To Repay Debts, Become Hokage!

Kushina Uzumaki hurriedly covered her mouth, her face flushing with shyness as she looked nervously at her classmates.

The students looked at each other in confusion.

"What red hair."

"Unbelievable, how can anyone have hair that red?"

"How do you even get it that red? It's so weird."

The chatter among the students grew loud, and the entire classroom became noisy.

Kinoshita-sensei tapped the table: "Enough, all of you, quiet down."

Those pointing fingers and judgmental words reached Kushina Uzumaki's ears, and she felt a surge of anger; so what if she had red hair like this?

Clenching her fists, she gathered her courage and loudly declared the dream she had only formed after arriving in Konoha, determined not to let anyone look down on her!

"I... I am going to become the first female Hokage of this village, you all better watch me, dattebane!"

Clap! Clap!

The sound of Uchiha Chonhua clapping was abrupt, drawing the attention of the students and Kushina Uzumaki toward him.

Uchiha Chonhua stood up and smiled: "That's a fine dream. I also want to become a Hokage who is recognized by the villagers."

Minato Namikaze looked at Uchiha Chonhua in shock; those words... those were the very words he had intended to say.

Kushina Uzumaki observed Uchiha Chonhua; this guy was actually quite good-looking, wait...

She recalled what Tsunade-nee had told her before she came to school: there were two outstanding-looking boys in the class she would be attending, one with yellow hair and one with black hair, both of whom were friends and partners she could trust and rely on.

The one with black hair... was he Uchiha Chonhua?

Kushina Uzumaki curiously sized up Uchiha Chonhua.

Seeing Kushina Uzumaki staring fixedly at Uchiha Chonhua, Kinoshita-sensei thought to himself, I hope this isn't another new member of the Uchiha Chonhua fan club?

"Kushina-san, this boy standing up is Uchiha Chonhua, and he is the class monitor. Go take the seat in front of him; if you have any questions, you can ask him."

Kushina Uzumaki nodded, walked over, and sat in the seat in front of Uchiha Chonhua.

As a transfer student with red hair, a rarity in the village, the children in the class secretly cast glances her way as she walked by.

"Hello, Uzumaki-san. Is it alright if I call you Kushina?"

"Oh, oh, hello, hello! I know you; Tsunade-nee and Nawaki have told me about you, dattebane."

Uchiha Chonhua said with some surprise: "So you know Tsunade-sensei and Nawaki? How come I haven't seen you before?"

"I'm from out of town, so it's normal that you haven't seen me. But I'm living at Tsunade-nee's place now. Is it alright if I call you Chonhua?"

Kushina Uzumaki was a bit cautious. As an outsider, everything in Konoha was unfamiliar to her, and she couldn't act as freely as she did back home in the Land of Whirlpools.

Uchiha Chonhua's voice was gentle and kind: "Of course. If there is anything you don't understand in the future, feel free to ask me. I'm quite familiar with Konoha."

"Well, as a boy, I might not be able to cover every little detail."

Uchiha Chonhua gestured toward his desk-mate, Mikoto Uchiha: "This is my clanswoman, Mikoto Uchiha. You girls might find it more comfortable to talk to each other."

"Hello, I'm Mikoto Uchiha. Just call me Mikoto."

"Oh, oh, I'm Kushina Uzumaki, dattebane! You can just call me Kushina."

Uchiha Chonhua stepped back, leaving the conversation to the two girls who were beginning to open up to each other.

He glanced at Minato Namikaze and happened to see Minato looking their way.

Minato Namikaze froze for a moment, then became even more stunned when he saw the meaningful smile on Uchiha Chonhua's face.

What does that mean? Minato Namikaze scratched his head, unable to grasp the meaning behind that smile.

The bell rang, and class ended.

As a transfer student from out of town, Kushina Uzumaki received a great deal of attention.

Several boys in the class blocked Kushina Uzumaki's path.

