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What Uzumaki Kushina said was absolutely correct. The Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques were the strongest in the ninja world, and their applications were vast. A prime example was the moon that illuminated the night sky—that too was a result of a sealing technique.
In Uzumaki Kushina's eyes, Yuichi Yuuki, as a blood member of the Uzumaki clan, was the perfect successor to these techniques. She, as one of the few remaining elders of the once-prosperous Uzumaki clan, held high expectations for him. Now that only two members of the clan remained, her hopes rested on Yuichi Yuuki. As long as he lived, the Uzumaki clan would not be extinct.
Watching Yuichi Yuuki, Uzumaki Kushina couldn't help but reflect silently. She had been overjoyed at his birth because it represented hope for the clan's revival. However, fate had been cruel. His mother died during childbirth, and his father, Uzumaki Aomi (who had taken the name Yuki Aomi), died on a mission. Now, only two members of the Uzumaki clan remained.
With a gentle smile, Kushina reached out and ruffled Yuichi Yuuki's hair. "When you graduate from the Ninja Academy, you can officially learn our clan's sealing techniques," she said.
Yuichi Yuuki nodded, but a strange sense of discomfort remained about his name. He was part of the Uzumaki clan, but his surname was Yuuki. It felt awkward, like how the Four Heavenly Kings have five members—it just didn't seem right.
Seeing his hesitation, Uzumaki Kushina paused as she was about to leave and turned back to him. "Yuuki is a good name," she said. "If you officially go by Uzumaki, many people will take notice of you."
Given Yuichi Yuuki's current appearance, most people would assume his red hair was just a coincidence, rather than a sign of his Uzumaki heritage. After all, other ninjas in the world had red hair too—like Chiyo's son in the Sand Village. Even though his true lineage might be discovered later, keeping it secret for now would help him during his vulnerable early years. Even Kushina herself had been kidnapped once, and Konoha wasn't entirely safe.
That's why Yuichi Yuuki's father had changed his surname.
Yuichi Yuuki nodded again, understanding the reasoning. Though he wasn't a real child anymore, the feeling of weirdness persisted. After all, he possessed the Sharingan and the sage body of the Uzumaki clan, yet he was called Yuichi Yuuki. Was that really okay?
After some final advice about chakra control, Kushina left, leaving Yuichi Yuuki to think deeply. He stood there for a long time, lost in thought, before suddenly remembering something. He looked at the wall clock in Ichiraku Ramen and gasped in panic.
"Oh no! I forgot about Kurenai!"
It was already past 5:10 PM. The Ninja Academy had been out for ten minutes. Although Kurenai loved staying after class to listen to lectures, she might have left by now, especially since she thought he was still injured from the shadow clone backlash.
Yuichi Yuuki ran to the academy as fast as he could, weaving through the crowd of students leaving for the day. Ignoring the curious looks from others, he bolted towards his classroom. When he reached the door, he peered inside through the window.
Inside, Umino Iruka was scolding the class. "If you don't study hard now, you'll regret it when your classmates become chunin or jonin, and you're still stuck as a genin! Your efforts today will determine your future achievements! You're not coming to school for my sake, you're doing this for yourselves!"
Iruka's voice was filled with frustration, a side of him that Yuichi Yuuki had never seen before. In his memories, Iruka was always calm and composed. But today, he was clearly fed up.
Peering into the classroom, Yuichi Yuuki saw that most of the students had already left, but a few remained. Surprisingly, Uchiha Obito was still there, as was Kurenai Yuhi. Yuichi Yuuki breathed a sigh of relief.
What shocked him even more was that Hatake Kakashi was still in the classroom. He hadn't gone home yet either.
Inside, Iruka was still lecturing, though his voice had grown tired. He called on Kakashi. "Tell me, why do you think I kept you in class?"
Yuichi Yuuki observed from the window as Kakashi stared back with his usual dead-fish eyes. Though Kakashi's mask covered his face, Yuichi could feel the hopelessness radiating from him.
"I don't know," Kakashi responded flatly.
Iruka sighed. "If you can't figure it out, then study harder! You may be a genius, but only a genius who continues to grow can remain a genius!"
Kakashi sighed and nodded, then turned to glance at Obito and noticed Yuichi Yuuki sticking his head through the window. Kakashi's eyes narrowed in suspicion, immediately assuming that whatever was happening, it must have been Yuichi's fault.
Seeing this, Yuichi Yuuki smiled awkwardly and turned away. He couldn't help but pity Kakashi. Poor guy, getting stuck in the teacher's lectures.
Leaning against the wall, Yuichi Yuuki crouched down, ruffling his hair to make himself look disheveled. He was about to stand up when a thought struck him. Deciding it wasn't enough, he quickly formed a hand sign, creating a shadow clone to squat down beside him.
The two of them exchanged glances. The shadow clone made another hand sign, activating an illusion technique with 1.5 magatama Sharingan in its eyes. "Illusion: This Isn't a Technique!"
It was the only illusion Yuichi Yuuki had learned so far. Though it wasn't particularly powerful, with the Sharingan's boost, it could still give subtle hints.
The shadow clone gave Yuichi Yuuki an approving nod. "As expected of me. I'm a genius!"
With that, the clone vanished, and Yuichi Yuuki dispelled the illusion as the memories of the clone flowed back to him.
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