Back in the second-year classroom, the entire afternoon was devoted to theory lessons.
Akaishi Kishimoto stood at the front of the room and opened Chapter Three of The Will of Fire: Basic Edition, reading with all the passion he could muster.
“…Where the leaves of Konoha dance, fire will burn.
The fire’s shadow will illuminate the village, and once again, new leaves will sprout…”
Yawns rose one after another throughout the classroom.
Several students in the front row were already nodding off.
Kushina had long since collapsed over her desk, sleeping so soundly that she was almost drooling.
Mirai, however, sat perfectly straight.
Both hands rested on his desk as he stared at the podium without blinking.
Every now and then, he even gave a thoughtful nod, as though Kishimoto-sensei’s lecture had truly moved him.
He still had to keep up appearances.
Mirai knew an Anbu shinobi was watching him from some hidden corner outside the classroom.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was still evaluating him.
The more Mirai appeared to embrace the Will of Fire, the more he fit Hiruzen’s expectations, and the easier his future life in Konoha would be.
“What is the core of the Will of Fire?” Kishimoto asked.
Mirai’s hand shot up first.
“Protection!
Bonds!
The determination to defend the village!”
His voice was loud and his expression sincere.
Kishimoto froze for a moment, then pushed up his glasses with visible satisfaction.
“Excellent answer, Mirai Uzumaki!
You may sit down.”
The entire class stared at him like he was some kind of monster.
Even the teacher was basically reading from the textbook.
Why was this guy listening so seriously?
Mirai sat down without changing expression and sighed inwardly.
‘Old man, do you have any idea how hard I’m working here?’
Not far outside the classroom, hidden in the shade of a tree, an Anbu silently recorded something before vanishing in a blur.
At the Hokage’s office, Hiruzen accepted the observation report and flipped to the last page.
When he saw the line, “Mirai Uzumaki displays an enthusiastic attitude toward Will of Fire lessons, voluntarily answers questions, and appears sincere,” a pleased smile spread across his aged face.
“What a good child…” Hiruzen tapped the ash from his pipe, amusement gathering in the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.
“Lady Mito, can you see this?
A new leaf of Konoha is growing strong.”
Outside the window, the Third Hokage’s stone face on the Hokage Monument silently overlooked the village beneath the sunlight.
…
A month passed quickly.
Mirai’s popularity at the Academy continued to rise, though he had clearly toned himself down compared to when he first arrived.
He even fell asleep in class from time to time and got called out by Kishimoto more than once.
At home, however, Mirai was living very comfortably.
After all, a certain Tsunade had lost a bet and owed him a month of massages.
He was still tiny, so there wasn’t much need for the full treatment yet, but half a massage was still pretty great.
Especially when Big Sis Tsunade was the one doing it.
Comfortable and easy on the eyes.
What wasn’t there to like?
That afternoon after school, Mito was unusually absent from her usual place beneath the veranda.
Instead, she waited for them outside a sealed chamber deep within the clan grounds.
“Mirai, Kushina.
Both of you, come with me.”
Leaning on her cane, Mito pushed open a heavy wooden door.
Beyond it lay a spacious underground chamber.
Luminous stones had been embedded into the walls, casting a soft, cool glow.
The most striking sight was the shelving lining all four walls.
Hundreds of scrolls had been stacked neatly from floor to ceiling.
“This is…” Kushina’s eyes widened.
“The sealing technique scrolls accumulated by generations of the Uzumaki Clan,” Mito said, turning to the two children with an unusually serious expression.
“Sealing techniques are the foundation upon which our clan stands.
Uzumaki blood flows through both of you.
These scrolls are your inheritance.”
She walked to one shelf, pulled out a scroll, and unfurled it.
The dense field of symbols and formulas immediately made Kushina’s head buzz.
“Starting today, you will both study here for an hour after school every day.
Before graduation, you must at least master the Five Elements Seal and advanced applications of the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Most importantly…”
Mito looked at Mirai and Kushina.
“You must become thoroughly familiar with sealing formulas related to Tailed Beasts.”
Kushina’s face immediately fell.
“Grandma…” She tugged pitifully at Mito’s sleeve.
“I think I have an illness.
Every time I look at a sealing scroll, my head starts hurting…”
Mito smiled and flicked her lightly on the forehead.
“Little rascal.
Sealing techniques can save your life.
If you don’t learn them and one day run into danger, who will save you?”
“Mirai will!”
“And what if Mirai is in danger too?”
Kushina puffed out her cheeks and fell silent.
Mito handed each of them a basic scroll.
“We’ll start with the Four Symbols Seal.
Mirai goes first.
Kushina, watch and learn.”
Mirai accepted the scroll, his eyes practically shining.
He had wanted to get his hands on the Uzumaki sealing arts for ages.
This was a hundred times more interesting than listening to Kishimoto-sensei preach about the Will of Fire.
He opened the scroll, sat cross-legged, and quickly scanned the structure of the formula while quietly muttering to himself.
“…The Four Symbols Seal uses four interlocking forces to suppress the center.
Yin and Yang alternate here…
so the key node should be…”
Mito narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched his focused profile, a trace of satisfaction appearing in her gaze.
His comprehension was even better than she had expected.
“Kushina,” Mito said, turning to the girl who was staring blankly at Mirai.
“What are you looking at?”
“Huh?
N-Nothing!”
Kushina snapped out of it, blushed, and hurriedly grabbed her own scroll, pretending to study.
She barely absorbed a single word.
Beneath the chamber’s soft light, Mirai’s side profile looked unusually handsome as he studied.
His eyelashes lowered over his eyes, his brow occasionally furrowing as he murmured formulas under his breath.
Kushina stole one glance, then another.
As for what was actually written on the scroll in front of her?
Her mind was completely blank.
Mito sighed but said nothing.
She had lived almost an entire lifetime.
How could she possibly fail to notice what was going through the girl’s head?
Still, there was no hurry.
They had plenty of time.
“All right, we’ll stop here for today.” Mito tapped her cane against the floor.
“From now on, you come here for one hour after school before going home.
Kushina, tomorrow I’m testing you on the core mnemonic for the Four Symbols Seal.
If you can’t recite it, you’ll copy it one hundred times.”
“Ehhh?!
No way!”
“What do you mean, ‘no way’?
Do you think I’m joking?”
Kushina answered dejectedly, but from Mirai’s perspective, she was clearly still secretly smiling.
An extra hour alone with Mirai every day after school actually didn’t sound too bad.
If only she didn’t have to memorize all those sealing formulas.
Kushina had absolutely no interest in becoming a jinchuriki.
In canon, she had become the Nine-Tails’ jinchuriki because she had no choice.
But now there was Mirai.
Wouldn’t it be fine to let Mirai become the jinchuriki instead?
There was no reason for her to suffer through it herself.
The moment that thought occurred to her, Kushina felt completely enlightened.
And just like that, she gave up trying.
Why stare at sealing formulas when staring at Mirai was so much nicer?