March 20, early morning.
Yami had just woken up, and for some reason, a strange irritability clung to him like a thin layer of dust he couldn't shake off.
It was unnatural.
He slept enough. Every day. Nine hours, almost religiously. His body was well fed, his blood and qi were abundant, his energy was always overflowing.
If it were anyone else, they might blame it on the end of term, the pressure of exams, the atmosphere in the academy, the fear of results.
But for Yami, the term finals were nothing more than going through the motions.
They had stopped being a source of stress years ago.
When the clock reached 7:50, Yami finally realized what was wrong.
Breakfast had already been prepared. Nutritionally balanced, clean, familiar. He sat in the living room reading, exactly as he always did.
Yet the house was silent.
Normally, by this time, there would be pounding on the front door.
Loud enough to wake the neighbors.
And a certain red haired girl would be shouting his name like the world owed her an answer.
But today, nothing.
No knocking.
No shouting.
No heavy footsteps in the snow.
No presence.
Kushina had spent the entire previous term coming to his house in the mornings, eating breakfast, then walking to school with him.
She had been consistent in a way that was almost scary. Not because she was disciplined, but because once she latched onto something, she did it with her whole body and soul.
She would not miss today for no reason.
Especially not today.
It was a term final.
Yami's eyes narrowed.
His irritation suddenly had a shape.
A reason.
So this is that day.
The original story never gave an exact date for when Kushina became the Nine Tails jinchūriki. It happened in the background of history, like something everyone accepted and no one explained.
But Yami had spent years treating every missing piece as a potential landmine.
The irritability when waking up.
Kushina's absence.
The timing.
His certainty solidified into something cold and sharp.
This was related to a jinchūriki.
"Of all days… it has to be today."
He stood, ate alone, then washed the dishes.
The sound of running water felt louder than usual.
He moved efficiently, as always, but his mind had already taken a step ahead.
If they were moving today, then the most likely reason was simple.
Mito could no longer hold on.
His gaze lingered on nothing for half a second.
"Did Mito finally reach her limit?"
It was only a guess, but it was the kind of guess he trusted more than comfort.
Then Yami left.
He walked to the academy by himself.
The morning air was cold enough to bite, and the village carried that specific atmosphere it always had on graduation day.
Today, in truth, belonged to the sixth years.
Compared to their graduation exam, the other five grades' term finals were background noise.
Just like the April opening ceremony drew crowds, this day drew parents.
The academy gates were packed.
Mothers and fathers in winter clothing, faces tense, trying to look calm. Some were already talking too loudly, forcing laughter to cover anxiety. Some were quiet, hands clasped, eyes fixed on the doors as if staring hard enough could change their child's fate.
They sent their kids in, then remained outside, waiting for the verdict.
When the sixth years came out later, this place would explode with emotion.
Cheers.
Tears.
Proud laughter.
Angry scolding.
Forced smiles.
Quiet comfort.
Promises to do better.
Promises to work harder.
That kind of day.
But for now, none of it mattered to the younger grades.
Yami was only a year away from being a fifth year. He had seen this scene enough times that he didn't even spare the crowd a glance.
He entered the gates without hesitation.
He also didn't notice that three sets of eyes were watching him from a distance.
In the shadow of a nearby building, three figures stood together, their voices low but their attention sharp.
"That's him?" a man asked, tone rough with skepticism. "The seedling you took interest in?"
A pale man with snake like eyes answered calmly.
"Yes."
The third one, taller and loud even when whispering, let out a sound somewhere between disbelief and complaint.
"This height is ridiculous. He was only nine last year, right? Are you kidding me? He looks like he's Tsunade's height already!"
He leaned forward, squinting as Yami's back disappeared inside.
"The teachers in that academy and Sarutobi sensei, are they blind? A kid built like that, and they don't push him to graduate early? Keeping him in school is a waste of time and talent!"
The snake eyed man did not react to the outburst.
"He chose to hide himself. He wanted to remain in the academy."
"What? Why?" the loud one snapped immediately. "His height alone means his chakra reserves are abnormal. Even if he doesn't have a bloodline, he should be crushing everyone. Staying at the academy gives him what kind of challenge?"
The snake eyed man's lips curved.
"He wants knowledge."
He spoke like it was obvious.
"So even if he faces a dead end, he has the tools to survive it."
The loud man went quiet.
Not because he agreed, but because he couldn't find a way to mock that without it bouncing back onto himself.
At their side, Tsunade had come to the academy to send Nawaki off. She watched Yami's disappearing figure with interest, then looked at the snake eyed man and smirked.
"No wonder you like that brat. He's basically you when you were younger, just scaled up."
The snake eyed man chuckled softly.
"He's stronger than we were."
"Oh?" Tsunade's eyes glinted.
Even the loud man's interest sparked.
"So he's been hiding things?" the loud one asked. "Does he already know advanced elemental jutsu?"
Tsunade shrugged, already half convinced.
"His parents' legacy, and that abnormality… learning higher level jutsu early wouldn't be surprising."
