During the morning class, Uchiha Hikaru felt extremely uneasy. He could clearly feel Uzumaki Kushina's gaze falling on him almost every three or four minutes.
This made Uchiha Hikaru feel like, "Oh no, she's coming for me." If he could, Uchiha Hikaru really wanted to shout at Uzumaki Kushina, "Don't come any closer!"
If he had known this earlier, he wouldn't have helped Uzumaki Kushina solve her problem.
Being targeted by Hiruzen Sarutobi was still manageable, as he could act like a normal person. But if he were to be noticed by Danzo Shimura, wouldn't he be doomed?
He still needed time to grow.
With the nourishment of Indra's chakra, Uchiha Hikaru was confident he could grow into a top-tier expert. Through the combat space, Uchiha Hikaru could also fight against various strong individuals, so he wouldn't lack combat experience in the future.
Last night, Uchiha Hikaru used up his remaining three challenge opportunities and regretfully realized that he couldn't defeat anyone at the moment.
A Jonin was not someone he, at his current age, could contend with.
Even Kotetsu Hagane, an experienced Chunin, managed to defeat Uchiha Hikaru despite their initial exchange; Uchiha Hikaru primarily lost due to lack of experience.
And after failing the challenges, the combat space lost the challenge opportunities for those individuals.
Uchiha Hikaru knew how devious Danzo was, and there was a high probability that he was also the killer of his father.
He just wanted to get through his school years peacefully, why was it so difficult?
The morning classes finally ended. Just as Uchiha Hikaru was about to go find Uchiha Mikoto, Uzumaki Kushina quietly walked up to him. Uchiha Hikaru could clearly sense that she was a little nervous.
"Is there something you need, Uzumaki-san?" Uchiha Hikaru sighed inwardly and asked.
"Thank you for speaking up for me earlier." Uzumaki Kushina mustered her courage and looked at Uchiha Hikaru seriously, "Can I call you Hikaru-kun?"
Uchiha Hikaru's mouth twitched. Hikaru-kun? Are we that familiar?
He glanced at Minato Namikaze, who was not far away, and saw him observing them with a happy expression.
Look, keep looking, and you won't have a wife anymore, alright?
"We're all classmates, and besides, I was just speaking the truth," Uchiha Hikaru said, waving his hand nonchalantly.
"Is that so?" Uzumaki Kushina nodded thoughtfully. Uchiha Hikaru was as gentle as his father.
Just as Uzumaki Kushina was about to say something, a familiar figure walked into the classroom, carrying a lunchbox.
Uchiha Mikoto noticed Uzumaki Kushina not far from Uchiha Hikaru and was clearly surprised. She walked up to Uchiha Hikaru and smiled sweetly, "Hikaru, it's time to eat."
"Okay!" Uchiha Hikaru nodded slightly, then looked at Uzumaki Kushina beside him. "Uzumaki-san, if there's nothing else, we should have lunch.
Lunchtime is only an hour. If we don't eat quickly, we'll have to wait until after school in the afternoon."
The lunch break at the ninja academy wasn't long, but classes ended early in the afternoon, before three o'clock.
Of course, some diligent students would also train in the school's training grounds.
This was somewhat like a "happy teaching" approach; whether one could truly become an excellent ninja depended entirely on their self-discipline.
"Lunch?" Uzumaki Kushina's face stiffened. She seemed to have forgotten to bring her lunch. What should she do? Should she go home to eat? But with the round trip, plus the time to eat lunch, an hour simply wasn't enough!
"Did you forget your lunch, classmate? If you don't mind, I can share my bento with you." Uchiha Mikoto noticed Uzumaki Kushina's predicament and extended an invitation to her in a gentle tone.
"Eh? Is that okay? Won't you go hungry?" Uzumaki Kushina's gaze lingered on the two bento boxes for a moment; they seemed to contain many delicious foods.
Even she couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.
Before Uzushiogakure's destruction, Uzumaki Kushina was a princess, but what a princess ate wasn't necessarily gourmet food. Ultimately, Uzushiogakure was just a small island nation.
Eating fish was no problem, but when it came to mountain delicacies, Uzumaki Kushina truly hadn't eaten much.
Uchiha Mikoto noticed Uzumaki Kushina's small gestures and found it a bit amusing. This classmate seemed very genuine and cute: "It's fine, I make extra every day.
It's enough for both of us."
"Okay, then I won't be shy," Uzumaki Kushina's expression was conflicted for a moment, then she looked at Uchiha Mikoto with immense gratitude.
Indeed, there were still many good people in Konoha.
This girl should also be from the Uchiha clan.
Uchiha Kagami, Uchiha Hikaru, and Uchiha Mikoto—what a warm family they were!
When she was in Uzushiogakure, Uzumaki Kushina had heard of the Uchiha clan's reputation. Some even called the Uchiha clan an inherently evil clan, supposedly a private remark made by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, that was overheard and spread.
But hearing is one thing, seeing is believing. Grandma Mito had no ill will towards the Uchiha clan, and now she had met three good Uchihas herself.
Perhaps it wasn't the Uchiha who were evil, but the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
Indeed, people's prejudices are like a great mountain.
"Delicious, absolutely delicious!"
"Mikoto, did you make this? I've decided, you're going to be my best friend for life."
Faced with Uzumaki Kushina devouring her food with such gusto, Uchiha Hikaru and Uchiha Mikoto couldn't help but exchange glances. It was as if Uzumaki Kushina had never been full before.
This was a bit too exaggerated.
Even Uchiha Hikaru shared some of his lunch with Uzumaki Kushina, which further improved her impression of him and Uchiha Mikoto.
They were all good people! She was determined to be best friends with Uchiha Hikaru and Uchiha Mikoto for life.
For Uzumaki Kushina, who was new to Konoha, a little care and help were invaluable.
Just like in the original story, the relationship between Minato Namikaze and Uzumaki Kushina likely had this aspect to it.
Thinking of this, Uchiha Hikaru sighed faintly. He couldn't deliberately distance himself from Uzumaki Kushina; that would be too obvious and would attract attention.
Moreover, giving a girl the silent treatment wasn't something he could do; it didn't align with the "Will of Fire" at all.
Forget it, he'd just take it one step at a time!
Little did he know, all of this was under Hiruzen Sarutobi's control. At this stage, they hadn't decided to make Uzumaki Kushina the jinchuriki; she was still just a candidate.