Standing at Minato's door, the four of us hesitated.
I and Itachi exchanged a look—silent, intense.
We were set.
In the next month, we'll learn everything. Each lesson, each skill, each moment of experience that Minato and Kushina had to offer. We'd drive our bodies to their limits. Sharpen our minds to work like razor-sharp tools—twenty-four-seven.
No wasted thought. No wasted motion.
Our will would be unwavering. Our concentration is absolute.
This was how we'd grow—surpassing the world's expectations of us kids.
I pushed forward and rapped on the door.
There was silence.
One heavy beat ticked by.
Then—
BOOM.
The door burst open, and Minato Namikaze himself was flung out like a missile, puffing smoke and chakra sparks behind him.
He thudded into the yard with a muffled sound, coughed, and spat blood on the grass, eyes open in horror.
"K-Kushina—sorry!" he croaked. "I promise never to lay a hand on your ramen again!"
We all stiffened.
A menacing chakra spike burst from within the house.
Then a voice—angry, shrill, and unmistakably loud:
"YOU, Yellow Shit! WHY DID YOU EAT MY LAST RAMEN PACK?!"
The doorframe creaked as Kushina Uzumaki burst into sight, her red locks floating upwards, wild and rampant like nine fox tails flailing in a chakra maelstrom. Her eyes burned with utter fury.
"DO YOU KNOW HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO GET THAT PREMIUM EDITION MISO TONKOTSU?!" she bellowed. "I WAITED THE ENTIRE WEEK FOR THAT, DATTEBANE!"
Minato winced on the grass. "I-it was only one pack…"
"Just one?!"
Air about her was snapping with tension.
Rin stood behind Kakashi, hiding back there. Itachi's face didn't alter, but for a moment I could have sworn I saw the flicker of his soul.
I turned back to Itachi, voice dropped low and menacing.
"We are going to get everything she has."
He nodded slowly, eyeing Kushina as if she might ignite the trees.
"Agreed."
The earth trembled as Kushina punched her fist into the courtyard, making a mini crater out of where Minato stood mere seconds before.
Dust billowed. Chakra blazed. Birds took flight in terror.
Itachi and I half-dragged Minato to safety before he could be reduced into emotional and physical pulp.
"Minato-sensei," I exclaimed, taking cover behind a rock as another shockwave tore through the yard, "who is this woman?! Did you spy on her when she was bathing or something?! Why is she so furious?!"
Minato grinned weakly, a bruise beginning to swell on his jaw.
"Well… Kushina is my wife," he explained, massaging the back of his head like this was perfectly normal. "Even though she beats me like this sometimes… she loves me."
He fell silent, now more serious. "But she also really, really loves ramen. And I might have eaten her last premium packet."
Itachi and I just stood there, frozen.
"You mean to tell me," I explained slowly, "she nearly killed you over ramen?"
Minato coughed. "Well… that's my Kushina."
Kushina's rampage went on—shattering a fence post, screaming Dattebane like a battle cry, her hair blazing around her like living chakra fire.
"Nano," I thought to myself. "Scan target. Behavioural pattern, chakra levels, physical statistics—everything."
A buzz hummed in my mind.
"Scanning… done."
"Results?"
"Subject: Kushina Uzumaki.
Status: Hostile emotional surge.
Physical output: highly abnormal—well beyond standard shinobi combat parameters.
Chakra reserves: Kage-level++.
Detectable malicious intent: 87%. Fluctuating seal containment patterns indicate possible Nine-Tails-linked chakra leaks."
I swallowed. "So… she's not just angry."
"She is around 6.3 seconds away from unleashing enough force to bring down this entire block."
".great."
"Calculated combat solutions available. Two viable."
"Let's hear it."
"Option one: Entice and immobilize through high-impact seal trap—requires host to utilize own limb as physical anchor. Probability of success: 52%. Price: loss of left arm."
I quickly closed that down. "Next."
"Option two: Interfere with neural and chakra concentration by causing extreme emotional overload. Trigger: mental and sensory imbalance."
