As usual, Mutsuki arrived ten minutes early at the designated location and waited. However, what surprised Mutsuki a little was that Kushina was already standing there when he arrived.
"Hmph, this time I arrived first," Kushina said with her hands on her hips, tilting her snowy white chin slightly up, smiling smugly.
Mutsuki hadn't expected Kushina to have such a competitive spirit in this odd place, but it was good that she arrived early; it meant they would have a bit more time later to study Sealing Jutsu.
"Well, Kushina-sensei, you're really diligent," Mutsuki praised with a smile.
"Haha, I am the first Sealing Ninja of Konoha, it's only natural," Kushina laughed, accepting Mutsuki's praise.
"Hurry up, I can't wait to see that photo you said would definitely make me laugh," Kushina urged Mutsuki, her eyes sparkling.
Without hesitation, Mutsuki took out all the photos he had brought and forcibly placed the one where Minato was struggling to smile at the top.
"Hahaha..."
Kushina burst into unrestrained laughter at the sight of the familiar face in such a funny expression.
"Did you use some kind of Ninjutsu to control Minato? How did you make him show this expression? It looks like he wants to laugh but can't," Kushina asked curiously after laughing for a while.
"Probably because he had a big battle during the day and was very tired. Also, since the photo was meant for you, he had to look lively and smile, which resulted in this," Mutsuki speculated.
"That's priceless. I'm going to put this photo in a frame and keep it safe," Kushina said earnestly.
Minato's usual smile was familiar to her, but this one she had never seen before, worthy of cherishing.
Kushina continued to flip through the remaining photos—some showing Minato's serious face, others capturing moments of unknown events—examining each one carefully.
"War, it's such a detestable thing," Kushina sighed, placing the photos back and looking up at the sky.
Kushina was a very lively and enthusiastic person who disliked sighing. War was one of the few things that could make her sigh a little more when she thought about it.
Kushina wasn't born in Konoha; she was born in the Land of Whirlpools, a small country inhabited solely by the Uzumaki Clan.
Despite its small size, the Land of Whirlpools had no ambitions for expansion and had never attacked other countries.
Due to being distant relatives of the Senju Clan, the Uzumaki Clan had a close relationship with Konoha, and both sides signed a friendly agreement. It could be said that Konoha's Sealing Jutsu developed based on the Uzumaki Sealing Jutsu. To commemorate this friendship, the Konoha ninja uniforms included the emblem of the Uzumaki Clan.
In Kushina's memory, the scenery of the Land of Whirlpools was not inferior to that of the Land of Fire. It was also lush with greenery; summers were hot, but winters were not cold.
She liked the Land of Whirlpools very much, but due to her special Chakra, she was chosen as the second Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails at a young age and was sent directly to Konoha when it was time for schooling.
Later on, she learned from Uzumaki Mito about the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools.
It wasn't just one or two nations; many countries joined forces to destroy the Land of Whirlpools, and so it became history.
Since then, Kushina has strongly disliked war. If it weren't for war, her country wouldn't have been destroyed.
Although Minato didn't appear to have any injuries, Kushina noticed stubborn stains on his clothes that were hard to remove, and his face wasn't as clean as it usually was at home—after all, it wasn't possible to wash one's face twice a day on the battlefield.
"Minato asked me to tell you something: 'I'm doing well. Take care of yourself, don't stay up late, and eat on time,'" Mutsuki relayed Minato's message to Kushina.
"Really, does he see me as the kind of child who can't take care of myself?" Kushina quipped after a brief pause, but her face showed an uncontrollable expression of happiness.
Then the two walked to the place where they had previously taught Sealing Jutsu.
Kushina cleared her throat twice, revealing her lively smile again, and said, "Kushina's Sealing Jutsu class is officially in session. Student Mutsuki, please report on your progress."
Mutsuki thought for a moment and decided to conceal some of his progress. He recalled his memories from when he was almost a beginner and reported accordingly.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Kushina; rather, he needed to maintain consistent performance. The ANBU were still watching, and he had already demonstrated a talent for Sealing Jutsu even stronger than initially expected. Progress had to be gradual and incremental; he couldn't rush it.
"I see. So you're learning quite quickly. You've almost leaned the Four Symbols Seal after just two of my lessons. You must have been studying hard on your own as well," Kushina expressed satisfaction with Mutsuki's diligence.
Minato, under her guidance, had already become an excellent sealing ninja. If Mutsuki could be like Minato, then she would have taught two outstanding disciples.
"I feel like if I became a guiding Jonin, I could become Konoha's new Grandmaster of Sealing Jutsu," Kushina couldn't help but laugh.
