Yuki Yuichi held Yuhi Kurenai's little hand as they walked toward the classroom building. "Kurenai, listen. There are lots of blonds at the Ninja Academy. If you run into one, make sure you tell me."
As he spoke, Yuki Yuichi put on a fierce expression. "They're very dangerous."
Yuhi Kurenai watched Yuki Yuichi's exaggerated act and couldn't help breaking into a smile. Then she hopped up and patted the top of his head.
"Is this the kind of blond you mean?" Yuhi Kurenai asked, pointing at a blond young man with spiky hair in the distance.
"Hmm..." Yuki Yuichi looked at the young man Yuhi Kurenai was pointing at and couldn't help rubbing his chin.
"That's not the kind of blond I meant."
"Then what kind did you mean?"
"It's... it's..." Yuki Yuichi couldn't quite put it into words. He struggled to explain, then spotted Kakashi passing by and his eyes lit up. He grabbed Kakashi and said to Yuhi Kurenai:
"This kind. They look like decent people, but in reality, they like hitting on little girls."
Kakashi: "..."
When had he ever liked hitting on little girls?
Yuki Yuichi wasn't finished. He kept hold of Kakashi's arm. "Look, this Copy Ninja wears a mask and has a pair of dead-fish eyes. People like him, who go around hitting on girls, are all called blonds."
"If you run into someone like that, make sure to stay far away."
Yuki Yuichi was still talking when a voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Kid, when you're talking about someone, could you not point at me?"
"It's really rude."
Hearing the voice, Yuki Yuichi turned around. "Hello, pretty lady."
"Hahaha, really?" Uzumaki Kushina burst into laughter when she heard someone call her pretty.
"What's pretty about me?"
"Your hair is beautiful!" Yuki Yuichi gave Uzumaki Kushina a thumbs-up, then lifted his own hair, which was almost the same color as hers.
"This is the color reserved for handsome guys and beautiful girls!"
"Kid, I didn't know you had such a good eye!" Seeing Yuki Yuichi's expression, Uzumaki Kushina couldn't help stepping forward and mussing up his hair.
"You three are new students starting today, right?" Minato Namikaze, the so-called blond, looked at the three little kids before him and spoke warmly.
He didn't seem bothered at all by being called a blond.
When Kakashi Hatake saw Minato Namikaze asking the three of them, he nodded.
Yuhi Kurenai apologized with an apologetic look. "I'm really sorry. Yuichi didn't mean to."
"We're new students starting today."
Minato Namikaze waved his hand dismissively. "That's great. We were just like you once."
At that, Yuki Yuichi grinned and darted over to Yuhi Kurenai. He put one arm around her shoulders and the other around Kakashi, who was still struggling.
"The legend of the Shinobi World sets sail today!"
Seeing him like that, Uzumaki Kushina couldn't help giggling.
"Then, future legend of the Shinobi World, what's your name?"
"Yuichi, Yuki Yuichi!"
"The future God of Shinobi!"
As he spoke, Yuki Yuichi gave Uzumaki Kushina and Minato Namikaze a thumbs-up, flashing his bright white teeth.
Hearing his introduction, Uzumaki Kushina burst into laughter. Still laughing, she leaned on Minato Namikaze's shoulder and copied Yuki Yuichi's pose as she introduced herself:
"My name is Kushina, Kushina Uzumaki."
"The future first female Hokage of Konoha!"
Minato Namikaze shook his head helplessly. Kushina was still as carefree as ever.
"Kushina, we should go."
"Lord Hokage is waiting for us."
"I know, I know. What's the harm in making that old man wait a little?" Uzumaki Kushina said with a careless pout. She had no respect for Sarutobi Hiruzen at all.
And, in fact, she had every reason to feel that way. As a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan and the current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, she could do whatever she pleased in Konoha.
Even if she blew Danzo's Root to smithereens, nothing would happen to her.
That was the confidence of a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!
Watching the two of them walk farther and farther away, Yuhi Kurenai scratched her head. "That lady seemed so pretty and confident."
"I want to be like her one day!"
Seeing Yuhi Kurenai purse her lips and clasp her hands to her chest, Yuki Yuichi threw an arm around her with a grin. "Don't worry. You'll definitely become a beautiful and powerful kunoichi."
"Mm!" Yuhi Kurenai nodded like a chick pecking at grain. Then she looked at Yuki Yuichi with a smile, her eyes curving.
"Yuichi will definitely become a legend of the Shinobi World, too!"
"Kurenai!"
"Yuichi!"
The two looked into each other's eyes. Kakashi felt sick watching them.
"Hey, where did Kakashi go?" The two gazed at each other for a long while, until Yuhi Kurenai shyly lowered her head. Only then did she notice that Kakashi, who had been beside them, was gone.
"That Copy Ninja is so mean, leaving us behind and walking off by himself."
Seeing that Yuki Yuichi still wanted to say something, Yuhi Kurenai took his hand and ran toward the classroom building. "Let's go too. Class is about to start."
The Ninja Academy was huge, and all they'd been told was that they had both been assigned to Class A, first year.
There were no directions along the way, either.
It seemed the first lesson for a ninja had already begun.
The first lesson: gathering and investigating information.
But that had nothing to do with Yuhi Kurenai and Yuki Yuichi.
As Yuhi Shinku's beloved daughter and adopted son, the two of them didn't need to investigate any of this.
When they'd come to register at the Ninja Academy with Yuhi Shinku, he had already told them where their classroom was...
Perhaps that was one of the perks of having connections...
When the two arrived at the classroom, they found that they were the last ones there.
"We have to sit apart." Yuhi Kurenai looked around. There were two seats left, but they were some distance from each other, which made her a little disappointed.
"I thought I'd get to sit with you, Yuichi."
Yuhi Kurenai visibly drooped. Yuki Yuichi looked around too and saw that she was right.
But as he glanced around, he spotted two familiar faces. His eyes lit up, and he took Yuhi Kurenai by the hand and headed over.
While they were looking around, the students in the classroom were looking at them too.
The boys in the classroom seemed to have been injected with a shot of adrenaline when they saw Yuhi Kurenai.
"So cute!"
"She's adorable!"
"She's the cutest girl I've ever seen!"
The girls reacted the same way when they saw Yuki Yuichi, except they praised his good looks.
Yuki Yuichi wasn't bad-looking. His handsome face, paired with his red hair, gave him a slightly roguish charm.
With his lively energy, that roguish look made him an absolute heartbreaker.
But when everyone saw Yuhi Kurenai and Yuki Yuichi holding hands, their spirits immediately sank.
In an instant, sighs filled the entire classroom, from boys and girls alike.
Before you continue