"Hey, Shimura Saburo, no cheating!" Murashita Ryukawa yelled, clearly displeased.
"Exactly!" Kushina also chimed in, pulling the girls to cheer for Qian Ren.
Shimura Saburo, however, hid even more thoroughly: "Teacher, you said the target would move, so aren't we allowed to find cover?"
"This..."
Just as Murashita Ryukawa hesitated, Qian Ren, standing nearby, spoke calmly.
"It's fine, it's all the same."
Before he finished speaking, a kunai in his hand had already cut through the air, flying high into the sky, but its target was not Shimura Saburo at all.
Just when everyone thought he was giving up, a second kunai flew out of his hand even faster!
"Ding!"
The second kunai accurately struck the tail of the first in mid-air, changing its trajectory.
The first kunai, like a precisely guided missile, fell vertically, and with a "thud," it hit Shimura Saburo's helmet dead center!
"Damn it!" Shimura Saburo cursed under his breath, and just as he was about to flee, he realized Qian Ren's shuriken had already flown out.
But this shuriken took a strange arc, flying behind the three of them.
"It's a steel wire!" Shimura Saburo shouted, seeing the shuriken's peculiar path, then turned to run.
Just as the three were about to split up, the shuriken had already circled behind them.
Suddenly, as if pulled by something, the shuriken quickly tightened, binding the three of them securely.
Shimura Saburo struggled in vain: "Damn it! How does he know this shuriken jutsu! I've only ever seen it from a Jonin!"
At the same time, the shuriken that had just flown out continued to wrap around them.
When the last loop was completed, the remaining length of the steel wire precisely hit Shimura Saburo's head again, emitting a 'ding' sound of metal collision.
The entire sequence of operations was fluid and extremely fast!
Everyone on the training ground, including the teacher, was stunned.
Was this really something a nine-year-old student could do?!
"That's too exaggerated, isn't it? This control..."
"I suspect his shuriken is specially made, otherwise, how could it curve?"
"It's the Uchiha Clan's throwing technique!" A student from the Nara family revealed the truth... Qian Ren ignored the praises from the crowd and threw three more shuriken. The shuriken drew three graceful arcs in the air, then accurately hit Shimura Saburo's helmet, right between the eyebrows!
Murashita Ryukawa, for once, showed a smile today. He wrote a perfect score on the report card; originally, Qian Ren had wasted one kunai to knock away another.
But for the recent operation, he secretly gave a perfect score.
He looked at Qian Ren and Minato and Kushina beside him, and finally felt some solace in his heart:
With the upcoming war, at least these few people might survive, right?
...In the afternoon, after school.
At the school gate, Qian Ren took out three soldier pills, ate one himself, handed one to Minato, and finally placed his hand, along with the remaining pill, in front of Kushina, asking:
"Choose the red pill and go to the small forest for extra practice? Or go straight home?"
The afternoon sparring had left Kushina aching all over, with several bruises on her body.
But this time, she did not shy away.
She snatched the soldier pill, swallowed it, and her eyes were firm: "Hmph, today, no one will stop me from training!"
Qian Ren and Minato exchanged a smile, then walked with Kushina into the forest behind the school.
Accompanied by the gradually rising Gekko, they began a new round of arduous training.
As night deepened, in another part of the Village, their fate was being discussed.
At Hiruzen Sarutobi's house.
"Monkey!" Danzo Shimura burst in angrily, "I saw the graduation squad assignment list! How could you put the Jinchuriki and the Uchiha brat together? What are you thinking?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi had a calm smile on his face and leisurely took a sip of tea:
"Danzo, is there a problem with that?"
"A big problem!" Danzo Shimura walked up to him and roared, "Do you still have time to drink tea? Do you know the importance of a Jinchuriki? She is the Village's most important weapon, how can you be so casual?"
He noticed the smile on the other's face and questioned: "What exactly are you smiling about?"
"Perhaps it's because I'm here that he can smile?" An old and gentle female voice came from behind the screen.
Danzo Shimura was startled, only then noticing someone behind the screen.
When he saw who it was, his attitude instantly did a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn, and he quickly bowed in salute: "Uzumaki Mito! I am very sorry, I didn't know you were here!"
At this moment, Danzo Shimura was as obedient as a quail.
After all, the person was Uzumaki Mito, the wife of the First Hokage. Her every word and action could influence Konoha's decisions!
"Danzo, you're becoming more and more disrespectful of me." Uzumaki Mito's aged voice carried a hint of reproach,
"Back in the day, when you, Monkey, and Koharu had conflicts, wasn't it always me who helped you mediate?"
Danzo Shimura was so overwhelmed by this invisible pressure that he couldn't lift his head, while simultaneously cursing Hiruzen Sarutobi countless times in his heart.
At this point, he knew perfectly well that he had been tricked by that dead monkey again.
He half-knelt on the ground and said, "Uzumaki Mito, I am very sorry, I didn't know it was your arrangement. Why are you here today?"
Uzumaki Mito extended her hand, letting a servant help her up, and then said, "It's not that my words are no longer effective; I had to come in person for the Hokage to be willing to change the squad assignments."
Hiruzen Sarutobi, hearing her address him as Hokage-sama, quickly stood up and respectfully said, "Uzumaki Mito, everything has been arranged as you said. Please don't tease me. You can just call me Monkey."
Uzumaki Mito, supported by her attendant, reached the doorway. She said calmly, "Monkey, you high-ranking officials must treat Kushina well from now on. In a few years, she will be a true Jinchuriki.
At that time, she will probably be like me, unable to leave the Village for more than a decade.
Now, while she is not yet a Jinchuriki, you should give her more care to help her accept Konoha sooner."
"Yes, Uzumaki Mito, we understand." Both quickly responded.
Listening to Uzumaki Mito's footsteps fade, Danzo Shimura finally stood up and angrily said to Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Monkey! You tricked me again, come on, let's spar!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled, "Spar? When have you ever beaten me?"
That one sentence made Danzo Shimura's face turn crimson.
Hiruzen Sarutobi then sat down and slowly explained, "I had already arranged everything. Didn't you notice that the other person in their squad is Minato Namikaze?"
He slowly sipped his tea: "You're already forty, why haven't you changed your temper? Why are you in such a hurry?"
"That boy comes from a civilian background, with exceptional talent, and more importantly, the 'will of fire' philosophy has already deeply permeated Minato Namikaze's heart. Having him by Kushina's side is like having double insurance for the Nine-Tailed.
Furthermore, they are still young now, and we have plenty of opportunities to bring them together. This way, both Kushina and the Nine-Tailed will be firmly in the Village's control."
Danzo Shimura suddenly understood, marveling at Hiruzen Sarutobi's cunning.
But he still wouldn't back down verbally: "The plan is good, but it still needs a little refinement. At the very least, a 'hero saves the damsel' scenario needs to be arranged to make it perfect."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was noncommittal: "Whatever you want. Let's see if he can survive this war first.
As for Kushina, I have already instructed my disciple to protect the Jinchuriki. This is the most important mission I have given him."