"What type of imbalance?" I asked, my eyes narrowing.
A beat elapsed.
I blinked.
"Nano. You're joking."
"No. Host skillset, jutsu efficacy, and target-specific psychological weakness profile. It is the highest success solution with 91.4% chance."
I glared at the emptiness in my head.
"That's the only one?"
"It's the only one with zero long-term physical cost and high success. The subject has a significant vulnerability to romantic visual overstimulation."
It was silent.
Even in my head, I could sense the shame gathering like a creeping fog.
I breathed heavily.
"Fine."
We had no other choice.
Itachi glanced at me. I nodded grimly.
"Itachi… It's time."
His eyes went wide. "No. Akira. Not Plan C31."
"There's no other option," I said gravely. "We have to."
He swallowed. "But our pride—"
"Already lost."
We turned to face the danger, fists balled.
"Three. two. one—NOW!"
POOF.
Smoke burst around Kushina.
Suddenly, the whole yard was full of good-looking, shirtless, muscular men—some lean, some buff, all unnaturally sparkly and lively.
"My dear~" one purred.
"Kushina-chan~" flexed another.
Kushina stood stock-still.
Her eyes went wide.
Her pupils contracted.
Then—BOOM.
Her face went bright red.
A geyser of blood spouted from her nose.
She fell backward, unconscious, a huge perverted grin plastered on her face.
"…Victory," I gasped.
As Kushina fell back with a dopey grin, I stood there, dazed.
I shifted subtly, looking at Itachi — but holding my tongue.
That's why I realized. Naruto's ramen fixation. It's not coincidental. It's inherited.
I observed Kushina snoring on the broken earth, a thin stream of blood still oozing from her nose. Truthfully, she may care for ramen more than Naruto.
Shivers ran down my spine. Remember: never swindle ramen from an Uzumaki. Never.
I nodded softly to myself.
The illusion dissipated.
Itachi and I stood in stunned silence, changed back into our natural states, shame and remorse itched on our faces like we'd committed an atrocity.
I dragged Minato by the collar.
"Minato-sensei," I snarled, "we just gave up our morals and honor to save your life. You better show us something god-level."
Itachi's eyes screwed up in accord. It was the Nara-Uchiha Death Stare™.
Minato, wide awake and terrified, threw up both hands. "Yes! Of course! I'll show you something incredible! Legendary, even!"
I let him go, dusting myself off.
As I turned back toward the house, I saw Kakashi staring at us with the most self-satisfied, knowing grin on his face.
Rin was still short-circuited, gazing off into space like she was trying to make sense of what her brain had just seen.
Kakashi's mouth opened. "You know… it looks like you two—"
I flung up my hand quickly. "Don't."
He stopped.
"Or what?"
I smiled sweetly. "Or I tell the whole village you read that book. You know, the one that shows how to satisfy men."
His grin disappeared.
"Blackmail," he growled.
"Survival," I countered.
And then I walked into the house, triumphant, but Itachi's and my pride were wounded beyond words.
Once all the commotion died down, we all sat in the living room. Minato carefully put Kushina next to him on the couch as if she were made of glass.
We began discussing our plans for the month — how we were going to train, have some peace (if possible), and how I was completely going to play matchmaker between Rin and Kakashi.
I also indicated: I was going to study everything Minato and Kushina had to share with me, no matter the cost.
Itachi nodded in response to my answer, still as stoic as ever.
We continued to talk softly until Kushina at last stirred from her sleep, massaging her head.
First words out of her mouth: "What happened?"
Minato quickly interjected with a nervous smile before she could recall the episode. "Nothing, dear! You just fainted from chakra depletion! Don't overdo it!"
Excellent insight. If she recalls, Itachi and I would probably be alive and living where the air does not exist.
And as Kushina lay down on the couch, I grabbed my opportunity.
I edged over close, pasting on my best innocent smile.
