Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

Ye Zi's strength was considerable; when he grabbed the boy's hand, he did so without holding back, causing the boy to cry out in pain.

"What… what are you doing?!"

The boy whose hand Ye Zi had grabbed grimaced in pain and struggled to speak. The friends beside him immediately scolded Ye Zi.

"You're disturbing me." Ye Zi said coldly, glancing at the one who spoke. After dismissing the boy trying to pull Kushina's hair, Ye Zi turned and walked back to his seat, not wishing to escalate the situation further.

"That bastard." The boy with the crew cut, rubbing his wrist, cursed under his breath but did not dare to retaliate. The pain in his wrist had been so intense that he had nearly felt it would snap.

"Are you okay?" The others, seeing the boy's bruised wrist, showed signs of apprehension, and their initial impulse to act out gradually faded.

Strength always serves as a shield, whether for attack or protection.

"I'm fine."

The boy with the crew cut, still wincing, shot a venomous look at Ye Zi's profile before losing interest in further tormenting Kushina. He turned back to his seat, and the others, exchanging uncertain glances, returned to their own seats.

Seeing the classmates who had surrounded her leave, Kushina breathed a sigh of relief. If it hadn't been for Ye Zi grabbing that hand, her hair would have surely been in trouble, and she would have been unable to resist hitting that idiot.

"That person…"

She stared at Ye Zi, who was resting his chin on his hand and looking out the window. Even from the half-visible profile, his genuine indifference was apparent. After watching him for a moment, she slowly walked back to her seat. At this moment, she felt a gaze on her. Following the gaze, she saw the blond boy, Minato.

"What are you staring at?" Kushina said rudely.

Minato was taken aback, smiled apologetically, and then turned his gaze away, continuing to chat with his friends. Despite chatting, he kept an eye on Kushina, who was sulking in her seat, and on Ye Zi, who was looking out the window.

Time flew by, and before long, six months had passed.

Thud, thud, thud!

The dull sounds of three shurikens hitting the target almost simultaneously, spaced just a few centimeters apart.

Ye Zi retracted his outstretched right hand, stepped forcefully with his left foot, and used the momentum to spin his waist, transferring the force to his left hand, where he threw the three shurikens he held between his fingers.

Three black shadows shot from his hand, and the next moment, there were three more dull thuds.

Thud, thud, thud!

Zekanaki first glanced at the six shurikens embedded in the target's center, then looked at Ye Zi with a hint of surprise. In a deep voice, he said, "Ye Zi, full marks."

The task was to throw three shurikens, but Ye Zi had thrown three with each hand, all hitting the bullseye. Before the test, he hadn't paid special attention, so he hadn't noticed that Ye Zi had three more shurikens hidden up his sleeve.

Zekanaki neither praised nor reprimanded Ye Zi for exceeding the test requirements, but he was quite impressed. While everyone usually uses their dominant hand for ninja tools and weapons, Ye Zi, at such a young age, understood the importance of maintaining the same level of skill with both hands. This was indeed surprising.

In the past six months, Ye Zi had dedicated all his time to practicing with ninja tools, wasting no time. His current accuracy and power were due to his own hard work, so there was no reason for him to be particularly pleased.

He quickly walked to the target, pulled out the shurikens from the bullseye, and placed them back into the tool pouch on his waist before returning to the line of students who had already taken the test.

Everyone, whether they had been tested or not, looked at him with astonishment.

Minato instinctively raised his left hand. Although he was confident in his use of ninja tools, he had not trained his left hand to the same level as his right. Realizing its importance, he smiled slightly, finding a new goal for himself.

"Next, Minato Namikaze."

Upon hearing his name, Minato stepped out of the line, took his position, and after a few breaths, threw three shurikens that precisely hit the bullseye.

"Minato Namikaze, full marks. Next, Kushina Uzumaki." Zekanaki glanced at the bullseye and then called out the next name.

The outstanding students of this period were Ye Zi, Minato, and Kushina. Unsurprisingly, Kushina also received full marks. The others' skills were also decent but lacked consistency.

The end of the test marked the end of the class.

Zekanaki recorded the test results in his notebook and wrote detailed evaluations for each student. These evaluations, accumulated over six months, would eventually be compiled into a report for the Hokage.

It was spring, and the pink cherry blossoms were in full bloom, fluttering like countless butterflies. It was a breathtaking sight.

In Konoha, there was a place filled with cherry trees, an ideal spot for enjoying the blossoms every year.

Kushina Uzumaki always took a longer route home just to walk along the cherry blossom avenue, and today was no exception.

Not only did Kushina enjoy the cherry blossoms, but Ye Zi was also among those who did. Of course, not everyone came here for the cherry blossoms.

With a gentle smile on her face, Kushina ran along the cherry blossom avenue, her bright red hair fluttering in the wind, exuding a unique charm.

Suddenly, she stopped because she saw someone ahead.

"Hmph."

Matsuda looked at Kushina with ill intentions and snorted coldly.

Seeing that the newcomer was one of her classmates whom she had beaten up several times before, Kushina frowned, sensing that the situation might not be friendly. However, if it was just one person, she thought she could handle it. But when she saw someone who resembled Matsuda coming out, her expression changed slightly.

"You're the one who's always making my little brother cry, aren't you?"

The person with the headband, arms crossed, walked towards Kushina with a slightly arrogant demeanor.

Kushina remained unafraid, pointing at Matsuda with one hand and placing her other hand on her hip. She said bluntly, "He's the one always picking on me, even though he's so weak."

"Ugh…" Matsuda, wincing as if struck, recoiled slightly. Losing to a girl was a deep pain for him, and it wasn't just him but several people who had been beaten by Kushina.

As an older brother, Matsuda didn't care whose fault it was. His only goal was to get revenge for his brother and teach a lesson to anyone who bullied him.

Matsuda's older brother, Matsushita, cracked his knuckles and said maliciously, "You're a bad person who is bullying my little brother, so I'm going to teach you a good lesson."

Kushina took a step back. The opponent was a lower-ranked ninja with a headband, while she had not yet graduated from the ninja academy. She made a quick decision and turned to run.

Seeing Kushina fleeing, Matsushita sneered and followed after her. Matsuda also trailed behind, but at a slower pace.

This scene was observed by two people: Minato and Ye Zi.