Do you like my hair, Nagi?

Kushina covered her mouth in horror.

However, facing this punch, Uchiha Nagi, who had his back turned to the sneak attacker, did not show a trace of the panic Kushina had expected.

He didn't even look back; instead, the moment he heard Kushina's scream, he acted.

His gaze swept across the battlefield to the panicked red-haired girl in the distance, and he gave her a playful wink.

This subtle movement was incredibly brief, yet it caused Kushina's scream to catch in her throat, turning into pure astonishment.

Thud!

That punch landed on Uchiha Nagi's back without the slightest obstruction!

But there was no expected cry of pain.

The figure of "Uchiha Nagi" that had been struck blurred for a moment, then with a soft "poof," it transformed into a wooden log, falling limply to the ground.

If the genin had looked closely, he would have realized this was the very same log Uchiha Nagi had used to trick Kushina earlier!

"What?!"

The savage grin on the genin's face froze instantly, replaced by disbelief, horror, and confusion.

Substitution Technique!

This Uchiha brat had actually pulled off a Substitution Technique right under his nose!

When on earth did he do it?!

"As I thought, your eyesight really isn't very good; you couldn't even spot a substitution."

Uchiha Nagi's voice rang out right beside the genin's ear. The proximity was so close it made the genin's skin crawl, and the moment he tried to turn around—

Uchiha Nagi delivered a ruthless kick. This time, it was impossible for the genin to dodge, and under the force of the blow, he face-planted into the dirt.

Looking at the fallen genin, Uchiha Nagi didn't feel much joy.

He was just a small fry, yet he had taken quite a bit of effort to deal with.

After all, he couldn't use his Sharingan or any offensive ninjutsu.

Having to rely solely on the Three Basic Techniques while fighting with inferior physical stats was a significant disadvantage.

In this battle, the only advantages he held over his opponent were his chakra control and his proficiency with the Three Basic Techniques.

If not for that, he would have taken the guy out with a Great Fireball Technique the moment he dodged at the start.

He had had plenty of opportunities to use that jutsu.

Furthermore, Uchiha Nagi couldn't help but glance at Kushina. Back when he saw her suppressing her classmates at school and earning the reputation of the "Blood Red Pepper," he knew her physical constitution was exceptional.

Now, having the genin as a point of comparison, he understood that Kushina's physical stats were indeed much better than his own.

It wasn't that his own physical stats were poor—in fact, they were definitely top-tier—but Kushina was an elite chosen from the Uzumaki Clan.

"Truly worthy of being the badass who could still move and use Adamantine Sealing Chains to suppress the Nine-Tails for a while even after it was extracted."

Uchiha Nagi muttered to himself, then walked up behind the genin and kicked him again just as he tried to stand up.

"Don't be in such a rush to stand up; apologize first."

"You damn brat, why should I apologize?" the genin roared.

"Why? Because you bullied someone younger than you, and because every time at school, it was your younger brother who started the trouble and picked on Kushina." Uchiha Nagi raised an eyebrow.

Kushina's face flushed red upon hearing this, as Uchiha Nagi was exaggerating a bit.

It was true that the other side started it, but as for who was actually bullying whom... that was debatable.

Finally, realizing the situation was against him, the genin lowered his head and apologized to Kushina.

"I'm sorry, I bullied you because I'm older. I'll teach my brother a lesson so he doesn't bother you anymore."

After the genin finished, just as Kushina was about to accept, Uchiha Nagi frowned.

"And?"

"And what?" The genin was stunned; hadn't he already said everything?

"Think carefully."

The genin's gaze finally fell upon Kushina's hair, and he suddenly understood.

"I admit I was blind; your hair is very beautiful."

Only then was Uchiha Nagi satisfied: "Get lost. And make sure your brother doesn't spread word of this at school, or I'll beat him every time I see him!"

The genin's face turned pale; even if Uchiha Nagi hadn't said it, he wouldn't let his brother talk about this.

A genin losing to a first-year elementary student was too humiliating!

As for that younger brother of his, he had long been staring blankly, nearly scared to tears just by Uchiha Nagi's gaze, and lacked the courage to say a word.

Finally, the genin took his brother and left this place of sorrow.

"Nagi, do you really like the color of my hair?"

After the genin left, Kushina became a bit bashful, her face flushing slightly.

"Hm? I said..."

Uchiha Nagi naturally didn't finish the word "that," remembering he had only remarked that her hair looked quite nice, not that he liked it...

But at this moment, it was clearly impossible to speak the truth.

"That's right, I like it."

Uchiha Nagi changed his statement without batting an eye.

Kushina's face turned even redder, and as she looked at her red hair, she suddenly felt it wasn't quite as detestable as she had thought.

Before, when all her classmates called her Tomato, she hadn't been able to refute them.

Because she had felt the same way herself; those people were simply stating a fact.

Until just a moment ago, she had still been ostracized because of this red hair, so naturally, it was impossible for her to like it.

But now...

Should I learn how to take care of my hair from big sister Tsunade in the future?

Kushina thought to herself.

Uchiha Nagi watched Kushina's expression, feeling that something wasn't quite right.

Everything he had done so far seemed perfectly fine; if a friend was being bullied, could he just stand by and watch without helping?

He could not!

Therefore, everything he did was reasonable, but why did it feel like the plot was veering further and further off course?

Moreover, he glanced at Kushina a few more times; he really didn't have much interest in children. As expected, he would have to wait over a decade for her to fully mature.

So, he shouldn't worry too much for now; perhaps the problem would just disappear on its own after a while.

And if it didn't disappear, what then?

Then, naturally... he would just have to deal with it!

Uchiha Nagi didn't actually care much about such things, because he wasn't some "yellow-haired" villain out to steal someone else's girlfriend.

That sort of thing only happened when two people were already in love, and as of now, there was no spark between Kushina and Namikaze Minato, right?

Besides, ever since he arrived in this world, the future was bound to change.

Since the future was already uncertain, why should he assume they would definitely end up as a couple?

He could just as easily say that in this lifetime, he and Tsunade were destined to be a pair!

Therefore, Uchiha Nagi only felt a bit off because he knew the original story.

What the future holds is something he must walk toward himself.

He didn't necessarily need to be unconventional and change everything, but he also didn't need to be bound by rules and afraid to make any changes.