The forest rushed past in a blur of green.
Branches bent beneath small feet.
Leaves scattered into the air.
Three young shinobi moved through the upper canopy with the speed and rhythm of academy students already far beyond what academy students were supposed to be.
Kushina led the way.
Of course she did.
Her red hair streamed behind her like a banner as she leapt from branch to branch, moving with the kind of energy that made it obvious she had no intention of slowing down for anyone.
Minato followed a step behind.
And behind him, Shikaku moved with all the enthusiasm of a boy being dragged to his own funeral.
"This is troublesome," Shikaku muttered for what felt like the tenth time.
Kushina didn't even look back.
"Then go back."
Shikaku's face stayed blank.
'I would. Gladly.'
Minato sighed.
"Kushina."
"No."
He blinked.
"I didn't even say anything yet."
"You were going to."
She hopped to the next branch.
"And my answer is still no."
Minato landed beside her.
"You should head back before they notice you're gone."
Kushina snorted.
"They already noticed the moment I left. They're probably just slower than me."
"That's not the point."
"It is to me."
She jumped again.
"I finally get one little bit of freedom and suddenly everybody wants to ruin it."
Minato kept pace easily.
"Nobody wants to ruin it."
"They absolutely do."
Her voice sharpened.
"At the compound they watch me. In the village they watch me. If I breathe too hard somebody probably writes it down somewhere."
Shikaku dropped onto the branch behind them and exhaled through his nose.
'This is exactly why I stay away from other people's problems.'
Minato rubbed the back of his head.
"Kushina, if they realize you slipped out of Konoha without telling anyone—"
She spun around mid-leap and landed facing backward on a branch, arms crossed.
"Then they can panic."
Minato stopped on the next branch over.
"Kushina."
"No."
Shikaku landed a few steps behind and stared at the two of them.
"I should be asleep right now."
Kushina pointed at him.
"Then why are you here?"
"Because Minato asked."
"And why did you say yes?"
Shikaku looked up at the sky.
"Because saying no to both of you is more work than just coming."
Minato gave him an apologetic smile.
"Sorry."
Shikaku stared at him.
"You should be."
Kushina huffed and turned forward again.
"I'm not going back yet."
Minato softened a little.
He understood more than most that Kushina hated feeling caged.
Still—
"We're not exactly on a picnic."
"I know that."
"Then try acting like it."
She shot him a glare over her shoulder.
"I am."
Before Minato could answer—
Kushina stopped.
So did Minato.
So did Shikaku.
A boy stood on a branch ahead of them.
He looked about their age.
Maybe nine.
Maybe a little older.
Red hair shifted lightly in the breeze.
His clothes were plain and worn, but there was nothing weak about the way he stood. One foot slightly behind the other. Weight centered. Eyes sharp.
Like he had been waiting for them.
The forest went strangely silent.
The boy looked at the three of them and spoke first.
"What do you want?"
Kushina narrowed her eyes.
Minato's attention sharpened at once.
Shikaku straightened a little.
The boy's gaze moved between them calmly.
Then he added,
"Go back."
Kushina blinked.
"What?"
"You heard me."
He did not move from the branch.
He did not sound nervous either.
Minato studied him quietly.
A normal kid would have run.
A cautious one would have hidden.
This boy had done neither.
He had chosen to intercept them.
Which meant—
'He's hiding something.'
It was only a guess.
Nothing more than instinct.
But Minato trusted his instincts.
Nobody stood in front of strangers like this unless there was a reason.
Kushina frowned harder.
The moment she looked at him properly, a strange feeling settled in her chest.
Something familiar.
Something she couldn't explain.
Her eyes lingered on his face.
Then his hair.
Then the chakra she could feel from him.
And her brows furrowed deeper.
'Why does he feel… close?'
It didn't make sense.
She had never seen him before.
She would have remembered.
But something about him tugged at her anyway.
Beside her, Minato and Shikaku noticed something else.
The boy's chakra.
At first it was just a presence.
Then it became clearer.
Denser.
Far too large for someone their age.
Shikaku's eyes narrowed.
Minato's expression shifted.
It was ridiculous.
Comparable to Kushina.
And Kushina's reserves were already monstrous.
For a moment, none of them said anything.
Then Kushina put her hands on her hips.
"Who are you?"
The boy answered without hesitation.
"None of your business."
A vein twitched on Kushina's forehead.
Minato closed his eyes briefly.
Kushina took a step forward on the branch.
"You're the one blocking us."
"And you're the ones walking this way."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"I don't need to."
Kushina clicked her tongue.
"What kind of brat are you?"
The boy tilted his head slightly.
"The kind telling you to go back."
Kushina's eye twitched harder.
