It was early morning, and the paths of Konoha were already bustling with students hurrying to the Ninja Academy.
But as soon as anyone in the crowd spotted that striking head of red hair, "Tsk! Let's go, let's go!"
"Don't block his way."
"Stay away, I don't want any trouble."
Students automatically cleared a path, literally opening a way for Ryo, their eyes avoiding him as if he were a plague.
Who in their right mind would deliberately cross his path? Did they think they were tough enough to take a beating?
What about Ryo himself?
He couldn't even be bothered to lift an eyelid at these glancing eyes.
He was used to it.
Anyway, he wasn't rushing to school to see these people's faces. He had only one real task, catching up on sleep, to fiercely replenish his health bar after that devilish training last night.
With faint dark circles under his eyes, his steps conveyed a numb "don't talk to me" vibe, his mind drifting with two big words: Sleepy. Tired.
Meanwhile, in the old mansion of the Senju clan.
"Ugh… just five more minutes of sleep… just five minutes…"
Kushina was groggily lingering in bed, the warm covers clinging to her like suction cups.
Completely forgetting about waking up early for school.
Uzumaki Mito slowly sipped her tea in the next room. Hearing no movement from Kushina's room, her lips curved into a smile.
Little girl, it's time you learned a lesson. She wasn't in a hurry at all.
Children, after all, would remember after being scolded by the teacher for being late once.
A thin-skinned girl like her would surely not dare to lie in bed again.
"Huuu-ah." When Kushina finally groggily opened her eyes and caught sight of the bright sun outside the window…
"Oh no!! I'm going to be late!!!" She sprang out of bed, as anxious as a cat with its tail stepped on.
"Grandma Mito, why didn't you wake me up!!"
The little girl frantically pulled on her clothes, shouting outside with a tearful voice.
Rushing to the sink, she hastily splashed water on her face, grabbed her hair and tied it up carelessly, but her red hair still defiantly sprouted a few unruly strands.
Breakfast?
No time for that.
Kushina stormed out the door like a whirlwind, her short legs pattering as she ran wildly toward school.
When she rushed to the main gate, the corner of her eye caught sight of the lunch bento on the table, specially prepared for her by Grandma Mito…
Damn it! She forgot her lunch too!!! Kushina wailed inwardly, but her feet didn't stop.
"Never mind, I'll deal with it after school! Just go!"
By the time Kushina, panting and flushed, arrived at the classroom door…
Teacher Kimura Shū was already enthusiastically lecturing at the blackboard with chalk in hand.
The entire class's attention, with a "swish," instantly focused on the red-haired little girl leaning on the doorframe, still gasping for air.
The air solidified for two seconds.
Kimura frowned. "Uzumaki Kushina-san?"
"Y-yes! I'm sorry, Teacher! I… I overslept!"
Kushina's face was beet red, her head bowed low, feeling dozens of gazes piercing her like needles.
A faint "hoo… roo…" came from the back row by the window, Ryo's peaceful mumbling in his sleep, making Kushina's current discomfiture even more apparent.
Kimura looked at the little girl's embarrassed face. After all, she was a new student, and it was her first time being late.
He sighed and waved his hand. "Never mind, since it's your first offense, go back to your seat. Be careful next time."
"Y-yes… thank you, Sensei!" Kushina felt as if she had been granted a great pardon, wishing she could bury her head in her chest and scurried back to her exclusive seat by the window.
Passing by Minato, he cast a gentle and worried glance her way.
Kushina didn't understand his gaze, only feeling that this sissy was mocking her, making her face even hotter, with anger.
Embarrassing. So embarrassing.
The little person in her heart was already banging against the wall.
Sitting in her seat, she heard Kimura's continued lecture, her deskmate Ryo's steady snoring behind her, and faint, uncontrollable snickers.
Kushina wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
Time crawled by.
What was the teacher talking about?
Kushina didn't hear a single word.
"Grumble grumble."
A sound so loud that Kushina wanted to die on the spot came from her empty stomach.
It was so clear that students in the front and back rows probably heard it.
She froze.
Ryo, who was sleeping soundly beside her, seemed to "hmm?" and shifted his position, thankfully not waking up.
The consequences of skipping breakfast began to retaliate without warning.
Hunger was like a small hand, constantly scratching at her stomach.
She was so annoyed she almost cried.
Grandma Mito is too mean! Why didn't she just wake me up this morning! Now I'm not only being laughed at by the whole class for being late, but I'm also hungry! My bento! It's still on the table at home…
Kushina desperately sprawled on her desk, pressing her arms tightly against her stomach, trying to suppress the hunger.
But the more she pressed, the clearer the feeling became.
Hungry, wronged, and humiliated.
Kushina vowed never to sleep in again.
Glancing at her red-haired deskmate who was sleeping soundly, the girl felt even more annoyed.
Although Ryo was innocently sleeping soundly at this moment, it didn't stop the girl from taking out her anger on him.
The Ninja Academy didn't have many classes. Usually, there were only two in the morning, but each class was as long and tedious.
Finally!
"Ding-a-ling-a-ling."
The dismissal bell sounded sweeter than celestial music.
It was lunchtime.
The classroom immediately became lively, filled with the sounds of lunchboxes opening and the aroma of food.
This aroma was double torture for Kushina, who had been hungry for two classes all morning and whose stomach was rebelling.
She covered her face with a worried expression.
What should I do… Should I go home to eat? There's not enough time to go back and forth! Am I going to spend the afternoon hungry too?
Just thinking about it made her vision go black.
Just as Kushina was in a dilemma, worrying about her tragic lunch…
The little blonde boy in the front seat picked up his lunchbox, turned back, and glanced at the distressed Kushina a few times, wanting to pluck up the courage to walk over.
The little blonde, who had been paying attention to the girl, had, of course, heard Kushina's stomach rumbling that morning.
However, just then…
"Ugh… hmm?" A lazy groan came from beside her.
Kushina's unshakeable deskmate, the "Sleeping Tyrant" Ryo, was finally awakened by his lunch biological clock.
He rubbed his sleepy eyes and stretched with a huge yawn.
Making Kushina inwardly grumble: Did sleeping suck all his energy?
Then Ryo, very naturally and unhurriedly, pulled out a large, tightly wrapped bento package from his desk.
No need to guess, it was definitely the luxurious product of last night's hundred-pound cooking.
The aroma of food seemed to subtly waft out from the package, precisely entering Kushina's nose…
Kushina: "…"
She was even hungrier now, hey.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ If you enjoy the story, please consider leaving a review, it helps a lot!
◇ Don't forget to add the book to your library.