In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.
Yoru had been in the Naruto world for six months now. Aside from the incident with the Hoshino clan, nothing unexpected had happened.
Life was calm and peaceful. Every day at the Ninja Academy felt just as harmonious as before.
Each day, he would say sweet words to Mikoto and discuss ninja knowledge with Minato.
As for Yoru and Mikoto—
They walked home together every day after school.
Now, Yoru could even occasionally hold Mikoto's hand.
Though every time he did, Mikoto would react like a startled rabbit—glancing around nervously, afraid of being seen.
And whenever they neared the Uchiha compound, she would quickly pull her hand away, clutching it slightly as if it still tingled, before running off with a faint smile.
As for Minato—
The future Fourth Hokage—
He had fallen in love!
Whether it was because of being influenced by Yoru and Mikoto or something else—
In any case, Minato had gotten together with a girl named Takanashi Anko.
She was also a civilian ninja.
Despite her lack of background, her strong talent allowed her to study in Class B, just below Class A.
However, she was often bullied by some clan children.
Anko was not the type to endure it quietly—she had a fiery temper and always fought back.
One time, when she was being bullied by a group of girls from clan families—
Minato descended like a hero and helped her out!
According to him, he was moved by the strength in her eyes.
And just like that—
They got together.
As for Yoru, most of his time was spent training relentlessly.
He could now fully transform his entire body into magma.
His Chakra had also grown significantly.
As for physical strength—
His push-up limit had reached 800.
By his own estimation, he was already comparable to newly graduated Genin.
How did he judge that?
Simple.
There were plenty of training grounds in Konoha.
And freshly graduated ninja were only around ten years old.
Some bored kids would often gather there to settle minor disputes in what they called "duels between men."
After observing a few times, Yoru concluded—
Even without using his magma ability, he could handle an average newly graduated Genin.
And with magma?
Frankly speaking—
Even a Jonin who underestimated him would pay a heavy price!
…
"Alright, class is starting!"
As usual, Nakamura Hino's stern voice signaled the beginning of the lesson.
It was worth mentioning that after one week of pure theory, the Academy had shifted to a schedule of theory in the morning and practical training in the afternoon.
For now, practical training included basic physical conditioning, Chakra refinement, and fundamental combat exercises.
"Today, we have a new student joining us. Everyone, welcome her!"
A girl with fiery red hair slowly walked up to the podium.
"What a strange hair color!"
"What is that? Looks weird!"
"I've never seen that before—someone from another village?"
"Why is she in our class?!"
…
"I-I'm Uzumaki Kushina…"
Facing the unfriendly gazes and hearing the comments about her hair, Kushina instinctively reached up and played with a strand of it.
Finally, she managed a brief self-introduction.
"What kind of name is that?"
"Uzumaki? What's that supposed to be? Haha!"
"Definitely an outsider!"
…
"M-My dream is to become the first female Hokage of Konoha!"
Amid the laughter, Kushina clenched her fists and shouted out her dream.
…
"What? A female Hokage? Who does she think she is?"
"Such an ignorant outsider!"
"That's hilarious!"
After a brief silence—
The classroom erupted into laughter.
Most of it came from the boys.
Kushina bit her lip tightly, her bright eyes beginning to glisten.
For someone who had just survived the destruction of her homeland—
This atmosphere was unbearably harsh.
To them—
She was just an outsider.
Her dream was something to laugh at—
Something worthless.
I… I just want peace…
I don't want war anymore…
Bang!
Just as Nakamura Hino was about to intervene—
A loud sound echoed through the room.
"Enough! You idiots!"
Yoru slammed his hand on the desk and stood up.
"Mocking someone else's dream—do you even have the right?!"
He swept his gaze across the classroom, locking onto the boys who had been laughing the loudest.
"She's an outsider, yet she has the courage to say, 'My dream is to become Hokage!'"
"What about you?! Do you even dare to say your dreams out loud?!"
"You don't even have the courage to speak them—what gives you the right to laugh at someone who does?!"
…
"Y-Yeah! You boys are the worst!"
"You should learn from Yoru!"
"You're all so annoying!"
" Yoru-san is so kind!"
After a brief silence, Yoru's admirers began scolding the boys loudly.
Kushina stood there, stunned.
Her eyes were fixed on the boy in front of her—
Sharp features, a resolute gaze—
His presence seemed even more striking.
"Alright, Yoru is right. Don't mock others' dreams."
"Student Kushina, take a seat over there. There's an empty spot next to Uchiha Mikoto."
Nakamura Hino pointed toward the seat beside Mikoto.
"O-Okay…"
Kushina glanced at the boy—
And saw him give her a warm smile.
…Is that… acceptance?