Over the next month, Gojo Yoru spent every day training and running missions.
During missions, Yoru played the role of a well-behaved kid.
After hearing Orochimaru's explanation of the Will of Fire, D-rank missions suddenly became "more important" in Yoru's eyes than even S-rank missions.
Because this was Sarutobi Hiruzen's new test.
Only someone who truly loved the village could earn the Ninja Hero's recognition.
Anyone who didn't care about the village or its people was basically a ticking time bomb—someone not worth investing in.
So for the entire month, Yoru smiled at villagers every day. Even when faced with those Konoha troublemakers who loved to pick fights, he never got angry.
If his school classmates saw him like this, their jaws would hit the floor.
As for training…
Before Orochimaru's guidance, Yoru and Kushina either trained nature transformation and ninjutsu, or they sparred in taijutsu.
Even when they did "no-rules" sparring where ninjutsu was allowed, they held back heavily, afraid of hurting each other.
Once Kushina caught up in strength, that kind of sparring stopped being very useful.
Now that Orochimaru had shown them the direction, the improvements Yoru and Kushina made this month were obvious.
Every seven days, Orochimaru would put them through a survival drill—and gradually he stopped holding back, letting them experience the scent of death firsthand.
Just like in the canon Chūnin Exams, Orochimaru mixed killing intent into genjutsu, forcing Yoru and Kushina to see their own miserable deaths. Kushina was so frightened she vomited on the spot.
Yoru's face also turned pale—feeling once again the gap between himself and an elite jōnin.
Without using his space–time bloodline, even with Rasengan and Fire Release: Rasengan, in front of someone at that level he was still just a kid holding a blade.
Dangerous—but not that dangerous.
To evade Orochimaru's pursuit, Yoru and Kushina's teamwork improved rapidly, their coordination growing tighter and tighter.
At first, they needed preplanned tactics and secret signals.
Over time, one glance was enough for the other to understand.
Yoru stopped fighting alone. Kushina stopped being reckless.
Yoru's chakra reserves were smaller, so whenever a wide-area technique was needed, they handed it to Kushina with her massive chakra.
Kushina, who had mastered Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, only needed to create a dozen or so shadow clones and have them cast the jutsu together to whip up a true gale—almost like a typhoon.
Even Orochimaru had to counter with strong Earth Release or dive underground to avoid it.
Whenever that happened, Yoru would slip in for a killing strike. If it failed, he would retreat.
They still weren't Orochimaru's match—but they were no longer the disorganized mess they'd been at the beginning.
In post-fight reviews, Orochimaru rarely had to call Kushina out anymore.
Their shinobi fundamentals were improving at high speed.
…
August 9.
It was an utterly ordinary day.
If the Senju clan hadn't integrated into Konoha, it would have been a grand day.
Because today was the First Hokage's grandson's birthday.
As Konoha's legitimate "first noble house," if the Senju still existed, this birthday celebration would have dwarfed even Hyuga Hinata's by ten times or more—perhaps even a village-wide celebration.
But with the Senju gone, few people even knew it was Nawaki's birthday.
Yoru didn't know whether the crown prince of Konoha had held his final birthday banquet.
However, the next day, Kushina brought good news.
"Yoru—guess what's inside this scroll?"
In the living room on the second floor of the Gojo house, Kushina waved a scroll in front of Yoru, wearing a smug grin.
Seeing how happy she looked, Yoru played along. "A ninjutsu scroll?"
"Hehe—here's a hint… inside is a technique you've really wanted me to learn," Kushina teased, still keeping it mysterious.
Yoru could already guess, but he still widened his eyes in exaggerated suspense. "Ohhh—don't tell me it's the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique?"
"Wrong! It's monster strength, you idiot!"
Having successfully harvested emotional payoff from Yoru, Kushina sat beside him and explained. "Yesterday was Nawaki's birthday. Just like you said, I gave him the Rasengan as a gift, and he really loved the hand-signless jutsu."
"But Tsunade-sama seemed a little uncomfortable about it afterward. She talked to me privately and insisted on giving me a return gift—she wouldn't let me refuse."
"Aren't you always saying my brute strength is perfect for learning Tsunade-sama's monster strength fist? So I mentioned it casually, and she gave me the Senju's chakra-enhanced strength training method."
Kushina clenched her fist and flashed it in front of Yoru, her tone full of swagger and threat. "Once I master Tsunade-sama's signature technique, if you keep running your mouth, I'm sending you straight to the intensive care ward with one punch."
"Oh wow, I'm so scared~~"
Yoru patted Kushina's round face and ran his mouth as usual. "Actually, Tomato-na, you just misheard. With your weight class, you're not even suited for monster strength fist—you're better suited for the Akimichi clan's Multi-Size Technique. Then you might sit on me and kill me with one butt!"
Kushina's face visibly "overheated" in seconds.
Her smug expression turned into gritted teeth.
"Stinky-mouth Yoru—I'm going to strangle you!"
In the end, Kushina couldn't hold back—she pounced on Yoru and grabbed his neck with both hands, shouting.
But very quickly, Kushina's eyes welled with tears and she collapsed onto the sofa, twitching like a worm.
"Hahaha—stop, stop tickling! I surrender—hahaha!"
Yoru had Kushina wriggling helplessly, and inside he wore a triumphant "just as planned" smile.
Because this was all part of his plan.
Yoru had originally thought it would be easy for Kushina—living with the Senju—to learn monster strength fist.
But a butterfly effect happened.
Even with access to the Gojo family vault, Kushina only reclaimed the Uzumaki Book of Seals from Mito—she still hadn't learned Senju techniques.
While Mito was alive, she might have been too embarrassed to ask.
After Mito died, Kushina felt like a parasite, and she had even less face to ask.
But that didn't stump Yoru.
As a transmigrator, Yoru knew Tsunade had a bold, straightforward personality. If Kushina spoke up, and out of respect for Mito, Tsunade would very likely teach her monster strength fist.
If Kushina was too embarrassed to ask, then he'd just make Tsunade offer first.
Because Tsunade right now was a total little-brother fanatic.
Her brother was her top priority.
Rather than pleasing her, it was better to please Nawaki.
So in their daily sparring, Yoru repeatedly hinted that if Kushina learned monster strength fist, she could fully unleash her brute-strength talent.
Then he guided Kushina into getting closer to Nawaki, and allowed her to give the Rasengan as a birthday gift.
Once Tsunade saw the Rasengan, she'd immediately recognize how precious it was.
If Nawaki liked it, she couldn't possibly refuse.
The only thing Tsunade could do was give Kushina a return gift she couldn't refuse.
And when Tsunade brought it up, Kushina—after being primed by Yoru's countless hints—would never miss the chance to get monster strength fist.
This little scheme showed just how sharp Yoru's "strategy-writing" skills still were.
No need for him to speak with obvious ulterior motives—
to them, they were all pieces on the board.
~~~
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