The months slipped by quickly — the kind of slow, peaceful stretch that almost made you forget this was a ninja village.
Classes were mostly theory: history, geography, survival basics, and of course, the never-ending sermon about "The Will of Fire."
(At this point, I could probably recite that speech backward in my sleep.)
Still, life wasn't boring.
Every weekend, Minato and I trained together. He had great chakra control but zero idea where to begin. So one weekend, I decided to show him the ropes for the Three Body Techniques.
He picked it up frighteningly fast. Like, absurdly fast.
"Substitution's all about timing," I'd said, and before I could blink, he'd already swapped places with a log midair.
Yeah. Total prodigy.
Mikoto sometimes joined us. One of the few Uchiha without a the clan arrogance, she preferred training outside their compound — said it felt too suffocating in there.
And so, it became our thing.
The three of us — a "civilian trio," as Nawaki liked to call us — training at the edge of the forest every weekend.
I helped Minato polish his technique and he helped me with mine, then guided Mikoto through chakra refinement, using little tricks I remembered from anime. (Who said being a reincarnated Earthling didn't have perks?)
Bit by bit, we grew closer — Mikoto smiled more, Minato learned faster, and I… well, I finally stopped feeling like a background character.
Life was good.
Simple.
Until December began.
Konoha Ninja Academy
Morning
Snowflakes dusted the rooftops that morning, the air crisp and sharp.
Inside the classroom, chatter filled the room as usual — Nawaki boasting about how he'd "beat both Minato and me during the end-of-semester test this time," Mikoto ignoring him completely, and me trying not to fall asleep while Daiki-sensei did roll call.
Then Daiki-sensei cleared his throat. "Alright, class. Today we have a new student joining us. I want you all to treat her kindly."
He gestured toward the door. "Come in and introduce yourself."
The door slid open.
A girl with long, vivid crimson hair stepped inside, her violet eyes wide with curiosity. She fidgeted with her sleeves but still stood tall, confidence glinting beneath her nervousness.
Daiki nodded at her encouragingly. "Go ahead."
She took a breath and declared, "I'm Uzumaki Kushina. I recently moved to Konoha from Uzushiogakure! My dream is… to become the first female Hokage!"
A murmur rippled through the room. Some gasped at her boldness; others whispered about her hair.
Then came the teasing.
"Whoa, look at her red hair!"
"She looks like a tomato!"
Her brows twitched. Her jaw tightened.
Daiki, blissfully unaware, said, "You can take a seat."
Kushina stomped to the back row, muttering under her breath, "Stupid tomatoes… I'll show them red…"
The rest of the class wisely fell silent.
(A/N): She joined Konoha somewhere in the middle of next year, I just brought it up a bit forward.
After Class
The smart ones went left early.
The not-so-smart ones stayed behind to "apologize."
A few minutes later, the Academy yard echoed with the sounds of thuds, yelps, and pitiful cries for mercy.
That was the day Konoha learned a new phrase "The Blood-Red Habanero."
[Later – Inside the Classroom]
Kushina sat in her new seat beside me, arms crossed and cheeks puffed out.
Her hair was a wild red curtain, a few strands still sticking up like battle flags.
I glanced sideways. "…Rough first day?"
She huffed. "Tch. They deserved it. Calling me a tomato."
"I mean," I said casually, "even if others mock your hair color, I quite like it. Makes you look lively… and kinda cute."
Her face turned even redder. "Wha—!? Don't just say stuff like that!"
I chuckled, then without thinking, reached over and gently rubbed her head. "See? Soft too."
She froze. Completely still.
Then—
Pinch!
"Ow—!" I jerked, turning around.
Behind me, Mikoto gave me the coldest smile known to mankind. "Having fun?"
"Wha— I was just— friendly introduction!" I hissed.
Her smile didn't waver. "Uh-huh."
Minato beside her was trying hard not to laugh, shoulders shaking. Nawaki whispered dramatically, "Rest in peace, Ryo."
That was the straw that broke the camel's back — both of them burst out laughing, completely ignoring my suffering.
Meanwhile, Kushina was still overheating, staring at her desk like a kettle about to blow.
I sighed. "Well… that could've gone better."
