"Grandma Mito, you can teach Kushina first. I'll take a break!"
Saying that, Ryoma leapt lightly onto a nearby tree branch.
Uzumaki Mito's tone was firm as iron.
"Ryoma, don't get arrogant! There's no such thing as something you can't learn!"
"Well, Grandma Mito, I'll just watch from here."
Kushina puffed her cheeks and huffed.
"Hmph! Fine then. Grandma Mito, I don't believe he can learn it just by watching!"
Mito gave Ryoma a glance, her eyes sharp. She, too, thought the boy needed to be knocked down a peg.
Complacent people had no future.
And besides, Kushina's talent was nothing to scoff at. Letting her outshine Ryoma for a while might be good for him.
With that thought, Mito ignored Ryoma and turned her full attention to teaching Kushina.
Meanwhile, Ryoma checked the rewards from his system: the Four Symbols Seal (an A-rank sealing technique) and the Dead Demon Consuming Seal (an S-rank sealing technique). His heart leapt with joy.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, once used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to take Orochimaru's arms…
And during the Nine-Tails' attack, Minato Namikaze used it to seal half of the Nine-Tails' chakra…
Now, with both the Four Symbols Seal and the Dead Demon Consuming Seal in his arsenal, plus his character card of Senju Hashirama reaching 100% fusion one day… wouldn't even sealing the Nine-Tails be possible?
He opened his status panel:
[Name: Ryoma]
[Strength: Quasi-Kage]
[Position: Konoha Shinobi]
[Character Card: SSS-rank Senju Hashirama (Fusion: 25.01%)]
[Kekkei Genkai: God-level Wood Release (from Character Card)]
[Ninjutsu: Flying Thunder God Technique Lv.3, Edo Tensei Lv.3, Chidori Lv.3, Mitotic Regeneration Lv.3, Yin Seal Lv.1, Four Symbols Seal Lv.1, Dead Demon Consuming Seal Lv.1]
Ryoma's eyes lit up. His fusion had climbed to 25%, and his strength had finally broken through to the Quasi-Kage level.
Before, he had only been comparable to Konoha's legendary Sannin. Even then, his system still labeled him as merely an "Elite Jōnin."
He chuckled bitterly. The power scaling in the shinobi world really is strange… The Sannin are considered "elite jōnin," yet even Konohamaru, once grown, is also labeled the same? Can you believe that?
For now, Ryoma stayed quietly in the Uzumaki compound, watching Mito guide Kushina.
Mito had warned him not to wander outside—things in Konoha weren't entirely peaceful lately.
But even if Ryoma didn't go out, visitors still came.
"Elder Mito, someone outside is asking for Kushina," a servant called.
Kushina blinked. "Huh? Who is it?"
"It's Uchiha Mikoto."
Mito smiled. "Oh, Mikoto? Bring her in."
She turned to Kushina. "Take a break. The Four Symbols Seal is a bit advanced—don't rush it."
Kushina wiped the sweat from her brow and nodded.
"As for me, I won't intrude on you youngsters' gathering," Mito added warmly before leaving the courtyard.
A short while later, Uchiha Mikoto walked in.
The moment she saw Kushina, the two friends ran to each other, hugging tightly and laughing.
After playing around for a bit, Mikoto finally looked around curiously.
"So, where's Ryoma? I heard he's been staying here."
Kushina jerked her thumb upward.
"Right behind you."
"Behind…?"
Mikoto turned and spotted a figure lounging lazily atop a tree branch.
"What are you doing up there?"
Ryoma smirked. "Resting."
Mikoto pouted. "Weirdo."
Uchiha Mikoto gave a little snort, deliberately ignoring Ryoma as she pulled Kushina aside. The two girls began whispering to each other.
Of course, Ryoma heard every word. At quasi-Kage level, it wasn't that he tried to eavesdrop—their voices were simply too loud for him to miss.
"Hey, Kushina," Mikoto teased with a mischievous grin. "I heard you're going to marry Ryoma, is that true?"
"This… not yet!" Kushina stammered, her face heating up.
"Not yet? Geez, that's quick! So, when are you passing out the wedding sweets?"
Kushina's eyes darted shyly toward the tree where Ryoma was lounging. "What nonsense are you spouting!" she hissed.
Then, lowering her voice, she muttered to Mikoto, "He's so cold sometimes!"
Mikoto giggled, covering her mouth. "But seriously—he's really handsome! Don't you remember that day? He used the Tree World and wiped out all those jōnin who attacked us!"
"Heh—wait, didn't you faint that day, Kushina? How would you know? Unless… you were faking it!" Mikoto teased.
Kushina's face turned crimson. "No! I did faint, but I woke up quickly! I definitely wasn't pretending!"
Up on the branch, Ryoma nearly chuckled out loud. As if I'd mistake it…
Back then, Kushina had been caught in a genjutsu, collapsed right into his arms, and stayed unconscious from the start of the battle until the very end. And now here she was, shamelessly bragging to her best friend.
Guess bragging really is a universal human trait…
The two girls continued chatting happily until Mikoto's tone suddenly grew more serious.
"Kushina, did you hear? The results of the investigation into Danzo and Root are out. Hokage-sama has already issued orders—Root has been disbanded, Danzo has been removed from power, and even the two senior advisors have been put on leave…"