Then she smirked at the snake eyed man.
"Congrats. You found yourself a great disciple. Too bad for Nawaki. I was thinking of asking you to teach him."
The snake eyed man smoothly redirected.
"There's still another option here."
The loud man froze.
His whole expression changed, like someone had shoved a kunai into his ribs.
Tsunade rolled her eyes with zero mercy.
"Forget it. If you let him raise Nawaki, he'll turn my cute little brother into a pervert."
The loud man's soul visibly left his body.
He turned gray.
Tsunade didn't even look guilty.
"And if it's between that and me quitting my hospital job to teach him myself, I'd rather teach him myself."
The loud man crumbled into a silent heap of defeat.
The snake eyed man looked mildly amused, but even he couldn't save his friend here.
Meanwhile, Yami had already entered the classroom.
The first thing he noticed made his brow lift slightly.
His seat neighbor was already there.
Kushina.
But she wasn't sitting normally.
Her head was down on the desk, as if she were sleeping.
Yet the air around her didn't feel like sleep.
It felt like exhaustion.
It felt like something had hollowed her out.
A certain blond boy who had already "given up" kept casting worried glances her way, like his body still hadn't accepted that he'd lost.
Yami moved to his seat and spoke in a tone that sounded casual, but carried a needle underneath.
"I don't remember provoking you yesterday. Why are you sulking again?"
Under Minato's helpless, complicated gaze, Yami reached out and rubbed the top of Kushina's head like she was some stray dog he'd claimed.
Kushina slowly lifted her head.
Yami's expression shifted.
For once, he was genuinely startled.
"Did you go stealing last night? What's with this face?"
Her eyes were bloodshot.
The skin under them was swollen and dark.
It looked like she hadn't slept at all.
Or like she had cried until her body couldn't keep up anymore.
Normally, Kushina would have snapped at him instantly.
Normally, she would have barked and threatened and argued just to prove she still had energy.
But now, she forced a smile.
A fragile, cracked thing.
Her voice was hoarse.
"I'm fine. I just… didn't feel well. That's why I didn't come."
Yami understood immediately.
Kushina still wasn't a jinchūriki.
But she knew now.
She knew about jinchūriki and tailed beasts.
Mito had told her.
Or she had pieced it together.
And now the fear was eating her from inside.
A full night with no sleep.
Maybe a full night of quiet crying.
And because today was the term final, she'd forced herself to come anyway.
Because she didn't want Yami to see her ugly side.
Because she didn't want to be weak in front of him.
That thought alone tightened something in Yami's chest.
His gaze flicked toward the other students, toward the ones peeking and whispering and trying to watch without being seen.
Yami looked at them once.
Just once.
The classroom temperature dropped.
The students immediately looked away, shoulders stiff, as if they had been caught in the act.
Yami dragged his chair slightly closer to Kushina's.
He didn't speak.
He simply formed a seal and gathered green chakra over his palm.
Then he leaned in and placed his hand near her face, careful and controlled, and started treating the swelling around her eyes.
The warmth spread.
The pain and heaviness eased.
Kushina stared at him.
The image overlapped with last year.
After their first fight, when he healed her without acting like it mattered.
Back then, her heart had raced.
Her face had heated up.
Now, instead of flaring into embarrassed anger, something else surged.
Fear.
Stronger than before.
Because the kindness made it real.
Because the kindness reminded her that she had something to lose.
Her breath hitched.
Tears welled up.
Then spilled over.
No sound.
No sobbing.
Just silent tears rolling down her cheeks.
That kind of crying was worse.
It infected the air.
It made everything around it heavier.
Yami's hand paused.
His decision formed instantly.
He dropped his palm, grabbed Kushina's wrist, and pulled her up.
They left the classroom through the back door.
Minato almost stood up by instinct, the old habit of following, of wanting to help, dragging at him.
But he stopped.
He sat back down.
His shoulders sank.
And somewhere inside, something broke again, quietly.
A few minutes later, Yami and Kushina returned through the back door.
Kushina's face looked different.
Not cheerful.
Not fine.
But steadier.
Like she had been pulled back from the edge, even if she was still standing in the same place.
Minato stared, stunned.
So fast?
He couldn't even imagine what Yami had said.
What he'd done.
That was the difference.
That was why he lost.
Then Minato's pupils shrank.
Something was off.
He looked again.
And his brain finally caught up.
No.
This isn't Kushina.
This isn't Yami either.
These aren't the real bodies.
These are shadow clones.
His first reaction wasn't shock at Yami's ability.
It was something stranger.
A cold curiosity.
Where did they go?
If the shadow clones were here, seated calmly like nothing happened, then the real Yami and the real Kushina were somewhere else.
Doing something that couldn't be done in front of the classroom.
Minato looked at the two "students" waiting quietly for the cultural exam to begin, and a vague dread rose in him.
He didn't know why.
He only felt it.
When the real ones come back…
I'll have no hope left at all.
(End of Chapter)
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