Evening
Konoha Streets
Later that day, as our group walked home — now with one fiery redhead tagging along — the air felt livelier than usual.
Kushina was… a storm.Loud, stubborn, full of attitude, and completely unbothered by anyone's pace but her own. Within minutes, she was arguing with Nawaki about who could punch harder, teasing Minato for being "too polite," and somehow convincing Mikoto to actually laugh at one of her jokes. Even Tsume, walking beside me with her hands behind her head, was grinning. "She's got bite," she said approvingly.
"Yeah," I murmured. "And volume."
Kushina turned at that, puffing her cheeks. "What's that supposed to mean, huh?"
"Nothing bad," I said with a half-smile. "Just… refreshing."
She squinted suspiciously, but the corner of her lips twitched — a smirk threatening to form.
After a while, as the chatter died down, curiosity got the better of me."So, Kushina — where are you staying now? You just moved to Konoha, right?"
Before she could answer, Nawaki jumped in, hands behind his head. "She's staying at the Senju Compound! Grandma Mito took her in."
Kushina nodded, smiling faintly. "Yeah. Lady Mito's been really kind to me. She's… different from what I expected a Hokage's wife to be. Elegant, but warm. Feels like she understands me, y'know?"
I raised a brow. "That's… nice. Guess you lucked out on that one."
"Mm-hm! She even cooks for me sometimes — and her food's amazing."Nawaki groaned dramatically. "You mean our food. Stop hogging it all."
Kushina rolled her eyes. "You just eat too slow."
Mikoto chuckled softly while Minato shook his head, smiling. Tsume laughed outright, bumping Nawaki's shoulder. "Guess you've got competition now."
"Pfft, please," he said, puffing his chest. "I'm still the top Senju around here."
"Keep dreaming," I muttered under my breath.
"Hey, I heard that!"
We all broke into laughter as we reached the main intersection. The lamps glowed amber in the snow, the village looking almost peaceful under its white coat. One by one, we split off — Mikoto and Tsume heading toward the Uchiha district, Kushina and Nawaki toward the compound, Minato and I taking the road that branched off to the civilian side.
"See you guys tomorrow!" Kushina called out, waving.
I couldn't help but smile. 'Yeah… welcome to the chaos, Kushina. You're gonna fit right in.'
Evening
Ryo's Home
After parting ways with Minato at the crossroads, I made my way home through the softly falling snow. The village was quiet — the kind of calm that made you want to train instead of sleep.
Back home, I tossed my bag aside and started my routine.Push-ups. Squats. Core work. Stamina drills.Every repetition sharpened the edge a little more.
Then came chakra extraction practice — the real grind.
Contrary to the flashy jutsu everyone dreamed about, chakra wasn't something you stored like energy in a jar. It had to be made — drawn from the balance between body and mind each time you needed it. The faster and cleaner that extraction, the stronger your jutsu would hit when it mattered.
Sitting cross-legged, I focused.Breath in.Breath out.Slowly, I pulled at that balance — feeling the warmth flow through my limbs, the faint hum in my core.It was smoother now. More natural. More… efficient.
After a while, I opened my eyes. "Let's see where we stand."
-------------------------------------
Ryo's Status Panel
Physique: 5323
Mind: 5323
Chakra: 1.62 Kakashi (Equivalent to Adult Kakashi without Sharingan ≈ 1623 Young Kakashi units)
Taijutsu: 100 (Kunai/Shuriken 100/100 | Basic Combat 100/100)Ninjutsu: 100 (Wind Release: Gale Palm (C-Rank) 100/100 | Mystical Palm Technique (A-Rank) 100/100 | Three Body Technique (E-Rank) 100/100)
Nature Transformation: Fire 1/100, Water 1/100, Earth 1/100, Wind 100/100, Lightning 1/100,
Yin 1/100, Yang 70/100
Hand Seals: 4.6 per second
Classification: Kage (5000 – 9999)
Remarks:Congratulations! You're no longer cannon fodder — you're someone whose existence will actually matter in wars. Keep Grinding!
-------------------------------------------
I leaned back, a faint grin tugging at my lips. "Not bad. Still a long road to go… but not bad."
Outside, the snow kept falling, silent and steady — just like progress.
(A/N): Hope you all enjoyed the chapter.