The Sissy Who Stood Up to Mock Kushina

Uchiha Sen felt a little annoyed.

The classroom had been a sacred place for sleeping, but now it was buzzing like a marketplace, noisy enough to make his head ache.

He looked toward the noise and saw a red-haired little girl standing beside the teacher. Her cheeks were puffed up with anger as she glared unhappily at the kids who were talking.

"His hair is so red! He looks like a tomato!"

"Exactly. You can tell at a glance he isn't from our village. We'd never accept someone like that becoming Hokage!"

"That's right, you ugly freak!"

The filthy insults pierced Sen's ears, rousing him from his half-asleep state.

He remembered now. This must have been Kushina Uzumaki's first day as a transfer student.

Time really flew. It was already the year 33 of Konoha, and he had been in this world for over six years.

Taking a closer look at the girl, Sen realized Kushina wasn't ugly at all. Her little face was rosy and fair, and her big eyes seemed to speak, full of stubborn defiance.

She was much cuter than those ugly brats who spewed filth from their mouths.

Sen's gaze swept over the kids. One of them was from the Shimura clan.

At the thought of the surname "Shimura," his eyes turned a little colder.

"Hey," Sen said icily. "You're disturbing my sleep. Either shut your mouths, or I'll bust them up during this afternoon's sparring class."

The jeers stopped dead.

The brats stiffened, then slowly turned toward the corner of the last row. Sure enough, they saw that cold face.

It was Uchiha Sen!

Damn it! If they could beat him, they'd have rushed over and given him a good thrashing already!

The kids were still resentful, but they obediently shut their mouths.

In their eyes, Uchiha Sen and the other genius in their class, Namikaze Minato, were complete opposites.

Minato was sunny and approachable, while Sen was the classic aloof Uchiha, acting like the whole world owed him money.

Seeing the classroom quiet down, Sen went back to his date with the Sandman's daughter.

At that moment, Minato stood up and glanced back at Sen with a pained expression.

Couldn't you have waited until I'd finished my lines before speaking? I'd prepared something really nice!

The teacher at the front of the room also breathed a sigh of relief. "Kushina, go sit in the second-to-last row. Yes, right beside that girl."

Kushina nodded and carried her textbooks to her seat.

She had promised Sister Tsunade that she would study hard, but she couldn't help sneaking a look back at Sen in the last row.

His long black hair, fair skin, and high nose bridge—even his profile as he slept was so handsome.

More importantly, he had helped her out!

He'd definitely be the first friend she made in Konoha!

As for those guys who'd made fun of her just now, she'd beat them up as soon as she got the chance!

And that skinny, pretty-boy blond from earlier! He was so annoying, standing up to mock her like that!

Near noon, Sen had slept through the whole morning when he felt someone poking his arm.

He lifted his head and came face-to-face with a conspicuous head of spiky blond hair.

"Sen, wake up. It's lunchtime!" Namikaze Minato grinned brightly.

"Time flies when you're studying hard." Sen yawned and stretched, then leisurely took out his lunchbox. "That's you for you, Minato. Even when it comes to eating, you're a step ahead."

Minato chuckled, his chopsticks already aimed at Sen's lunchbox. He made a few sneaky, pretend grabs. "You were training all night again, weren't you? What delicious food have you got for us to refuel with today?"

"Braised chicken wings and beef slices." The moment Sen opened his lunchbox, their aroma filled the air. "Can't be helped. You know how we Uchiha—"

Before he could finish, Minato swiftly snatched a chicken wing and a few slices of beef, stuffing them into his mouth and mumbling his praise.

Damn it, this guy ate like he was starving to death!

The smell of the food at the back of the classroom stirred Kushina's appetite too, and she took out her own lunchbox.

She remembered Sister Tsunade saying with a smile that morning, "This is my first time making a lunchbox for someone else. Nawaki's never gotten to try one." That meant it had to taste great!

She opened the lunchbox eagerly, but the food inside immediately killed her appetite. The side dishes were black and charred, their ingredients almost impossible to identify. All she could smell was something burnt.

It was completely unappetizing. The only decent thing was the plain rice beside them.

Decent, my foot! Wasn't rice supposed to be fine as long as you cooked it?

Kushina was so frustrated that her hair seemed to float. As a member of the Uzumaki Clan, her body burned through a lot of calories!

And after smelling everyone else's delicious food, how was she supposed to accept this weird lunch?

Just as she was preparing to pinch her nose and make do, Sen's voice came from behind her.

"Hey, new classmate, help me finish some of this. Minato says he's dieting today."

After spending over a decade as a latchkey kid in his previous life, Sen had smelled the burnt food ages ago.

