Chapter 42: A Falling Tomato
The next morning, Mikoto had returned to school, her absence the previous day now a thing of the past. She stood by Shinra's desk, her expression the picture of gentle grace as she looked at the girl with vibrant red hair.
"Hello, I'm Uchiha Mikoto. It's nice to meet you," she said with a warm, disarming smile.
The response she received was far less warm. "Hello. I'm Uzumaki Kushina. Just Kushina is fine," the redhead replied, her tone clipped and her expression visibly sour.
Despite Mikoto's genuinely kind demeanor, which put most people at ease, Kushina felt nothing but irritation. Every second spent looking at Mikoto's calm face made her more upset. With a final, loud "Hmph!" directed at Shinra, she gathered her things and stomped off to an empty seat next to the timid Uzumaki Tomoko at the back of the class.
Shinra was left with a mental question mark hovering over his head. Did I do something? He was sure he hadn't provoked her since yesterday. Unless... did she actually start to like me in just one day?
"Maybe it's not impossible," he muttered to himself, recalling the system-granted prizes he'd drawn in the past that subtly increased his charm and attraction to the opposite sex.
"The big wife and the little wife are already fighting, huh?" Nawaki slung an arm around Shinra's shoulder, his voice a conspiratorial, knowing whisper.
THWACK!
Shinra responded by delivering a sharp knuckle strike—a classic "brain collapse"—right to the top of Nawaki's head. A large, prominent bump immediately swelled up, and Nawaki stumbled back, clutching his head with tears of pain in his eyes.
"Ow! What was that for?!"
"Why is your mouth always running? You're everywhere you're not wanted," Shinra said, his voice laced with annoyance.
Seeing Nawaki open his mouth to retort, Shinra simply raised his fist in a silent, demonstrative warning. Nawaki immediately wilted, his protest dying in his throat. He slunk back to his seat, cradling the newly formed lump on his head, a comical sight that drew snickers from nearby classmates.
"My sister wants to see you," Nawaki mumbled, still sulking. "Be at Training Ground 27 tomorrow at nine. Don't be late."
"Tsunade is looking for me?" Shinra was puzzled but nodded. Tomorrow was the weekend. Now that he thought about it, with Tsunade being away on missions, he hadn't seen her in quite a while.
From her new seat, Uzumaki Kushina, who had been pretending to rest her head on the desk, perked up at Nawaki's message, filing the information away.
Just then, a group of boys stumbled into the classroom, their faces a mosaic of bruises and swollen noses. It was obvious they'd been in a fight, and the fearful glances they shot toward Kushina's direction told the whole story.
Seeing this, Shinra couldn't help but smirk. So, she actually went through with it. She really did beat up anyone who mocked her yesterday.
Soon, Ueno Kuri arrived. He took one look at the battered students and raised an eyebrow. "What happened to all of you?"
"We fell, sensei!" they all chorused in unison, too embarrassed to admit they'd been thoroughly thrashed by the new girl.
Ueno Kuri knew they were lying through their teeth, but he didn't press the issue. Instead, he launched into the day's lesson. Surprisingly, Shinra didn't lay his head down to sleep. Today's topic was the theory and layout of trap mechanisms—practical knowledge that could save your life on a mission. That was worth paying attention to.
Ueno-sensei was so shocked to see Shinra actually taking notes that he glanced out the window, half-expecting to see the sun rising from the west.
The morning passed quickly. After the lunch break and the afternoon's practical drills, where Shinra trained alone as usual, the school day came to an end.
The next day, a crisp weekend morning, Shinra was up early. He went through his morning stretches, then enjoyed a hearty breakfast prepared by Mikoto.
"Alright, Mikoto, let's go. Let's see what the big-breasted Tsunade wants with me."
"Sister Tsunade would be furious if she heard you call her that," Mikoto giggled behind her hand. "She might even punch you through a wall. I'd actually like to see that."
"Mikoto! Since when do you enjoy seeing me in trouble?" Shinra gave her a look of mock hurt, feeling that her sweet demeanor was developing a mischievous, darker edge.
