Morning classes had ended, and it was now break time.
As soon as the bell rang, Kushina Uzumaki was surrounded by several boys in her class.
"Tomato! From today on, you're Tomato! Fat round face plus red hair—who else could you be but a tomato?"
"How can a tomato ever become Hokage?"
"I hate tomatoes the most!"
"Same here! If there's tomato in my salad, I'll leave it behind!"
"How can an unpopular tomato earn the villagers' approval?"
"Hahaha..."
Kushina scowled, cheeks flushed with anger, but she couldn't argue back.
Thinking about it, she did kind of look like a tomato after they mentioned it.
"A disliked tomato and a disliked 'Two-Wu.' No wonder you two became desk mates."
"Tomato Two-Wu—what a perfect match."
...
Chinya curled his lip in disgust—he also had a nickname at school: 'Two-Wu,' used to mock him as a traitor or outsider.
The reason he earned that name? The parents of these brats were calling him that behind his back.
Seeing those kids getting more and more out of hand, dragging him into their mockery of Kushina Uzumaki, Chinya could no longer pretend not to notice.
More importantly, Chinya glanced over at Minato. Although Minato was looking at Kushina, he showed no intention of helping her out.
Just as Chinya got up to walk over, one of the boys grabbed Kushina's hair.
"It's finally ripe! Time for Tomato Day—go pick it!"
Before Kushina could grab the boy's hand and lash out, Chinya was already standing behind the boy who held Kushina's hair.
"Hey, mind stepping aside?"
Instantly, the group turned their attacks toward Chinya: "What gives a Two-Wu the right to ask nicely? Get lost, traitor!"
Chinya said coolly, "Wouldn't beating me up here ruin your reputation?"
Not long after enrolling, Chinya had been cornered by a few students before—but thanks to his Senju half-blood physique, he was strong enough to take on multiple opponents alone.
Afterward, although Chinya wasn't as strong as Minato, he still ranked among the top students in the academy.
Eventually, the bullies stopped picking on anyone weaker—especially not Chinya.
Hearing this, the boys' expressions stiffened.
Chinya kept walking forward and shoved the boy holding Kushina's hair aside with his shoulder before exiting the classroom.
But just after stepping outside, Chinya suddenly froze—he remembered something.
Kushina... probably didn't even need him to come to her rescue.
Kushina was never someone who backed down easily, and her Uzumaki clan constitution was unlike ordinary people's.
Next second,
Chinya heard sounds coming from inside the classroom.
"Who's the tomato?! Let me make this clear—I hate tomatoes too!"
Kushina grabbed the arm of the boy who touched her hair earlier, then swung hard and flung him—and all the surrounding boys—flying across the room.
Kushina Uzumaki had a brat pinned under her and kept smacking him on the head. "Don't ever underestimate me again! If you keep calling me 'tomato,' I'll make sure you regret it!"
She then noticed Minato Namikaze grinning widely. Kushina shot him an angry glare. "What's so funny?!"
Minato immediately turned his head away, only daring to glance at Kushina from the corner of his eye.
The afternoon class was about to begin.
After Chinya bought an onigiri from the convenience store, he walked back to the classroom while eating it.
Kushina was pouting—clearly upset.
Chinya glanced at the little punks who had ganged up on Kushina earlier—all of them had huge bumps on their heads.
Was she mad because she felt like she hadn't hit them hard enough?
Without a word, Chinya silently went back to listening to Hayato Masuda's lecture.
During class,
Kushina kept sneaking glances at Chinya more often than usual.
It made Chinya feel uneasy all afternoon.
Finally, the afternoon classes ended, and school was dismissed. Chinya hurried out of the classroom without hesitation.
At that moment, all Chinya could think about was Thunder Breathing.
He didn't notice Kushina hesitantly raising her hand halfway, looking slightly embarrassed.
Earlier, Kushina had wanted to talk to Chinya because both of them were outsiders.
Being a child—especially one who had just arrived in a strange new place—she longed for friendship.
Chinya's earlier act of helping her defend against bullies had inspired Kushina to become friends with him.
Watching Chinya walk away, Kushina tightly clenched her small fists, determination flashing in her eyes, and chased after him.
But right now, Chinya was desperate to get home—nearly sprinting all the way.
In order to catch up with Chinya, Kushina ran as fast as her short little legs could carry her.
By the time they left the streets of Konoha and reached its outskirts, Kushina called out breathlessly, "Hey! Wait up!"
Hearing that familiar voice, Chinya turned around in surprise. Seeing Kushina there, he felt even more astonished.
When she saw Chinya finally stop, Kushina leaned over, panting heavily with her hands resting on her thighs.
Chinya approached her and asked, "Do you need something?"
After taking a deep breath, Kushina stretched out her tiny hand toward Chinya proudly and announced loudly, "I'm Kushina Uzumaki!"
Chinya gave her a strange look.
Kushina felt increasingly nervous under his gaze.
"I'm Chinya."
He briefly shook her small hand with his fingertips before letting go almost immediately.
Kushina tilted her head curiously, asking, "Chinya? Is that your surname or given name?"
"First name. I don't have a surname."
"Huh? No surname?"
Kushina scratched her head confusedly—she had never met someone without a surname before.
Chinya asked once again, "Is there something you need?"
Gathering her courage, Kushina declared boldly, "I want to be your friend!"
Chinya inwardly said, *So that's it.*
"Kushina Uzumaki, you've probably noticed my situation in class too."
Kushina Uzumaki replied innocently, "Yeah, I know. We're both being ostracized."
Chinya gave a slight smile and said, "Your situation is different from mine. I've been isolated by the entire village. If you become friends with me, you might also be excluded by everyone else.
Today was just your first day of enrollment. You only encountered some bad students. You'll still find friends eventually.
You should ask the teacher to change seats. Even being my desk mate makes it hard for you to make friends. It's getting late; you should head home now. See you."
After gently turning Kushina Uzumaki down, Chinya waved goodbye and walked away.
Kushina Uzumaki stood watching Chinya's retreating back, lowering her head feeling disappointed.
She had finally built up the courage to befriend Chinya, only to be rejected. A sense of emptiness filled her chest.
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~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!