At the end of Year 33 of Konoha, the Second Shinobi World War was nearing its conclusion. The reputations of the White Fang of the Leaf and the Sannin had already spread throughout Konoha. There was other, less welcome news as well: Tsunade, one of the Sannin, had developed a fear of blood after the deaths of her younger brother, Senju Nawaki, and her lover, Dan Katō. She could no longer fight on the battlefield and had returned to Konoha, accompanied by Orochimaru, another of the Sannin. Jiraiya was still away. According to Orochimaru and Tsunade, he had gone traveling to relax.
As the war neared its end, Mirai had also turned six. He had spent a year and a half at the Ninja Academy, and his chakra had finally reached Genin level. As for Ninjutsu, he still knew only the Great Fireball Technique. Mirai wasn't in a hurry. Trying to learn too much at once would only leave him with a poor grasp of everything. With chakra at Genin level, a single C-rank technique suited him just fine.
"Today, I'd like to introduce a new student. She'll be studying with you from now on, so let's all get to know her!"
Everyone in the class turned to look at the girl standing at the front of the room. Mirai did too, for she was the Kushina Uzumaki he had thought about day and night.
Though Kushina would later be known as the Bloody Habanero, she had only just arrived and was preoccupied with figuring out how to get along with her classmates. She stood shyly at the front of the room, looking rather timid. After a long moment, she lifted her head and gathered her courage. "My name is Kushina Uzumaki. I'm six years old, and my dream... my dream is to become the first woman Hokage!" She practically shouted the last part. As soon as she finished, her whole face turned red. With her chubby cheeks, she looked just like a tomato.
The classroom fell silent. Every student was stunned by Kushina's words. But soon the room erupted in laughter.
"Yeah, right! You think you can become Hokage? Maybe in your next life! Look at that round, red face of yours. You should forget about being Hokage and become a tomato instead!" one student said, standing up and pointing at Kushina as he tried to hold back his laughter.
His remark set off another round of laughter. The students all started talking about Kushina, though all they had to say were mean things meant to put her down.
"Ahem. You can sit over there," Morita Mushio said, a little awkwardly. He didn't say anything else, just pointed to an empty seat in front of Mirai.
Kushina stamped her foot in anger, then ran over and sat down when she heard the teacher. She leaned over her desk and didn't say a word. Mirai, sitting behind her, glanced at Kushina, then at Minato Namikaze. He noticed Minato kept stealing glances at her too. Clearly, Kushina's dream of becoming Konoha's first woman Hokage had struck a chord with him and sparked his interest in her.
"Minato Namikaze, you don't have what it takes to protect her, so I'm afraid I can't let you have her!" Mirai didn't care about what was or wasn't supposed to happen in the story. He firmly believed that every injustice was caused by one's own lack of ability. Minato wasn't capable enough, so he had no right to fall for Kushina.
Just then, a sharp pain suddenly struck Mirai's waist. Frowning, he turned his head and saw Uchiha Mikoto glaring at him with puffed-up cheeks. Mirai was puzzled. "Mikoto, what did I do to upset you now?"
"Hmph! Big Brother Mirai is such a pervert. He keeps staring at the new girl!" Uchiha Mikoto said, pouting as she turned her head away.
Mirai found that strange. Even if he had been staring at Kushina, that was no reason to get so angry. Is she just being childish? He rubbed his chin, perplexed. He didn't think Uchiha Mikoto was jealous or anything. They were only six years old, after all—how could they understand romantic feelings? As far as Mirai was concerned, Mikoto felt ignored because he had paid too much attention to Kushina, so she was throwing a childish tantrum. Children in his previous life did the same thing: if they thought their parents treated their younger or older sibling better, they would start acting out.
Seeing that Uchiha Mikoto was still sulking, Mirai felt a little helpless. He could only reassure her. "All right, Mikoto. She just got here and is in an unfamiliar place, and the other students laughed at her. I felt sorry for her, that's all. You don't need to be angry!"
At Mirai's words, Uchiha Mikoto's ears perked up. She turned around and asked doubtfully, "Is that really all?"
"Of course. Why would I lie to you?" Mirai nodded, then tapped Uchiha Mikoto on the head and said with a hint of exasperation, "Don't get angry over something like this again, all right?"
"Mm, I understand. From now on, I'll listen to everything you say, Big Brother Mirai!" Reassured by Mirai's answer, Uchiha Mikoto smiled, showing her little canine teeth.
Seeing her like that, Mirai shook his head. She was so different from the gentle, devoted wife she would become. But then again, Uchiha Mikoto was still young, and Mirai didn't say anything more. She was only six, still at an innocent age. In the original story, she married Uchiha Fugaku and became the clan leader's wife. She had to learn a great deal, observe proper etiquette, and set a good example for those under her. Perhaps those were the reasons she eventually became the person she was later.
"Who asked you to feel sorry for me? You're all horrible!"
Just then, Kushina suddenly turned around and yelled at Mirai. Her cheeks were flushed, and she glared at him angrily, looking adorable.
Caught off guard by Kushina's outburst, Mirai was puzzled. Had he managed to offend everyone today? He had just finished calming Uchiha Mikoto down, and now Kushina was picking a fight with him. He was about to say something when Uchiha Mikoto moved faster. She shot up from her seat and snapped at Kushina, "How can you be so rude? Big Brother Mirai was just being kind. He saw you'd just arrived in Konoha and didn't have any friends, so he felt sorry for you. And you're still being so unreasonable! Hmph, you're making me furious!"
Kushina refused to back down. She sprang to her feet and glared at Uchiha Mikoto, ready to yell at her. But Mirai stood up too and held out an arm between them.
The two girls turned to him and asked at the same time, "What are you doing?"
"Kushina Uzumaki... right? My name is Mirai Uchiha. If you don't mind, would you like to be friends?" Mirai held out his right hand. Kushina froze, staring at his hand without saying a word.
"Big Brother Mirai, why do you want to be friends with someone so rude?" Uchiha Mikoto asked, unable to believe it.
Before you continue