"Sister Tsunade only asked for you. Is it really okay for me to come?"
"Of course it is. Let's go!" Before she could second-guess herself, Shinra took her hand and led her out the door.
They took their time, enjoying the morning air, and arrived at Training Ground 27 at around eight-thirty. Shinra scanned the area; Tsunade was nowhere to be seen. However, his sharp eyes did spot someone else. A mischievous grin spread across his face as he picked up a small pebble and tossed it precisely at a distant tree.
Tap.
"Ahhh!"
A startled yelp came from the foliage, followed by the sound of scrambling limbs. Uzumaki Kushina, who had been secretly perched on a high branch, lost her balance and tumbled out of the tree.
The trees in Konoha were notoriously tall, often reaching over ten meters. The one Kushina had chosen was even taller, nearly twenty meters high. Falling from that height could mean serious injury. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the impact.
"Oh no, she actually fell!" Shinra's playful smirk vanished, replaced by alarm. In a flash, his body turned into a stream of golden light. Using the power of the Glint-Glint Fruit, he zipped across the training ground and caught the falling girl just before she hit the earth.
Kushina, who had been waiting for the painful crash, instead found herself enveloped in a warm, secure hold. She cautiously fluttered her eyes open and found herself staring into Shinra's face, which was much closer than expected. The shock and residual fear overwhelmed her, and tears welled in the corners of her eyes before tracing silent paths down her cheeks.
"Hey! Don't cry! It was just a joke! I didn't think you'd actually fall. I'm sorry! I apologize, okay? Please don't cry."
Seeing her tears, Shinra felt a headache coming on. He'd been single in his past life and had zero experience with this. He had no idea how to comfort a crying girl. He stood there awkwardly, still holding her, completely at a loss.
Mikoto rushed over. "Is she okay?" she asked, her voice full of concern.
"She's fine... but she won't stop crying," Shinra whispered, embarrassed. This was entirely his fault. If he hadn't been so cheeky and thrown that stone, none of this would have happened.
Mikoto shot him a chastising look before turning to gently console Kushina.
The sight of Mikoto seemed to have an effect. Kushina's silent tears slowly subsided. She didn't want to appear weak in front of her perceived "rival."
The awkward silence was finally broken by a new voice. "What's going on here?"
Tsunade had arrived, fashionably late. She planted her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowing as she pointed at Kushina, who was still being held by Shinra, her eyes red and puffy like a little rabbit's.
Shinra could only offer an awkward, strained smile.
"Kushina," Tsunade's voice was firm as she glared at Shinra. "Did this guy bully you? You tell me right now, and I'll settle this with him."
Kushina was from her grandmother's clan, and it was Tsunade herself who had traveled to the Land of Whirlpools to bring her and Tomoko back to Konoha. As one of the last known survivors of the Uzumaki clan, Tsunade felt a deep sense of responsibility to look after her.
"It's nothing, Sister Tsunade, really. Don't worry, I'm fine," Kushina said, giving Shinra one last fierce glare before wriggling out of his arms.
However, the moment she left his embrace, a strange sense of loss washed over her. In Shinra's arms, she had felt an unexpected warmth and safety. For the first time since arriving in Konoha, her perpetually anxious heart had felt calm. Now, away from him, it felt like she had lost something precious.
"Sister Tsunade, you wanted to see me?" Shinra quickly changed the subject.
"What, can't I want to see you?" Tsunade retorted, a teasing glint in her eye. "Have you gotten yourself two little girlfriends and forgotten all about your big sister?"
Shinra could only smile wryly. So much for changing the subject.
Mikoto blushed a deep scarlet at Tsunade's words and stared firmly at the ground.
"Sister Tsunade! Who is that big villain's little girlfriend?!" Kushina exclaimed, her own face flushing to match her hair.
"Hah! Still trying to deny it? Nawaki told me all about it when he got home," Tsunade said, then turned her teasing, contemptuous look back on Shinra. "I didn't expect you to be such a troublemaker."