"Heh, interesting... She wants to become Hokage!"
Akimichi Yoshimaru smirked, twirling a rice cracker in his hand like it was some ancient philosopher's pipe.
"Well, she's not gonna make it, but hey, you can't stop people from dreaming, right?" Shibi Aburame replied, adjusting his sunglasses like he was about to drop some deep wisdom.
Amidst the classroom's noisy chatter, Uzumaki Kushina stood alone, taking a small step back, looking like a lost kitten who just got yelled at for knocking over a vase.
Swish!
Namikaze Minato suddenly stood up, practically launching out of his seat. His three friends blinked at him like he'd just declared he was running for Hokage... next week.
"Hello! My name is Namikaze Minato! I also want to be acknowledged by the village and become a great Hokage. Welcome to our class!"
He then flashed a smile so bright it probably had its own chakra nature.
"Hehehe~," Sarutobi Ryo chuckled like he was watching a rom-com play out in real-time.
"I got it! My future nephew is gonna be called Namikaze Lucky! I mean, come on—he's gotta be lucky to pull that off!" Akimichi Yoshimaru snickered, snacking like this whole thing was a spectator sport.
"Nah, nah, you got it all wrong," Shibi Aburame pushed up his sunglasses, his face dead serious. "Minato's probably planning to marry into her clan. Uzumaki Lucky—it's got a ring to it!"
The two of them had been hanging around Sarutobi Ryo for so long, they even started joking like him. This was definitely Ryo's influence—an epidemic of bad jokes and big grins.
"Teacher! There's a perfect seat right in front of Minato. How about letting the new student sit there?" Sarutobi Ryo cupped his hands around his mouth, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
Kujou Diru glanced at Namikaze Minato and gave a nod. He liked Minato. And if Minato helped the new girl fit in, it'd be smooth sailing.
"Kushina, you can sit there."
Uzumaki Kushina nodded, her brows scrunched up like she was already mad at the universe, and stomped her way over to the seat right in front of Minato. She plopped down with a thud.
For the entire class, the students whispered and gossiped, while Namikaze Minato spent the entire time staring at that bright red hair like it was the answer to all of life's mysteries.
The class zipped by, and as soon as the bell rang, a pack of troublemaking boys dashed over, pointing at Kushina and grinning like they'd just found the world's biggest joke.
"Tomato! From now on, you're Tomato! Your face is big and round, your hair's red—you're basically a walking, talking tomato!"
"Hahahaha! Perfect!"
"Tomato!!!"
"Red Tomato!"
"It's tomato season! Time to harvest!"
The little jerks started pulling on Kushina's long red hair, giggling like it was the funniest thing in the world.
"Who the heck are you calling Tomato?!"
Kushina's eyes flared, and for a second, it looked like her hair was about to catch fire.
Without another word, she grabbed the kid pulling her hair.
And in the next moment—WHAM!—she swung him around like she was practicing her judo throws.
She pounced on another boy, riding him like a makeshift horse, fists flying like she was trying out for Taijutsu Club.
"Tomato, huh?! You think I'm some kind of joke?! I'll make you taste some real pain!"
The boys scattered like stray cats, crying for their moms...
"Wow... she's kinda fierce. I'm not sure if Minato's noodle arms are ready for that," Akimichi Yoshimaru remarked, shoving another rice cracker into his mouth.
"Eh, he'll be fine... I think," Shibi Aburame added, though he didn't sound entirely convinced.
Namikaze Minato just watched the whole scene quietly. When he saw that Kushina had handled it herself, he smiled. Of course, she's strong...
"That guy's name is Meathead. I think he's got a big brother named Musclehead. The new girl might have some trouble coming her way," Sarutobi Ryo whispered to Minato like he was spilling state secrets.
"Yeah, I heard. Musclehead is even a Genin. But honestly, one-on-one, he's not a match for Minato. And definitely not against the four of us," Shibi Aburame said confidently, adjusting his shades like a secret agent.
"Perfect! After school, we'll set up shop and wait for 'em. Minato, you get to play the hero and save the princess. The rest of us will handle the cleanup!" Sarutobi Ryo declared, pumping his fist like he'd just invented the best battle plan ever.
"Actually... I think we're all classmates. If we could just talk things out and clear up misunderstandings, maybe there's no need to fight," Minato said with that annoyingly sincere smile.
"Minato, your optimism is exhausting," Sarutobi Ryo sighed, rubbing his temples like he'd just heard the dumbest idea ever.
"But we're all from the same village. We're even classmates. Why make things so tense?" Minato insisted.
"Whatever, man. You've been this way since we were kids. Makes the rest of us look like villains," Ryo replied with a shrug.
"No way, you guys are my closest friends!" Minato clapped Ryo on the back, beaming.
"I believe you... for now. Not so sure in a while," Ryo snorted.
"Yeah, I mean, none of us have red hair," Akimichi Yoshimaru said, munching on another rice cracker.
"And we're... uh, a lot less punchy," Shibi Aburame added, pushing up his shades.
For the next few days, the four of them kept an eye on Kushina from the shadows.
To his credit, Meathead had some self-respect. He only brought a couple of guys to hassle her each day after school, but he never called his big brother.
"They're here. We finally caught our prey," Shibi Aburame whispered, perched in a tree like some kind of ninja owl.
"About time! All this sneaking around is cutting into my snack time," Akimichi Yoshimaru complained, patting his grumbling stomach.
"Easy? I dunno. They've got three guys, and they look like a squad," Shibi Aburame said, his shades glinting.
"Musclehead is yours, Minato. I'll take one, and you two handle the last. Keep it clean—I don't want to be writing apology letters in the Hokage's office," Sarutobi Ryo whispered, cracking his knuckles.
"Alright, time to move," Minato said, his eyes sharp and focused.
Minato leapt down from the tree, landing so gracefully it looked like he'd practiced it a hundred times. With a clean kick, he knocked Muscleheads hand right off Kushina's hair.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The other three shot towards their targets like they were on some kind of invisible rail.
The two other Genin tried to act tough, cracking their knuckles and rolling their shoulders... for about four seconds. Then they were eating dirt, pinned to the ground by three grinning kids.
Minato finished up Musclehead a bit slower—he was trying not to hurt the guy. But in the end, he got the job done.
Turning to Kushina, he smiled and said, "I don't think red hair is bad. I think it's beautiful. What matters isn't hair color, it's what you do with your life."
"My name is Namikaze Minato. I hope we can be friends."
The look on her face was absolutely priceless.