Kushina's suspicions were confirmed.
Realizing that it was Yamanaka Shinno who had stood up for her, she took a while to calm down before her tears finally stopped.
Satisfied, she hugged her knees and curled up in the corner of the couch.
Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe the emotional rollercoaster had left her drained—either way, as her feelings settled, drowsiness quickly crept in.
"I'll go heat up some bathwater. You should sleep in the guest room later," Shinno said.
Seeing Kushina nod slightly with her eyes closed, he got up and headed to the bathroom.
By the time he returned, the bath ready, Kushina had already curled up on the couch, fast asleep.
Even in slumber, her brows were slightly furrowed, and her long lashes still held traces of tears. The sight of her made Shinno sigh quietly.
Gently, he picked her up and carried her to the guest room, tucking her in before heading off to wash up himself.
...
Half-submerged in the bathtub, Shinno replayed the events at the Jonin standby station that morning.
After double-checking that he hadn't let anything slip, he finally felt a little more at ease.
In the original story, it was clearly stated that only two people could naturally sense malice—Uzumaki Mito, the previous Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and Naruto Uzumaki.
If it were a common ability, the White Zetsu clones wouldn't have been able to fool the entire Allied Shinobi Forces during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Kushina was obviously far from being like Mito, who could casually treat the Nine-Tails like a pet fox and squash it at will.
She also wasn't like Naruto, who had made peace with the Nine-Tails and achieved full control as a perfect Jinchuriki.
Her ability to vaguely sense malice was purely because she had forcibly suppressed the Nine-Tails with the Adamantine Sealing Chains and stolen a large portion of its chakra.
Combined with her naturally sharp sensory abilities—though she hadn't awakened the Kagura Mind's Eye—it had created a unique situation.
During her encounter with Danzo Shimura, her chakra had been circulating at high speed.
And in that moment when Shinno attacked Danzo, all those factors had coincidentally lined up, allowing her to faintly catch that fleeting burst of intense malice.
"I should be more careful from now on," Shinno reflected.
As far as he knew, there were no other known methods to sense malice, but who could say for sure?
After all, the original story never mentioned that Kushina had this ability in the first place.
The plot wasn't omnipotent—being cautious would never be a mistake.
...
After enjoying a relaxing soak, Shinno pulled out the old notes he'd made when he first arrived in this world.
They were filled with codes, pinyin, and scribbled diagrams—his own way of recording key plot points.
Comparing them with the memories in his Memory Palace, which had been reinforced when the system merged his knowledge, he carefully sorted through any useful information.
It wasn't until the moon was high in the sky that sleep finally claimed him.
...
The next morning, by the time Shinno woke up, Kushina had already left quietly.
Noticing the neatly folded blankets, he picked up the note she'd left under a teacup.
[I'm not messy at all, okay~ o(´^｀)o]
[Oh, and Shinno-kun, you've gotten a lot bolder~ You actually dared to carry me! (˘︶˘).｡.:*♡]
A tiny smiling face. A big heart.
Shinno couldn't help but smile—his mood for the day was set.
Kushina was right. Ever since the system had activated, he had indeed become much bolder.
The old him would never have allowed the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to stay overnight.
And he definitely wouldn't have said something as reckless as wanting to knock Danzo unconscious.
Living in Konoha for nineteen years, he had long since learned how to avoid catching the attention of schemers.
If he had been a little bolder back then...
"Tch, I would've been 'warned' by Danzo ages ago," Shinno muttered, clicking his tongue.
He understood his position well. He also knew exactly what Kushina meant to Konoha.
If he hadn't deliberately kept their relationship at a careful distance, Danzo would have already called him in for a 'talk.'
But now...
He wanted to date the sweet-smelling, soft-haired, fiery-tempered redhead.
And if Danzo, Koharu Utatane, or Homura Mitokado dared to get in his way...
Well, in his past life, he'd been quite interested in the so-called "Eight Deadly Thrills" of thrill-seeking sports.
And in this life, he just so happened to have mastered the Mind Body Switch Jutsu—a technique that allowed him to take control of another person's body.
Hmm…
Wingsuit flying in the Hell Valley of the Land of Bears.
Snowboard racing down the highest peaks of the Land of Snow.
Extreme surfing in the massive tsunamis of the Land of the Sea.
And if those locations were too far, bungee jumping off the Hokage Rock without a rope could be an exciting alternative.
After all, it wouldn't be his body that suffered the consequences, right?
"Why do I almost want them to make a move first?" Shinno smirked as he stepped out, heading toward the mission assignment desk.
...
After grabbing two skewers of dango and a couple of rice balls from a food stall to satisfy his grumbling stomach, Shinno started considering a new idea.
Maybe his clan should open a few breakfast shops in Konoha.
It would provide extra income for the elderly and those unable to take missions while also giving the villagers a taste of something new.
Soy milk, fried dough sticks, tofu pudding, buns, baked flatbread, lamb soup…
Thanks to the knowledge embedded in his Memory Palace from the system's memory fusion, he was confident he could recreate most of them.
...
Upon reaching the mission assignment desk, he handed over the signed confirmation of his completed mission to the duty Jonin, Nara Shikaku, and collected his reward.
Just as he was about to check for another low-rank mission, Shikaku called him over to a small office on the side.
"Shinno, how's life as a squad leader treating you?"
"What, I can quit if I say I don't like it?"
"Of course not. I was just being polite. Forget I said anything."
"Then get to the point."
Both of them rolled their eyes at each other.
Their clans—Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi—had always been as close as family.
Being only a year apart in age, they had grown up together, running around in nothing but shorts. They knew each other too well for meaningless pleasantries.
"Your squad members were carefully chosen by the Hokage. Especially Kurenai Yuhi—it'd be best if you took her on as your student and trained her well," Shikaku advised.
"Kurenai Yuhi?"
"Yeah. The situation in the ninja world is getting tense, and since our clans support the Hokage, we need to strengthen our ties…"
"Got it, got it. I'll train them properly," Shinno cut him off, waving a hand dismissively.
When he first saw the squad lineup, he had already guessed what the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was planning.
Might Guy and Genma Shiranui both came from clean backgrounds and were the type to go all out for their comrades.
Their skills complemented each other well, ensuring no one would feel out of place.
As for him, a Yamanaka, he naturally fell under the Hokage's faction. Given his expertise in genjutsu and his clan's Yin Release techniques, he was the perfect mentor for Kurenai.
Hiruzen was clearly using Kurenai to strengthen his hold over her father, Yuhi Shinku, and to consolidate support among the lower-ranked ninja in preparation for the upcoming turmoil.
As for Ebisu, who had been transferred to the logistics division…
He was just a pawn being shuffled around under the excuse of "playing to his strengths."
Shinno didn't particularly like this kind of political maneuvering, but he had benefited from being part of the Yamanaka clan.
Some things were unavoidable.
The best he could do was ensure he trained all three of his students fairly and properly.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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