However, she could only think about it. Her status as a Jinchuriki meant she couldn't take on the role of a guiding sensei because guiding sensei often led teams on missions, and Jinchuriki frequently couldn't leave the village due to various circumstances, which was very inconvenient.
"You don't necessarily have to become a guiding Jonin to teach students. Perhaps in the future, the Academy will increase teaching hours and impart more advanced ninjutsu knowledge. Then, Kushina, you can directly teach at the Academy," Mutsuki said with a smile.
He actually had an idea to transform the Academy into a school that integrated elementary, middle, and high school, where elementary education would be similar to current ninja training. In middle school, they would start teaching Nature Transformation Ninjutsu, and in high school, they would introduce specialized fields like Sealing Jutsu, Barrier Techniques, and Medical Ninjutsu.
Teaching non-disciple students is also an important part of his system. Mutsuki speculated that if he could teach stronger disciples, there might be better rewards. For instance, when he taught Kushina and Minato cooking, even though there were only two students, there was a teaching reward. Even if only one recipe was taught, it still counted for the reward.
"That's impossible. If we were to do things your way, students who are already skilled could graduate from school and become Jonin directly," Kushina felt that Mutsuki's ideas were somewhat unrealistic.
It takes over a decade to train a ninja, which is too long. Konoha has only been established for a few decades.
"Kushina, do you think it's normal for a twelve-year-old to graduate as a Ninja?" Mutsuki asked after thinking for a moment.
"It's perfectly normal. Generally speaking, graduating at this age is considered late. I graduated at the age of twelve, and Minato graduated at the age of ten," Kushina nodded calmly.
Mutsuki sighed inwardly. This was simply a difference in perspective. In Mutsuki's view, having children graduate and becoming assassins before they graduated from elementary school was not at all normal
However, Mutsuki had to admit that his Ninja School plan was currently unfeasible.
It was wartime now, and while manpower shortages hadn't become an issue yet, if Konoha were to come under siege, they would be desperate for graduates who could quickly grow into effective combatants after just two or three years of training, let alone the extended training of over a decade.
Moreover, the current Hokage was Sarutobi Hiruzen. Knowing Sarutobi Hiruzen as he did, Mutsuki understood that he would not approve such a drastic overhaul of the Academy.
The impact of introducing middle and high schools, holiday special training, and internship programs at the Academy was simply on a different scale. Special training and internships were not meant to lengthen training time; in fact, they might even shorten it, affecting only students and Chunin sensei.
Establishing middle and high schools, however, was a different matter. It would significantly lengthen ninja training, requiring more advanced knowledge to be taught by specialized Jonin instructors entering the Academy.
This would have far-reaching implications, and Sarutobi Hiruzen was known for his preference for stability. He would never approve a proposal that could bring such drastic changes to Konoha.
"Although it's difficult to achieve now, I believe in the future, anything is possible," Mutsuki said with a bright smile.
While it was currently impractical, fortunately, this was a world where strength prevailed, and he was someone with exceptional abilities. As his strength grew, what seemed impossible now would eventually become possible.
"Haha, if the Academy really turns into what you're describing, Mutsuki, I'll definitely become a renowned sealing instructor in Konoha," Kushina indulged in Mutsuki's idea, smiling as she spoke.
Mutsuki smiled and didn't mention school matters again, focusing on earnestly learning Sealing Jutsu with Kushina.
Under Kushina's witness, Mutsuki successfully used the Four Symbols Seal.
"Good job! From now on, you can say that I taught you your Sealing Jutsu," Kushina said with satisfaction.
Next, Mutsuki took the opportunity to ask some questions about sealing Chakra, and Kushina answered each one.
As it was nearing noon, Mutsuki and Kushina went to a restaurant to borrow the kitchen and cooked together to solve their lunch.
Before leaving, Mutsuki handed a box of pastries to Kushina, smiling and saying:
"This time you should be able to take it back."
Kushina opened it to find the same delicious dessert as before, immediately lighting up.
"Mutsuki, you waited until after lunch to give me these. Do you think I'm someone who can't eat dessert after a meal? Girls have a special stomach just for desserts," Kushina said jokingly as she happily ate a osmanthus cake, showing a satisfied smile.
However, it was all in good fun. Such delicious treats needed to be digested properly before enjoying again. By the time she got home, it would be about time to indulge once more.
After bidding farewell to Kushina, Mutsuki returned to his usual routine of training disciples. The day before yesterday, he had conducted a special training session where Shisui and Obito had significantly increased their dodging counts, allowing for a higher intensity.
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