

Kushina enthusiastically waved him over to the empty seat beside her.

Katsumi, noticing that Kushina's favorability toward him was already at 62 points, sat down beside her.

"This is a really high starting point," Katsumi thought.

"It's probably because of Mikoto! Maybe even Tsunade-sensei and Master Mito mentioned me to her!"

…

Over the next few days, Katsumi attended school normally during the day.

With his exceptional learning ability and efficiency, he quickly mastered everything the Academy had to offer.

His relationship with Kushina improved significantly during this time.

He also met Namikaze Minato, who proactively greeted him and befriended him.

With his natural charm and communication skills, both Kushina and Minato's favorability toward him grew steadily.

However, there was still a long way to go before their favorability reached the minimum requirement of 80 points for a contract.

These things couldn't be rushed. Katsumi knew he had to take it slow.

…

One afternoon, after school, Katsumi said to Kushina and Minato, "Kushina, Minato, I've already mastered everything that can be learned in school."

"Honestly, school isn't useful to me anymore."

"So, I plan to send a Shadow Clone to attend classes for me from now on."

"I'm going to spend that time practicing on my own! I wanted to give you both a heads-up."

Since they were friends now, Katsumi felt it was better to explain this openly.

Otherwise, if it was discovered later, it might damage their friendship.

"Eh? Using Shadow Clone to go to school? Is that even allowed?!" Kushina's eyes widened in disbelief before she exclaimed, "Why didn't I think of that?!"

She had been attending school for a few months longer than Katsumi, and with her intelligence, she had already mastered everything she was supposed to learn.

Anything beyond that held no interest for her.

She had long found school to be dull and torturous.

Originally, she had been planning to beg her grandmother to let her quit school entirely so she could focus on learning the sealing arts under her grandmother's guidance.

That was where her true passion lay.

However, after hearing Katsumi's suggestion, she suddenly realized something: there was no need to drop out of school! Wouldn't it be better to use a Shadow Clone to take her place?

This way, her grandmother would surely agree.

And if she didn't know the Shadow Clone technique yet?

Well, she could just learn it.

For a genius girl like her, mastering Shadow Clone would be a piece of cake.

Besides, she had plenty of chakra, so creating a Shadow Clone to attend school would be effortless!

"Then I'll use a Shadow Clone to go to school from now on too!"

Kushina decided instantly. She then turned to Katsumi and asked, "I heard from Sister Tsunade that you've been learning sealing techniques recently?"

"Yes," Katsumi nodded. "My mother made a deal with Master Mito, and I received a lot of sealing technique scrolls from her, so I've been studying them."

Kushina's eyes lit up. "That's perfect! I'm planning to start learning sealing techniques from my grandmother. Do you want to join me?"

She added with a grin, "We can exchange learning experiences along the way. What do you think?"

For her, studying with a companion would be far more enjoyable.

At the very least, having someone like Katsumi around would be easy on the eyes. She admired his masculine handsomeness—so different from a certain someone who was far too sissy for her liking.

"Huh? Would that be okay? Doesn't it require Master Mito's approval?"

Katsumi was slightly taken aback.

He certainly didn't mind learning from Uzumaki Mito.

Having a master in sealing arts teach him would undoubtedly be far more efficient than studying alone.

From his past experience, he knew that being taught by someone directly could drastically speed up his progress. The better the teacher, the better the results.

Although his natural talent allowed him to learn quickly through self-study, who could refuse such an opportunity to double their gains?

"Of course, it's okay! I'll talk to Grandma when I get home later," Kushina said confidently. "She likes you a lot anyway. She even told me to look out for you at school!"

She patted her chest as if to seal her promise.

"Alright, then. Ask her. If it works, great; if not, it's no big deal," Katsumi agreed with a nod.

Standing nearby, Minato couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed after overhearing their conversation.

If possible, he would have loved to join them.

But he knew that wasn't realistic.

Katsumi had this opportunity because Master Mito had personally provided him with sealing scrolls and had a favorable impression of him.

Minato, however, lacked such connections.

Moreover, he hadn't yet learned the Shadow Clone technique.

Noticing Minato's downcast expression, Katsumi patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't feel bad! We can't spend all day just learning sealing techniques."

"How about we set aside some time each day to practice ninjutsu and taijutsu together?"

In Katsumi's eyes, Minato was an excellent investment.

By building a strong friendship now, he could foster loyalty and secure a future ally.

After all, Minato's talent and potential were undeniable. It would be far better to align with him early on than to leave him to the Third Hokage's influence, which might turn them into adversaries down the line.

Of course, while building this friendship, Katsumi also planned to guide Minato subtly.

He would help Minato see through the true face of the Third Hokage, the hidden agenda behind the so-called "Will of Fire," and the harsh realities of the ninja world.

This way, Minato wouldn't fall prey to the Third Hokage's ideology or brainwashing.

…