Chapter 124

"Hey, Kushina-chan, Mito-chan, are you ready?" I rang the doorbell at the Uzumaki women's house. "The Academy starts in forty minutes, and we might not make it in time for Toka-sama's welcome speech and the academy's heads!"

The ninja academy sessions always began on the first of September, and unfortunately, this day fell on a Tuesday, which was my working day. I had to make quite an effort to change it to Friday, but through a little blackmail and pleading expressions, which only experienced women could resist, I managed to achieve the desired result from the hospital's deputy head.

Dealing with clan teachers was even easier - on this day, classes were canceled for incoming students. I suspect it was just an excuse to take a break from the bunch of kids for lazy Nara. Considering that most of the veteran instructors were men, this theory sounds most plausible.

"Kushi-chan, Ryo's already here!" came a voice from inside the house, and a couple of moments later, the door swung open, revealing a slightly disheveled Mito in a twisted kimono and a pile of uncombed hair. "Sorry, we just got up not long ago and we're still getting ready, could you wait a little in the living room?"

"Uh, okay," I managed to squeeze out, slightly recovering from the shock - I had never seen the elder Uzumaki in such an inappropriate state for an elder.

However, thanks to this, I was treated to a very intriguing sight - the kimono, carelessly tied with a sash, turned out to have a much deeper neckline than usual, and the view that opened up made me nervously swallow the saliva that had gathered in my mouth.

Catching where my gaze had dropped, Mito smirked, flicked me on the nose, turned around, and went deeper into the house, swaying her hips very expressively. Damn, I bet she did it on purpose - it may sound unbelievable, but I've experienced firsthand that women somehow sense who and how is looking at them, determining whether a man has a certain level of experience or none at all.

Settling on one of the sofas in the living room, I prepared for a long wait, because even in this world, the nature of women hadn't changed, despite their chosen profession. Contrary to expectations, the Uzumaki duo managed to get ready in record time, and ten minutes later, both stood before me in quite decent attire. Kushina sported the standard attire of a kunoichi, from sandals on bare feet, tight blue pants, and a black tank top with a vest of the same color, topped with a short green and red jacket.

A pouch with kunai and shuriken was situated on her left thigh, and on her right wrist, there was a seal that exactly matched a couple of my own. The kid's hair flowed freely down her back and shoulders, held back by a single hairpin in the front, preventing the strands from falling on her face. In her hands, she held a small portfolio.

Turning my gaze to the second Uzumaki, I found that Mito, once again, did not deviate from the traditional attire, only this time it was burgundy-black with a golden belt. Her hair, too, was left loose and cascaded down her back in luxurious waves. I suppose there was no time to wind them into buns.

"You look great," I issued a completely sincere compliment.

"I always look like this," the little one humorously tilted her nose.

I shook my head - where was that shy girl I met two years ago?

"We only have about twenty minutes left, and we should hurry if we want to make it on time."

"Then what are we waiting for?" the elder Uzumaki chuckled and pulled the kid along. "It's not far to walk from here, and we should arrive just in time for the opening speech!"

I shrugged and followed the pair. While the elder locked the house and set the protective barrier to full power, the little one shyly tugged at the hem of my shirt and silently stared at me with her big eyes. Sighing, I squatted down and lifted her up. Considering that Kushina was still growing slowly and didn't exceed a hundred and five centimeters against my hundred and seventy-two, it wasn't a problem.

"Someone's gotten too used to riding on me," I grinned kindly, ruffling her chubby cheek.

"Ryo-nii!" the little one pushed my hand away and pouted like a mouse on groats.

"Okay-okay, I won't do it anymore," I laughed.

We made it out of the Senju quarter in literally a few minutes and headed towards the ninja academy. Despite the early hour, the streets were crowded with people, slowing us down somewhat. Considering that we had about ten minutes left and it would take one and a half times longer to get there at this pace, I turned to Mito.

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