Yueshu, Yueshu!"
An excited voice suddenly broke through his dream. He was about to slowly open his eyes, but the next second, Yueshu experienced an abnormal wake-up.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough."
The girl's voice entered his ears. Yueshu was still a bit dazed, his eyes not yet open to see what was in front of him, and then he was directly blown away.
Like a kite with a broken string, Yueshu was caught off guard and blown away, then slammed into a tree.
The thud was undeniably loud, shaking even the tree it hit for a while.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch."
Yueshu clutched the back of his head.
His eyes still held a blank look, and the grogginess of not being fully awake.
"What's going on?"
Yueshu slowly stood up.
Just as he stood up, Yueshu saw Kushina pouting.
Her red hair clung to her, beaded with sweat, and her eyes were fixed on Yueshu, making him feel a bit uncomfortable.
"Kushina, what's wrong?"
Yueshu asked cautiously. As someone who had lived for decades, Yueshu deeply understood not to reason with girls; no matter what, it would always be his fault.
"Hmph."
Kushina snorted, not answering Yueshu.
"————"
Yueshu considered himself a straight man, after all, he was a man who had kept his virginity for two lifetimes and several decades. Let alone a girlfriend, he didn't even have a close female friend, though he did change wives several times a season in another dimension.
"Idiot, look where Kushina is standing now?"
Just as Yueshu didn't know what to do, Mikoto's voice sounded from the side.
"Standing where?"
Hearing Mikoto's words, Yueshu immediately shifted his gaze to Kushina.
Kushina still looked angry, her petite figure standing on the small river, with ripples still lingering on the water's surface from just moments ago.
Yueshu's eyes gradually brightened, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.
Kushina had successfully completed the water walking training!
Ever since the special training began, Kushina's progress had always lagged behind Mikoto's. Of course, at this point, they were only practicing tree climbing and water walking.
Mikoto of the Uchiha Clan naturally had better Chakra control, while Kushina, though also from a renowned clan, showed no difference from ordinary people in terms of Chakra control.
Yueshu naturally knew the reason for this: Kushina's identity was not merely that of a survivor of the Uzumaki Clan; she was also the Jinchuriki vessel for the Nine-Tailed.
Just like Naruto in the original work, the Nine-Tailed's presence would disrupt the Jinchuriki's own Chakra, leading to problems in Chakra usage.
A typical example was how Naruto couldn't even properly use the basic Three Body Technique in the original work, with the Clone Technique clearly demonstrating this to everyone.
Yueshu could still recall those flimsy clones.
Although later, Naruto would use clones as one of his trump cards.
But who was Naruto? The genuine male protagonist. Not everyone could use clones as a trump card, especially those who were Jinchuriki.
Kushina was not an exceptionally talented genius. Among ordinary people, she might be considered good, but compared to those from major clans, she wasn't particularly outstanding.
It was fine at first, but after some time passed, the difference in Kushina and Mikoto's special training progress became noticeably clear.
When Mikoto completed the tree climbing special training and moved on to water walking, Kushina was still struggling with tree climbing. It was no wonder Kushina got excited after completing water walking, and no wonder she got angry when Yueshu didn't react immediately.
"Kushina!"
Yueshu looked at the still sulking Kushina and called out loudly.
And Kushina also quietly shifted her gaze over a little.
Yueshu showed a smile that, while not as radiant as Minato Namikaze's or Hatake Sakumo's, was filled with youthful cheerfulness.
"Well done."
Yueshu showed his teeth, and the corners of Kushina's mouth also subtly turned up.
"Hmph, what a slowpoke."
Kushina quietly mumbled to herself, composed her emotions, and then turned back to Yueshu.
Mikoto stayed beside Yueshu for a while, and Kushina slowly walked over from the small river.
Yueshu's gaze was fixed on Kushina, and he didn't notice Mikoto, whose cheeks had turned red beside him.
Not just for Mikoto, Yueshu's smile this time was something he had never felt before, full of youthful charm. This made Mikoto, who was close by, stare blankly for a moment, and her cheeks flushed when she came to her senses.
But Yueshu had no idea that his unintentional smile had such an effect.
Yueshu's appearance wasn't bad; he just usually seemed very lazy and somewhat mature.
When a mature boy suddenly acts like a teenager, it's hard for those around him not to pay attention.
It was like a fairy shedding her shawl and descending to the mortal realm; mortals would probably all turn their gaze to her.
"Good!"
Kushina came ashore, and Yueshu also called out.
Kushina and Mikoto turned their gazes to Yueshu.
"It'll be next week then."
"What's next week?"
Yueshu smiled naturally, showing his teeth.
"What? Does it even need to be said?"
"Of course, it's the graduation exam!"
Yueshu's words were filled with confidence, immediately infecting Kushina and Mikoto.
The unease that Kushina and Mikoto had felt was instantly calmed by Yueshu.
That feeling.
It was as if a strong light was leading the way when walking at night.
Kushina and Mikoto looked at Yueshu.
Yueshu's body wasn't tall, as he was only eight years old, and he didn't look very robust, just like a typical boy.
His slender body stood there, his usual lazy demeanor and listless gaze long gone, replaced by eyes full of light and a proactive appearance.
Kushina and Mikoto stared in awe.
They had never seen Yueshu like this before.
He was uncharacteristically dazzling, like a beam of light.
Kushina's eyes slowly softened; her anger from earlier had long since vanished.
"Honestly."
"That's not like you at all."
"Indeed."
"That's not like you at all."
Kushina's and Mikoto's words sounded one after another, and Yueshu's appearance instantly reverted to its original state.
"Huh? Is that so? I thought it was quite handsome."
Yueshu returned to his previous look, but the light in his eyes had not dimmed; it was still as bright as ever.
It was as if.
It was as if he was looking at something.
Kushina and Mikoto thought so.
And the first step of the early graduation special training was finally completed, taking less than two weeks in total. It must be said that the speed was indeed very good.
Jiraiya had disappeared again after his last visit to the Ninja School. When Tsunade was asked, she said he had taken Minato Namikaze on another mission.
The Himegami token was still in Yueshu's ninja tool pouch at his waist, the characters on it still giving Yueshu a sense of trepidation.
There was something waiting for Yueshu to find the answer to, something Yueshu didn't know what it was, something that had never appeared in the original work.
Yueshu unconsciously tightened his grip a little; the ninja tool pouch at his waist seemed to be heating up, and that warmth slowly spread throughout Yueshu's body, finally gathering at his heart.
"Although I'm not a hot-blooded person, and I'm too lazy to be hot-blooded."
"But!"
"I will definitely find the answer, for you, and for me!"
Yueshu thought to himself.
He could feel a sense of peace coming from deep within his body.