Naruto: I get stronger by drawing lots

Mito's feet touched the ground, and the swing stopped.

"Hmm—why?"

Mito put on a thoughtful expression.

"It must be, because I want to do it."

"Me too, everyone else too, it's just because we want to do it, it's not a question of whether it's worth it or not, we just want to do it. The meaning of life is not as simple as whether it's worth it or not."

Mito's voice was soft, and the surroundings were just right. It was afternoon, and the cool yet warm weather made people feel relaxed.

"I'm getting on in years, so I understand that living is not just a simple thing, and the hidden meaning within it is even more difficult to grasp."

Mito made a slight self-deprecating remark, then smiled again.

"but!"

"but?"

Kushina wanted to say again that she was not worthy, but she found that the words were stuck in her throat.

Looking ahead, all I could see was Mito's kind smile.

"You don't understand, do you? If you don't understand, then just live a good life and you'll find out."

"The longer a person lives, the more they learn."

Mito pointed to herself and raised an eyebrow.

"Look, this is a living example."

Kushina opened her small mouth slightly, but couldn't say anything.

"Alright, let's go home. It's almost dinner time. It's fine to eat early tonight. We should have a good meal tonight."

"After you finish eating, get a good rest and take a nap. Tomorrow will come, and a brand new day will begin."

Mito stood up, walked to Kushina, and ruffled her red hair, which was the same color as Kushina's.

It was so soft, much better than her hair when she was older. Mito seemed to understand why that fool had said her hair was beautiful back then.

Because look how beautiful the red hair in front of you is.

Mito released his hand from Kushina's head, extended his hand to her, and gestured for her to reach out her hand.

Kushina looked at her hand, then at her, but didn't make a move immediately.

Mito shook his hand again, and only then did Kushina reluctantly take Mito's hand.

It's a bit wrinkled, but it feels warm and cozy.

"go home."

The red-haired woman took the red-haired girl's hand.

An old, wrinkled hand held a young, tender hand, walking step by step on the way home—

"Grandma Mito".

"I will survive."

Kushina walked down the hallway of the house and looked around all the rooms.

This place has lost its warmth; the person who used to walk slowly here, doing housework, is no longer here.

"Goodbye."

The door closed softly, its faint sound echoing in the empty room, again and again, lingering, as if saying to the person leaving:

Take care on your journey

Looking back—

Her hero stood there, waiting quietly. Normally, he might have already sat on the ground, or even fallen asleep.

Because her hero is such a lazy guy, who would rather lie down than sit, or sit than stand, and has no ambitions, only hoping to live a simple life and eventually open a small shop.

But it was this kind of guy who would work so hard to protect her; his figure was always there at the forefront of danger.

Kushina smiled. Behind her was her home, and in front of her was his home.

"Is it settled?"

"Ah."

"We said goodbye properly."

Kushina answered with a smile, and Tsukiki hesitated for a moment before speaking again:

Welcome back.

""

"Yes, I'm back!"

Kushina paused for a moment, then realized what she meant and replied.

The past is behind us, and the future lies ahead.

Kushina took a step forward, having said goodbye to the past, it was time to move on to the future.

"Take care along the way."

The gentle voice was still in her ear, so familiar, so familiar. It transformed into a pair of hands, gently stroking Kushina's back, as if hugging her for a moment, but only for a moment. The next moment, the hands gently pushed Kushina forward.

Kushina didn't turn around, her hands clenched into fists, and she walked steadily step by step.

The moon and trees stood side by side, their shadows gently intertwining in the lingering glow of dusk, transforming into one human figure.

It walks slowly, gently moving towards the future—

Chapter 101: Cultivation

"Get up, get up, Moon Tree!"

Just before the rooster crowed and the first light of dawn appeared, a woman's voice rang out from the Thousand Hands Residence.

It was a bit immature, but undeniably loud, and it woke Yue Shu right up.

"I go."

Startled, Yue Shu jumped up and tumbled and rolled several times.

Looking over in the blink of an eye, Kushina was kneeling by the bed.

No wonder the sound went straight into my brain; it was like it was shoved right into my ear.

I glanced at Kushina, then looked outside; it wasn't even halfway to dawn yet.

Tsukiki remained silent, then turned to look at Kushina, only to see the red-haired girl flash a bright, refreshing smile.

""

A beautiful day begins in the early morning—well, the early morning before dawn, before the sun has fully risen.

Tsukiki didn't hold a grudge against Kushina too much.

Anyway, there aren't many entertainment activities in Naruto. Cell phones and computers are things that will happen many years later. These days, all I do at night is eat, take a shower, and go to sleep. There's not much else to do. Although I get woken up in the early morning, my sleep is still fine.

As for Kushina, the story goes back to before—

That happened after the Chunin Exams. Due to the Otsutsuki's massive attack, Konoha was basically completely destroyed, with very few areas remaining undamaged. After the battle, Konoha began its reconstruction.

Then came a series of reconstructions, followed by the announcement of the Chunin Exams results. Tsukiki did become a Chunin, but most of the others failed. As for the reason, Tsukiki didn't know either.

The key to the problem lies in what comes next.

During the reconstruction period, Jiraiya's team reunited. The four members of Tsukiki's group, along with Jiraiya, ate ramen together at Ichiraku Ramen. Of course, it was Jiraiya who spontaneously organized the meal, which was quite a rare occasion.

When they arrived at the ramen shop, Tsukiki and his group ran into two acquaintances. Tsukiki was particularly familiar with these two people, as was Jiraiya.

"Oh wow, isn't that Tsunade? And Shizune too."

Jiraiya greeted him with a smile.

Tsunade didn't bother to reply, but Shizune responded to the greeting very politely.

"Your ramen."

Tsunade seemed to have just arrived, as her ramen was only just being served.

The ramen looked very appealing, with steam rising naturally and releasing a delicious aroma.

Tsunade looked unwell, with a noticeable hint of fatigue. Not only that, even Shizune standing next to her could see a slight sign of it.

Jiraiya naturally understood and didn't say anything. He urged the four of them to say hello and then order food.

Now that the battle is over, the role of the medical ninjas comes into play. Work is like a rushing torrent, constantly washing over everything, big and small.

The group sat down and naturally began ordering food. While waiting, they started chatting amongst themselves.

After Minato Namikaze brought up the topic of strength, the atmosphere on the scene began to change.

This attack on Konoha by the Otsutsuki made those involved more or less understand their own strength.

Without a doubt, Minato Namikaze strongly disapproved of his own perceived weakness.

Perhaps things were fine normally, with no wars and a rare period of peace. At that time, I didn't feel much pressure or stress. But now that I've experienced something like this, it's not just Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya's small group, but also many people who are dissatisfied or unwilling to accept their situation.

Those who clearly recognized their helplessness in this battle were also planted with the seed of becoming stronger.

The members of Jiraiya's team began to show their determination to become stronger, not only Minato Namikaze, but also Kushina and Mikoto.

At that moment, Tsunade, who had just finished eating ramen, suddenly spoke up.

And this was the beginning of everything.

"I'll teach you."

The four simple words left everyone dumbfounded, but Yue Shu was undoubtedly the most bewildered.

In just that simple moment, Kushina arrived at the Senju residence and settled in.

Kushina, who had gone home to pack her things and take one last look, left that place precisely because of this.

Saying goodbye to the past and embracing the future—that's one of those meanings, isn't it?

"So, this is what you want to do?"