Minato stepped in gently.
"We're not here to cause trouble."
The boy looked at him.
Then answered in the same calm tone.
"Then don't."
Minato kept his voice light.
"We were only passing through."
"The pass through somewhere else."
Kushina stepped forward again.
"Listen, we don't need your permission to move through a forest."
The boy looked at her for a moment.
Then said,
"You look like a red tomato."
Silence followed.
A very dangerous silence.
Shikaku slowly turned his head toward Kushina.
Minato's eyes widened.
Kushina froze.
Then the color rushed to her face so fast it was almost impressive.
"What."
The boy shrugged.
"You do."
Minato looked away and put a hand over his mouth.
Shikaku closed his eyes.
'He has chosen death.'
Kushina pointed at him furiously.
"Who are you calling a tomato, you little—"
"Red tomato," he corrected.
Kushina's hair almost seemed to bristle.
"I'm going to kill him."
Minato raised both hands quickly.
"Kushina, wait—"
"No! Did you hear him?!"
Shikaku answered dryly,
"Everyone within three groves probably heard him."
Kushina rounded on him too.
"You stay out of this!"
"I would love to."
The boy watched them with the same unbothered expression.
Then he said,
"You really are loud."
Kushina leaned forward.
"And you really are rude!"
Minato took a quiet breath and looked back at the boy.
Something still did not add up.
The kid wasn't acting scared.
Wasn't acting reckless either.
As if he had decided from the start that they would not pass.
Which brought Minato back to the same conclusion.
A baseless suspicion, yes.
But still there.
'There's a reason he doesn't want us going farther.'
Minato spoke carefully.
"Why are you so determined to stop us?"
The boy's expression stayed flat.
"No reason."
Kushina scoffed.
"That's obviously a lie."
He looked at her.
"Then believe what you want, Red Tomato."
Kushina looked ready to explode.
"I AM NOT A TOMATO!"
The boy gave a tiny shrug.
"That's not what your face says."
She made a strangled noise that sounded halfway between outrage and murder.
Minato finally stepped forward.
Just one branch closer.
The boy reacted instantly.
His stance changed.
Subtle.
But obvious to anyone trained.
Weight lowered.
Shoulders loosened.
That got Minato's full attention.
So he could fight.
Or at least thought he could.
Shikaku noticed too.
And with those chakra reserves—
That made things more complicated.
Kushina noticed the shift in atmosphere and paused.
The strange feeling in her chest returned.
That odd, unexplainable pull when she looked at him.
And now, with his chakra moving more clearly, it felt even stranger.
'Why does it feel like…'
She couldn't finish the thought.
Couldn't find the shape of it.
Only that something about him felt connected to her in a way she did not understand.
The boy looked between the three of them.
Then sighed softly.
"I don't want to get rough with you."
That made all three academy students blink.
He continued,
"You seem like good guys."
Minato raised a brow.
Even Shikaku's eyes shifted slightly.
The boy meant it.
There was no arrogance in his voice.
He genuinely did not want to fight them.
But he still would.
Because whatever reason he had for stopping them mattered more.
Minato took another careful step.
The boy's gaze locked on him immediately.
"Don't."
Minato answered calmly.
"Then let us pass."
"No."
Kushina looked between them.
The air had changed now.
Minato's voice softened.
"We're not your enemies."
The boy answered just as softly.
"You might become one if you keep coming."
Shikaku's eyes narrowed.
The wind moved through the leaves.
Branches creaked quietly.
The boy's chakra stirred more openly now.
It was dense, heavy and ridiculous.
Minato felt it properly this time and his expression sharpened.
Shikaku did too.
Even for Kushina, it was absurd.
Kushina had grown up hearing that her chakra was abnormal.
That her reserves were special even for an Uzumaki.
This boy's felt comparable.
Minato lowered his center of gravity slightly.
The boy mirrored him.
His movements were rougher than Minato's.
Kushina looked between them.
"Wait."
Neither boy looked away from the other.
The boy spoke first.
"I said go back."
Minato's blue eyes stayed calm.
"And I can't do that."
"Then this is your fault."
Minato smiled faintly.
"That's one way to see it."
Kushina stepped to the side, eyes flicking between both red hair and blond hair.
Shikaku quietly moved onto another branch.
Not far.
Just far enough to not get dragged in immediately.
'This became troublesome very quickly.'
---
Find early chapters and daily updates on my patreon
[Patreon.com/tenten100?]
Also It's my birthday on the 23rd of March ✌😑. If any of you feel like blessing me early for my birthday
You can tip any amount from $1 on [ko-fi.com/tenten100]. . Thank you in advance :)
Follow me on Instagram [www.instagram.com/tenten100_?]