Two and a half years passed. Minato was eight years old and about to enter fourth grade.
Nawaki had successfully graduated from the Ninja Academy, becoming an honorable Konoha Genin.
Compared to a year ago, the three children had grown significantly taller.
Kushina's round face had gradually slimmed down, and under the influence of Tsunade and Nonou, she had become much more composed, subtly developing the demeanor of a young lady. However, her fiery temper remained unchanged.
When she saw other girls approaching Minato, she would still stomp her feet in frustration and sulk secretly.
In contrast, Nawaki's personality remained as straightforward and earnest as ever.
"Look! My forehead protector! What do you think? Isn't it cool?"
After the graduation exam, Nawaki rushed out of the classroom, pointing at his brand-new forehead protector and grinning at Minato and the others.
"Mmm, it's very cool!" Tsunade patted Nawaki's head, but he tilted his head to avoid it.
"I'm a Genin now, not a kid anymore. Big sis, stop patting my head all the time."
"What's wrong with that? No matter how old you get, you'll always be my little brother!"
Tsunade smiled and spread her arms wide. "Come here, let your big sister give you a hug!"
"No way!"
With Minato and Kushina present, and other classmates who had also finished their exams around, he felt too embarrassed to let Tsunade hug him.
Tsunade sighed wistfully. "Honestly, you're not cute at all anymore."
"Congratulations on graduating, Brother Nawaki!"
Kushina pulled out a long, prepared gift box. "This is a present I prepared for you."
"A present? What is it?"
Nawaki curiously opened the box. Inside lay a beautifully crafted wakizashi.
"A sword?"
"It's made of chakra metal, you know! Very valuable!"
Kushina said this with a serious expression. Though she had been sent to Konoha as a Jinchūriki, her clan had never neglected her in other ways.
Not only did she inherit their complete Ninjutsu legacy, but she also had enough wealth to ensure a comfortable life for the rest of her days.
Moreover, after Mito's passing, Kushina would inherit the Uzumaki Clan's territory in Konoha, making her a proper rich lady!
"Wow—thanks!"
Nawaki clearly loved the gift.
"And here's mine."
Minato handed Nawaki a three-pronged kunai, its handle engraved with the Konoha symbol.
"What a strange kunai..."
Nawaki picked up the kunai and swung it experimentally. The weapon felt remarkably light and thinner than a standard kunai, but it had two additional prongs. "This kunai seems perfect for parrying enemy weapons!"
"It's a Flying Thunder God Kunai. I've been practicing a space-time Ninjutsu called the Flying Thunder God Technique recently."
Minato explained, "As long as this kunai is within my sensory range, I can instantly teleport to your side. So keep it safe and don't use it in battle unless absolutely necessary."
"Huh?!"
Nawaki's eyes widened. "Teleport...?"
As if worried about revealing too much information with his voice, he furtively glanced around before lowering his voice.
Minato didn't mind. With his stats and abilities, even if the Ōtsutsuki learned of his techniques, they couldn't effectively counter him.
For Minato now, the Flying Thunder God Technique wasn't particularly useful in combat. Its true value lay in rapid travel and emergency interventions.
"I didn't know you'd even learned this technique!"
Tsunade glanced at Minato in surprise. She knew he had dealings with Orochimaru.
Though Root was a questionable organization, Tsunade trusted Minato to exercise good judgment and hadn't paid much attention to his activities.
What she hadn't anticipated, however, was that Minato had actually learned the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"What exactly is this Ninjutsu? Can I learn it?" Nawaki asked, his eyes shining with anticipation.
"Let's test it," Tsunade replied casually, and suddenly punched toward Nawaki's face.
Nawaki's pupils constricted, his body trembling in fear. Only when the fist hovered inches from his nose did he belatedly react.
"Looks like you can't," Tsunade said, shaking her head with regret. "The Flying Thunder God Technique was created by our Second Grandfather. It requires not only exceptional space-time talent but also lightning-fast reflexes. Your reactions are too slow."
"But don't be discouraged. Few people in the world possess space-time talent. In all these years, only our Second Grandfather and Minato have mastered this technique. Even the Third Hokage couldn't learn it."
"Is that so..." Nawaki looked visibly disappointed.
Three years had passed, yet Nawaki's Rasengan was still stuck in the third stage.
This wasn't due to a lack of talent. In fact, Nawaki possessed exceptional aptitude in both Chakra quantity and control, progressing rapidly through the first two stages of the Rasengan.
However, the Rasengan wasn't a technique that could be learned through skill alone; it relied entirely on precise manipulation. Mastering it required either countless hours of practice to build habits or using Shadow Clones as a shortcut.
At his current age, Nawaki was still struggling to meet the third stage's Chakra control standards.
"Alright, enough with the lofty ambitions!" Tsunade said, presenting her gift. "Close your eyes!"
"Mm."
Nawaki obediently closed his eyes.
Suddenly, a cool sensation landed on his chest.
When he opened his eyes, a jade-green necklace hung around his neck.
"What's this...?"
"Grandfather's necklace," Tsunade replied, smiling as she stood with her hands behind her back. "What do you think? Do you like it?"
Nawaki nodded vigorously. "I love it! But why are you giving it to me, Sis? It's important to you, isn't it?"
"Well, I just think you're more suited for it than I am," Tsunade said gently. "And you've always wanted it, haven't you? Take good care of it!"
"I will!" Nawaki nodded emphatically.
Minato's heart skipped a beat.
This is bad!
If I remember correctly, this must be that so-called necklace of death.
In the original story, Tsunade gave the necklace to Nawaki, and he died the very next day.
Later, she gave it to Dan Katō, who also kicked the bucket.
Even Naruto, the protagonist, almost didn't survive after just making a bet with the necklace...
Minato wasn't superstitious, but Tsunade's luck was undeniably cursed.
He decided it would be best to keep a close eye on Nawaki for the next couple of days, and preferably not let him act alone.
With this thought, he glanced at Nawaki with a complex expression.
However, Minato didn't realize that Tsunade happened to catch his look, and misinterpreted it entirely.
This child's expression...
Could he be jealous?
Tsunade's heart skipped a beat when she noticed Minato's expression.
But upon reflection, she dismissed the idea.
First, Minato wasn't the type to act like this.
Second... between her and Minato, there was a certain unspoken understanding.
Occasional accidental touches and lingering glances had made her realize that Minato wasn't oblivious to his feelings for her.
Could it be because of the necklace?
Tsunade's gaze drifted to the necklace around Nawaki's neck.
She hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back, then wanting to speak again but stopping herself.
If she took the necklace back now... wouldn't it break their sibling bond?
Please Support me by becoming my patreon member and get 10+ chapters.
[email protected]/Ajal69
change @ with a
Thank You to Those who joined my Patreon