In the Academy classroom.
The teacher explained basic ninjutsu theory in a steady, flat voice. The content was standard fare, all fundamentals.
The techniques covered included things like hiding and rope escape that required no chakra.
For most of the class, many of whom were civilians, this made sense.
For Uchiha Jin, it was far too simple, but in a peaceful era the Academy favored a gradual approach.
He listened with a fill-in-the-gaps mindset, treating it like a review.
RING RING RING!
Fortunately the periods were short. As the bell rang, the room filled at once with chirping chatter.
Jin was about to rest his eyes and pay a visit to the Holy Master in the seal when footsteps cut the plan short.
He opened his eyes to a blaze of red hair.
Uzumaki Kushina stood at his desk with a neat lunch box in both hands, a touch of unease on her face.
"Uchiha Jin, right? I am Uzumaki Kushina." Her voice was gentler than yesterday.
"I know. You introduced yourself yesterday," Jin replied evenly.
At the mention of the fiasco, color rushed to her pale cheeks and even the tips of her ears turned pink.
"About yesterday, I have not thanked you yet. This is my thanks." She rattled it off, set the box on his desk, and hurried back to her seat before he could answer.
The brief exchange was a stone tossed into still water. Ripples spread through the class.
Several girls huddled together, pointing in Kushina's direction, their whispers peppered with words like sly and sneaking ahead.
Jin's fearsome reputation aside, his handsome looks and composure beyond his years had drawn plenty of attention.
No one had dared approach because of his keep-out aura.
Seeing the transfer student cross that line first naturally stirred a small commotion.
Jin ignored it and opened the box.
Inside were cute rice balls arranged in neat rows, and a small dish of pickled plums. It was clearly a carefully prepared gift.
He tried one. The taste was better than expected.
He glanced toward Kushina and found her peeking at him, clearly watching for his reaction.
"Tastes good. Thank you," he said softly. It was not loud, but just enough for her to hear from the back row.
Her shoulders dipped an inch, the relief obvious.
After he cleared the box, the teacher returned and began the next lesson.
...
Sunset bled west.
The day's classes ended.
Kushina sat alone by the window, packing her stationery at a slow crawl.
"Want to walk together?"
The cool voice came at her desk. Kushina jerked her head up and saw Jin standing there, her lunch box in his hand.
Light fell from behind him, edging him in gold while his expression hid in shadow.
"Y-yes." She grabbed the box, fumbled her last few items into her bag, and felt the heat creep up beneath her red hair.
They left the gate one after the other and blended into the village at dusk.
Shops lit lanterns. Food scents drifted along the street.
Jin walked ahead, neither fast nor slow. Kushina followed half a step behind, sneaking looks at his profile.
"Um... the lunch box..."
"It was good," Jin said without turning. "The plums were seasoned just right."
The simple praise made her eyes shine. She trotted two steps to walk beside him, red hair swaying in the evening breeze.
"Really? I made them myself. Back in Uzushio, my mom taught me..."
Once the box opened, it would not close.
Her voice grew louder, her gestures wider, as if she meant to pour out everything she had been holding in.
She spoke of Uzushio's blue sea, of elders who were strict yet kind, of odd sights on the road to the Leaf.
Jin listened in silence, nodding now and then, offering brief replies.
His gaze stayed forward, but his pace slowed without a trace to match her rhythm.
"...then they laughed at my hair. Called me tomato head and all that..."
Her voice dropped. She idly twisted a lock of red hair. "No one ever said that in Uzushio..."
"Red is a rare color," Jin said suddenly. "In the Uchiha, black hair is the norm."
Kushina looked up in surprise. Jin was gazing toward the Uchiha compound in the distance, his profile sharp in the twilight.
He turned back with a faint smile. "So your red hair is special."
Her face flushed instantly, brighter than her hair. She ducked her head, and her steps turned light.
They passed the busy market and entered the quiet residential blocks.
Her talk shifted from complaints to hopes for the future. She wanted to become a strong kunoichi, to earn everyone's recognition, to...
Their path brought them into the village's inner ring, where the great clans lived.
The Uchiha were settled here as well, and it seemed Kushina had been placed nearby.
They would part ways ahead. She grew a little flustered.
"Um... tomorrow..."
"See you tomorrow." Jin turned away, his shadow stretching long beneath the streetlamp.
Kushina stood watching the dark figure until he was gone, then murmured, barely above a whisper, "See you tomorrow."