Devil Fruit users had one fatal weakness—seawater and seastone. While this world had no seastone, being weak to water would still be a huge problem.
With that in mind, Yuya decided to test it.
Back home, he filled a simple wooden tub, the same one he used for bathing. Everything in his small room was crude and minimal. As an outsider in Konoha, he was lucky to have a place to stay at all.
Once the tub was full, Yuya stripped down and stepped in, submerging himself completely.
Ordinary water wasn't as dangerous as seawater, but in the One Piece world, Devil Fruit users still became weak and limp even while bathing.
One second, two seconds…
After a full minute, Yuya still felt perfectly fine.
He stood up abruptly, eyes wide with surprise.
"Ordinary water has no side effects?"
Though pleased, Yuya couldn't help but feel puzzled.
Was it simply because this wasn't seawater?
He recalled the curse of the sea placed on all who ate Devil Fruits—turning them into helpless swimmers. But that curse belonged to the One Piece world.
This was the Naruto world.
Even if he didn't know how the fruit had appeared here, there was no "curse of the sea" in this world. So even if the weakness existed, it would only apply to the seas of that other world.
That meant the Gura Gura no Mi's power here was no longer a Devil Fruit ability…
It was a Seismic Release bloodline limit.
"Perfect."
Yuya smiled.
He relaxed, finished bathing, and washed away the sweat from training. It had been a long day full of shocks and discoveries—he needed to calm down.
Just as he stepped out of the tub to get dressed—
Creaaak!
The door suddenly swung open.
A small red-haired head peeked inside.
It was a familiar face—Uzumaki Kushina.
"Yuya, are you—huh?!"
Her words stopped dead.
At just eight or nine years old, Kushina's little face froze.
"Uh…"
Yuya also froze.
He hadn't locked the door—he hadn't thought anyone would visit him this late.
And of all people, Kushina?
"Waaah!"
Kushina's shriek pierced the night. She slammed the door shut with a bang.
"Yuya, you pervert! I'll remember this! You're dead tomorrow at school!"
Her angry voice echoed down the street.
Yuya stood still, expression blank.
Seriously?!
It wasn't even his fault!
And did she have to yell it that loud outside?!
"Well… guess I don't need to go to school tomorrow."
Yuya sighed, dressed, and opened the door.
Kushina was still there, cheeks puffed, red-faced and fuming.
"Cough… uh, what did you come for?" he asked awkwardly, trying to change the subject.
She must have had a reason for showing up so late.
Both Yuya and Kushina were outsiders. They had arrived in Konoha around the same time, and once Yuya realized she was the same Uzumaki Kushina from the original story, he had naturally been drawn to her. The two became close friends.
But their circumstances were very different.
Kushina had been brought to Konoha to become the next Nine-Tails jinchūriki, coming from the allied Uzumaki Clan of Uzushiogakure.
The previous Nine-Tails host, Uzumaki Mito, had been the wife of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.
As a fellow Uzumaki, Mito took special care of Kushina. With such connections, Kushina even had the guts to burn the beard of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi!
Yuya, meanwhile, had no such backing. He was an untrusted orphan from a destroyed minor village. The Konoha shinobi barely tolerated him.
When Kushina first arrived, she too had been alone and parentless. Yuya had often helped her, comforted her, and kept her company.
But over time, their roles had reversed.
The one being helped became Yuya.
Even so, Kushina never looked down on him. She always helped him willingly.
Because in her loneliest days, it had been Yuya who warmed her heart and made her smile again.
So even if others saw Yuya as useless, unable to perform even basic ninjutsu, Kushina never despised him.
"I came to bring you something—so you won't get beaten to death tomorrow," she said, face still red but voice full of mock anger. She shoved a small pouch toward him.
Yuya blinked, then remembered: tomorrow was the academy's combat assessment.
Normally, these one-on-one sparring tests weren't dangerous. A Chūnin instructor would oversee the match to ensure safety.
But for Yuya, things were different.
The Chūnin teachers hated him—the outsider. As long as he wasn't killed, they didn't care if he got hurt.
He often did.
"Thanks," he said, taking the pouch with genuine gratitude. Inside were healing salves and bandages.
Still, he couldn't help twitching a little.
Something about this felt… odd.
"Who needs your thanks! I didn't do it for you!"
Kushina pouted, her face still flushed from earlier.
Seeing her all flustered, Yuya couldn't help but smile. He thought wryly, If the situation were reversed—if I'd walked in on her—she'd have chased me across the entire village.
"Anyway, just remember—if you can't win tomorrow, don't force it. I'll protect you, got it?"
She raised her tiny fist proudly, grinned, then ran off into the night, her red hair swaying as she vanished.
"…"
Yuya stared at her disappearing figure, then blinked in realization.
"Wait… 'Don't fight back'? 'I'll protect you'?!"
Damn it!
"Isn't that just saying I should rely on her like a freeloader?!"