The next morning, as usual, Ryo created a Kage Bunshin to attend class at the ninja academy.
His real body went to the village's ninja tool shop to order the "broken leg" prop for Nawaki, something he had promised Tsunade yesterday.
Class 5-A of the Ninja Academy, during break.
The cicadas chirped noisily outside, while the sun lazily streamed through the window.
The classroom was filled with that sticky, restless atmosphere unique to the eve of graduation.
Bang!
Kushina's head slammed heavily against the open textbook, Geography of the Land of Fire: A Study of Fortifications, for the third time.
Ink marks twisted and swirled before her eyes.
Once again, her peripheral vision swept toward the back corner by the window, uncontrollably.
That figure in his worn-out old clothes—Ryo.
His Kage Bunshin was sprawled out asleep.
And who knew where his real body had gone!
Kushina's cheeks puffed up unconsciously, her face flushed, and her heart pounded like a trapped rabbit.
Irritation, annoyance, and a strange panic crawled up her spine like vines, tightening more and more.
Graduation. Team assignments.
Those two words fell into her heart like cold meteorites, leaving behind a deep, scorched crater.
He was so strong.
So strong that he could defeat a genin in seconds, so strong that even Tsunade had to give it her all to act as his sparring partner.
After graduation?
How could someone like him possibly stay in the village as an ordinary genin?
And she…?
The secret weighing on her heart came from the occasional worried look in Grandma Mito's eyes—she was the new Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
There was only one path for a Jinchūriki: confined inside the village, forced into silence as a cornerstone.
The cage door was about to close.
That!
Every… side…
"Hey! Ku-shina!" A sudden elbow jabbed her.
Kushina snapped out of her daze, realizing she had been staring at Ryo for far too long.
She turned around and met Uchiha Mikoto's sharp, pearl-like black eyes, which glimmered with amusement and understanding.
"Your soul's about to be sucked away by that sleeping redhead?" Mikoto leaned closer, lowering her voice to a whisper with a sly smile. "You're practically drooling."
"Who… who's looking at that big idiot!" Kushina's voice shot up as if her tail had been stepped on, drawing the attention of several students in the front row.
She immediately shrank back, her face turning even redder. Lowering her head like an ostrich, she muttered in a voice as soft as a mosquito, "I was just thinking about… team assignments…"
Mikoto didn't buy it.
She followed Kushina's gaze exactly, glanced at Ryo's clone snoring in the corner, then turned back to look at Kushina's red ears.
The knowing smile on her lips deepened.
"You're worried about Ryo. Worried that you won't be assigned to the same team, right?" Mikoto went straight to the point, tapping Kushina's desk with her finger.
"What if Ryo's team ends up with some pretty, cute, skilled girl who's exactly his type? Then they'll live and die together on missions, seeing each other every day. Ryo's so strong, who wouldn't admire him? Who wouldn't want to get close to him? And what if, just what if, that straight-faced blockhead develops a crack in his armor, and that girl takes the chance to swoop in?"
Boom!
The scene Mikoto painted exploded in Kushina's mind like a bomb.
A vague but graceful figure, smiling sweetly, clinging to Ryo.
Passing him water? Wiping his sweat? Even worse… tending to his wounds under the moonlight?!
"No! Impossible!!" Kushina's hair bristled, her red hair standing on end. Like a lion defending its territory, she growled, "Ryo is a complete straight man! All he ever thinks about is barbecuing and training! Nothing else! What vixen could ever flirt her way into that? No way! He won't even look twice!"
Her tone was firm, as much to counter Mikoto as it was to convince herself.
She knew Ryo best! After two years of living together, how much meat had she stolen from him? How many times had he yelled, "Get lost," "You're too loud," or "Don't bother me while I'm sleeping"?
Around him, there was nothing but trouble.
And she was his biggest troublemaker.
But deep down, a sharp thorn pricked at her inflated confidence: Did Ryo really like her? Protecting her, feeding her meat, indulging her, carrying her home, playing with her…
Was it affection?
Or was it just because she was a "little troublemaker" who needed looking after?
Her certainty crumbled into unease.
Her shoulders slumped, her bright blue eyes misting over like a young animal abandoned in the rain.
She looked helplessly at Mikoto, her best friend who always had ideas.
