The Waves Rolled, the Boat Bobbed, and Life Went On. The ocean stretched endlessly under the clear blue sky, its waves lazily lapping against the sides of a small wooden boat. At the bow, Yuto stood with his arms crossed, the sea breeze ruffling his hair like an overenthusiastic barber.
'Ah, the majesty of nature,' he thought dramatically. 'This calls for… poetry.'
"Poetry?" Kushina blinked, her eyebrows nearly disappearing into her hairline. "You? Poetry?"
"Indeed," Yuto declared, striking a pose. "Behold, O mighty sea, you're very wet! O little frog, four legs you get!"
Silence.
Kushina stared. Then, very slowly, she turned to the ocean as if considering a tactical retreat.
"...Well?" Yuto prompted.
"That was awful," she deadpanned.
"Rude! I bared my soul just now!"
"You bared something, all right."
Nearby, Rina adjusted her lavender umbrella, shielding Yuto from the sun with the grace of a woman who had long accepted the absurdity of her life.
"Lord Yuto, please be mindful of heatstroke," she said serenely.
"I told you not Lord,'" Yuto groaned. "We're friends. Equals."
"Yes, Lord Yuto."
"Why do I even try?"
Karin, blissfully ignoring the chaos, suddenly pointed ahead. "Look! Is that the Land of Waves?"
A distant cluster of buildings peeked over the horizon, their outlines shimmering in the sunlight.
He'd never been to the Land of Waves before, but according to their route, they should be on track.
Why go there?
First, to complete the mission Sarutobi Hiruzen had assigned him before leaving the village scouting for foreign ninja activity. Second, to settle Rina and Karin.
Yuto had no intention of taking them back to Konoha. Given how rotten the village's higher ups were, they'd just be jumping from the tiger's den into the wolf's lair.
The Land of Waves was perfect.
One of the people Yuto trusted most was currently taking refuge there.
"Yakushi Nonō"
Kushina sighed softly. "I never imagined so much would happen after mine and Minato's deaths. Danzo really took a winning hand and played it into the ground."
She and Nonō were old acquaintances who had gotten along well.
Back in the Fourth Hokage's era, Danzo hadn't been nearly as brazen.
Minato's efforts had eased tensions between the Uchiha clan and the village, and Root had all but vanished from public view.
But after Minato and Kushina's deaths, when Sarutobi retook power everything went downhill.
Root expanded rapidly, the Uchiha were massacred, and loyal shinobi like Nonō were forced into hiding in the Land of Waves.
Just as Yuto had said the real cancer of Konoha was its rulers! They fed on the village's vitality to grow stronger, only to hasten its demise!
"Whatever. It's not like I'm on Konoha's side anyway," Yuto shrugged. "Rina's safe, but this filthy, rotten world hasn't changed. If we don't fix the root of the problem, the same tragedies will keep repeating."
Kushina said nothing. She knew he was right.
This kid was around the same age as her son, yet he saw the world with more clarity than anyone else in the shinobi world!
Sometimes, Kushina wondered how did Yuto know so much?
The Academy didn't teach these subversive ideas. Hell, even the Third Hokage probably couldn't grasp some of Yuuto's theories.
Add his bizarre "curse" that flared up unpredictably…
The boy seemed shrouded in mystery unfathomable, yet impossible to ignore.
"Huh? The Land of Waves has buildings like that?" Rina's puzzled voice snapped Kushina out of her thoughts. Everyone on the boat turned to where she was pointing.
A strange, cylindrical house came into view glittering, icy, and refracting sunlight like crystal.
"Is that Ice Release?" Kushina muttered, surprised.
"I'll check it out. Stay back for now." Yuto frowned, channeling chakra to his feet as he stepped onto the water's surface.
Meanwhile, on shore a black-haired boy stood atop a glistening pillar of ice, looking down at a ragtag group of fishermen and dockworkers armed with everything from fishing spears to a particularly menacing oar.
"Please," he said, sounding more tired than threatening. "Just go home don't want to hurt you."
"Damn it, why should we?!"
"I've had enough! If I don't get the pay I'm owed today, my wife and kids will starve!"
"Yeah! We're not scared you damn ninja!"
"Even if I let you pass, you won't make it into that building." The black-haired boy sighed. "There are ninja inside who are far stronger than me. They won't hold back. If you value your lives, turn back now."
"But we…"
A bearded dockworker, his face livid, started to argue.
Then a woman in her late 20s spoke calmly, "Since this ninja is showing us kindness, perhaps we should reconsider," she said gently.
"Miss Nonō, we can't just, " the dockworker protested.
"Trust me, Mr. Takamura," Nonō replied softly.
"...Fine."
Her words carried weight. The mob reluctantly dispersed, though not without grumbling.
"Thank you," the black-haired boy said, relieved.
"No, thank you," Nonō smiled. "For sparing these poor souls."
The boy said nothing, turning to leave.
"People shouldn't be tools, child," Nonō suddenly called after him. "A student of mine once said 'one must learn to follow their heart.'"
The boy paused but kept walking.
"You're still too soft, Yakushi sensei," Yuto remarked, stepping out from a nearby alley. "If you'd let me handle it, we could've captured him right then."
"He's just a lost boy with a good heart," Nonō chuckled warmly. "And he did let them go."
Her eyes softened. "It's been a while, Yuto. You've grown."
[CHOOSE.]
[1. Unbuckle your belt and show your dear teacher exactly where you've grown.]
[2. Use the "Gender Reversal Jutsu" and inform her you're now a woman.]
[3. Drop to one knee and propose to her on the spot.]
'GODDAMMIT!'
Yuto's face turned ghostly white.
________
Bonus Alternate Ending
Yuto's eye twitched as the [CHOOSE.]
prompt hovered in his vision like a particularly judgmental ghost.
Nonō tilted her head. "Yuto? Are you feeling tired"
[1. UNBUCKLE BELT]
His hands moved against his will, fingers fumbling at his waistband.
"NO NO NO"
Kushina materialized beside him in a puff of smoke, gripping his wrists with manic glee. "DON'T FIGHT IT, KID! LET THE CHAOS FLOW!"
"THIS ISN'T FUNNY, GHOST LADY!"
[2. GENDER REVERSAL JUTSU]
Poof!
Suddenly, Yuto stood in a cloud of smoke... now sporting a very feminine figure, complete with a high-pitched voice.
Nonō blinked. "...I leave you alone for two years, and this happens?"
Kushina wheezed, collapsing onto the dock. "PFFT—HAHAHA! YOU'RE EVEN PRETTIER THAN ME NOW!"
Yuto(ko?) growled which sounded disturbingly cute. "I will end you."
[3. PROPOSE]
Against all self-preservation instincts, Yuto dropped to one knee, seizing Nonō's hand.
"Yakushi Nonō... will you urk!"
A fishing net suddenly yanked him backward into the harbor.
The bearded dockworker, Takamura, grinned from the pier. "That's for scarin' my kids with your weird ice house, ya damn ninja!"
As Yuto spluttered in the water, Nonō sighed. "Some things never change."
Kushina, now floating upside-down in midair: "Best. Day. Ever."
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Choices completed. Reward: Eternal Humiliation.]
Yuto's scream echoed across the waves.