Before Kushina could react, several fragrant chicken wings landed in her lunchbox. Sen didn't even wait for her to thank him before returning to his seat.

She lowered her head and stared at the extra chicken wings.

Damn it, how could she eat food from a stranger?

I, Kushina, am going to become Hokage someday... But these chicken wings smell so good, and they look delicious too...

After hesitating for a moment, she picked up a wing and took a bite. Her mouth fell open, her eyes sparkling. "So good!"

After eating two, Kushina turned back and thanked Sen.

She also caught sight of Minato, shot him a sour look, then turned away and muttered:

Hmph. What a pretty boy. A grown boy dieting, of all things!

After lunch break came afternoon sparring class.

When Instructor Murashita Ryukawa saw that everyone had arrived, he took out the attendance book. "This will count as a regular assessment. Give it your best!"

Ignoring the groans below, he continued, "What are you complaining about? When you become shinobi, do you think your enemies will go easy on you just because you whine? First match: Uchiha Sen versus Shimura Saburo!"

"Sensei! Why is it me again?" Shimura Saburo wailed. "I can't beat him at all! You should make Minato fight him instead!"

Murashita Ryukawa's veins bulged. "Can you choose your enemies on the battlefield? Enough talk. Get out there!"

A minute later, Shimura Saburo took three solid punches to the chest and flopped onto the ground, playing dead without a fuss.

Sen casually formed the Seal of Reconciliation, then turned and left. Just thinking of the Shimura name and that sinister Shimura Danzō made him want to strangle the entire Shimura clan!

Unfortunately, he still wasn't strong enough!

He walked to the side and started doing one-handed push-ups, continuing his training.

The shadow of the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars, along with Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō's suppression of the Uchiha, weighed on his heart like a mountain.

This was a start where he'd be lucky to survive by the skin of his teeth. To stay alive, he had to get stronger with everything he had.

As he did his push-ups, he muttered under his breath:

Damn you, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō. Just you wait! I, Uchiha Sen, will set things right sooner or later!

While his thoughts churned, the teacher ran into a small problem.

"Ah, how could I forget? We still have Kushina." Murashita Ryukawa slapped his forehead. Wanting to help the new student fit in as quickly as possible, he suggested, "Kushina, you've only just arrived, so I don't know how strong you are yet. Why don't you pick a classmate to spar with?"

Kushina immediately stood up and smiled as she pointed at Sen, who was training by himself to the side.

"Are you sure, Kushina?" Murashita Ryukawa tried to talk her out of it.

Kushina nodded firmly. "I want to challenge Uchiha Sen!"

The whole class erupted.

Sen, standing off to the side, heard her and looked confused. He walked over to face Kushina. "Was the lunch not good? You ate, then decided to fight me?"

Kushina thought back to it and answered honestly. "It was good. And you're a good person."

"Good people shouldn't be pointed at," Sen said, already feeling a little annoyed.

Kushina's face held an odd, dreamy expression. "Hehe, you're the only person I know. If I beat you, you'll have to cover my lunches for the rest of the semester."

Murashita Ryukawa shook his head, assuming the little girl was just caught up in the desire to prove herself. Resignedly, he said, "Begin. Sen, go easy on her."

The two formed the Seal of Confrontation, and Sen vanished from where he stood.

Kushina's vision blurred, but she still instinctively poured all her strength into her little fist and swung with a shout. "For the lunch!"

Looking at her completely untrained punch, Sen shook his head inwardly. He ducked beneath it and swept her legs out from under her.

"Thud!"

Kushina instantly lost her balance and toppled sideways.

This was it—she was going to embarrass herself and hit the ground on her very first day of school! She should never have challenged Sen! Why hadn't she challenged that blond boy instead?!

And why didn't this guy know how to treat a girl gently?!

Just as she thought she was about to meet the ground, a pair of strong arms caught her securely.

She was leaning halfway back in his arms. When she looked up, she met Sen's handsome, stern face.

Huh? Hadn't Sensei said the match was over? Why was he staring at her? Could it be...

Sen really was staring at her, but not at her face.

The moment he caught her, a line of blue, illusory text suddenly appeared in his field of vision.

The text flickered, then transformed into a clearer blue panel.

[The host has successfully fought against "Uzumaki Sage Body" and achieved an overwhelming victory. The system is now activated!]

[After fighting an enemy, the host can copy three of the opponent's ability traits based on the battle's result, then choose one to absorb. Once per day. (The more decisive the victory, the better the traits available to copy.)]

[After killing an enemy, the host can obtain the enemy's three traits to the greatest extent and choose one to absorb.]

[The host has defeated an opponent. Please select the trait to absorb: Chakra +1 (200 equals one card), Physique +1, Uzumaki Physique]