First a Resounding Slap, Then Ask If You Like Being a Jerk?

"Kekkei Genkai... Y-you... let me see it again. I didn't get a good look just now..." Kushina swallowed.

She had nearly wet herself from fright earlier and had only caught a rough glimpse. Now that she had recovered, her curiosity was bubbling back up.

You already saw the Three Tomoe. How was that not a good look? Liuyun was utterly speechless.

"You..."

He had just been about to say something when several elementary school students walked into the classroom together.

"It's not convenient with so many people around. I'll show you again if I get the chance..."

Liuyun lowered his voice and tried to brush her off.

"Uh... fine, then. Show me after school."

"..."

"Hey, hey, hey! Stupid tomato, little mutt, what are you two whispering about?" one of the students snapped, picking a fight for no reason.

"Stupid tomato" referred to Kushina Uzumaki, while "little mutt" referred to Uchiha Liuyun.

Most members of the Uchiha Clan had glossy black hair, but Uchiha Liuyun's long hair was black with a purple tint, so other clan members often called him "little mutt."

What was more, the first ones to call him that had been adults from the Uchiha Clan. After hearing it enough, the Uchiha children had started calling him little mutt too.

That was because his mother was not from the Uchiha Clan, but an "ordinary" purple-haired villager.

The Uchiha bloodline in him had been diluted ever so slightly. Liuyun's hair was not quite black enough, and thus he had earned the nickname "little mutt"...

"I told you not to keep picking fights for no reason. Otherwise, when you get beaten to tears later, you'll go crying to the teacher again."

Kushina glared at the student.

Having had a sore spot hit, the student immediately flew into a rage.

"You stupid tomato! Haven't you gone crying to the teacher plenty of times too? How do you have the nerve to say that about me?"

"Yeah, yeah! Aren't you the rotten tomato who runs to tattle to the teacher at the drop of a hat?" Another student joined the shouting match.

It was bad enough that Kushina beat them up all the time. After beating them, she would even go complain to the teacher that they had bullied her...

The teachers at school never cared who was right or wrong. They simply favored Kushina. The boys got beaten and scolded, and they had suffered plenty of grief because of her.

That was why they were locked in a feud to the death with Kushina. Even if they got beaten or punished, they still wanted to disgust that stupid tomato.

"Isn't it because you all love acting like jerks for no reason? If you're not insulting me, you're pulling my hair..." Kushina said furiously.

"Who told your hair to be so red? It hurts our eyes. If we don't insult you, who should we insult?"

"Hahaha, exactly! It's all your fault!"

The students burst into laughter. They had no intention of reasoning with Kushina; they simply started acting shamelessly.

"Oh, right, and this little mutt beside you. Both of your hair colors stand out. No wonder you sit together. You're practically made for each other..."

"Hahaha!"

The moment those words came out, they burst into laughter again. In the minds of elementary school students, pairing classmates together was nothing but malicious teasing.

Kushina's red hair was disliked by everyone in class, while Liuyun's mixed-color hair was regarded by the Uchiha Clan as evidence of "impure blood." He was just as disliked...

"You bastards, get lost! Every day, you buzz around like flies. You're annoying as hell!"

Kushina's little face was flushed red with anger, and she even shouted one of her strange catchphrases.

A little more anger, and she would start beating people up.

"...Sigh."

Liuyun let out a soft sigh. He had been sitting quietly in the classroom, bothering no one, provoking no one, offending no one... yet people still came looking for trouble with him.

"What? Little mutt, you dissatisfied? Why are you sighing?"

"Though I suppose you're right. Who would like a hair color like that rotten tomato's? Pairing you with her really is asking too much..."

Before the student named Sato could finish, Liuyun leaned over his desk and carefully examined Kushina's straight red hair.

"Her hair color is fine... It's pretty cute."

Liuyun murmured with a serious expression. He was telling the truth.

The moment he said that, everyone present was dumbfounded. Even Kushina herself froze...

"Y-you said what? You think that hair color is fine? And you said Kushina is cute?"

Sato stared in disbelief. He even grabbed a small lock of red hair and waved it around. Since Kushina was still in a daze, she had no time to beat him up and could only stare at Liuyun...

They all suspected they had heard wrong.

"Yeah, she really is cute. Don't you think so?"

Liuyun even raised a hand and pointed at that big round face.

Red hair and a big round face made her highly recognizable. On top of that, she dressed well. Liuyun could not bring himself to say she was unattractive, even against his conscience.

"Pfft—hahahaha..."

The group of elementary school students burst out laughing.

Kushina's entire face was now redder than a monkey's butt, completely turning her into an oversized red tomato. She lowered her head deeply and did not dare look at Liuyun again.

Ever since she was little, she had been stubborn and hot-tempered. Combined with her naturally combative personality, she was either arguing with boys at school every day or on her way to fight them. What peer would ever think she was cute?

Was the fierce Red Hot Habanero cute? Even the future Fourth Hokage would get scolded just for looking at her a few extra times...

This was the first time in her life that a boy her age had praised her hair and said she was cute!

And he had said it seriously, without hiding anything, boldly and directly...

Her heart was filled with indescribable joy, and her little heart thumped uncontrollably.

Girls in the shinobi world generally matured early. At only ten years old, she already knew how to be shy.

"Hahaha..."

One student laughed until tears came out. He placed a hand on Liuyun's head and instinctively grabbed at his hair...

Damn it!

It was one thing to call him "little mutt" over and over, but now he actually dared touch his hair?

If even his uncle could tolerate it, his aunt certainly could not...

Liuyun rose in anger, raised his hand, and gave him a fierce, resounding slap.

With a crisp smack, the laughter came to an abrupt halt. The student's mouth was nearly slapped crooked...

He was knocked straight to the floor.

"I hate it most when people pull my hair. Do you like being a jerk?"

Liuyun patted his palm, his expression cold.

That single slap instantly frightened the other students back. The student on the floor let out a "Wah!" and burst into tears.

"Right! I hate it most when people pull my hair too. Do you like being jerks?"

Kushina hurriedly stood up to back him up.

So this little deskmate was her kindred spirit!

Kushina was so moved she nearly cried. She had been bullied by these guys for so long, and today, she had finally found someone to help her...

Uchiha Liuyun's familiar face suddenly seemed somewhat "unfamiliar" in Kushina's eyes.

The "soft sissy" who had originally seemed no different from Minato Namikaze suddenly looked several times more handsome in her daze!

Seeing the two of them brimming with aggression, Sato and the others were too frightened to act rashly.

Kushina alone was already hard enough to deal with, and now there was an Uchiha little mutt added to the mix...

Having lost the courage to fight, they picked up the bawling student and hurriedly fled the classroom.

"What a bunch of cowards, hahaha..."

Watching them flee in panic, Kushina put her hands on her hips and could not help laughing heartily.

But just as she was laughing happily, she noticed Liuyun studying her with a strange expression.

"..."

The smile on Kushina's face abruptly froze, and the blush that had nearly faded crept back across her cheeks.