"Next, Namikaze Minato!"
As the highly popular genius of the class, Minato's appearance immediately sparked a wave of cheers.
And he lived up to expectations, hitting all ten targets with a perfect score.
While others took ten separate throws to finish, he only needed four, yet every shuriken landed precisely on the bullseye!
His throwing movements were fast and elegant, clean and sharp, making him look incredibly cool.
This display charmed many of the girls in the class, and even some of the boys couldn't help but applaud—including Ryun at this moment...
"That kid is impressive! Do either of you know his name?" Jiraiya asked, immediately interested in Minato.
"Namikaze Minato, a rare little genius, the top-ranked student in the grade, and it seems he's quite popular too," Orochimaru commented.
"Namikaze Minato, huh..."
Jiraiya memorized the name.
'Minato really has been cool since childhood!'
Ryun couldn't help but admire Namikaze Minato's skills and charisma—he truly stood out.
If Ryun didn't secretly train harder, he might really have been overshadowed by him.
"What's so great about that? Ryun can even do collision-style kunai multi-hits..."
Kushina muttered under her breath, her small face full of defiance.
When she scored 98, only a few cheered for her. When Ryun scored 94, only a few clapped for him. But when Minato stepped up, even before he threw anything, a huge crowd was already cheering for him...
She didn't deny Minato's popularity, but she firmly believed Ryun was better than him.
It's just that this "sneaky" guy was too reserved—he never went all out in front of others...
Except when trash-talking...
"Look at Minato, then look at you now... You used to be pretty popular too, so why are you becoming less and less liked?"
Kushina glared at Ryun, her expression full of frustration.
Ryun didn't expect to get hit while just standing there.
The next moment, he clasped his hands behind his head and gave his reason:
"We're now the infamous 'Black and Red Duo' of the school. They all say I'm your lackey..."
"That bastard Satō even keeps telling people I'm your kid, so no one wants to hang out with me anymore... Can you really blame me for having no popularity?"
Hearing this, Kushina's face instantly turned red with embarrassment. She felt utterly humiliated...
The key was that this guy could say such things without feeling awkward at all... His face was really thick!!!
Seeing Ryun's indifferent attitude, Kushina immediately got angry.
"Are you just going to let him talk nonsense like that? Don't you dare hit him?"
"I did... You know how well that worked, right?" Ryun said helplessly.
"..."
Kushina was momentarily speechless.
"Later, I'll see if I can find a chance to take him out!"
Ryun even made a throat-slitting gesture.
Seeing Ryun's serious expression, Kushina was instantly startled.
She quickly grabbed Ryun's arm, urging him not to act rashly.
"No way. Those who insult me, no matter how long it takes, must die!"
Ryun said sternly with a dark expression.
When Ryun even shouted the slogan "No matter how long it takes, must die!"... it seemed he was genuinely furious. Kushina was so scared that she hurriedly tried to calm him down:
"It's not that serious... That bastard is annoying, but he doesn't deserve to die... Calm down, don't do anything stupid, and don't stoop to his level..."
Kushina held Ryun's arm, forcing a smile, her heart pounding in fear. She was really worried Ryun might try to assassinate Satō during the summer break...
If he actually did that... things would get really bad!
"Don't stoop to his level? Too late!"
Ryun snorted coldly, his eyes fixed on Satō in the crowd.
"I'm... really pissed off right now!"
Satō suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but shiver...
"Ah... y-you, calm down!"
Kushina hurriedly cupped Ryun's face with her hands, preventing him from looking at Satō any further, lest he really "lose control"...
"How about... I-I'll beat him up for you? Just vent your anger and let it go... You can't actually do something stupid, okay?"
"Are you... worried about me?"
Feeling the warmth of Kushina's palms, Ryun suddenly changed his tone, his eyes "sincere" as he played with the ambiguity...
Hearing this, Kushina's face instantly turned from pale to bright red.
"Hey hey... What are those two doing?"
Jiraiya, as if seeing something interesting, exclaimed excitedly.
"First cupping his face, then blushing shyly... Are they about to... kiss next???"
"Shut up!"
Before Jiraiya could finish, Tsunade punched him away. Her expression was grim.
Kushina was like a little sister to her, and she couldn't just let early romance slide...
After dealing with Jiraiya, Tsunade angrily wanted to go confront Ryun, but Orochimaru grabbed her arm.
"Don't disturb the kids during their exam. It probably isn't what that idiot Jiraiya thinks..."
Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, the ambiguous atmosphere between Kushina and Ryun disappeared.
Because the moment Ryun saw that big, red face up close, he couldn't keep up the act and suddenly burst out laughing!
Realizing she'd been fooled again, Kushina was so angry she started beating Ryun until he fled with his hands over his head.
After the final outdoor class ended, all the students returned to the classroom. Instructor Koda had already graded their tests while they were outside, and each student received their final evaluations.
Ryun and Kushina were among the top students, while Minato was one of the rare elite students.
After assigning summer homework, Koda bid farewell to the students.
Once he left, some students rushed out of the school excitedly, while others stayed in the classroom to say goodbye to their friends.
"Ryun, Kushina, see you next semester!"
Minato, carrying his backpack, came over to say goodbye before heading home.
"Yeah, see you next semester!"
Ryun smiled and extended his hand. Minato grinned and shook it.
"See you next semester, Minato!"
Kushina bowed slightly. This time, she didn't glare at him—after all, she was a polite girl.
After Minato left, Kushina dropped the act. She kicked Ryun in the shin, making him grimace in pain.
"Tch, enough already... I already apologized, and you just beat me up again. Still not satisfied?"
"What are your plans for the break?"
Ignoring his complaints, Kushina put her hands on her hips and asked directly.
"What else? Keep training, of course..." Ryun rubbed his shin and answered reflexively.
"In a few days, I'll teach you sealing jutsu."
"Uh... You should've taught me earlier!"
"Then I won't teach you."
"Then I won't teach you tree-walking or shadow clones either."
"You dare?"
Kushina clenched her fists, cracking her knuckles.
"..."
Outside the school gates, the two waved goodbye. For them, there would be plenty of time to meet during the break, so there was no special sentimentality.
As Ryun walked home, a figure suddenly appeared, blocking his path.
"Orochimaru-sama... what a surprise!"
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