Just as Ryo and Kushina were in their ambiguous back-and-forth, time flew by.
Graduation season arrived.
The relationship between Ryo and Kushina was stuck at the critical point of being more than friends but less than lovers.
On the day of the graduation exam, the heat wave was so intense it felt like smoke was rising from the cracks in people's bones.
The air at the Konoha Ninja Academy training ground was so heavy it seemed filled with lead dust, and every breath hurt the lungs.
Cicadas screamed in the trees, each shrill cry slicing through the oppressive silence like a death warrant.
The center of the grounds, under the July noon sun, was a blinding pale white that made people dizzy.
Everyone in the stands twisted their necks to stare at the figure at the edge. Wearing the Hokage's robe and puffing on a pipe, it was none other than Sarutobi Hiruzen.
His presence was a needle to the heart of the crowd. Whispers boiled like oil doused with cold water, crackling twice before dying in their throats, leaving a silence choked by awe.
"The Third… is he really here?"
"Idiot. This class has his disciple's disciple, Namikaze Minato, and that… monster Ryo."
The buzzing died completely when Sarutobi Hiruzen's indifferent gaze swept over them.
All attention turned to the two figures in the arena.
Namikaze Minato stood under the scorching sun.
His golden hair flashed sharply.
He stood straight as a javelin. Deep in his blue pupils, like charcoal sealed in a furnace for two years, a fire burned fiercely, finally breaking through the lid to lock onto the target opposite him.
His lips were pressed tight and pale. A faint tremor traced his jawline. It was not fear, but the humiliation and resentment of more than a dozen crushing defeats over the past two years, piled like a mountain and finally finding a crack to explode through.
The name carved into his bones—Kamiyama Ryo.
An iceberg that never melted hung over his "genius" title. The shadow was so deep it made him breathless.
Every time.
He gave everything every time. The result?
The outcome never changed. He was always the one on the ground, face bruised and swollen.
That bottomless despair had almost dragged him into the abyss countless times.
Not to mention…
Minato's eyes, like a snake's, could not help but drift to the sidelines.
Fiery red, like a flame.
Kushina stood on tiptoe, trying to stuff a candy into Ryo's pocketed hand. Her little face was flushed, stubborn to the end.
Ryo's face was expressionless, like a white porcelain mask. The hand in his pocket did not move, not even a fingertip.
She felt it was not enough, waved her little fist, and gestured angrily.
Finally, Ryo flicked her hand away, impatient. She exploded, jumping up to pounce and strangle his arm.
Ryo simply extended a slender finger and pressed it lightly against her sweaty forehead, like flipping a spring switch.
The red-haired chili pepper could only stand there, madly punching the air, unable to reach him.
But her sea-blue eyes stayed on Ryo, filled with pure, blazing joy and dependence, so strong it seemed to burn.
Phew.
Minato's heart felt pierced by a poisoned scorpion's sting, the pain spreading through his blood.
He suddenly turned away and took a deep breath of hot air, his throat stinging.
His hands clenched at his sides, nails digging crescents into his palms.
Uzumaki Kushina.
He had chewed on that name in his mind for two whole years.
Her gaze, her smile, every bit of that fierce vitality… would always, always be alive only for Ryo.
No matter how much progress Minato made or how many praises he received from the instructor, in Uzumaki Kushina's ocean-blue eyes, he would always be just the long, blurry, insignificant shadow cast by Ryo on the ground.
Today was not just about winning or losing.
Today, he would shatter the iceberg in his heart and drag that damned dignity out of the shadows.
He had to win.
Otherwise, he would never escape this demon barrier in his lifetime.
At the other end of the arena, the atmosphere was completely different.
Ryo's tall frame leaned lazily against a low wooden post at the edge of the training ground, like he was lounging on the porch at home.
His fiery red hair covered half his forehead. His eyelids drooped, half open, half closed. Through the narrow slits, his gaze was empty, unreadable.
The stares, the whispers, even the exploding battle intent, seemed separated by thick glass, unrelated to him.
It was the complete laziness born from crushing everything.
A graduation exam today, just a stamp on a useless academy life.
It was rare for his real self to show up in the past two years. The one sitting in class every day was only a shadow clone to deal with school.
If Minato knew, his worldview might collapse.
As for the flames in Minato's eyes, Ryo felt they were less annoying than the cicadas dying above his head.
Ryo knew the original timeline. This yellow-haired kid would be an incredible Fourth Hokage. For the village, he would sacrifice himself and his wife.
A hero.
On that point, Ryo acknowledged it, and still found it unpleasant.
It was dangerous. A man ruthless enough to include himself in the collateral.
Ryo knew himself. He was a practiced egoist who protected only his own.
Otherwise, why did he not apply for early graduation, or just let a shadow clone handle the academy?
Because Ryo had no intention of becoming anyone's tool.
For Konoha?
For the Will of Fire?
Ridiculous.
Get close to Namikaze Minato?
He was not some clueless cosplayer ignoring reality.
He had a system.
The Strongest Legacy System.
He did not need to cling to anyone.
That yellow-haired kid with spiky hair?
At best, a strong passerby.
He had no time to think about him, and no interest in a second look.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)