Chinya made his way through Konoha's streets toward the Ninja Academy.
Unfortunately, he lived so far out that passing through the village's main street was unavoidable.
He wasn't into that whole 'take it and enjoy it' thing—they could keep their insults.
Once he got to class, Chinya went straight for the seat farthest back in the corner.
The seats directly in front and to his right were always empty—no one wanted to sit next to him.
It was his third year at the academy, and Chinya threw himself into every lesson.
To change his situation, there was only one path—growing stronger. No other way existed.
When they first started learning chakra extraction, Chinya had tried immediately.
He thought his talent might actually be decent—while ordinary people usually needed a day or two to extract chakra for the first time, Chinya managed it in half a day.
But someone surpassed even Chinya—Minato Namikaze, a ninja from a commoner family.
Over these three years, Minato had crushed geniuses from prestigious clans like Uchiha, Hyuga, and Nara, becoming the top student in the entire school.
Plus, with his bright personality and good looks, Minato was extremely popular.
Unlike Chinya, who was also handsome—but universally disliked.
Leaning over his desk, Chinya waited for class to begin.
Right now, besides attending school, all Chinya could do was wait for Kushina Uzumaki's arrival.
Chinya began thinking deeply.
Because he had seen the falsehood within the village of Konoha, he sorted through his memories and found something suspicious about Kushina's experience.
Back when both Minato and Kushina were still fresh Genin, she was kidnapped by three Kumo ninjas—at least Tokubetsu Jonin level.
As they approached the border, Kushina began feeling hopeless—until unexpectedly, Minato spotted her trail and followed it alone, rescuing her as a lowly Genin by defeating those three Kumo ninjas singlehandedly—playing the perfect hero rescuing a beauty in distress.
This situation seemed very strange.
Never mind whether young Minato actually had the skill to defeat three Tokubetsu Jonin-level opponents alone—the fact that none of Konoha's many other ninja could track down those three Kumo ninjas was already odd enough.
Were Konoha's Sensor specialists just loafing around all day?
Chinya brainstormed from the worst possible angle until suddenly inspiration struck. He abruptly lifted his head, staring intensely at Minato who was chatting with others.
[Nine-Tails vessel!]
At this point, Kushina wasn't yet the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails.
Since the first Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Mito Uzumaki, was nearing the end of her life, Konoha needed to maintain bijuu balance for strategic reasons. So they secretly brought Kushina to Konoha to become the next vessel.
That's why Konoha had brought her here—to make her the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
Kushina hadn't been given a single say in the matter.
From what Kushina herself recalled, the ensuing loneliness and crushing pressure nearly drove her mad. She desperately resisted, yet still had to accept this cruel reality unwillingly.
Why did Kushina Uzumaki say that? The first reason was naturally because she couldn't change the outcome.
The second reason was very likely due to her bond with Minato Namikaze. Kushina loved Minato, so she wanted to stay in Konoha and had to accept this cruel reality.
It was highly likely that ever since Minato rescued Kushina from three Kumo ninja, the higher-ups in Konoha had been subtly manipulating events.
Perhaps even earlier than that, Konoha had already been plotting this.
They let Kushina, the last surviving heir of the Uzumaki clan, form a bond with Minato, using that bond like a chain to bind Kushina willingly into becoming Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
And the outcome was clear enough—Konoha got exactly what it wanted.
If Chinya was right, then from the start... Kushina Uzumaki had just been a pawn.
Minato seemed to sense Chinya's gaze and turned his eyes toward him.
Chinya immediately shifted his sight elsewhere.
Seeing that Chinya's attention wasn't on him, Minato assumed he had imagined it and turned back around to continue chatting with those nearby.
Chinya's heart pounded violently.
If his guess was correct, then Konoha was far darker than he'd imagined. It was possible that even Minato Namikaze, the future Fourth Hokage, was also just a tool.
Chinya took a deep breath—he needed to stay calm now.
Whether these guesses were true or not didn't really matter to him. He would eventually leave Konoha anyway, so improving his strength was what mattered most right now.
The upcoming Third Great Ninja War would be the key period for earning Witness Points. Without enough strength, it wouldn't just be about collecting Witness Points—it wouldn't even be possible to protect his own life.
Suddenly, the classroom door opened.
Their instructor, Hayato Masuda, stepped into the classroom.
Chinya saw the small figure following behind Hayato Masuda and his eyes lit up immediately.
After waiting three years at the Ninja Academy, finally—it has appeared!
Kushina Uzumaki!
Looking slightly shy and timid, Kushina stood beside Hayato Masuda.
Hayato introduced to everyone, "This is the student transferring into our class starting today..."
After taking a deep breath, Kushina shut her eyes tight and yelled out with all her courage: "I'm Kushina Uzumaki—ya know?!"
Then, Kushina suddenly covered her mouth, looking somewhat embarrassed and uneasy.
Because she'd accidentally slipped into her usual catchphrase, "ya know."
Watching Kushina's expression, Chinya thought to himself—she was actually quite adorable.
Other students, however, began mocking Kushina.
"Look at the color of her hair—unbelievable."
"How can someone's hair be that red?"
"She's pretty strange."
...
Kushina fidgeted nervously with her bright red hair.
Hayato snapped, "Alright! Enough! Quiet down, all of you!"
Hearing all the laughter aimed at her, Kushina's body trembled slightly, clenching both small fists tightly together.
Then, as if making a solemn declaration, Kushina loudly announced, "I... I will become the first female Hokage in this village!"
When Kushina Uzumaki spoke, everyone in the room fell silent, staring at her in shock.
At that moment, Minato Namikaze stood up and flashed a bright smile. "I also want to become a Hokage that the whole village can be proud of."
Kushina pouted as she looked at Minato. Seriously? This guy? He looks like he couldn't lead his way out of a paper bag!
Next, Hayato Masuda was about to help Kushina find a seat.
However, nearly all the seats in the classroom were taken, except for the ones near Chinya's desk.
Seeing Chinya, Hayato furrowed his brows, his eyes filled with disgust.
"Guess you'll have to sit over there for now."
Following Hayato's pointing finger, Kushina noticed that despite the large classroom, there was nobody sitting near Chinya—obviously he had been isolated.
Meanwhile, Kushina noticed a bunch of students watching her with smirks on their faces, clearly enjoying her predicament.
Instantly annoyed, Kushina stomped toward Chinya, dropped into the empty seat, and sat down.
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