A guilty thought flickered in her mind: What if… I asked Tsunade to put Mikoto on Ryo's team instead? Let Mikoto watch him for me…
"Stop right there!" Mikoto seemed to read her thoughts and rolled her eyes. "You want me to be your gatekeeper? Kushina! Naive! Passive! What if I can't watch him properly? What if I start watching him too much?" That last sentence was barely audible, her eyes drifting for a moment.
Mikoto took a deep breath and leaned closer to Kushina's ear, her voice low but filled with determination. "Kushina! Happiness isn't some fruit that falls from a tree. You have to climb up and pick it! If you're sure he's worth it, if you're this scared of losing him, then don't wait! Reserved? Forget that! Take the initiative! Make it a done deal, got it?"
Take the initiative!
Those words struck Kushina like a spark, igniting the fog in her eyes into blazing flames.
That's right! By the time that blockhead Ryo realizes, the chance might already be gone!
If you wait for the rabbit, you might not catch it and worse, someone else might take the nest.
Who had Uzumaki Kushina ever been afraid of?
Anyone who tried to take what was hers would face the wrath of the Red-Hot Habanero!
So what if it meant being more proactive?
She clenched her fists.
When she looked at Ryo again, there was no hesitation, only determination.
Mikoto was right. No illusions. Prepare to fight.
"Okay!" Kushina's voice wasn't loud, but it rang with power. Her face was flushed with excitement and nerves, and flames seemed to dance in her light blue eyes. "I'll do it! I'll take the initiative! Mikoto, teach me!"
Mikoto's eyes lit up, thrilled at the chance to finally showcase her "strategist" skills.
"That's it!" Mikoto put her arm around Kushina's shoulder, pulling her close. Her voice dropped, full of practical-sounding advice (though most of it was borrowed from girl's manga).
"Conventional tactics won't work on a man like Ryo. We need to cut the problem off at the root! There's only one principle: nonstop, irresistible, high-intensity close contact! Get him used to your presence until his wooden brain can't think of anything else but Uzumaki Kushina!"
Mikoto rattled off like she was giving battle orders: "Step one, invade his personal space completely! Stick to him like glue! After class? Ask him about ninjutsu! Walking home? Link arms naturally! Training break? Sit right next to him, shoulder to shoulder! When you pass him water, 'accidentally' touch his hand! Remember, 'accidentally' is the key! Make it look natural, leave him no excuse to refuse!"
"Step two, magnify your expressions! Eyes! Use admiration, anger, or tears—make him unable to look away! Voice! Soften it! Draw it out! End on a rise! 'Ryo~ help me~' Do you get the destructive power? Pout when necessary! Stomp your feet! Works like magic!"
"Step three, the ultimate weapon." Mikoto's tone dropped lower, filled with resolve. "Escalate physical contact! Hugs! Don't hesitate! Find excuses! Hug him when you win, hug him when you lose! Happy? Hug! Sad? Hug even more! If he's hurt, cry and rush into his arms! Use your warmth to break through his cold exterior! And then… then find your chance to kiss him! Cheek or corner of his mouth, doesn't matter. Kiss him, then run! Leave him standing there, exploding inside!"
Every word Mikoto said detonated in Kushina's mind, making her dizzy, her cheeks hot enough to fry an egg.
Hugging… she could just about imagine.
But kissing?!
Kushina felt like her brain was overheating, steam rising from her head.
"Mi… Mikoto…?" she stammered, staring at her best friend in disbelief.
"How do you even know all this? You're basically… an old driver of love!" She couldn't believe the usually composed Uchiha girl had such fierce and detailed strategies.
That kind of knowledge had to come from a mountain of girl's comics—or a pile of actual experience.
Mikoto's smile froze. The air hung still for a few seconds.
"Ahem…" Mikoto coughed lightly, suddenly embarrassed. She turned away, her earlobes faintly red. How could she admit it?
Should she say, "Actually, I once thought about going after Ryo, but his cold glare scared me off, and then you swooped in and stole the chance"?
Impossible! That shameful history would never be revealed.
She tugged at her sleeves, speaking vaguely, "Of course I had to arm myself with theory! I was worried about my best friend's happiness! Enough nonsense. The battle starts now! Let's see how well you execute, Kushina!"
(To be continued.)