Crimson and Pale Red

Sen bid farewell to the two and returned home without stopping.

He closed the doors and windows tightly before excitedly redeeming the [Spirit +2] reward in the system.

The moment the redemption was complete, Sen felt a cool stream of air surge into his eyes. The entire world seemed to become incredibly clear, with even the dust motes in the air visible.

He quickly rushed to the mirror and saw that within his pitch-black pupils, two small tomoe were slowly rotating.

Sen nodded with satisfaction. It seemed the Physique of the Uzumaki Clan was indeed powerful, giving him a higher starting point for awakening his eyes.

After a moment of adaptation, he closed his Sharingan.

He had no intention of showing off. A six-year-old possessing the Sharingan would attract the attention of Konoha's high command, like a child carrying gold through a busy market.

After a casual lunch, packing some snacks and fruit, Sen changed into casual clothes and headed towards the place he had arranged to meet Kushina.

It was late spring, the season when cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and the cherry blossom forest on the outskirts of Konoha was bustling with visitors.

Upon arriving at the agreed-upon spot, Sen didn't see Kushina immediately.

Just as he was about to sit down and wait, he heard a commotion nearby.

"Brother, it's her! She beats me up at school every day! You have to get revenge for me today!"

"Of course, I'm your brother. I really dislike her fiery red hair; it has none of the elegance of cherry blossoms!"

Following that, Kushina's angry voice rang out: "You guys go away! I have something very important to do today. If you want to fight, we can do it tomorrow!"

It was Kushina!

Sen's expression darkened, and he immediately rushed towards the sound.

He saw Kushina cornered by two people. One was a classmate from school, and the other, a tall young man, wore a Konoha forehead protector, clearly a Genin.

The Genin looked impatient, his eyebrows furrowed:

"I'm a Ninja, I don't have time to play games with you kids! But you've disturbed my enjoyment of the cherry blossoms, so you're in the wrong! Let me teach you, you ugly red-haired brat, a lesson!"

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Kushina's hair.

Just as his hand was about to touch Kushina's red hair, a size 37 ninja boot flew through the air. Following the whistling sound was Sen himself.

"Bang!"

Normally, kicking someone would just send them flying, but this time was different for Sen.

Sen fiercely kicked the Genin in the chest but didn't send him flying.

Instead, he stepped on him, using the entire person as a brake pedal, dragging a bloody trail more than half a meter long on the ground!

Sen, however, marveled at the bloody mark that made Kushina cover her mouth:

What a beautiful trail.

After admiring the mark behind him, Sen already held a kunai in his hand. He said to the person under his foot:

"You should be glad you only disturbed my mood. If you had hurt Kushina... the cherry blossoms here will be even more beautiful next year, after all--

Flesh and blood are the best fertilizer for plants."

He thought the other person would beg for mercy or resist, but the person under his foot grunted and was actually scared unconscious!

Sen pouted and told the stunned classmate to take the person away. After all, he was only kicked once; he wouldn't die that easily.

After resolving this small interlude, Sen directly took Kushina and walked elsewhere.

Out of sight, out of mind.

He noticed that Kushina was wearing a white sleeveless dress today, with a delicate cherry blossom hairpin on the tip of her hair, making her look exceptionally cute.

However, due to what had just happened, her mood was clearly a bit down.

The two strolled along the river, and after a long while, Kushina murmured dejectedly:

"Cherry blossoms... why are they all light red? It's like this world truly can't tolerate a deep red."

Sensing the disappointment in her eyes, Sen said, "Actually, it's just different varieties, and in other places..."

As he spoke, he felt something was off. He was trying to flirt, what was he doing lecturing?

"Um..., light red isn't pretty anyway. I like deep red."

Hearing this, Kushina managed a weak smile, but the next second, all her grievances, unwillingness, and sadness surged onto the six-year-old girl's face like a tide.

"Then why... why did the Land of Whirlpools perish... and Mom and Dad too..." Tears streamed down her face.

Sen didn't let her continue.

He took a step forward and tightly embraced the girl, letting her bury her head in his chest.

"Cry if you want to cry. I can't change the past. But from now on, I won't let you experience this again. I'll be here from now on."

This was the first time he had truly entered Kushina's heart.

Usually, she was so lively and cheerful, as if she had long forgotten the pain of her country's ruin and her family's demise.

But in reality, that wound had never healed. Her fiery personality was perhaps just a disguise she used to protect herself.

After an unknown amount of time, Kushina's crying gradually subsided.

She wiped away her tears, stood up straight from Sen's embrace, and said with red eyes and a muffled voice:

"I... I'm a little hungry. Is there anything to eat?"

Sen chuckled. This little girl's emotions came and went so quickly.

He pointed to a patch of grass ahead and took out snacks and fruit from his backpack. "Let's go sit over there."

The two sat on the grass, eating snacks while watching the evening glow paint the sky a deep red, just like Kushina's hair.

As it grew late, Sen stood up and extended his hand to Kushina. "Let's go, I'll take you home."

They walked to the entrance of the Senju Compound. Just as they were about to part, Kushina suddenly turned around, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him and asked with a smile:

"Sen, do what you said this afternoon still count?"

Sen blinked. He had said too many things today; which one did she mean?

But when he saw Kushina's red hair seeming to float up again, he immediately understood and smiled:

"Of course, it counts. From now on, I'll always be here."

As soon as he finished speaking, Kushina suddenly rushed over like a little rabbit, quickly kissed his cheek, and then, with a red face, ran home without looking back.

Sen touched the cheek she had kissed and watched the girl's retreating figure, murmuring with a smile:

"I was actually kissed back... In this vast ninja world, you're probably the only girl brave enough to be this forward, Kushina."

After confirming Kushina had safely arrived home, Sen did not leave.

He looked up at the rooftops. Since awakening his Sharingan, his senses had become much sharper. He had known all along that ever since he met Kushina, Anbu ninja had been observing them.

But why hadn't they intervened when Kushina was attacked just now?

At the same time, in the Hokage's office.

A ninja with a cross-shaped scar on his chin, estimated to be around 40 years old, abruptly pushed open the door and said sternly:

"Monkey, are you just going to watch the Uchiha brat get so close to the jinchuriki without doing anything?"

The newcomer was none other than Shimura Danzō.

Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at him and slowly wiped his crystal ball. "Danzō, historically, only Madara from the Uchiha clan could control the Nine-Tails. There's no need to take your anger out on the entire clan. I suspect your useless nephew ran to you with a complaint again, didn't he?"

"Nonsense! That's not true!" Danzō denied vehemently. "Don't change the subject!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen impatiently gestured for him to look at the crystal ball himself.

The image in the crystal ball showed Sen walking home alone.

Seeing the undisguised anger in Danzō's eyes, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew he had guessed correctly.

He took a puff of his pipe and said casually:

"You shouldn't be so prejudiced against the Uchiha clan. He's only a little over six years old. He's still just a child."