The morning curriculum for the new students was a dense thicket of theory. At six and seven years old, the human body is still a soft vessel; the pathways for chakra are narrow and developing. For these children, refining even a "pitiful" amount of energy was an exhausting feat. In Minato's class, several students still struggled to even feel the spark of their own internal coils.
"That concludes our morning session. Remember to eat a proper lunch!"
As Shirota-sensei announced the break, the scholarly silence of the room evaporated, replaced by the boisterous energy of children set free. Shirota gathered his notes, casting a lingering, puzzled look at Minato. Throughout the morning, the boy—usually his most diligent pupil—hadn't heard a word of the lecture. His gaze had been anchored, almost unnervingly, to the back of Kushina Uzumaki's red head.
"Ugh! I don't get any of this!" Kushina groaned, clutching her red headband in frustration. She stared at the manual on her desk as if it were written in an alien tongue.
She had arrived with such fire, determined to make the Academy her first step toward the Hokage's seat. But after one morning, she had discovered a bitter truth: she was a disaster at theory. While Shirota-sensei had explained the spiritual and physical origins of chakra, Kushina had been lost in a daze.
Beside her, Mikoto Uchiha watched with a sympathetic smile. As an Uchiha, these basics had been drilled into her since she could walk. She understood the intricacies of chakra properties—Fire and Yin were practically in her blood—but she could see the new girl was drowning.
As the classroom grew noisier with students pulling out bento boxes, Kushina remained hunched over her book, a lonely island in the sea of chatter.
"Let's take a break," Mikoto said gently, her dark eyes reflecting a genuine kindness. "Why don't we have lunch together?"
Kushina blinked, startled by the invitation. A faint blush crept over her round cheeks. Seeing her flustered expression, Mikoto giggled and placed a small bag on the desk.
"These are rice balls I made myself. Please, try one!"
As Kushina tentatively reached for the bag, a sharp, unfriendly voice cut through the air.
"Hey, newbie. You think you can just take whatever you want from an Uchiha?"
A boy named Akasaka Yu stood before them, flanked by two or three other mischievous students. They weren't there for food; they were there for blood.
"Get up," one of the boys sneered, leaning in to inspect Kushina's hair. "Look at this color. It looks like red string. Creepy."
Kushina's face darkened with indignation. "What's it to you!" she barked, moving to stand, but two boys blocked her path.
"You're pretty arrogant for a transfer student," Akasaka Yu said, narrowing his eyes.
Mikoto's brow furrowed with anxiety. She looked around the room, her eyes landing on Minato. He was sitting at his desk, one arm propping up his head, his fingers threaded through his golden bangs. His expression was... wrong. It wasn't the calm, gentle Minato she knew.
Inside Minato's mind, the static was screaming.
The blurry image of the red-haired woman from his vision grew agonizingly sharp. He saw her in a dimly lit room, curled on a bed, her vibrant hair a tangled mess across the pillows. Tears tracked down her face, and her lips were pulled back in a silent, sobbing tremor.
The pain in his chest was physical, a cold blade twisting in his heart. He didn't know who she was, but he knew he would burn the world to cinders to keep her from crying like that.
"With hair like a thread and a face that round... I'll just call you 'Tomato' from now on," Akasaka Yu laughed, his voice breaking through Minato's trance.
"I hate tomatoes!" another boy chimed in. "I wouldn't even touch one if it was in the toilet!"
The bullies erupted in cruel laughter. Kushina stood her ground, her fists shaking, her eyes burning with a mix of shame and white-hot rage. Akasaka Yu reached out, grabbing a lock of her red hair with a mocking grin. "Such a weird color—"
"No one..."
A voice, low and trembling with a fury that silenced the room, cut through the laughter.
"No one is allowed to bully her!"
In a blur that defied the logic of a first-year student, Minato was no longer at his desk. He appeared like a golden ghost in the space between Akasaka and Kushina. Before the bully could even blink, Minato's foot connected squarely with his stomach.
Bang!
The force was staggering. Akasaka Yu was launched backward, flying through the open classroom door and crashing into the corridor wall with a dull thud.
The classroom plunged into a petrified silence.
The humble, gentle Minato Namikaze stood at the center of the room, his chest heaving, his azure eyes wide and filled with a fierce, predatory light. He stood as a shield before Mikoto and Kushina, a golden shadow protecting the red.