"Could you all quiet down, please?"
A stern voice cut through the chatter. It was Nishimura-sensei, standing at the podium with his usual dark expression.
At once, the students fell silent.
"Kushina, please find a seat quickly," Nishimura said. His tone shifted immediately, his face softening into a beaming smile now that he was addressing the new student.
Hayashi frowned. Typical. Because she was personally introduced by the Hokage, Nishimura treated her with warmth. But to the rest of them—the so-called "flowers of Konoha"—he showed only his strictest glare.
Leaning closer to her, Nishimura lowered his voice. "Be careful, Kushina-san. There are many troublemakers in this class. Stay away from them, and you'll be fine if you just follow my advice."
"Yes, Sensei. I'll stay away from dangerous people," Kushina replied loudly.
"Quiet, quiet," Nishimura said quickly, waving his hands nervously. "Anyway, please go take your seat."
Scanning the room, Kushina noticed the only open spot was in front of Hayashi. Adjusting the strap of her backpack, she walked over and sat down.
"Hey, Hayashi, isn't that Nawaki's seat?" Minato whispered, nudging his arm.
"Yeah," Hayashi said softly. "But wasn't Nawaki dragged away by Tsunade-san? She joked about selling him off to the Land of Earth to mine. Since Sensei didn't say anything, it should be fine."
Minato's expression stiffened. Apparently, no one else in the class had even noticed Nawaki's absence. He really was one of those people who blended into the background.
Hayashi turned toward Minato with curiosity. "So, what did Jiraiya-san teach you this week?"
Minato avoided his gaze. "What did Tsunade-sama teach you?"
Hayashi sighed dramatically. "Minato, you've changed. The other day, when we were eating ramen, you promised to tell me everything. But ever since Jiraiya-sama started dragging you along for… research, you've been keeping secrets."
"…" Minato gave him a helpless look.
In front of them, Kushina leaned slightly back, pretending to read her book but clearly listening in. Resting her elbow on Hayashi's desk, she turned her head.
"Good morning, Hayashi," she said shyly.
"Morning, Kushina. Welcome to the academy," Hayashi answered warmly, then shot a subtle glance toward Mikoto and Minato.
"She's Nawaki's distant cousin. Just arrived in Konoha yesterday," he explained quietly.
Kushina's face flushed a deep red. She clearly wasn't used to greeting new people.
Mikoto, perceptive as always, quickly played along. She kept her eyes on her textbook and said softly, "Hello, Uzumaki-san."
"Y-yes, that's me," Kushina stammered.
"My name is Uchiha Mikoto. Please take care of me."
Kushina's blush deepened. "I'm Uzumaki Kushina. Please take care of me too."
Minato leaned forward with his usual gentle smile. "Nice to meet you, Kushina."
"Mm-hm. Just call me Kushina," she replied, her voice still small.
After a pause, she turned back to Hayashi. "By the way, are you feeling better? I heard you were hurt."
Hayashi grimaced, remembering Tsunade's brutal training. "Yeah, I'm fine now."
"Then… do you know what happened to Nawaki? Has he really been sent away?" Kushina asked, concern flashing in her eyes.
Before Hayashi could answer, the classroom suddenly grew quiet. Everyone turned to see Nawaki walk in, his entire body covered in thick bandages.
If Hayashi had to describe him, he looked less like a student and more like a mummy.
"Nawaki?" Hayashi blurted, shocked. It had only been a few days since he last saw him, yet now he looked like this.
"Hey, hey, Hayashi, don't make that face," Nawaki grumbled through the bandages. "Do I really look that bad? No way, that's impossible. I'm still handsome!"
"Kushina, sorry about this," Hayashi said dryly. "Not exactly the best first impression, huh? Nawaki's scary appearance must've startled you."
"Not true!" Nawaki objected loudly. "Look at my shining eyes, my strong face, my well-built figure. Does this look like an ugly monster to you?"
Hayashi smirked. "Actually, that bandaged look of yours isn't half bad. Someone I know would probably find you very interesting."
"Oh? Who is it? Tell me!"
"An Uchiha, of course."
"Which girl in your clan?" Nawaki leaned forward eagerly.
"Uchiha… Cool."
Nawaki froze. "…What?!"
"Quiet down over there!" Nishimura-sensei barked from the podium, glaring at them. "Do you think this is a playground?"
Hayashi pressed his lips together, hiding a smile.
"Rope Tree—" Nishimura caught himself. "Nawaki, find a seat quickly."
Hayashi bit back laughter, though Minato was already snickering beside him.
Nishimura rapped the podium with his knuckles, but after only a few taps, the wood gave way with a loud crack, collapsing into a pile of splinters. He stood frozen for a moment, his face pale.
"…I'll get a replacement podium. Everyone, wait here. Nawaki, sit down."
And with that, the embarrassed teacher hurried out of the classroom.
The moment he left, the students burst into chatter again.
"I told you already," Hayashi muttered with a smirk, "the school budget's been embezzled by the principal."
Minato let out a weary chuckle, shaking his head.
Nawaki, with no seat left in front, sat down next to Minato. His bandaged frame made him look even more out of place.
Hayashi watched him, a quiet thought crossing his mind. So it was true—out of all the Sannin, Tsunade was the one you could never afford to cross.
---
Updates might come a bit slower for a while.School resumed, My final year has started, and I'm currently focused on my project work and defense preparations. I'll still be posting whenever I can, just at a steadier pace for now (ㆁωㆁ)