"Wow, looking at it up close, this hair is even redder! It's just like a tomato!"

"Fat round face, red hair—Tomato! Your nickname is Tomato from now on. I hate tomatoes the most!"

"How could a tomato ever become Hokage? That's just too funny."

"Exactly! If there are tomatoes in my food, I pick them out and throw them in the trash. They taste terrible!"

Kushina Uzumaki swallowed her pride, telling herself not to get angry, that she needed to leave a good impression and integrate into this unfamiliar environment.

But she was still so angry; she hated tomatoes too, didn't she?

She hadn't expected that the red hair she was so accustomed to back home would become a mark of strangeness in this foreign land. Kushina Uzumaki tugged at her hair, a sudden feeling of resentment toward her red locks rising in her heart.

Suddenly, she saw Minato Namikaze watching them with a faint smile.

Kushina Uzumaki frowned. What are you smiling at? What's so funny, dattebane?

That must be the good-looking yellow-haired boy Tsunade-nee mentioned. Hmph, she's being teased and mocked, and he isn't even coming to help.

Right, Chonhua. Chonhua should be able to help her out of this, right?

After their conversation in class, she had a very good impression of Uchiha Chonhua, and she began searching for his figure.

At this moment, a boy was maliciously reaching out to grab Kushina Uzumaki's hair.

"Let me see why this hair is so red..."

"Don't go looking for trouble with the transfer student, Nikai. You're making it very difficult for me as the class representative."

Uchiha Chonhua appeared at the right moment, catching the hand that was reaching for her hair.

"Chonhua!"

Kushina Uzumaki's eyes lit up; he had truly come to help her.

"I was just curious why her hair is so red, that's all."

The boy named Nikai gave a sheepish laugh and retracted his hand.

"That's enough. All of you, pay attention. Even though Kushina is a transfer student, she is a member of this class and a new friend of mine."

Uchiha Chonhua patted the boy on the shoulder, his tone amicable: "I usually get along quite well with everyone, so I'm not sure what it looks like when I'm unhappy, but you probably don't want to find out."

"Ah... haha, since she's a friend of the class rep, she's our friend too. How could we treat her badly? It's a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding."

The few boys hurriedly gave their word, then awkwardly draped their arms over each other's shoulders and left the classroom.

They knew better than to mess with Uchiha Chonhua.

"Thank you, Chonhua."

Kushina Uzumaki thanked him sincerely, her smile appearing much more genuine.

Uchiha Chonhua shook his head and laughed: "I was just protecting those guys from getting a beating."

"Kushina, I can feel that your strength is far greater than theirs. If you were to get angry, they would be the ones suffering."

Kushina Uzumaki blinked. Was she really stronger than those people? She wasn't even sure if Chonhua was telling the truth.

"I'm not even sure..."

Before Kushina Uzumaki could finish her sentence, Uchiha Chonhua's voice came through: "This is a school for training ninjas. In the world of ninjas, there is a simple way to earn recognition."

"There's a practical combat test in a few days. Kushina, you can show everyone in the class your strength then. As long as you achieve excellent results, everyone will get to know you, and subsequently, no one will dare to trouble you again."

Chapter 20: It's a Cheat, I Added a Cheat

Kushina Uzumaki's ninja training wasn't systematic, but she possessed a formidable bloodline.

Born with massive chakra reserves, every punch and kick she threw was packed with power under the reinforcement of her chakra.

Her vigorous vitality enhanced her energy and stamina, allowing her to endure pain better and sustain combat for longer periods.

During the practical test a few days later, Kushina Uzumaki displayed impressive strength, leaving a deep impression on her classmates and forcing them to look at her in a new light.

The boys who had previously troubled her were especially terrified.

Because of that lingering fear, the looks they directed at Uchiha Chonhua were filled with intense gratitude.

How could that outsider have such strong taijutsu, and such immense strength? She had swung and hammered them until they were crying out in pain.

