Chapter 41: Bento, Jealousy, and a Promise of Eternity
The morning lessons finally drew to a close, and the classroom erupted into the familiar lunchtime bustle. As students pulled out their bento boxes, Uzumaki Kushina remained frozen in her seat, a look of dawning horror on her face. She had forgotten to pack a lunch.
Noticing her predicament, a faint smile touched Shinra's lips. He reached under his desk and pulled out his own lunch box—a multi-tiered container that was comically large.
"Let's eat together," he offered, placing it between them.
Kushina's embarrassment was momentarily replaced by shock. "Why did you bring so much food? Even five people might not be able to finish all this!"
"Let's just say I had a feeling you might not have brought a bento, so I came prepared," Shinra said, putting on a mysterious air.
"Pfft, you expect me to believe that? I wasn't born yesterday!" Kushina retorted, but her pride was quickly overruled by her growling stomach. "But... since you're offering so sincerely, I won't stand on ceremony!" She reached out and took a neatly rolled onigiri, taking a large bite.
Her eyes widened. "Mmmph! It's delicious! This is the best rice ball I've ever had!" she exclaimed, her words slightly muffled by the food.
"Hah! That's because it's a bento made by Mikoto. It's always amazing! Hey, Shinra, can I have one too?" Nawaki appeared at their deskside, his eyes fixed on the feast with hopeful desperation.
"Sure. Here you go." Shinra picked up a dense, chewy dango skewer and handed it over.
"Awesome! Thanks!" Nawaki snatched the treat and scurried away, utterly pleased.
Kushina's face, however, darkened. The mention of that name again sent a sharp, unfamiliar pang through her chest.
"Just who is this Mikoto?" she asked, trying to sound casual as she picked at another onigiri. "What's your relationship with her, anyway?"
"You'll find out tomorrow. Let's just say our relationship is... the closest kind of relationship," Shinra replied nonchalantly, already working his way through a second tier of the bento.
Kushina's cheeks puffed out. She shoved the last of the onigiri into her mouth and slammed her hands on the desk. "I'm full!" she announced, her voice tight.
"You ate one rice ball and you're full?" Shinra asked, genuinely surprised. Then he remembered that Mikoto also had a small appetite and nodded to himself, thinking he understood.
In reality, Shinra understood nothing. Kushina wasn't full from the food; she was filled to the brim with a nameless, simmering anger. She didn't even know why she was so mad, but she was.
After she stormed off, Shinra methodically finished the entire rest of the bento himself. Kushina, who had been watching from a distance, couldn't help but stare in disbelief. His appetite was bottomless!
"What are you looking at?" Shinra asked, catching her stare. "I ate a lot, but I didn't eat any of your food."
"Why is everything that comes out of your mouth so irritating?" Kushina fumed. She was beginning to think she had gotten angrier in this single day than in her entire life before.
Soon, the lunch break ended, and the class moved to the training grounds for practical exercises. With two new students who needed special instruction from Ueno-sensei, the rest of the class was given free rein to practice.
"Shinra! Shinra! I can finally use the Water Style: Wild Wave Water technique! Want to see?" Nawaki bounded over, buzzing with excitement.
"I swear, you always seek me out the moment I have a second of peace. Sometimes I really question your motives. Go away. Take your ninjutsu and show someone who cares."
Shinra pushed Nawaki's face away with a look of pure disgust.
"You... you friend-ditching jerk! I'll go find someone with actual taste!" Nawaki stomped off, eventually cornering a reluctant Nara Shikaku and Akimichi Choza to be his audience.
This time, he managed to avoid yesterday's comical failure. With a series of hand signs, he expelled a massive surge of water that flooded half the training field.
The consequences were, of course, severe. Ueno-sensei's furious roar echoed across the grounds, and a drenched, miserable-looking Nawaki was soon standing penitently under the scorching sun. Some people just had the worst luck.
"School is so boring," Shinra muttered to himself after running through a few kenjutsu drills. He lay back on a soft patch of sand, feeling the monotony of the afternoon.
He had never seriously considered early graduation or joining the ANBU. The ANBU's rules were far too strict for his liking; he had no desire to be controlled. These years at the academy were his prime time to accumulate strength in peace. By his own calculations, by the time he graduated, he would undoubtedly be at the level of a Kage.
When that time came, even if someone like Uchiha Madara came knocking, Shinra wouldn't be afraid. He might not be able to win, but he was confident he could fight back.
However, his chances of victory would be slim. Despite Uchiha Madara's advanced age, Shinra didn't dare underestimate him. Who knew how many secret methods the legendary shinobi still possessed?
"I'll just keep cultivating slowly," he thought, closing his eyes against the sun. "Honestly, this kind of life isn't so bad."
It was a hundred times better than the monotonous nine-to-five existence he had lived before his transmigration. A sense of deep contentment washed over him.
After resting a while longer, Shinra got up, brushed the sand from his clothes, and headed home for the day, leaving the chaotic training grounds behind.
When he arrived, Mikoto had already prepared dinner and was waiting for him, a gentle smile on her face.
After washing up, they sat down to eat. Over the meal, Shinra told her about the two new transfer students, Uzumaki Kushina and Uzumaki Tomoko.
"This Uzumaki Kushina... she must be very beautiful, right?" Mikoto asked, her smile not faltering, but a distinct cold light flashing in her eyes. A palpable, dark aura seemed to shimmer around her.
Is this... jealousy? A cold sweat broke out on Shinra's forehead. This was a side of Mikoto he had never seen before, and the pressure was immense.
"She doesn't hold a candle to you, Mikoto," he said, wiping his brow. "In this entire world, you are the most beautiful." He was learning just how terrifying a jealous woman could be, even if she was still just a girl.
"Really?" Mikoto's smile became sweetly radiant, but her words were laced with menace. "If I told Big Sister Tsunade you said that, what do you think she would do to you?"
"Mikoto, you've changed. You're not the gentle girl I used to know," Shinra said, putting on a pained expression.
"Pfft!" Mikoto burst into genuine laughter, the dark aura vanishing instantly. Her expression softened. "I'm just teasing you. But honestly, as long as you don't forget me, that's enough. I don't ask for much more."
"Don't worry," Shinra said, his tone turning completely serious, devoid of any jest. "Even if I were to forget myself, I would never, ever forget you."
"Oh? So you admit you have a guilty conscience, then?" she teased, a sly glint returning to her eyes.
"Uh—" Shinra was caught off guard.
"Relax, I was just joking with you," Mikoto said, her laughter light. Then her expression softened into something more profound. "But if you ever do dare to forget me, I will make you regret it." Though she said it with a smile, Shinra could feel the steely resolve behind her words.
"Your future will always be with me," Shinra said softly, his voice firm. "Dying is not an option. We will be together, forever."
As he spoke, his hand unconsciously rose to touch his own eyes. Making himself and those he loved immortal... it wasn't an impossible dream. It hinged on the spatiotemporal control abilities of the Tenseigan. He couldn't manipulate time yet, but if he could one day learn to stop a person's personal time, then as long as they weren't killed, they would never age, never die.
For his own sake, and for the sake of his loved ones, he had to grow stronger. He had to strive to grasp the power to control time itself.
Mikoto didn't reply with words. She simply looked at him, her eyes overflowing with a warmth and trust that needed no translation.
"Now," Shinra said, shifting the mood, "about the Marine Six Styles scroll I gave you. You've read it by now, right? Let me walk you through the difficult parts of the training."
"Mhm!" Mikoto nodded, leaning forward to listen intently as Shinra began his explanation, her focus complete.