The courses for new students mostly focused on theory, since physical development takes time and forms the foundation of chakra. The amount of chakra these children in their growth phase could extract was barely enough to notice.
Even in Moto Kouda's class, there were five or six students who couldn't properly gather chakra at all.
"Alright, that's all for this morning's class! Everyone, remember to enjoy a good lunch!"
After Moto Kouda announced the end of class, the previously quiet classroom was instantly filled with lively noise and bustling chatter. He shook his head smilingly while glancing subtly toward Minato.
Throughout the entire morning, he kept watching Minato—who was usually so well-behaved and attentive—but today hadn't paid the least bit of attention to the lecture. His eyes never left Kushina Uzumaki, the new transfer student.
"Ahhh... What does this even mean? I completely don't get it!" Finally the class ended, and unlike the other students, she sat there frustrated, tugging at her long red hair while staring intensely at the Ninja Manual lying on her desk, speaking with an unusual intonation at the end of her sentences.
She had already made up her mind to treat this place as the first step toward her dream, but after just one morning of classes, she realized something—
She was terrible at this!
This morning's lesson mainly covered basic information about chakra, including its source, nature, and some methods of refining it.
She felt completely lost. Though she thought she'd been paying close attention, everyone's got their strengths and weaknesses… and Kushina was definitely *not* cut out for theory classes.
Beside her, Mikoto watched with a gentle smile. For her, these lessons came naturally and felt incredibly simple. Being from the Uchiha clan, she had already studied this material before entering the Ninja Academy.
Looking at his students with their various personalities, Moto Kouda smiled slightly before gathering his teaching materials and walking out of the classroom.
During the lunch break, most people didn't go home. Their lunches were usually boxed meals prepared in the morning before coming to school.
But Kushina remained completely focused on the Ninja Manual in front of her, unaffected by the increasingly noisy classroom atmosphere.
"Alright then, stop thinking about it for now. Want to have lunch together?"
A gentle voice snapped Kushina out of her thoughts. Mikoto tilted her head slightly, looking at her with soft hope in her dark eyes.
Mikoto really was stunningly beautiful, and her gentle nature made it almost impossible for anyone to take offense at her.
At the invitation, Kushina first showed surprise, then a faint blush appeared across her slightly chubby face.
"Pu."
Seeing her cute reaction, Mikoto couldn't help laughing out loud. She took out a bag and stood up to place it on the table.
"This is the rice ball I made myself. Here, try it!"
Mikoto motioned toward the food offering it. Kushina looked at her, then noticed the rice balls inside the bag. Encouraged by Mikoto's gaze, she slowly reached out.
Just then, an unwelcoming voice rang out.
"Hey, newbie, do you really think you can just take whatever you want from Mikoto?"
Both girls shifted their attention to the sound and saw a boy standing by a desk.
Kushina looked surprised, but Mikoto had already frowned. "What business is it of yours, Yu Akasaka? I told her she could take it!"
Yu Akasaka was one of the more mischievous boys in class. As Mikoto spoke, two or three other boys approached. They were Yu Akasaka's "gang."
"Now that I think about it, this girl's hair color is really strange. It looks like red threads," one boy said as he came to stand directly in front of Kushina, staring at her bright red hair.
Upon hearing this, Kushina's young face showed clear displeasure, but she simply turned to leave and snapped, "What's it got to do with you?!"
Unexpectedly, two other boys blocked her path. Yu Akasaka removed his gaze from Mikoto and remarked, "Newbie, aren't you acting pretty cocky?"
The four boys, about the same age as Kushina, cornered her near the edge of the classroom. Mikoto's little face started showing anxiety. She quickly scanned the classroom until her eyes landed on Minato's seat.
Minato was also looking in their direction at that moment. He leaned with one arm on his desk, while his other hand brushed across his bangs. His expression appeared extremely strange.
"Minato..."
This was the first time Mikoto had seen him act this way. Startled yet still worried about Kushina, she stood there, unsure what to do.
Inside Minato's mind, the image of a woman with long red hair surfaced again. He could see her face more clearly now—and the pain etched upon it.
It seemed like a dimly lit room. The woman curled up on a bed, her long red hair scattered messily around her. Beautiful eyes filled with tears, lips bitten tightly shut, letting out soft whimpers.
Minato couldn't stop this scene from appearing. His whole body trembled at the thought of witnessing it again. He didn't know who this woman was, but all he knew for sure was that he never wanted to see her show such pain or suffer any harm.
He was ready to give everything for it—his life without a second thought!
"Hair like red threads and that round face... From now on, I'll call you Tomato."
"Tomato? I hate tomatoes! If they were in bento boxes, they'd definitely get left behind!"
Hearing these words in his ears, Minato felt his pain ease slightly. He raised his eyes and saw Yu Akasaka and the others surrounding Kushina at the center, pointing at her and laughing loudly while saying hurtful things.
Kushina stood frozen, her face burning with shame, fists clenched tight, her body trembling.
Yu Akasaka, seeing her like this, let his mischievous nature take over. Grabbing a strand of Kushina's long hair, he said, "Now that's an unusual color..."
Mikoto saw what he was doing, her eyes widened slightly in alarm. Just as she was about to react, a furious voice erupted, overpowering all the noise in the classroom.
"Nobody lays a hand on her!"
At that moment, to the Ninja Academy students present, Minato materialized out of nowhere—none of them saw him coming. In a flash, he appeared before Yu Akasaka, sidestepped with one foot, and ruthlessly kicked him in the gut.
[Crash!]
Yu Akasaka went flying from Minato's kick—straight out the back door of the classroom and crashing violently into the corridor wall.
In that instant, all noise inside the room came to a sudden halt, every pair of eyes snapping toward the stunned scene.
The usually mild-mannered and gentle Minato Namikaze has gone ballistic—all to protect a new transfer student.
Mikoto and Kushina stood frozen in shock. Right now, Minato stood protectively in front of Kushina, his cobalt-blue eyes burning with fierce intensity!
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