Naruto: The Earthquake Shinobi

Devil Fruit users had a major weakness—they feared seawater and Seastone. Although this world didn't have Seastone, being afraid of water would still be a huge problem.

Thinking about this, Yuya decided to test it out first.

Back at his house, he brought out a wooden tub, which was something he normally used for bathing. It was incredibly simple.

Since he was an outsider, the fact that Konoha had even provided him with a place to stay was already generous. Naturally, both his room and household items were extremely basic, but Yuya didn't mind.

After filling the wooden tub with water, he took off his clothes and jumped in. Squatting down, he submerged his entire body in the water.

Although regular water didn't have the same restrictive effects as seawater, in the original story, Devil Fruit users would still feel weak and powerless when soaking in a bath.

One second… two seconds…

A whole minute passed, yet Yuya didn't feel any weakness at all!

Suddenly standing up, his face lit up with joy.

"Regular water has no side effects at all?"

Though excited, Yuya still felt a bit puzzled.

Was it because this wasn't seawater?

Or maybe…

From his memories, those who ate Devil Fruits were cursed by the sea, turning them into land-dwellers.

But that curse was from the One Piece world.

And this was the Naruto world!

Although he didn't know how that Devil Fruit appeared here, it was impossible for the sea's curse to exist in this world. So even if there was a weakness, it should only apply to the seawater from the One Piece world.

In other words, the power of the Gura Gura no Mi (Tremor-Tremor Fruit) was no longer classified as a Devil Fruit in this world.

Instead… it was a Kekkei Genkai—Tremor Release!

"This is great."

A pleased expression spread across his face.

With that thought, Yuya simply decided to take a bath and wash off the sweat from his training.

There had been too many surprises and unexpected events today—he needed to relax and calm down.

However, just as Yuya finished his bath and stepped out of the tub, about to put on his clothes—

Creak!

The door to his house was suddenly pushed open.

A small head with red hair peeked inside, scanning the room.

She was a very familiar person—Uzumaki Kushina.

"Yuya, are you home… Uh?!"

Her voice cut off abruptly.

The eight- or nine-year-old Kushina froze, her small face turning rigid.

"Uh…"

Yuya was also stunned.

Because he had only planned to test whether he was weak to water, he hadn't thought to lock the door.

Of course, that wasn't the main problem.

The real issue was… it was already nighttime!

Who would have expected Kushina to suddenly come to his house at this hour?!

"Waaaah!!"

Finally, realizing what she had just seen, Kushina let out a sharp scream before slamming the door shut with a bang!

"Yuya, you bastard! You pervert! Just you wait! Tomorrow at school, you're dead!"

Her furious, embarrassed voice echoed from outside, shaking the entire street.

Yuya remained expressionless.

Damn it!

This had nothing to do with him, okay?!

And did she really have to shout it out loud in the middle of the night?

"…Well, guess I'm skipping school tomorrow."

Wearing a pained expression, Yuya finished dressing and opened the door.

Sure enough, Kushina was still standing outside, her face puffed up in anger, her expression a mix of embarrassment and fury.

"Ahem… So, uh… What did you come here for?"

Awkwardly coughing, Yuya quickly changed the subject.

Coming to his house this late at night—she must have had a reason, right?

Yuya and Kushina were both kids from outside villages. They had arrived in Konoha at nearly the same time. When Yuya realized she was the Kushina from the original story, he naturally felt a sense of familiarity and took the initiative to befriend her. They quickly became close friends.

However, their circumstances were vastly different.

Kushina had come to Konoha as the next Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails. She was also from the Uzumaki Clan, which had allied with Konoha.

The previous Nine-Tails Jinchūriki was Uzumaki Mito, the wife of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.

As a fellow Uzumaki, Mito naturally took great care of Kushina. With such strong connections, Kushina was bold enough to even prank the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, by burning his beard!

Yuya, on the other hand, was in a miserable situation.

He had no background, came from an untrustworthy small ninja village (which had already been wiped out), and was not trusted or welcomed by Konoha's ninja.

When Kushina first arrived, she was an orphan with no family. Since Yuya spent a lot of time with her, he often helped and took care of her.

However, due to her special status, their dynamic eventually changed.

Over time, the one being helped slowly shifted from Kushina to Yuya.

Even so, Kushina never resented Yuya and continued helping him willingly.

Because when she had first come to Konoha—lonely and isolated—it was Yuya who had pulled her out of solitude, given her warmth, and helped her regain her cheerful personality.

So, even though others saw Yuya as a failure who couldn't even use ninjutsu, Kushina never looked down on him.

"I brought you something ahead of time so you don't get beaten to death tomorrow."

Kushina's small face was still slightly flushed, but she put on a fierce expression, glaring at Yuya before handing him a small package.

Hearing that, Yuya suddenly remembered—tomorrow was the combat assessment at the Ninja Academy.

Normally, one-on-one fights in school weren't a big deal. There were Chūnin instructors supervising, and students wouldn't get seriously hurt.

But Yuya was different.

The Chūnin instructors completely disregarded him as an outsider. Their attitude was basically, "As long as you don't die, it's fine."

So Yuya often ended up injured.

"Thanks."

Scratching his nose, Yuya gratefully accepted the small package.

A quick glance inside revealed medical supplies and wound-healing ointments.

Yuya felt touched, but at the same time, the corner of his mouth twitched.

Why did this whole situation feel… strange?!

"Hmph! No need to thank me—I don't even care about you!"

Still holding onto her earlier embarrassment, Kushina pouted, her little face still tinged with a cute redness.

Seeing her looking so frustrated and shy, Yuya couldn't help but chuckle.

He suddenly imagined—if their roles had been reversed and he had walked in on Kushina instead…

He'd probably be running for his life through all of Konoha by now!

"Anyway, that's all! Even if you can't use ninjutsu, I can always protect you… So don't be reckless tomorrow—just surrender if you have to."

Kushina raised a tiny fist in front of him in a confident gesture, then grinned and ran off into the night.

"…"

Yuya watched her back in a daze.

Then suddenly, he snapped back to reality.

Surrender? She'll always protect me?!

Damn it!

Is she telling me to be a freeloader?!