Chapter 56: Kushina Triggers a Trait
Minazuki Yūki was jealous of Itachi's talent, which is why he deliberately blocked Itachi's promotion to Chūnin while pretending to be supportive.
To participate in the Chūnin Exams, a team must be formally recommended by their Jōnin leader, and all team members must sign the application form. If the team leader decides to hold a Genin back, there's really no way around it.
Eventually, Danzō, wanting to turn Itachi into his pawn, had the Jōnin commander investigated. They discovered he was a petty, narrow-minded man. Danzō then suggested to Hiruzen Sarutobi that Itachi be promoted exceptionally, bypassing the standard process.
"You're Uchiha Seiji, right? Let's hope you're not like the rest of the Uchiha—always rebellious and hard to control."
Minazuki Yūki gave Seiji a cold look, clearly harboring prejudice against the Uchiha.
Seiji only gave a small nod and said nothing.
Seeing this, Minazuki briefly had the team introduce themselves before leading them to accept their first mission.
As Genin, they were only allowed to take D-rank or C-rank missions, and most started with D-rank.
These missions required no combat, usually involving mundane tasks.
Today's assignment was to help run a store.
Seiji and the others were tasked with cleaning and running errands, while Minazuki went off to repair a leaking roof.
"So this is what missions are like…"
Sarutobi Asuma, who had started out excited, now looked completely bored.
"You can't expect ninja combat missions right from the start," Kurenai said as she browsed the bookshelf, occasionally pulling out a book that caught her interest.
It was a bookstore that mostly sold popular youth novels.
"Customer incoming," Seiji said, alerting the others.
To him, this mission was far better than finding lost pets or babysitting. At least he could flip through some ninjutsu scrolls during downtime.
"Oh? It's you."
A red-haired girl with a hairclip stepped through the door.
"Kushina-san," Seiji greeted her, putting down the Fire Release scroll.
The store was located near the center of the village, conveniently within the sealing barrier that restricted Kushina's movements.
"You work here?" she asked, her red hair shimmering faintly in the sunlight. A touch of fatigue lingered in her eyes.
"No, it's a mission," Seiji said, pointing to his forehead protector. "I'm a ninja now. This is just a part of my duties."
"Wow, Seiji! Didn't think you were a genius!" Kushina said, clenching her small fists and punching the air in mock awe.
"Looking for a book?" Seiji chuckled and stepped toward the door.
"Yeah, I've been kind of bored lately… Just hoping to find something interesting."
Her animated gesture stopped abruptly. The disappointment on her face was clear.
Every day, she was confined within the barrier. It was suffocating.
And lately, Minato had been busier than ever, barely having time to see her. She felt like she was being left behind in a forgotten corner.
"Come in. I'll show you the new releases."
Seiji led her to the new arrivals section.
Kushina frowned slightly, resting her chin in her palm, visibly conflicted about what to choose.
"This one looks good," Seiji said, pulling out a colorful book with vibrant illustrations on the cover.
Kushina in the original story never seemed particularly interested in books.
Naruto completely inherited her personality—and he didn't like reading either.
So Seiji didn't really believe the restless, distracted Kushina in front of him, who probably just came to kill time, would be into reading.
"Wow, so many pictures," Kushina said as she flipped through the book. It resembled a children's picture book, with very little text and most of the content expressed through colorful illustrations.
"Then I'll take this one," she said, raising the book in her hand.
"Alright."
Seiji nodded, packed the book into a bag, and handed it to her.
As he did, a notification popped up on his Trait Panel:
[New Trait Acquired: Legendary Nine-Tails (White)]
[Trait: Legendary Nine-Tails (White)]
Condition: Establish physical contact with the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
Progress: 10%
Effect: Enhances vitality of body cells. Chakra recovery efficiency for injuries increases by 5%.
Note: Can be upgraded.
Did just touching fingers count?
Seiji glanced at Kushina, who was holding the bag, lost in thought.
Earlier, his finger had accidentally brushed hers—and the panel responded immediately.
"Kushina, this is the first sale I've ever made. Thank you," Seiji suddenly grasped her hands with both of his, feigning excitement.
"Ah… is that so," Kushina replied, not thinking too much about it.
But Seiji was holding her hands a little too long.
Just as she was about to ask if it was time to let go, he finally released her.
"Who's that?" Asuma turned to look at Seiji, who was talking and shaking hands with a red-haired woman.
Her bright red hair looked oddly familiar, like something his father had mentioned before.
"No idea," Kurenai shook her head.
All members of the Uchiha had black hair, so this woman clearly wasn't one of them.
---
The bookstore owner, who had been gone most of the day, finally returned.
Minazuki Yūki had just finished repairing the leaking roof.
"Alright, mission complete. Let's head back."
He wiped the damp spots on his clothes and caught sight of Seiji with Kushina.
"Uchiha Seiji…"
Yūki frowned slightly.
He recognized the red-haired girl—Uzumaki Kushina, a refugee from the Uzumaki clan. She was known for being isolated, rarely interacting with others.
He had only ever seen Minato visit her before.
Still, she matched his personal taste.
"Are Uchiha just naturally popular?"
Jealousy crept up in Minazuki Yūki's heart.
"Uchiha Seiji, we need to report back now. Don't waste time," he said as he fixed his messy hair and walked over with what he thought was a charming smile.
"Hello, I'm Minazuki Yūki."
"Oh, hi," Kushina replied flatly. His name sounded nice, but his looks… not so much.
"Seiji, aren't you supposed to finish your mission report? I'll be off, then."
Kushina didn't want to interact with strangers, and the Konoha upper brass didn't allow her to do so freely anyway.
She only approached Seiji because they shared a similar fate. Otherwise, she wouldn't bother.
Without another word, Kushina quickly paid and left with her book.
She'd done missions before—
—but that was before becoming the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
Now, not only was she confined, she also had to constantly battle the Nine-Tails' temptation within her.
Minazuki Yūki's face clouded.
He looked at Seiji, opened his mouth as if to say something—
—but in the end, said nothing.
He didn't dare openly oppose the Uchiha.