"We're full. Let's go."
Shin wiped his mouth, then wiped Kushina's for her, making her beam with smug satisfaction as she shot Uchiha Mikoto a provocative look.
Uchiha Mikoto paid no mind to Kushina's taunting gaze. Instead, she smiled gently at her, leaving Kushina feeling frustrated. It seemed she didn't care about Kushina's provocations at all.
And after spending some time together, Mikoto's gentle nature made Kushina feel too awkward to show any hostility toward her.
"Wait."
Just as Shin and the others were about to leave the ramen shop
, the Uchiha Clan ninja called out to them.
Shin furrowed his brow slightly and turned to look at him.
Although he had just copied the Sharingan's ocular power from this man, allowing his One-Tomoe Sharingan to skip straight past Two-Tomoe and evolve into the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Shin still didn't like him.
The guy acted like he owned the place. Nobody could possibly like someone like that.
"You're from the Uchiha Clan, aren't you? Why are you hanging around with someone from the Senju Clan?"
The Uchiha Clan ninja demanded an answer from Uchiha Mikoto.
Mikoto lowered her head without saying a word, her face turning slightly pale.
Seeing her like that, Kushina immediately took a dislike to the Uchiha Clan ninja and couldn't help saying, "What's it to you?"
Kushina disliked the Uchiha Clan ninja just as much.
"What did you say?"
The Uchiha Clan ninja stood up and fixed his blood-red Three-Tomoe Sharingan on Kushina, frightening her into hiding behind Shin.
He was a Jonin who had killed plenty of people, and a thick killing intent clung to him. Now, with his Sharingan activated and murderous intent on his face, he was terrifying.
If Kushina hadn't already witnessed the destruction of the Uzumaki Clan and seen her share of the world, she might have been scared witless.
A cold glint flashed in Shin's eyes. Sometimes, he could endure things to keep his strength hidden.
But sometimes, he couldn't. Otherwise, he'd be a complete coward.
Just as Shin was about to make a move, a voice he knew well rang out.
"Shin, you little rascal, Kushina, you little girl, and Nawaki—what are you doing here?" Tsunade walked over, accompanied by two others.
One of them had a deathly pale face and exuded a chilly aura, like a venomous snake lurking in the dark. This was Tsunade's teammate, Orochimaru.
The other had white hair and two streaks of paint beneath his eyes: Jiraiya.
"Did something happen?"
Tsunade noticed the Uchiha Clan ninja beside them, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan activated and murder in his eyes.
"A Jonin bullying children. You're making the Uchiha Clan proud, aren't you? What's your name?" Tsunade asked coldly.
The Uchiha Clan ninja looked terribly awkward when he saw Tsunade. As she stared coldly at him, he lost his nerve.
"I... I'm Uchiha Ryota."
He knew Tsunade. What Konoha ninja didn't? He might act arrogant in front of others, but he wouldn't dare in front of Tsunade.
Tsunade wasn't afraid of the Uchiha Clan, and more importantly, she wasn't afraid to throw a punch. If she beat him half to death, even the Uchiha Clan leader couldn't do a thing about it.
So how could he not back down? If he didn't, he'd end up in the hospital.
And Tsunade was Konoha's finest medical ninja, with great influence at Konoha Hospital. If he wound up there, all she'd have to do was give the word, and he'd never get out.
"Get lost. If you dare bother them again, I'll cripple you," Tsunade said coldly.
Uchiha Ryota slunk away. Even though he was a genius of the Uchiha Clan, they wouldn't offend Tsunade on his behalf.
The main reason was that Tsunade was the Third Hokage's student. Offending her meant offending the Third Hokage, and if the Third Hokage got a hold of something he could use against them, the Uchiha Clan would be in for trouble.
The Third Hokage of this era wasn't the weak old man he would become in the future. He was still quite forceful.
"Kushina, are you okay?" Shin asked her.
Kushina shook her head. With Shin by her side, she wasn't all that scared.
"When we get the chance, we'll dig a hole and bury him."
Shin watched Uchiha Ryota's retreating back, looking at him as if he were already dead.
If they weren't in Konoha, Ryota could already be in his grave.
Shin didn't think he was too weak to kill a Jonin from the Uchiha Clan. He wasn't confident against an Elite Jonin, but he was sure he could handle a regular Jonin.
"Pfft, hahaha! Kid, what did you just say?" Jiraiya laughed as he looked at Shin.
Shin glanced at Jiraiya, smiled faintly, and replied, "I said that when I get the chance, I'll dig a hole and bury you."
Jiraiya's face turned red with embarrassment.
"Big sis, thank goodness you showed up. Otherwise, things could've gotten messy," Nawaki said with a relieved sigh.
"I'm sorry. This was all my fault," Uchiha Mikoto apologized guiltily.
"It's not your fault, Mikoto. That guy just loves sticking his nose into things, and he looks like he's begging for a beating. If I could take him, I'd punch him right in the face," Kushina said, patting Mikoto on the shoulder.
Shin glanced at Kushina, then at Mikoto. Since when had Kushina and Mikoto gotten so close?
Hadn't Kushina been hostile toward Mikoto before?
Actually, seeing Mikoto look so helpless earlier had stirred Kushina's sympathy, making her hostility toward Mikoto fade.
"Are you from the Uchiha Clan?" Tsunade asked as she looked at Mikoto.
"Y-yes."
Mikoto looked at Tsunade nervously.
"What are you afraid of? I'm not going to eat you. But you really are different from the other Uchiha," Tsunade said, looking at Mikoto. There wasn't a trace of the Uchiha Clan's arrogance about her.
The Uchiha Clan members were almost always arrogant, whether young or old, male or female—or else they acted like they owned the place.
They were the quintessential arrogant, overpowered clan, always looking for ways to make enemies.
Tsunade had a good impression of Mikoto and didn't judge her badly just because she was from the Uchiha Clan.
"Let me introduce you. This is my teammate, Orochimaru, and this is our deadweight, Jiraiya."
Tsunade pointed to Orochimaru and Jiraiya as she introduced them.
Shin looked at the two men. He had recognized them the moment he saw them earlier; they were both unmistakable.
"Deadweight? You mean me?" Jiraiya looked at Tsunade in dismay. How was he deadweight?
Orochimaru said nothing, but his gaze remained fixed on Shin.
Shin looked back at the scientist and noticed that Orochimaru was staring at him. What was going on? Had Orochimaru already started down the path of researching the fundamental truths of science? Had he taken an interest in Shin?
No, that couldn't be. At this point in time, Orochimaru definitely hadn't begun his research yet.
Then why was Orochimaru staring at him?
Under Orochimaru's gaze, Shin felt distinctly uncomfortable, as if a snake had its eyes on him.
"Interesting." Orochimaru suddenly smiled faintly at Shin.
Shin's brow furrowed slightly. Orochimaru smiling at him couldn't be a good sign.
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