"Kekkei Genkai… you… show me again, I didn't see clearly just now…" Kushina swallowed hard and said.
She had almost been scared out of her wits earlier, only catching a brief glimpse. Now that she had recovered, her curiosity flared up.
'She already saw the three tomoe, and that's not clear enough?' Uchiha Ryun was speechless.
"You…"
He was about to say something when a few elementary school students walked into the classroom together.
"Too many people here. I'll show you another time if there's a chance…"
Ryun muttered vaguely, trying to brush it off.
"Uh… fine, but show me after school."
"..."
"Hey hey, stinky tomato, little mutt, what are you two whispering about?" One of the students started picking a fight for no reason.
"Stinky tomato" referred to Uzumaki Kushina, while "little mutt" was aimed at Uchiha Ryun.
Most Uchiha clan members had jet-black hair, but Ryun's long hair was black with a hint of purple, earning him the nickname "little mutt" among his clansmen.
In fact, it was the Uchiha adults who started calling him that, and soon, the kids followed suit.
His mother wasn't from the Uchiha clan but was an "ordinary" villager with purple hair.
The Uchiha bloodline had been slightly diluted, so Ryun's hair wasn't purely black—hence the nickname "little mutt"…
"I'm warning you, if you keep picking fights, you'll end up crying and running to the teacher again."
Kushina glared at the student.
Hit where it hurt, the student immediately flared up.
"Damn stinky tomato, you've run to the teacher plenty of times too! How dare you say that to me?"
"Yeah, yeah, aren't you the one always tattling to the teacher after beating us up?" Another student joined in.
Kushina was the type who not only beat them up but also complained to the teachers that they were the bullies…
The teachers at the academy never cared who was right or wrong—they always sided with Kushina. The boys had suffered plenty of beatings and scoldings, all thanks to her.
This led to an "eternal grudge" between them and Kushina. Even if it meant getting beaten or lectured, they'd still go out of their way to annoy her.
"It's because you guys love acting shamelessly for no reason! Either you're insulting people or pulling my hair…" Kushina huffed angrily.
"Who told you to have such bright red hair? It hurts our eyes! Who else should we curse?"
"Hahaha, exactly, it's all your fault!"
The students burst into laughter. They weren't here to argue logically—they were just being brats.
"Oh yeah, and this little mutt here. Both of you have 'special' hair, no wonder you sit together. A perfect match…"
"Hahaha!"
This set off another round of laughter. In the minds of elementary schoolers, teasing classmates about being a "couple" was just another way to bully them.
Kushina's red hair was disliked by the class, while Ryun's "mutt hair" was seen as "impure blood" by the Uchiha clan—both were outcasts…
"You jerks, get lost! Every single day, buzzing around like flies, so damn annoying!"
Kushina's face turned red with anger, and her strange catchphrase slipped out.
A little more rage, and she'd start throwing punches.
"Sigh…"
Ryun sighed softly. He had been sitting quietly in the classroom, not bothering anyone, not offending anyone… yet trouble still came knocking.
"What? Little mutt, you got a problem? Why the sigh?"
"Well, who'd even like a rotten tomato like her? Being paired with her must be tough…"
Before the student named Satō could finish, Ryun leaned on the desk, carefully examining Kushina's straight red hair.
"The hair color's not bad… kinda cute."
Ryun said it earnestly—he genuinely meant it.
The moment those words left his mouth, everyone froze. Even Kushina herself was stunned…
"You… what did you say? That her hair is 'not bad'? And that Kushina is cute?"
Satō's face twisted in disbelief. He even grabbed a strand of Kushina's hair and tugged it. Since Kushina was too dazed to react, she just stared at Ryun…
They all wondered if they'd misheard.
"Yeah, she is cute. Don't you think so?"
Ryun even pointed directly at her round face. With her bright red hair and round cheeks, plus her sharp fashion sense, Ryun couldn't bring himself to lie.
"Pfft—HAHAHA!"
The students exploded with laughter.
Kushina's face turned even redder than a tomato. She buried her head in her arms, too embarrassed to look at Ryun.
She had always been hot-tempered and fierce, with a naturally combative personality. Every day at school was either spent arguing with boys or fighting them. What classmate would ever call her cute?
Was the fierce "Red Hot Habanero" cute? Just look at how the Fourth Hokage barely dared to glance at her without getting scolded…
This was the first time in her life a boy her age had complimented her hair and called her cute!
And it was said so seriously, so openly, so bluntly…
Her heart swelled with joy, her chest pounding uncontrollably.
Girls in the shinobi world matured early—by ten, they already knew how to blush.
"Hahaha…"
One student laughed so hard tears streamed down his face. He even reached out and ruffled Ryun's hair…
'Oh hell no.'
Calling him "little mutt" repeatedly was bad enough, but now they were touching his hair?
Unforgivable.
Ryun stood up abruptly and slapped him across the face.
SMACK!
The laughter died instantly. The student's face twisted from the force, and he crumpled to the floor.
"I hate people pulling my hair. Are you that shameless?"
Ryun dusted off his hands, his expression icy.
The slap sent the other students scrambling back. The one on the floor burst into loud sobs.
"Yeah, I hate people pulling my hair too! Are you that shameless?"
Kushina quickly stood up to back him up.
This little desk mate of hers was her soulmate!
Kushina was so moved she nearly cried. After being bullied by these guys for so long, she finally had an ally…
Uchiha Ryun—that familiar face now seemed strangely different in her eyes.
A boy who had once seemed as soft as Namikaze Minato suddenly looked several times more handsome!
Faced with the two of them standing united, Satō and his group didn't dare act recklessly.
Kushina alone was hard enough to deal with—now they had this Uchiha mutt too…
Too scared to fight, they grabbed their wailing friend and fled the classroom.
"Bunch of cowards, hahaha…"
Watching them run away, Kushina planted her hands on her hips and laughed triumphantly.
But as she laughed, she noticed Ryun staring at her with a strange look.
"..."
Her laughter cut off abruptly. The fading blush on her cheeks deepened again.