"Dattebane!"
Uzumaki Kushina blurted out her signature catchphrase right after finishing her sentence. Her face, already flushed with embarrassment, turned an even deeper shade of red. Clearly, she was at the limit of her shame tolerance.
The classroom fell into a strange, heavy silence after hearing her bold declaration—that she wanted to become Hokage.
But Kushina, standing confidently at the front of the class, remained blissfully unaware of the reaction.
She'd asked Granny Mito before. A lot of people dreamed of becoming Hokage, right? So if she said the same, wouldn't it be easily accepted?
Turns out, reality didn't quite match her expectations.
The brief silence was soon broken by a few brats who had no idea how the world worked.
"She's from another village and she wants to be Hokage?"
"Why does she even dare say something like that?"
"Her hair's so red... looks like a tomato."
A group of kids began mocking Kushina loudly. Whether it was a sense of superiority or the desire to fit in, even the previously quiet ones started chiming in.
That was, until Yamakawa Taiga's voice cut through the chaos.
"Enough! Shut your mouths!"
"Kushina is our classmate. She's part of Konoha now. You'd better start learning how to get along. Got it?"
Taiga rubbed his temples. These kids... Sure, most of them came from ninja families, but they were nowhere near the level of the true shinobi clans.
The children from clans, at least, were simply observing in silence—not acting like fools.
Sometimes, Taiga thought, ignorance really did give people courage.
He could sense the chakra from the red-haired girl standing beside him. It wasn't just powerful—it had already surpassed his own, even as a jōnin.
This girl was anything but ordinary.
...
The room quieted again. This time, it was Namikaze Minato who stepped forward.
That shock of brilliant red hair had caught his eye the moment she entered. Paired with her delicate face, it left him with an odd, warm feeling.
Taking his responsibility as class rep seriously, Minato smiled his trademark sunny smile and introduced himself.
"Hi. I'm Namikaze Minato. My dream is also to become Hokage."
His voice was calm, his tone friendly. He extended a hand toward her in greeting.
But Kushina, still reeling from the earlier teasing, narrowed her eyes at that smile—and especially at the way his long blond hair framed his face. To her, it looked like he was mocking her too.
She pouted, tilted her chin up, and made it clear she had no intention of shaking his hand.
Minato, ever polite, retracted his hand and scratched the back of his head with a slightly awkward chuckle.
"Well, in that case... Kushina, you can sit over there."
Taiga pointed toward the table where Minato and Uchiha Kaien sat.
No one else dared sit near Kaien. Some were afraid they'd embarrass themselves. Others were simply wary of the Uchiha name.
There was only one seat left—and since Minato was the class rep and Kaien was surprisingly quiet and well-mannered, Taiga figured it would be a good fit for Kushina.
Others didn't know, but he did: both boys were disciples of the Third Hokage's students. And now, with this girl connected to Princess Tsunade... well, why not seat them together?
He had a feeling they'd get along.
Kushina noticed the seat was next to that "sissy blond guy" and was visibly reluctant... until she caught sight of the "girl" sitting beside him.
Her eyes instantly lit up.
"Hi! I'm Uzumaki Kushina!"
She looked at Uchiha Kaien with hopeful eyes, praying this beautiful classmate wouldn't treat her the same way those rude kids had.
Kaien didn't disappoint.
Looking at her soft, pale hand, Kaien reached out without hesitation and shook it.
Heh. Got her first handshake—take that, Minato!
"Uchiha Kaien," he said, flashing a gentle smile. "You're really cute. I like your red hair. Want to be friends?"
Kushina was caught off guard by the kindness. She quickly nodded, her face brightening.
"Of course, dattebane! I'd love to!"
She gasped, realizing she'd just said "dattebane" again, and quickly slapped a hand over her mouth.
No way she'd mess this up in front of such a sweet classmate!
Kaien chuckled softly, amused by how adorable she was.
His smile was practically identical to Minato's, which made Kushina blush again.
She's so cute... I have to become good friends with her!
[Affection from Uzumaki Kushina +1]
...
Minato, sitting beside them, watched the whole exchange with a peaceful smile.
...Which immediately twitched when Kushina turned to glare at him again.
"What are you staring at, sissy?"
"S-Sissy...?"
Minato's smile froze.
That was a first.
Come on, I look pretty handsome, don't I? What part of me screams "sissy"?
Still, he didn't get angry. But he did turn slightly to look at Kaien.
If I'm a sissy... then what does that make Kaien?
From Minato's point of view...
That cascade of silky red-and-black hair really did look like high-quality satin. He had to admit, Kaien was a treat to look at.
Hearing Kushina call Minato "sissy," Kaien couldn't help but smirk and tease him too.
"Sissy Minato~ Seems she doesn't like you very much."
That sly smile curled at the corners of Kaien's perfectly shaped lips.
He seemed to say: That's what you get for growing your hair so long. Told you.
Minato gave Kaien a look.
Your hair's longer than mine.
Kaien raised a brow and shot a smug look right back.
Yeah, but at least I'm not a sissy. Nyeh.
Oh sure, Minato shot back mentally.
You're not a sissy, you're just a pretty Uchiha.
You're dead after school.
Kaien's face twitched with visible annoyance. Clearly, that one struck a nerve.
Minato knew Kaien hated being mistaken for a girl. And honestly? He was risking a beatdown just to get in that one solid burn.
Totally worth it.
Kushina, watching their playful bickering, looked intrigued. What kind of relationship did these two have?
Up above, Nara Shikaku gazed at the ceiling and sighed.
Yeah... this is gonna be trouble.
Still, he couldn't help but wonder.
If Minato's a sissy... then what about Kaien?
A beautiful boy?
Fitting, actually.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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