Tragedy in the Grove

The dismissal bell rang.

It was time for the lunch break.

"I'm starving. Finally, we can eat." Kushina quickly pulled out the bento and set it on the desk. The siblings had one each, both made by Kushina early that morning.

Golden fried eggs, red octopus sausages, bright green broccoli, and black shiitake mushrooms, along with three salted rice balls wrapped in nori, were arranged neatly in the lunchbox. The vibrant colors and distinct layers, coupled with the rich aroma, made mouths water.

Katsuki swallowed. Although his sister was terrifying when she lost her temper, her cooking was genuinely amazing. He had eaten it since childhood and still never grew tired of it.

He subconsciously glanced to the side, only to find Minato's seat already empty. As expected of the future Yellow Flash—Katsuki had not even noticed when he had left. Though the bento had distracted him, Minato really was fast.

"Tomato, tomato, tomato."

"Big-mouthed tomato, big-mouthed tomato, big-mouthed tomato... Ooh, ooh, ooh!!!"

It was a scene that was both funny and exasperating. Katsuki and Kushina sat in the third row, while the six little brats were standing at the front of the classroom, making faces and sticking out their tongues at Kushina. They kept shouting "tomato," the freshly coined nickname, laughing and fooling around as if they were terribly pleased with themselves.

Katsuki's mouth twitched. All right, these little brats had some nerve. And they had even turned it into a tune... Talented, huh!

"Sis..."

Katsuki had a bit of a headache over these bold little brats. How should he deal with them? Beat them up?

Before he could make a move, though, a passing teacher shouted at them. The little brats immediately scattered in all directions and vanished.

Kushina ate her bento unhurriedly, every movement elegant. She looked as though she had not taken those little brats to heart at all, but Katsuki could not help shuddering when he saw it. His sister was furious beyond measure!

If she had started yelling and making a scene, that would have been fine. As long as she vented her anger, everything would be all right. This bottled-up rage was what was truly terrifying!

After lunch, there was still some time before the break ended. Katsuki volunteered to wash the lunchboxes. The pressure of staying beside his sister was too much; the low pressure around her, like the eye of a storm, made him afraid to even breathe.

When Katsuki returned to the classroom carrying the spotlessly cleaned lunchboxes, he froze. His sister, who had been sleeping with her head on the desk, was gone. Her seat was empty.

After putting the lunchboxes back in the bag, Katsuki sat in his chair and waited, but his sister still did not return. His heart skipped a beat as an ominous guess surfaced. Could his sister have gone to "settle the score"? He immediately panicked.

He sprang to his feet and rushed out in a flurry, but once he stood in the corridor, he was at a loss. The Ninja Academy was huge, and he had not mastered the Uzumaki Clan's sensory ninjutsu. He had no idea where to look for Kushina!

Besides, during lunch break, everyone was either eating or resting at their desks, gathering energy for the afternoon's physical education class. The corridor was nearly deserted, and there was no one he could ask.

"Hey, have you seen a red-haired girl? She has the same hair color as me and looks a little like a tomato." He finally caught a black-haired boy at a corner. Katsuki pounced on him, grabbed his shoulders, and questioned him urgently.

The black-haired boy raised an eyebrow and sized Katsuki up before pointing out the window. "A group of people headed toward the grove beside the school building earlier. I think one of them had red hair..."

Before the black-haired boy could finish, his vision blurred and the pressure on his shoulders vanished. Katsuki had already disappeared, leaving only his voice drifting in through the window.

"Thanks, man. I'll treat you to a meal next time."

Katsuki broke into a run toward the little grove. He was not worried that Kushina would suffer; he knew his sister's strength well. What worried him was that she might fail to hold back and beat them too badly.

Before he even reached the grove, Katsuki heard a familiar voice from inside.

"You bunch of weaklings. Let's see if you dare provoke me again. If you mess with me next time, it won't end this easily." Kushina waved her fist, staring arrogantly at the unfortunate people lying on the ground. They were none other than the six little brats who had shouted "tomato" earlier.

All their earlier swagger had vanished. The six of them were bruised and battered, sprawled crookedly across the ground and groaning softly. One of them had even started crying.

Katsuki clicked his tongue and hid behind a large tree, not daring to rush out.

Then he shifted his gaze and saw someone else hiding behind another large tree, smiling wryly at him. That golden-blond hair and sea-blue eyes—it was Minato, who had disappeared during lunch break!

"Be careful. Your sister is very angry. If she finds out we're hiding here, we'll probably be in trouble too!"

Minato silently mouthed the words at Katsuki.

"Got it."

Katsuki mouthed a silent reply. Naturally, he was not foolish enough to show himself now. Kushina had always cared greatly about her image as an older sister. If she learned he had witnessed this scene, she might very well subject him to "extreme punishment" to make him forget it.

When she saw someone crying, Kushina suddenly felt uncomfortable. She had not expected these boys to cry too. Katsuki rarely cried, after all. She became a little flustered, her eyes darting around. After tossing out a few harsh words and threatening them, she hurriedly... fled.

Once Kushina left, the six boys on the ground swiftly got to their feet. They looked miserable at most, but none of their injuries were serious. Grumbling and shoving at one another, they also left the grove.

"Whew! They're finally gone." Katsuki let out a breath, leaning against the tree as he eyed Minato sideways. "You... Minato, can I call you that?"

"Of course, Katsuki." Minato flashed a brilliant smile and dropped the honorific as well.

"Minato, why are you here?" Katsuki asked curiously.

At that, Minato scratched his head and hesitated before saying, "I practice throwing Shuriken here during lunch break every day. I didn't expect your sister and those guys to come over. At first, I thought your sister was being bullied... but then it turned out like this."