In the corridor, Seikyū Hikaru ran into Uzumaki Kushina.
"You—you haven't started fighting yet?" she asked, eyeing him up and down. Not a single hair out of place.
"It's already over," Hikaru replied with a shrug.
Kushina blinked.
"Then… why aren't you hurt at all?"
With how clean he looked, she assumed the rooftop battle hadn't even begun. She'd only been late by a minute or two.
Had he… surrendered?
"Did you give up? Apologize to them?" she guessed.
She remembered at least twenty classmates had charged up to challenge him. If he wasn't bruised or bloodied, surely he must've backed down.
Hikaru's brow twitched.
"Surrender? You really think I'm that weak?"
He let out a sigh.
"I mean I beat them all. Every single one of them."
"…You won?" Kushina's eyes widened.
She remembered him taking on five students at once yesterday like a one-man army, but—
"You beat over twenty people?"
"Not quite. I beat around a dozen," Hikaru clarified. "Once the others saw how easily I dropped them, they backed off. So technically, yeah—I won against them all."
"…Whoa. You're amazing."
Whatever irritation Kushina had carried from earlier was completely gone now, replaced with a spark of awe.
"Don't sell yourself short," Hikaru replied modestly. "You're from the Uzumaki Clan. I'm sure you're strong too."
"Just call me Kushina," she said after a beat, her tone softening. There was a wistful sadness behind her smile.
Being sent to Konoha as the second Nine-Tails Jinchūriki might've been a strategic move for the village, but for Kushina… it was exile. Ripped from her homeland, dumped into a place with no attachments, no bonds.
Those bonds were supposed to form later—once Minato "heroically" saved her in the incident the elders had carefully orchestrated.
But for now, Hikaru was the only one who'd shown her kindness.
Calling her "Uzumaki-san" made her feel like a stranger. But "Kushina"? That sounded like a friend.
"Alright, Kushina."
Hikaru smiled warmly. Inside, he was thrilled. Perfect.
Then came the real play.
"Kushina, want to train together after school?"
His tone was casual, but the gears in his mind were already turning fast.
If Minato could drop special materials, there was no reason Kushina couldn't as well. She was a major character. A key figure. A direct descendant of the Sage of Six Paths' bloodline.
If he could start farming materials off her through regular sparring sessions, it'd be a massive boost to his growth.
Compared to the white Chakra materials he'd been getting from random classmates, training with someone like Kushina might yield something special. Something tied to the Uzumaki bloodline… or even the Sage's body.
The possibilities made his fingers itch.
"Me? I… can I?"
"Of course," Hikaru said quickly.
Please say yes. I'll train with you every day if I have to.
"Okay! I accept!" Kushina beamed. A genuine, brilliant smile.
She'd made her first friend in Konoha.
And Hikaru had just secured a long-term loot source.
With that agreement in place, they returned to the classroom together.
A few students who hadn't joined the rooftop brawl glanced over, surprised Hikaru was not only back but completely unharmed. Then again… none of the challengers had returned either.
Guess that answered that question.
After all, yesterday they'd seen him crush five guys at once.
But Hikaru wasn't paying attention to them.
His mind was on the 14 Chakra (White) materials he now held.
He'd synthesized once before and knew exactly what to expect. No one would notice a thing if he did it again—perfect time to start crafting.
Let's get to work.
The synthesis panel appeared before him.
Ten material slots ringed a central grid—the familiar layout.
Without hesitation, he dropped in two Chakra (White) materials and hit Synthesize.
The grid vibrated.
A second later—
DING! Synthesis failed.
His smile cracked.
Gone. Just like that.
Two materials, evaporated into nothing.
"Dammit…"
But he wasn't done.
"One failure doesn't mean anything. Again!"
Two more materials in.
DING! Synthesis failed.
Hikaru clenched his jaw. Four materials down. Ten left.
I should play it safe—go for 100% with ten materials…
No.
"I don't believe my luck is that bad."
Two more.
DING! Synthesis failed.
His breath hitched. Six gone. Just like that.
The panel might as well have flipped him off.
Still, he refused to give in.
"Again!"
Two more in.
DING! Congratulations! Synthesis success—Item Acquired: Chakra Fruit (Green)
He froze. Then—
YES!
His first success—and not just white-tier. A lucky grade-up to green-tier!
This alone made up for the pain. Better than one guaranteed white fruit with ten materials.
"Jackpot."
Heart pounding, Hikaru grinned.
His gambler's spirit was alight now.
"Momentum's on my side. Let's go again!"
He tossed in another pair of materials and hit Synthesize.
The panel trembled once more…
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