A small Wind Release swirled in Uchiha Hayashi's hand as he sat beneath a tall tree. With a relaxed grin, he fanned himself with the breeze while sipping iced watermelon juice.
The chilled sweetness washed away his drowsiness, refreshing both body and mind.
"Iced watermelon juice, perfection," Hayashi murmured, shaking the cup slightly before letting out a satisfied sigh.
The drink itself had been sealed into a storage scroll by Mikoto earlier, making it the perfect treat under the blazing sun.
"Cool to the core, makes your heart soar," he chuckled.
"Um… Hayashi, what just happened? Why does everyone look so miserable?" Kushina tilted her head, puzzled. She had just woken up from a nap and had been spared the ordeal.
"Well, let's just say… we suffered through Uncle Nishimura's verbal 'training.' No, actually—it was more like a mental genjutsu attack," Hayashi replied, still shivering at the memory.
"It's normal for Teacher Nishimura to scold us if we skip class," Mikoto said quietly, her hands busy pulling more fruit out of a small scroll.
"That's not the point, Mikoto. We had a very valid reason to run," Nawaki insisted, grabbing a drink of his own.
"If we had stayed in those seats any longer, all the moisture in our bodies would've dried up! Isn't that right, Minato?"
"Haha, Nawaki's right. Our seats were directly under the harshest sunlight. Honestly, it was unbearable," Minato admitted, scratching his head with an embarrassed smile.
Hayashi found himself staring at Minato for a moment. A few years back, Minato would never have thought of skipping class. Yet here he was, laughing along with Nawaki. Clearly, environment shapes people. Hayashi mused that Nawaki's talent for leading others astray was truly formidable—though, truth be told, Hayashi had been the one to suggest skipping in the first place.
But he now understood the true value of curtains. They weren't just for privacy in certain "moments." They were shields against merciless sunlight.
"My seat wasn't hot, so I didn't notice," Kushina shrugged.
"Mine either, not much sunlight there," Mikoto added.
"But our seats? Just sitting there felt like torture! And with Teacher Nishimura's boring lessons, it was impossible to endure!" Nawaki argued.
"How bad was it, really?" Kushina asked curiously.
"Hmm, about as bad as Nawaki's intelligence," Hayashi replied dryly.
"Oh. Then yes, that's a suffering no ordinary person could endure," Kushina nodded seriously.
"…"
"Anyway, what did Teacher Nishimura say at the end of class? I was half-conscious by then," Nawaki asked.
"He said it's our turn again for school cleanup," Hayashi sighed.
"What?! But we just did that last year!" Nawaki exploded.
"Oh, he said last year was fourth grade's duty. This year, it's the fifth grade's turn," Hayashi explained helplessly.
"… Nishimura-sensei, doesn't your conscience ache?" Nawaki muttered bitterly.
Just then, Minato's expression turned thoughtful. "Actually, something Teacher Nishimura said caught my attention. He mentioned that the atmosphere in the village has been unusual lately, almost like martial law. That's never happened before."
Everyone turned toward him.
"Now that you mention it, I heard from my sister that there's been rising tension between the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass. And Grass is supposed to be our ally," Nawaki added, puffing his chest as if he were Konoha's secret informant.
Hayashi's thoughts turned serious. War… If he remembered correctly, the Second Great Ninja War erupted around this time. The manga had never specified the exact trigger. But now, he could feel the shadow of battle drawing closer.
In his past life, war had been nothing but a distant concept. Here, it was inevitable that one day he would march onto the battlefield.
"I wonder if I'll come back alive once the war starts," Nawaki said suddenly, his smile oddly bright for such grim words.
"As long as you don't get yourself blown up by an explosive tag, you should be fine," Hayashi answered firmly.
"Don't be ridiculous! How dumb would I have to be to get taken out by something that obvious?" Nawaki snapped back. "Besides, I've still got wishes to fulfill. I can't die yet."
"Oh? What wishes?" Hayashi asked, raising an eyebrow. "Better tell us now in case you don't get another chance."
"Well, for starters, I don't even have a girlfriend yet," Nawaki declared with perfect seriousness.
Hayashi let out a sigh of mock sympathy. "Then I'm afraid your first wish will remain unfulfilled."
"Hey, my standards aren't high!" Nawaki insisted.
"Really? So, what matters more—beauty or personality?" Hayashi asked.
"… Can't I just have both?"
Hayashi loosened his collar, feeling suffocated by Nawaki's words. Then, without hesitation, he kicked him.
"This is what you call low standards?!"
"…"
"…Let's just pretend I didn't see anything," Minato muttered, quietly looking away.
He honestly couldn't understand Nawaki's obsession with finding a girlfriend at their age. Minato had never once thought that way. To him, the girls in class who tried to confess weren't even half as interesting as Hayashi.
Hayashi was strong, knowledgeable in ninjutsu, and always willing to share. Whenever the two trained together, Minato felt excitement like no other. Over time, Hayashi had become his most trusted friend.
(I smell G@y....)
Compared to that, giggling classmates didn't matter at all. If he had free time, Minato would rather study chakra theory.
"Hey, Hayashi," Minato suddenly called as the two boys walked ahead, leaving Nawaki rubbing his shin.
"What is it?" Hayashi asked, glancing at him.
"Stop fooling around. How about we head to the training ground? It's time for a long-overdue battle of youth." Minato smiled knowingly.
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Milestone
100 Power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter.
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