Hearing this, Konan immediately cast a curious glance toward Hayato Ren.
In her eyes, Hayato Ren had always been a figure of radiant greatness—how could he possibly skip class? It must be the Ninja Academy's fault; Hayato Ren could do no wrong.
Hayato Ren reached up and scratched the back of his head, wearing a slightly awkward expression.
For someone who had lived two lives, sitting in a classroom with a bunch of "little brats" was just too uncomfortable.
So, after mastering the Clone Technique, Hayato Ren had his clone attend classes in his place.
However, one day, a mishap occurred.
That day, the teacher suddenly decided to test the students' combat skills, and Hayato Ren's opponent happened to be Kushina.
In front of everyone, Kushina punched Hayato Ren's clone into nothingness.
The scene fell into complete silence, until after a long pause, someone shouted:
"Oh no! Uzumaki killed Hayato!"
The place immediately erupted into chaos.
That evening, Kushina even specially bought some joss paper and went to Hayato Ren's home to pay her respects.
When Hayato Ren appeared before her, he actually ended up scaring her to tears.
Afterward, Hayato Ren spent a great deal of effort explaining his success.
And he himself was thoroughly beaten up by an embarrassed and furious Kushina.
In a way, it was this incident that brought Hayato Ren and Kushina closer.
It would have been even more perfect if Hayato Ren hadn't been punished with an 8,000-word self-criticism essay by the teacher when he returned to class the next day.
Thinking of this, Hayato Ren couldn't help but crack a somewhat mischievous smile.
"Skipping class once in a while is no big deal, but if anyone ever bullies you, you have to come back and tell me. I'll definitely get justice for you. Just don't be like some people who only know how to cry pitifully."
Hearing Hayato Ren say this, Kushina was about to agree, but then she suddenly remembered that incident.
Her face instantly turned bright red, and she punched Hayato Ren.
"Ren! Are you trying to get yourself killed? That was all your fault! If you hadn't used a clone to go to class, how could I have mistaken you for dead?"
Fortunately, Kushina hadn't learned Tsunade's Super Strength Technique, or else that punch would have really hurt Hayato Ren.
Watching the two of them flirt and bicker ahead, Konan showed an envious expression.
She also wanted to act spoiled with Hayato Ren like Kushina did. But she was afraid Hayato Ren would dislike her for it.
After all, compared to the deeply bonded Kushina, Konan was just an outsider who had only arrived in the Leaf a few days ago.
After completing the enrollment procedures, the three of them returned to Hayato Ren's home.
In the courtyard, Konan was diligently practicing the Three Body Technique that Hayato Ren had just taught her.
Meanwhile, in the tea room, Hayato Ren rested his head on Kushina's smooth thighs, wearing an expression of complete contentment.
"By the way, Kushina, how are you getting along with the Nine-Tails?"
Hayato Ren suddenly broke the peaceful atmosphere, looking up curiously at Kushina's delicate chin.
Some people look unattractive when viewed from below, while appearing the opposite from above.
That's why people tend to take photos from above.
However, Kushina didn't have this problem. No matter the angle, her beautiful face remained equally stunning.
"You mean that big fox? I've visited it a few times, but it just keeps screaming every time, so I locked it in the dark room."
Hearing Kushina's response, Hayato Ren couldn't help but feel some sympathy for the Nine-Tails he had never met.
Compared to other Tailed Beasts, the Nine-Tails' life inside Kushina was truly miserable.
Under Kushina's advanced Sealing Technique, the Nine-Tails was completely suppressed.
It couldn't even see the outside world, let alone avoid being hung up and whipped by the Adamantine Chains.
Although Kushina could directly extract the Nine-Tails' Chakra for her own use,
that method wouldn't yield much of the Nine-Tails' Chakra.
If the Nine-Tails would willingly lend its Chakra to Kushina,
she could become a perfect Jinchuriki, directly advancing from Jonin level to Kage level strength.
After all, in the original story, Naruto could dominate the Shinobi World with just half of the Nine-Tails, while Kushina had the complete Nine-Tails inside her - her power would undoubtedly be even more terrifying.
So, after informing Kushina, Hayato Ren used a Sealing Technique to enter Kushina's inner world.
Kushina's inner world wasn't a dark sewer; on the contrary, it was quite bright.
However, the furnishings felt somewhat familiar to Hayato Ren.
After looking around, he turned to Kushina beside him.
"Isn't this my house? Why did you recreate it exactly?"
Kushina stuck out her tongue playfully, a sly expression appearing on her face.
"What do you mean your house? That's clearly my house. Never mind that, let me show you that overly aggressive fox."
Under Kushina's guidance, Hayato Ren followed her out of the cozy space and arrived at a grim, prison-like area.
At the far end of this prison was a large fox tightly bound by golden chains.
Upon seeing Kushina, the Nine-Tails immediately became agitated, its massive body struggling violently as if trying to break free from the chains.
But the chains appeared incredibly sturdy, remaining completely undamaged no matter how much the Nine-Tails struggled.
Helpless, the Nine-Tails could only roar at Kushina:
"Damn brat from the Uzumaki Clan! When I get out, I'll tear you to pieces!!!"
Facing the Nine-Tails' threats, Kushina showed no trace of fear, instead displaying an impatient expression.
"Stinky fox, why are you roaring so much? Is your skin itching for a beating again?"
Unlike her usual boisterous demeanor, Kushina appeared exceptionally haughty at this moment.
This novel sight made Hayato Ren unable to tear his eyes away from her.
Under Hayato Ren's intense gaze, Kushina soon broke character and explain
ed:
"Grandma Mito said we must never show fear when facing the Nine-Tails, or it will only make things worse. My personality isn't actually that bad, Ren. You mustn't misunderstand me."