When she hit them in the chest, it was even worse—it left them gasping for air.

They couldn't afford to provoke her; they really couldn't.

Seeing the expressions on those boys' faces, Kushina Uzumaki was delighted.

She stood with her hands on her hips, looking quite proud, and let out a soft huff while clenching her fists: "Hmph, let's see who dares to underestimate me now."

Mikoto Uchiha praised her from the side: "Kushina is truly amazing."

"Hehe, it's alright. Mikoto is even more amazing."

After all, she was third in the grade. Kushina Uzumaki had watched Mikoto Uchiha's fight; compared to her own wild flailing, Mikoto's combat was more aesthetic—it looked more like how a real ninja fought.

"Compared to Minato and Chonhua, my strength isn't worth mentioning. Look, they're about to start."

Mikoto's words brought Kushina back to her senses, and she hurriedly looked toward the center of the arena.

Uchiha Chonhua and Namikaze Minato performed the Seal of Confrontation, and the next moment, both used the Body Flicker Technique to charge at each other.

Bang!

A dull thud echoed as their fists and feet collided, engaging in a fierce display of taijutsu.

Uchiha Chonhua threw a palm strike, but Namikaze Minato dodged to the side, using the momentum of his rotating body to lift his right leg and bring it down like a battle axe.

Seeing this, Uchiha Chonhua crossed his arms to block the downward strike, his chakra surging to push his opponent away.

Namikaze Minato landed with a flip, pushed off the ground, and collided with Uchiha Chonhua once more.

Kushina Uzumaki couldn't help but open her mouth wide, her eyes fixed entirely on the two figures fighting.

"This, this... it's so fast. My eyes can barely keep up. The two of them... they are just too strong."

Mikoto Uchiha smiled and nodded: "This is Chonhua and Minato. Their strength is on a completely different dimension from ours."

"I really don't know how they train, even though we're all the same age," Tsume Inuzuka chimed in from the side.

Her ninja hound, Kuro-maru, let out a whimper, appearing somewhat afraid.

"They are our peers, yet their fates are different from ours."

Hizashi Hyuga, who had been quite shy three years ago, was now expressionless, his Byakugan lacking its former clarity.

He touched the bandages wrapped around his head, his tone flat: "The moment everyone is born, their fate is already sealed, whether it be mine or theirs."

"Uh... what is wrong with him? Talking all cryptic like that."

Kushina Uzumaki looked on with a strange expression; all this talk of fate was so awkward, and frankly, it made her uncomfortable.

"Hizashi is actually a good person, it's just that..." Mikoto Uchiha offered a reminder: "The changes in his family have influenced his way of thinking."

Family reasons? Kushina Uzumaki's gaze toward Hizashi Hyuga softened with a sense of shared misfortune.

She, too, had left her home behind for family reasons, arriving in the unfamiliar village of Konoha.

Sigh, Kushina let out a breath; she couldn't help but wonder why it had to be her.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

Namikaze Minato formed hand seals, unleashing a powerful gust of wind that surged toward Uchiha Chonhua.

Uchiha Chonhua was swept up by the gale, the wind blades tearing through his clothes, which nearly made Kushina Uzumaki cry out.

But the next moment, the Uchiha Chonhua struck by the wind blades suddenly burst into a cloud of smoke.

The real Uchiha Chonhua had appeared behind Namikaze Minato.

Namikaze Minato had long anticipated that Uchiha Chonhua wouldn't be defeated so easily; having been suppressed for three years, he had kept his expectations extremely low.

He focused on trading blows with Uchiha Chonhua, but as time passed, a strange sensation took hold: while he could hear the voices of his classmates outside the arena just moments ago, everything had now fallen into a deathly silence, devoid of any sound at all.

"Something is wrong."

Namikaze Minato pulled back, his face full of vigilance.

Uchiha Chonhua did not pursue relentlessly and came to a stop, the two of them standing in a stalemate, motionless.