Uzumaki Kushina, 'The Red Hot-Blooded Habanero of Kohana (™)', is a women who put her all into everything that she did. Never did she half-ass a mission and never she go along for the ride when it came to project she was part of. More importantly, what she loves she loved openly and what she hated she made clear.
It was Kushina's openness with her feelings that allowed Namikaze Minato (and the world) to see just how excited the redhead truly is teaching Fūinjutsu to academy students.
"Kushina-sama, will you please tell us what your students are like?" Nohara Rin asks easily, shooting the women before her an easy smile. Team Minato (and Kushina) are having their customary 'teamwork dinner' at a small tempura restaurant close to the mission desk. "Are there any stand out students?"
The Uzumaki tips her head back blissfully, " All of my students are great and dedicated to learning! But I have found two stand out students in my class."
"Who are they?" Uchiha Obito asks, between bits of his food.
"Well the first student to catch my eye was Uchiha Itachi, not for his Fuinjutsu talents but because he is the youngest student in my class. Most of my students are seniors, yet Itachi is still only a first year student. Despite this age grape, Itachi comprehends all of the material given to him on a theoretical level. His practical level leaves room for improvement, and while I doubt he'll ever become a seal master he is talented enough to at least be a casual practicer of Fuinjutsu."
The black haired boy shorted slightly into his food, "I wouldn't expect less from the Uchiha protege."
"Who is the other student you noticed?" Minato asks his wife gently, trying to diffuse the spike in tension between Obito and Hatake Kakashi.
"Nam Reitdo, she is another first year student, and is actually friends with Itachi despite coming from a civilian home. She is ruff around the edges but nonetheless a nice girl once she gets to know you. Unlike Itachi, Reitdo has a firm grasp of the theoretical AND practical points of Fuinjutsu. I think with the right teacher Reitdo could make a talented Seal master."
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Looking back on my life and trying to find the 'this is where it all started moment' is hard.
Life is constantly moving streams, milestones are like rocks that are never touched by the same drop of water twice, at least there is that divide until the end of your life, when the water all floods into a single pond. This pond is what represents your impact on the world.
Still, more often than not moments are connect in ways we can't see, maybe because we have too small of a perception or we don't know what to look for.
I am sure there were miss starts in my life, decisions I could have made, and of course the constant 'what if' that surround life by the virtue of human nature.
So I'll start with the raw facts:
My name is Nam Reitdo but you can just call me Reito or Rei.
I have a Mother who works for my Grandfather in his book publishing company/ book store.
I do not have a Father, nor have I ever had a father.
I also have one close friend and his name is Uchiha Itachi.
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'I got you a present-'
A sudden flash of blue.
Shining brown hair.
'Wow! Sis is this-'
'-Grandson….Hokage!'
A single kiss.
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I wake to the feeling of someone's finger half-heartedly blocking a pressure-point on my forehead. The jab has only enough powerful to cause mild discomfort and wake me, but I know with enough force Itachi could make just a simple jab lethal.
"What?" I ask, pushing away his finger and sitting up in my desk. "Did I miss something?"
Itachi gave a small frown, "Yes, you 'missed' our last two classes of the day. You slept through them...again. You know you are a horrible student, right?"
"...You know I'm not a horrible student. I just don't want to be shipped off the the front lines before my tenth birthday-a self preservation tactic you could look into learning."
Itachi bit his lip slightly as we walked out of the classroom and into the warm spring air, "I could handle it...Being shipped out to the frontlines, I mean. I know I am still young but I am ready to fight if it means protecting my family!"
I roll my eyes slightly as we begin our walk to the Uchiha Village, rummaging through my backpack to find my newest manga book. "Itachi, are you ready to kill another human?"
The Uchiha next to me blushes a light pink before shaking his head no, "I didn't think so. I hate to break it to you, but the only thing you could do at the frontlines right now is die a meaningless death. Until you are ready to kill, the only place for us is the academy."
A silence sets in as we continue our walk, the silence is more thoughtful than uncomfortable and for that I am glad.
"Reito?" I hum in acknowledgement, not looking up from the pages of my manga. "Are you ready to kill someone?"
"...Ya, I am."