Chapter 58: Teaching the Tree-Climbing Technique, Is Ryun Really Kushina’s Son?
Near the river not far from home.
Ryun, the older brother who had been beaten until his face was bruised and swollen, was pointing at a large tree and explaining to Kushina how to "climb" it.
Kushina no longer believed his nonsense. Rather than half-heartedly listening to his lies, she might as well beat him up to vent her anger and be done with it...
"Focus your mind, control the chakra in your body, and guide it to your feet..."
Under Ryun-sensei's careful guidance, Kushina took out a kunai to mark her progress and began her "tree-climbing" training.
As a beginner, Kushina couldn't avoid being thrown off repeatedly, leaving her bruised, dirty, and in pain.
Ryun couldn't bear to watch, so he stood under the tree to catch Kushina whenever she fell.
At first, the two got along harmoniously, even having fun together.
But then, during one mishap, Ryun accidentally grabbed something he shouldn't have—her small, underdeveloped chest...
The next moment, Kushina let out a sharp scream and instinctively slapped him hard across the face...
"Pervert..."
"Fine, fine... Go ahead and fall to your death, you stupid tomato. If I bother with you again, I'm your son."
Ryun, furious, stopped caring about her and went off to do his own training.
"..."
Kushina pouted and continued her tree-climbing practice.
Soon, after being thrown off a few more times, she began to regret her earlier actions...
Of course, regret was one thing, but she wasn't about to admit defeat or apologize, especially since she had just hit him, and Ryun was still fuming...
Besides, the more she suffered from the falls, the more that jerk seemed to enjoy it—especially the smug grin on his face...
"Hmph... If he could master this training in one night, I can definitely do it faster. That bastard won't be laughing for long..."
Kushina rubbed her sore backside, silently cheering herself on while glaring at Ryun as a warning.
If Ryun knew what she was thinking, he would have laughed his head off.
When it came to "tree-climbing," unless you had a natural talent for it or possessed Ryun's monstrous mental focus, mastering it in one afternoon was absolutely impossible.
Kushina still had a long way to go, and Ryun wasn't planning to indulge her this time.
The two trained separately for a while until a familiar face followed the river and found Ryun.
"Nawaki? What are you doing here?"
Ryun looked puzzled.
"Kushina, you're here too!" Nawaki was surprised to see Kushina.
"Ah... I'm training with Ryun here... Did Grandma Mito send you to look for me?" Kushina paused her training.
"No... Orochimaru-sensei asked me to find him." Nawaki said while pulling something out of his ninja pouch.
"Looking for me? Another mission?"
"No, after you went on that last mission with us outside the village, sensei already reported it to Konoha and collected the payment. He split the reward three ways and asked me to bring you your share..."
Nawaki explained the purpose of his visit.
"No need... I didn't do much meaningful work..." Ryun scratched his head, wanting to refuse.
"That won't do. Sensei is strict about these things. Besides, you did a lot of the dirty work and put in effort during the mission. We don't want to take advantage of you. You have to accept this payment."
Nawaki spoke seriously, explaining some ninja customs to Ryun and Kushina in advance.
"Alright... Please thank Orochimaru-sensei for me, and sorry for making you come all this way..." Ryun nodded and accepted the payment.
"Sensei also asked me to give you this scroll." Nawaki tossed a small scroll to Ryun.
Finally, he glanced at Kushina, who was covered in dirt with messy hair, confirmed she wasn't being bullied, and then left.
"Not bad... Earning a decent mission reward before even becoming a ninja, Ryun, you..."
"None of your damn business..."
Before Kushina could finish speaking, Ryun cut her off with a sneer.
Her smile froze instantly, and the next moment, her red hair bristled as she glared at him in frustration.
"Fine, if that's how you're going to be, see if I ever talk to you again... Jerk!"
"Same to you... Stupid tomato!" Ryun subconsciously touched his cheek and fired back.
"Say that again, I dare you!"
Kushina's face darkened as she cracked her knuckles, clearly about to explode...
"..."
A wise man doesn't fight with a woman. Ryun decided not to provoke her further.
Seeing him back down, Kushina snorted and turned back to her tree-climbing training.
Knowing she was in for more suffering, Ryun deliberately moved his training spot closer to hers so he could better watch Kushina bruise her backside.
At first, he found it amusing, but as Kushina struggled and fell more often... she gradually took her frustration out on him.
"What's so funny, you idiot?"
"If I see that smug face one more time, I'll beat you up!"
Kushina glared at him fiercely, openly threatening him.
"..."
Ryun rolled his eyes and continued his training, though he did suppress his smirk.
Half an hour later.
"What are you staring at? Haven't you seen enough?"
"..."
Ryun immediately moved away, going off to punch a wooden post as if to say, "I won't bother with you."
Seeing this, Kushina gritted her teeth but couldn't do anything about it.
Another hour later.
With a clear thud, the area where Kushina was training fell eerily silent.
Ryun didn't hear any gasps or groans of pain. Puzzled, he turned to look at Kushina.
She was lying motionless on the ground, eyes closed, as if unconscious!
Oh no, did she hit the back of her head by accident?
Worried, Ryun rushed over to check on her.
"Hey... Kushina!" Ryun patted her cheek, but she didn't respond.
"Did she really hit her head...? I specifically warned her to be careful."
Ryun lifted her into his arms and carefully examined her head.
"Doesn't seem injured..."
"Pfft... Hahaha!"
Kushina burst out laughing.
Realizing she had faked unconsciousness, Ryun's face flushed with anger.
"You..."
He tried to push her away and stand up, but Kushina clung to him like glue.
"Hehe... Weren't you the one who said you wouldn't talk to me? That you'd be my son if you ever bothered with me again?"
Kushina pinned him to the ground, wearing a mischievous grin.
"!!!"
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