"Sigh!"
Kazuki Uemura sighed heavily. He remembered the Third Hokage's words, telling him that Kushina was no ordinary student and that he needed to look out for her. But now, she had gotten into a fight, and more than a third of the class had been beaten.
"Nonsense! You all laughed at me and gave me a horrible nickname!" Kushina yelled, her eyes blazing.
She no longer looked like the shy girl who had entered the classroom just moments before. She was furious—a red-hot pepper covered in thorns, daring anyone to get close.
"Everyone, quiet!" Kazuki shouted, his stern gaze sweeping across the room. He knew who the troublemakers were—those who often caused disruptions. Even if Kushina had gone too far, they weren't innocent.
Turning to the students involved, he said, "..., Shirai, Minato, come to the office too."
Shirai blinked, surprised.
'Why am I being dragged into this?*' He thought, but he followed along with Minato, Kushina, and the other students.
As they walked, Minato leaned over to Shirai, whispering, "Hey, this Kushina girl is pretty fierce. You're her desk mate, so you'd better be careful!"
"Huh?" Shirai had been lost in thought and hadn't heard him clearly.
Minato cleared his throat, raising his voice. "I said, Kushina is fierce! Be careful not to get beaten up since you sit next to her!"
Shirai chuckled, patting Minato on the shoulder. "You should worry about yourself first. I have a feeling you're the one who's about to get beaten."
"What?" Minato asked, confused. "Why would I—"
Before he could finish, he felt a burning gaze on him. Looking up, he saw Kushina had stopped walking and was glaring at him, fists clenched, red hair floating as if charged with energy. This was the start of one of Kushina's rages.
"Good luck!" QShirai muttered as he quickly slipped away.
"Hey! That's not fair!" Minato exclaimed, feeling betrayed.
"Why did I even open my mouth?"
Kushina turned around, glaring at Minato with her fiery red hair waving in the air, looking every bit the part of her nickname.
In the office, Shirai summed up the situation bluntly, "These idiots teased Kushina, gave her a nickname, and then she retaliated. That's the gist of it."
"Yes, that's what happened," Minato agreed quickly. He didn't dare to speak more, fearing Kushina might come after him after school.
Kazuki rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. "Shirai, you shouldn't speak about your classmates like that," he said.
Shirai shrugged, "Troublemakers who can't back it up? Sounds like trash to me."
The students he referred to looked away, unable to meet his gaze.
Kazuki sighed, "Alright, you and Minato can go back to the classroom."
Once they left, Kazuki turned to Kushina. "Kushina, this is a serious matter. I think it would be best if we called your parents in. What do you think?"
Minato and Shirai were just outside the office door when they heard this.
Shirai laughed. "Oh, this should be good."
Minato, confused, asked, "Why is that funny? What's wrong with calling parents after a fight?"
Shirai grinned. "Who's she going to call? Tsunade? Trust me, this will get interesting."
"Shirai, how about I come to your place for dinner tonight?" Minato asked as they walked back to the classroom.
"Sure," Shirai replied. "Just bring some ingredients; I'll handle the rest."
"Deal!"
Meanwhile, back at Tsunade's house, Kushina explained what had happened at school. Tsunade, who was just waking up, scratched her head and groaned.
"So, you got teased, fought back, and now they want to call a guardian?"
"Who decided this?" Tsunade asked, her irritation rising.
When Kushina explained, Tsunade's face darkened. "No one ever dared to call my mother to school for a fight!" she fumed.
"Wait a few minutes while I get ready, then we'll go!"
Tsunade had been instructed by her grandmother, Mito Uzumaki, to look after Kushina. Seeing that Kushina had been bullied, she had no intention of letting it slide. She felt Kushina was right to defend herself. After all, some people deserved a good beating.
Moments later, Tsunade, still smelling faintly of alcohol, stormed into the ninja academy. She kicked open the door to the teacher's office.
Kazuki, who had been trying to manage the situation, was startled by the sudden intrusion. He jumped up from his chair.
"Who is—oh, Tsunade-sama!" he stammered.
Tsunade gave the room a sweeping, cold glare, silencing everyone. "You wanted to see Kushina's parent? Here I am," she declared, her voice sharp.
Kazuki swallowed nervously. "Yes, we needed to discuss—"
"I don't have much time, so let's cut to the chase. Your students bullied my little sister, and now you want to call her out for defending herself?" she said, crossing her arms.
"If this isn't resolved fairly, I'll have Kushina wait at the school gate every day and block your students until they learn some manners!"
The parents of the other students, who had come to complain, shrank back. Everyone in Konoha knew Tsunade's reputation—her short temper and formidable strength were legendary. Few dared to challenge her.
Meanwhile, back in the classroom, Minato turned to Shirai with excitement. "I think I just saw Tsunade-sama!" he whispered.
Shirai yawned, resting his head on the desk. "What's there to be excited about? You should be worrying about yourself. Tsunade is Kushina's guardian, and you've just upset Kushina. Do you think she'll let that slide?"
Minato's face fell, his excitement replaced by anxiety.
'Why did I have to get involved?' he thought, silently praying that Kushina would forget about him.
Thankfully for him, Kushina was more focused on the bigger problem at hand than getting revenge on Minato. She returned to the classroom, eyes still simmering with anger, but didn't seem to notice him.
After the incident, Kushina began to blend into the class. Those who had been beaten now avoided her, including Minato, who decided it was safer to keep his distance.
One afternoon after class, Kushina hesitated for a moment before approaching Qian Yue with a large bento box in her hands. "Shirai, would you like to have lunch with me?" she asked, her voice uncertain.
Minato, who had been heading towards Shirai, froze mid-step. His survival instincts kicked in, and he quickly turned around, leaving the classroom without a word. The memory of Kushina's fierce display was still too fresh in his mind.
Kushina's strength had made a strong impression on everyone. Minato, a budding genius, realized he was still just an ordinary kid compared to the fiery new girl in class. For now, it seemed safer to stay out of her way.
Shirai glanced at the bento box. "Thanks, but I'm not really into rice balls or sashimi," he said politely, pulling out his own lunch and quickly heading out to catch up with Minato.