The entire classroom fell into a deathly silence.
Every child in the class stared in shock at the young face that usually carried such a warm and gentle smile. But now, in the deep blue eyes of Minato Namikaze, there was a fierce and savage glare as he swept his gaze across everyone in front of him.
That look made several timid boys—and even many of the girls—instinctively step backward.
Was this really the same Minato Namikaze they knew?
Not only were Akasaka U's companions frozen in place, but the expression on Kushina Uzumaki's small face was filled with overwhelming shock. Deep within her eyes, a faint trace of joy began to spread quietly.
Perhaps even she herself didn't realize it.
Mikoto Uchiha was equally stunned. However, when she saw that Minato Namikaze was unharmed and that he had saved Kushina Uzumaki, she finally let out a long breath of relief.
Yet soon after, a hint of astonishment appeared in Mikoto Uchiha's eyes.
The movement Minato Namikaze had just performed had been unbelievably fast—far beyond what one would expect from a student at the Ninja Academy.
In fact, from what Mikoto Uchiha knew, even some genin within the Uchiha Clan were only capable of performing at about that level.
Those people were usually at least ten years old, and they received training from chunin and jonin within the clan.
But Minato Namikaze…
He came from an ordinary family, and his parents had passed away. Aside from the academy, he had no other place where he could learn ninja techniques.
So how had he achieved this level of ability?
Before today, Mikoto Uchiha had never realized that Minato Namikaze was this strong.
"Cough—cough!"
The suffocating silence was suddenly broken by a series of painful coughs.
The boy who had been kicked away—Akasaka U—coughed up small traces of blood.
Fortunately, Akasaka U's physical condition was slightly better than most children his age, so he hadn't immediately fainted.
Even so, he could only slump weakly against the hallway wall, unable to stand up.
Not far away, several students walking through the academy hallway had stopped in their tracks, startled by the sudden incident.
Most of them looked frightened.
However, among them stood a black-haired boy who was surrounded by several others.
Unlike the rest, he only frowned slightly, as if deep in thought.
Whoosh!
The black-haired boy had originally intended to enter Minato Namikaze's classroom to see what had happened.
But suddenly, a figure moved past him so quickly that he couldn't even sense it.
In the next moment, that person appeared beside Akasaka U and crouched down with a serious expression.
It was none other than Minato Namikaze's homeroom teacher—
Shirota Hon.
"Akasaka U, are you alright?"
Shirota Hon asked while gently helping him up.
The moment Akasaka U moved, he cried out in pain.
Shirota Hon's eyes immediately noticed something unusual.
Behind Akasaka U, the wall he had slammed into had developed a small crack.
Clearly, the force that had sent him flying had been extremely powerful.
Shirota Hon couldn't help but think carefully.
Who in his class could possibly have produced such strength?
As he pondered this question, he turned his head—and through the back door of the classroom, he saw Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, and the other boys standing nearby.
At that moment, Minato Namikaze's gaze caught his attention.
Within those deep blue eyes, besides the fierce anger, there was also a faint trace of killing intent—something none of the other students had noticed.
These children were only students of the Ninja Academy.
They had never experienced life-and-death situations.
And the person standing there was none other than the famously gentle Minato Namikaze.
Even without asking, Shirota Hon already understood what had happened.
"Okamoto Sato. Nakaya Kaze. Take Akasaka U to the infirmary."
Shirota Hon called out into the classroom.
Two boys standing near Minato Namikaze snapped out of their shock.
They hurried over, and Shirota Hon entrusted Akasaka U to them.
Supporting him on both sides, they carefully carried him toward the academy's medical room.
"Everyone else, go enjoy your lunch break. Stop crowding around."
Shirota Hon spoke loudly in the hallway, dispersing the gathered students.
The black-haired boy who had been watching earlier glanced once more at the crack in the wall where Akasaka U had hit.
A trace of caution appeared in his eyes before he quietly turned and left.
When Shirota Hon entered the classroom, the fierce expression in Minato Namikaze's eyes gradually faded.
Minato Namikaze knew that as long as Shirota Hon was present, no one in the class would dare bully Kushina Uzumaki again.
"Minato, what exactly happened here?"
Shirota Hon asked as he approached him.
His tone held no accusation.
He trusted that Minato Namikaze wouldn't hurt someone without reason.
Hearing this, Minato Namikaze lowered his head and remained silent.
Seeing this, Shirota Hon's expression began to darken slightly.
At that moment, Mikoto Uchiha quickly ran over.
"Shirota-sensei! Akasaka U and the others were bullying Kushina Uzumaki first! Minato Namikaze was just protecting her!"
"What exactly happened?" Shirota Hon asked.
His gaze also shifted toward Kushina Uzumaki.
But the girl looked unusually shy, as if she found it difficult to speak about the situation.
Now fully convinced that Mikoto Uchiha's explanation was true, Shirota Hon gently led her outside the classroom to hear the full story.
After they left, Minato Namikaze—who had been silent the entire time—finally raised his head.
He saw that many of the classmates who used to treat him kindly were now looking at him differently.
There was respect in their eyes…
But also fear.
The situation Minato Namikaze had always worried about had finally happened.
The reason he had always hidden his strength in class was because he didn't want others to think he was different.
Minato Namikaze didn't want to be some once-in-a-generation genius.
He simply wanted to live and study together with everyone else.
The reason he trained so hard to gain strength was only so that he could protect the people of the village.
But if that strength caused others to feel fear and distance toward him…
Then that wasn't the result Minato Namikaze wanted at all.
He sighed softly in his heart.
Avoiding their gazes, he turned to look behind him at Kushina Uzumaki.
The gentle smile returned to his face as he asked softly,
"Kushina Uzumaki… are you alright?"
Kushina Uzumaki instinctively nodded.
The way she looked at Minato Namikaze had clearly changed compared to before.
After a moment, she suddenly bowed toward him.
"I'm sorry about what happened earlier."
Her words left Minato Namikaze completely confused.
Why was she apologizing to him?
What Minato Namikaze didn't know was that earlier, Kushina Uzumaki had thought he looked somewhat soft and unreliable.
It was true—Minato Namikaze's appearance was rather delicate and refined.
To someone unfamiliar with him, he might even seem a little effeminate.
But what Minato Namikaze had just done completely changed Kushina Uzumaki's opinion.
Someone had been willing to stand up for her and confront others on her behalf.
It was the first time something like that had ever happened.
As she thought about it, ripples of emotion appeared in her eyes.
Minato Namikaze noticed the shifting expression in her gaze.
"Thank you!"
Suddenly, Kushina Uzumaki said those words.
Her strange verbal tic returned at the end of the sentence, and a faint blush spread across her slightly round cheeks.
After thanking him, she quickly ran out of the classroom through the back door.
Just then, she brushed past Shirota Hon and Mikoto Uchiha, who were about to come back inside.