Chapter 8: If Anyone Dares to Bully You, Smash Their Head In

"Did you make this?"

Tsunade looked at Kushina as if she were staring at an alien. From what Tsunade knew, Kushina was just as clueless about cooking as she was, if not worse. She even doubted if Kushina had ever stepped foot in a kitchen before.

"Really? Let me taste it."

Nawaki eagerly grabbed a piece of beef and shoved it into his mouth. After chewing a few times, his eyes lit up instantly.

"Sis, this beef is delicious! Kushina wasn't lying. Grandma, you should try it—it's really tender!"

With Nawaki's approval, Kushina felt a bit smug and turned to look at Tsunade. See? My cooking was recognized.

Tsunade also tried a piece. She had to admit it was delicious, though she remained suspicious that Kushina had cooked it herself.

"Alright, fine. I did it under Takashi's guidance. He gave the instructions, and I did the hands-on part."

Kushina was a good girl, and good girls shouldn't lie, so she recounted the day's events in detail. Nawaki's eyes sparkled as he listened, while Tsunade shook her head, feeling speechless.

When it came to cooking, that brat Takashi really did have a knack for it.

Mito Uzumaki chuckled and offered a few words of praise, making Kushina's eyes squint into a happy smile.

"Kushina," Tsunade said after dinner, holding Kushina's hand with a troubled expression. "I've been really busy with work lately, so I might not be able to go to Takashi's place. I wonder if you'd be willing to help out with the grocery shopping instead."

"Hmm?" Kushina wrinkled her small brows, looking as if she wasn't too thrilled about the idea.

Little brat, pretending to hesitate when she clearly wanted to agree!

Tsunade could only play along because this was a task given to her by Mito Uzumaki.

"Fine, I'll do it," Kushina said reluctantly.

After Tsunade's persistent persuasion, Kushina finally agreed, albeit reluctantly. Deep down, she was overjoyed, completely unaware that this was all an act by Tsunade and Mito.

The next day, the little girl cheerfully dashed off to the market, heading straight to Takashi's place afterward.

When Kushina walked in with a bag full of groceries and meat, Takashi fell silent.

Was this shopping, or were you stocking up for winter?

"Um, Kushina, you don't really need to buy this much."

Money doesn't grow on trees, you know. We should practice thriftiness and save whenever possible; that's a traditional virtue.

"Is this a lot?" Kushina gave him an adorably innocent look. "I didn't spend much, though."

Takashi: "…"

Right, he'd forgotten this girl was quite the little rich kid.

"Alright, as long as you're happy." Takashi forced a smile.

"So, what's for dinner today?" Kushina asked, bouncing with excitement.

"Braised lamb."

"Oh, by the way, Grandma Mito said I'll be starting at the ninja academy soon, as a transfer student. I'm a bit nervous."

Kushina hesitated, looking down.

"What if my classmates bully me?" she asked, her eyes showing a trace of worry.

"Oh, just smash their heads in! Show them what Little Pepper Kushina is made of!"

"Hey! I'm not 'Little Pepper!'" She pouted.

"Then let's just agree I'm right, shall we?"

"Yep! If anyone tries to bully me, I'll smash their head in! If I can't handle them, I'll get you to help me teach them a lesson!"

After they grew close, Kushina became quite the chatterbox, always talking without a break, as if she never got tired.

---

"Hiruzen, are you really not going to intervene?"

Shimura Danzo slapped a scroll onto the Hokage's desk, looking rather grim.

"Kushina is Konoha's next Jinchuriki. Jinchuriki aren't supposed to have romantic feelings, because during childbirth, they're at their weakest."

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, opened the scroll, glanced at it, and calmly placed it back down.

"This is under Lady Mito's instruction," he replied to Danzo, with an unwavering tone.

Danzo's face twisted in frustration. He felt like he was going to explode from holding back his words. This excuse again? Everything was always under Lady Mito's orders. Could Hiruzen come up with something else?

Seeing his old friend seething, the Third Hokage chuckled internally.

"A Jinchuriki needs to interact with the villagers to integrate better and see the village as their home. Kushina and Takashi are just friends, and with Mito and Tsunade watching over her, do you really think she could be led astray?"

"But—"

Danzo didn't dare voice his doubts about Mito and Tsunade's judgment.

He could get away with questioning Tsunade's choices—at worst, she'd throw a tantrum, but that would be manageable.

But Mito? No way. If he slandered her, he could kiss his position as Hokage's advisor goodbye.

"There's no 'but,' Danzo," the Third Hokage said. "You've seen how Kushina's attitude has improved lately. Besides, she and Takashi are just friends."

"Fine," Danzo gritted his teeth, clenching his fist.

He understood now. Hiruzen would keep using Lady Mito as a shield to stop him from interfering with Kushina's affairs.

"Don't come to regret today's decision."

Failing to persuade Hiruzen and left in a huff, Danzo decided he needed to have a chat with Takashi.

---

Takashi's second awakening was finally complete.

What he couldn't understand was why the intervals between his Tenseigan's awakenings were so long. A long gap was one thing, but his awakening process took far longer than that of the Otsutsuki member up on the moon with a fixation on Hinata.

Toneri's Tenseigan awakened quickly; why was his so slow?

Maybe it was because he didn't possess Otsutsuki chakra?

Or perhaps because Toneri's eyes weren't originally his own, they would eventually regress to Byakugan under certain conditions.

There was so little information about the Tenseigan that Takashi couldn't be sure of his theories.

In comparison, he knew more about the Rinnegan. But the Tenseigan had very limited information available.

"Oh well, a bit of a delay isn't the worst," Takashi muttered. "Better than the Uchiha's Sharingan, anyway."

Compared to the hassle of evolving a Sharingan, the delay in his Tenseigan awakenings was trivial.

Just look at the Sharingan. Opening it is difficult enough, and evolving it is even harder. The three-tomoe to Mangekyou Sharingan step blocks countless Uchiha. And going from Mangekyou to Eternal Mangekyou? That's nearly impossible. Want the Rinnegan?

Sorry, unless you have absurd luck and all the conditions fall into place, or you're directly granted it by the Sage of Six Paths himself, forget it.

First, you'd need to be an Indra reincarnation. Then, you'd need a close relative willing to give up their eyes for you. You'd also need an Ashura reincarnation as a companion and at least twenty years of waiting before the Rinnegan might awaken.

That's not just difficult; it's practically impossible.

Even Black Zetsu, the ultimate schemer, took thousands of years to finally push Madara Uchiha to awaken the Rinnegan, showing just how difficult it truly was.

"Starting tomorrow, I'll be on duty officially. Time to find a suitable place and move out."