Snatching Kushina first was not an easy thing.
A mediocre person did not deserve the favor of the Nine-Tails jinchūriki. So even after gaining Kushina's goodwill, Yami would still need to display enough talent to prove his value to the people at the top.
Otherwise, "accidents" would just happen to him by coincidence.
At best, it would simply separate him from Kushina.
At worst, he could disappear entirely.
After all, the Nine-Tails was the strongest tailed beast, the greatest strategic weapon in the ninja world at present. Konoha needed to bind Kushina to the village with the chains of bonds, and those chains had to be strong enough to match her value.
Minato fit that value in the original story.
But Minato only gained Kushina's goodwill after graduation, during the Cloud Ninja incident.
If Yami wanted to snatch Kushina during their academy years, then he would have to show his talent during their academy years.
So before Kushina entered the academy as a transfer student, Yami needed a certain level of strength, and he needed something that could impress certain important people.
The question was, what year did Kushina enter Konoha?
Yami did not know.
But based on information hinted at in the anime and what he observed last term, he could roughly infer it.
First, it was certain that Kushina would not transfer in during the first or second year.
Six- and seven-year-old children were still too short, their faces still too babyish. It did not match Yami's impression of Kushina as a child at all.
Second, if Yami remembered correctly, in the original story, one of the boys Kushina beat up went to find his older brother, who was already a ninja, to help him get revenge, only for Kushina to beat him down as well.
If that was within the same year, then it was unlikely Kushina transferred in during the third year either.
Most likely, it happened after third year.
Was it fourth year, fifth year, or sixth year?
That, he could not be sure.
Before Kushina appeared, Yami still had at least three years to grow.
His pencil-spinning slowed slightly. A flash of inspiration seemed to pass through his mind. He closed his eyes, thinking.
Only when the class bell rang and the teacher entered did Yami open his eyes again and focus on studying.
In his previous life, the average adult male had around thirty-six trillion cells.
In this world, children who possessed chakra had one hundred and thirty trillion.
That was why children here matured to an absurd degree. At five or six they already understood romance. At seven or eight they might be sent to war. Even in peacetime, they saw blood at twelve.
Likewise, what they were taught at this age was equally absurd.
Language and history.
Medicine and chemistry.
Cipher decoding.
These subjects had shattered Yami's arrogance last term, and they were one of the reasons his pressure had become so heavy.
If he were not a transmigrator with a decent background, starting ninja fundamentals at six in this world would not have given him much advantage at all.
So before he had enough power to protect himself, Yami did not dare slack off for even a moment.
Whether it was academics or combat training, he refused to lose to anyone.
He wanted to keep winning.
He wanted to always be first.
…
Konoha Year 31, March 20. Afternoon.
Boom.
A dull thud like a heavy strike against a sandbag exploded across the training ground of First Year, Class One.
The crowd that had formed a circle suddenly scattered.
A figure flew out from the center of the ring, slammed into the ground, and did not get back up.
Seeing this, the chūnin teacher, Yuya, who stood beside a man in a white coat, immediately announced, "The match is over. The winner is Yami."
The medical ninja beside him, acting as both proctor and safety support, rushed over to check the fallen student, then used medical ninjutsu to treat him.
Not far away, many of the students still looked completely confused.
"W-what just happened?"
"Didn't Yuya-sensei just say start? Why did Yusuke suddenly fly out?"
"It was a Body Flicker! That guy's Body Flicker was so fast!"
"Yami-kun got stronger again. In first year, only Minato-kun can probably fight him now."
"How is this guy's body built? Last year he was only half a head taller than us. Now he's a full head taller. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was a fifth or sixth year. How are we supposed to beat him? This is too unfair!"
"Taller, faster, stronger. No wonder the upperclassmen don't dare mess with him."
"I couldn't even see him. If I get matched with Yami later, I'm just going to surrender."
"…"
Their voices were quiet. Boys and girls alike glanced at Yami in fear, their eyes full of caution.
Standing there with hands in his pockets, taller than them by a head, expressionless, Yami looked like an unbeatable demon king, radiating a dark aura.
After completing the reconciliation seal with Yusuke, who had recovered somewhat from treatment but was still trembling in fear, Yami did not say a word. He turned and left the academy without looking back.
Yuya did not stop him.
If Yami had kicked Yusuke away and left immediately, Yuya's heart would have been filled with worry, and he would have considered requesting psychological counseling for Yami from the Hokage.
But Yami, after sending Yusuke flying, did not leave right away. He stayed in place, waited for the result, and only left after completing the reconciliation seal.
In the eyes of children his age, Yami was a ruthless demon king.
In the eyes of adults like Yuya, he was just a kid with an awkward personality who did not know how to express himself.
Perhaps even now, Yami felt guilty for not controlling his strength properly.
Today was the third-term final exam for first through fifth years. In a few more days, it would be the sixth years' graduation evaluation.
The sixth-year graduation exam was different every year. Pass, and you graduate.
Meanwhile, the third-term final for first through fifth years was also called the annual grand exam.
After the exam ended, the results would be posted on the notice board at the start of the new school year.
At the same time, based on the combined results of all three terms, five students would be selected from all classes across the five grades as the top-ranked student of their entire grade.
That student was called the chief student.
Even though the final taijutsu assessment was not fully over yet, the students of Class One already knew who their chief student was.
This incoming class did not include members of the Uchiha or Hyuga clans.
These two great houses controlled important departments and had special privileges to train their heirs privately.
Those sent into the academy were either ordinary members the clan did not care about, or the descendants of higher-ups, placed there as hostages to reassure the Hokage and Konoha's leadership.
Only when those high-level descendants received the Will of Fire education would the leadership feel at ease.
Of course, those two houses would occasionally send a genius into the academy to make their presence felt. They would show off talent and strength, then graduate early, leaving their peers painfully aware of the gap between themselves and the great clans.
Unfortunately, this year had no such genius.
But in Yuya's eyes, whether it was Yami or Minato, aside from lacking powerful bloodline abilities, their talent was not inferior to the members of great clans and major ninja families.
(End of Chapter)
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