"Hello, lovely nee-chan! I'm Akira Nara. I'm Shikaku and Inoichi Uncle's nephew. I'm four years old now! I was wishing, perhaps. If you could instruct me and Itachi in fuinjutsu and ninja skills? In addition to big sis Rin, naturally!"
I tried my best to sound as cute and innocent as possible.
I knew Kushina had a big sister complex — whenever Kakashi or Obito landed in trouble, she was always the one to burst in like a one-girl rescue team. and manage to make it worse somehow. Perfect flaw to use against them.
As I finished talking, I glanced at everyone's faces.
Horror.
Raw, unadulterated horror.
Internally, I activated Nano Face Read.
Read them now, I commanded.
Nano scanned.
First was Itachi.
"Does he have no honor? After what he did using that jutsu. Should I end our friendship? Perhaps. I should cut him down to uphold my honor."
I shivered.
Dear gods, I thought wearily. This guy murdered his clan to defend Konoha. I do not want to know what he'd do to me for 'honor.' Poor Sasuke. No mercy in any universe.
Next: Rin.
"Akira's not a child. He's a 30-year-old perv stuck in the body of an infant. No average four-year-old is that sly and sinister!"
I side-eyed her.
Seriously? Did Rin always manage to be so stupid in the canon? Or did Obito infect her a bit too much?
Then: Kakashi.
"Akira's not right. No kid in his fourth year could have pulled that. I have to keep him watched, dig up dirt on him, blackmail bait, before he spills anything on the masterpiece I'm reading."
I tuned him out after that.
Self-depraved soliloquy over his 'masterpiece.' Repulsive.
At last: Minato.
"Can he be the Child of Prophecy? Sensei did say someone would appear with a keen mind, creating jutsu as a child. Is Akira the savior that's meant to be?"
I sighed to myself.
This world is becoming less intelligent. The intelligent ones are becoming dumb. thanks to morons like Obito, Jiraiya, and Gai.
I turned off the reading and came back to reality, as Kushina grinned brightly at me.
"Hey, you want to learn fuinjutsu and ninjutsu from me, huh?" she teased, ruffling my hair. "You're a fearless little boy, Akira-chan! Sure thing, I'll teach you!"
Mission: Success.
Once Kushina said she'd teach us, we all sat down and worked out a training plan.
Itachi and I had one thing in mind — if we were going to survive and get stronger quickly, we were going to need discipline.
We worked it out with care:
Morning: Fuinjutsu training with Kushina and Rin. Sealing arts, control of chakra, and theoretical traps.
Afternoon: Ninjutsu and Taijutsu with Minato. Actual combat fighting exercises, hard and ruthless.
Evening: Sparring with Kakashi — singles or doubles. Combat experience, instinct honing. No mercy.
Night: Read the assignment Kushina gave. Theory, research, and perhaps. a little experimenting with forbidden techniques.
The concept was simple:
Grind now. Win later.
Both I and Itachi concurred. Reaction times would slow with age — the only way to remain quick would be to develop instincts so quickly that hesitation never had a chance to occur.
Each second might mean life or death.
Each movement must be reflexive.
No wasted motion. No wasted breath.
When we completed laying out the plan, everyone nodded — even Rin, although she already seemed to be regretting it.
Minato simply smiled warmly. Kakashi grinned behind his mask, already scheming ways to "test" us.
Kushina?
She cracked her knuckles with a sinister grin.
Lesson one with her was about to begin.
As we completed laying out the training schedule, Kushina stood up, cracking her knuckles with a big grin.
"All right, brats! Lesson begins in Fuinjutsu! Now show me what you're made of!"
Itachi and I inclined our heads and stepped forward tranquilly. Yet whereas Itachi was strictly centered, another operation was working undercover in the back of my mind.
"Nano," I commanded mentally. "Scan Kushina. Entire body structure. Muscle density. Brain pathways. Assess her chakra and its constitution. And Flag anything that looks out of the ordinary."
Nano hummed softly, drawing huge loads of bio and chakra data as Kushina vented her fury regarding sealing fundamentals.
