Outside the Ninja Academy, students poured out of the gates, hopping into their parents' arms, chattering about their test scores. Some beamed with confidence, while others pouted dejectedly, prompting their parents to ruffle their hair.
*Pop!*
A fragrant breeze swept over him, and before Lin Yu could get a clear look, a fiery red figure lunged into his embrace, nuzzling his head.
Kushina wore a pale yellow coat today, cinched with a black belt that accentuated her slender waist. Black leggings covered her knees, showcasing her perfect legs.
Taking a deep breath in Lin Yu's arms, Kushina tilted her head up, her joy unmasked.
"Brother Lin Yu, guess how I did today?" Lin Yu stroked Kushina's fiery red hair, watching the delighted girl, and couldn't help but purse his lips and chuckle, "Hmm, let me guess, you didn't pass, did you?"
"No way! I got full marks on the theory, it's just... my practical results weren't as good as that sissy's, hmph." Kushina pouted at Lin Yu, her voice trailing off in evident frustration.
"Sissy?"
"That blonde kid, he talks all effeminate, hmph!" Kushina pointed at a blonde boy in the distance, huffing.
Lin Yu followed her gaze. Huh, wasn't that the sunny boy, Minato Namikaze? While he was a bit delicate-looking and spoke softly, he wasn't exactly a sissy.
Lin Yu shook his head, seeing Kushina's pout and unhappiness. It seemed Kushina wasn't too fond of Minato Namikaze.
This made sense. In the original story, Kushina's opinion of Minato only changed after he saved her, when he confessed his admiration for her fiery red hair. Before that, Kushina held no good feelings for this foolish, effeminate boy.
With Lin Yu's presence in this life, the hero-saving-beauty scenario was unlikely to happen. He could only offer a silent apology to Minato in his heart: Sorry, little sunshine, Kushina is taken!
Subjectively, Lin Yu held a good impression of this cheerful, sunny boy. Perhaps feeling stared at for too long, the little blonde Minato Namikaze turned, looking at Lin Yu with surprise. Upon noticing Kushina in Lin Yu's arms, he waved with a sunny smile.
"Alright, let's go home," Lin Yu took Kushina's small hand, smiled at Minato, and turned away.
Just then, a taunting voice called out, "Hey, two tomatoes, a big tomato is picking up a little tomato from school."
Upon hearing the word "tomato," Kushina clenched her small fists. Her fiery red hair seemed to surge without wind, flames burning in her beautiful eyes. Gritting her teeth, she spoke coldly, "Say that again, and see what happens!"
"Nyah nyah, I'll say it! Tomato, big tomato, two orphans of tomato..." The green-haired boy, wearing a dark green beanie, stuck out his tongue, rolled his eyes, and hopped provocatively at Kushina.
"You!" Kushina raised her fist, ready to teach the green-haired boy a lesson. Lin Yu stepped forward, blocking Kushina. Without even glancing at the boy, he looked at the middle-aged man next to him, wearing a green vest, and said coldly, "Sir, your parenting seems to be lacking. I require an apology."
Yamamoto Ichiro glanced at the two children before him and smirked, "Oh? My apologies, my son Green-lang is just speaking the truth. I'll apologize on his behalf."
"You..." Lin Yu held back Kushina, who was about to charge forward. He gave Yamamoto Ichiro a deep look, took Kushina's hand, and turned to leave.
"Tch! Cowardly brats, thought they were so tough, but they're just mongrels..." The last two words were spoken softly, unheard even by Yamamoto Green-lang beside him. However, Lin Yu, whose senses had improved significantly, heard them clearly. He didn't stop, but quickened his pace, afraid he might lose control and kill him. He was no longer the pushover he once was. He remembered this green-haired man.
That night, Lin Yu prepared a grand meal to treat Kushina. However, the girl was distracted, absently chewing her food and muttering, "Next practical class, I'm going to smash that green-haired brat's head!"
...
"How could this be! I failed." After dinner, Lin Yu lay in bed, watching a faint green glow flicker in his hand before disappearing.
"Impossible. The chakra flow, the corresponding elemental chakra output are all the same. Why did it fail?" It wasn't a complete failure; he had used the Mystical Palm Technique, but its duration was only a tenth of what Gekka had achieved.
It wasn't that Lin Yu's chakra was depleted. Since awakening his Beginner Sage Body, Lin Yu's chakra had been constantly growing and recovering. Before, it was like a water tank; now, it had expanded into a swimming pool, constantly filling up.
He had enough chakra to rival an Elite Jonin, if not a Kage. Once fully recovered, his chakra reserves would surely surpass those of most Kage.
"Is it a matter of proficiency? Or is the Mystical Palm Technique uncopyable? The Sharingan in the original story never copied medical ninjutsu. Then why can I? Even if it's a flawed version of the Mystical Palm Technique," Lin Yu mused, combining his own circumstances and understanding, speaking to himself.
"The Mystical Palm Technique is a medical ninjutsu, a development of Yang Release. And the Sage Body is the pinnacle of Yang Release. Although I have the Beginner Sage Body, slightly inferior to Hashirama Senju's, it's still far superior to the physiques of most Uzumaki and Senju clan members. That's why I can copy a flawed version of the Mystical Palm Technique. It's not flawed, just not skillfully wielded, but this imperfect version is perfect for my current situation."
Lin Yu rubbed his temples, dismissing further thoughts, and closed his eyes, falling into a deep sleep.
...
The next morning, Lin Yu watched a dejected Kushina head to school. He then pulled down the rolling shutter, hung up a "Closed for Business" sign, and walked slowly towards the Ninja Hospital.
For the past few days, Lin Yu had been "studying" medical ninjutsu at the Ninja Hospital. Unintentionally, he had demonstrated a "flawed version of the Mystical Palm Technique" to Gekka, much to his surprise. Gekka, stroking his short beard, repeatedly praised him, "A genius, a promising talent!" Subsequently, Gekka cleared his schedule and personally guided Uzumaki Lin Yu in mastering the Mystical Palm Technique.
After more than half a month, a faint green light swirled in his hand, radiating life. "It's done, it's done! This is the complete Mystical Palm Technique."
Gekka looked at the young boy, barely ten years old, and suddenly felt as if his thirty-plus years of life had been wasted.
"Teacher Gekka, thank you for your hard work. Without your guidance, I wouldn't have mastered the Mystical Palm Technique so quickly." In reality, Lin Yu had completely mastered the Mystical Palm Technique on the third day of his studies. However, to silence certain people, he had delayed for over half a month. Time was running out for him.
Looking at Gekka, who was muttering and reminiscing, Lin Yu said earnestly, "Teacher Gekka, I want to go to the battlefield. Please help me!"