Body report:
Muscle framework: Very tightly packed. Fibers intertwined firmly for brute power.
Nervous channels: Amplified synaptic rate, many times the average civilian. Reflex time is practically predatorial.
Chakra reading: Main composition with high Yang energy — life energy, vitality. Works like a battery, spontaneously healing small injuries, slowing fatigue, even reversing biological aging. Projection: She'd appear late twenties, well into her forties.
Impressive, I judged, maintaining my impassive look as Kushina started scribbling simple seals on the practice ground.
Nano flashed a crimson warning.
Anomaly detected.
"Report," I commanded inwardly.
A typical chakra signature detected. Location: lower abdomen.
Properties: Immense killing potential. Extremely concentrated.Most probably Nine Tails.
Power Level: Well past super Kage level.
Status: Held back by an unknown sealing structure.Four elemental Seals likely.
More analysis is needed.
I assembled it immediately.
But for now, Nano required more research to completely decipher it. I put the data aside, compartmentalizing it in memory.
"Continued watch. Begin modeling potential body alterations based on this information, too," I instructed Nano softly.
"Roger," Nano said.
Meanwhile, Kushina clapped her hands loudly, bringing me back to reality.
"First lesson! Sealing array basics! If you can't even draw a stable containment seal, you're not going near anything more complex!" she shouted, throwing brushes and scrolls at us.
I easily caught mine. Itachi caught him mid-air without even blinking.
The floor was littered with test scrolls, random ink splatters, and half-finished runes — Rin's previous practice attempts, likely.
Kushina smiled widely.
"Now— whoever screws up first does the dishes for a week! Dattebane!"
I looked over at Itachi. He gave the smallest smile. Challenge accepted.
I knelt, brush in hand, as Nano projected an ideal diagram of the proper seal structure onto my eyes.
With this, there's no possible way I'm losing.
I wet my brush with ink and looked at the empty scroll in front of me.
Itachi was already drawing, accurate and mechanical, as a machine.
I wasn't going to lose to him. Not today. Not ever.
"Nano," I ordered mentally. "Scan all there is to know about these seals. Applications. Chakra flow. Structure. Diagrams. Disassemble them and feed the information straight into my head. I'm not losing to that emotionless genius."
Nano beeped in confirmation.
"And listen up," I added icily. "If I still lose to Itachi. you're a bitch. I'll call you a defective, used, secondhand product every day for the rest of my life. I'll insult you. So step up your damn game."
Nano's reply cycled back quickly.
"Affirmative, Scanning and modeling at 310% efficiency."
Good.
But I wasn't finished.
"Also, new side mission: scan and model everyone in this house."
"I want complete biological and chakra pathway schematics of Minato, Kushina, and Kakashi. Neural mappings, muscle structure, elemental chakra susceptibility, latent abilities — the whole bank."
Nano whirred quietly.
"Skip Rin," I added ruthlessly. "She's..... not that significant."
Rin, blissfully continuing to practice her seals around the room, entirely unaware she'd been blacklisted from greatness.
Nano nodded and began running scanning protocols at once.
In the meantime, on the surface, I maintained a steady hand, brush moving smoothly over the scroll as if nothing were amiss. Seal after seal burst into flower under my fingers, cleaner and sharper with every one.
I looked sideways.
Itachi's seals were flawless. Cold-blooded efficiency, no unnecessary strokes.
Rin's were. Well, Rin-level — sloppy, a bit off-center, but enthusiastic.
Kakashi leaned against the wall, affecting not to observe while doodling something in his small orange book.
Minato smiled broadly, watching us the way a proud dad would.
And Kushina.
Kushina was plotting something, she looked like.
I didn't trust that smile one damn thing.
All the same, with Nano dumping optimized seal templates directly into my head, my hand became faster, cleaner, and more confident.
My hand sent the seals flying.
Today wasn't a lesson.
It was a war.
War for supremacy.
For survival.
For power in the future.
And I wasn't going to lose.