I Want to Be Hokage! (Seeking Support!)

At the end of the 33rd year of the Leaf, the Second Shinobi World War was drawing to a close. The reputations of the White Fang of the Leaf and the Sannin had long since reached the village. Alongside these reports came grim news: Tsunade, one of the Sannin, had developed hemophobia following the deaths of her younger brother, Senju Nawaki, and her lover, Dan Katō. Unable to remain on the battlefield, she had returned to the Leaf, accompanied by Orochimaru, another of the Sannin. Jiraiya, however, remained abroad; according to Orochimaru and Tsunade, he had gone off on a journey to relax.

As the war neared its end, Mirai Uchiha had turned six. He had spent a year and a half at the Ninja Academy, and his chakra had finally broken through to the genin level. In terms of ninjutsu, he had only mastered the Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu. Li was in no rush; he knew that biting off more than one could chew was a recipe for failure. With his current genin-level chakra, a C-rank ninjutsu was the perfect fit.

"Today, I would like to introduce a new student. She will be studying with you all from now on. Everyone, please get to know her!"

The entire class turned their gaze toward the girl on the podium. Li was no exception, for this girl was none other than Kushina Uzumaki, the person he had been thinking of day and night.

Although Kushina would later be known as the Red Hot Habanero, she was a newcomer here and was preoccupied with how to get along with her classmates. She stood on the podium looking delicate and quite nervous. After a long silence, she finally raised her head and gathered the courage to say, "My name is Kushina Uzumaki, I'm six years old, and my dream... my dream is to be the first female Hokage!" She practically roared the last sentence. Once she finished, her entire face turned red, and with her round cheeks, she looked exactly like a tomato.

The classroom fell silent. All the students were stunned by Kushina's declaration, but soon, the room erupted into a roar of laughter.

"Pfft, you want to be Hokage? Maybe in your next life! Your face is so round and red—why don't you just give up on being Hokage and be a tomato instead!" A student stood up, clutching his stomach and pointing at Kushina while struggling to hold back his laughter.

As soon as these words were spoken, another wave of mocking laughter broke out, and the students began to whisper among themselves—all of it, of course, nothing more than insults meant to tear her down.

"Ahem, just go take a seat over there!" Morita Mushio felt a bit awkward, but he didn't say anything else, simply pointing to an empty seat in front of Li.

Kushina stomped her feet in anger. Hearing the teacher's instruction, she ran to the seat, sat down, and buried her head on the desk without a word. Li, sitting behind her, glanced at Kushina and then at Minato Namikaze. He noticed that Minato was also glancing at her from time to time. Clearly, the ambition to become the Leaf's first female Hokage had resonated with Minato, sparking his interest in her.

Minato Namikaze, you don't have the ability to protect her, so I'm sorry, but I won't let her go to you! Li didn't care about the plot or destiny. He firmly believed that all unfairness in the world was simply a result of one's own lack of ability. Minato lacked the strength, so he had no right to pursue Kushina.

Just then, a sharp pain struck Li's waist. He frowned and looked to the side to see Uchiha Mikoto glaring at him, puffed up with indignation. Li was puzzled and asked, "Mikoto, did I offend you again?"

"Hmph, Brother Li is a big pervert, staring at the new girl like that!" Uchiha Mikoto pouted and turned her head away.

Hearing this, Li found it strange. Even if he had been looking at Kushina, it wasn't enough to make her this angry. Is she throwing a tantrum like a child? Li rubbed his chin, confused. He didn't think Uchiha Mikoto was jealous; after all, they were only six-year-old children who wouldn't understand romantic feelings. In Li's view, he had simply paid too much attention to Kushina, making Mikoto feel neglected, so she was acting out. Wasn't it the same in his past life? Children would get upset if they felt their parents favored their younger siblings or older brothers.

Seeing Uchiha Mikoto still sulking, Li felt helpless and had to comfort her. "Alright, Mikoto, I just felt sorry for her because she's in a strange environment and being mocked by the other students. You don't need to be angry!"

Upon hearing Li's words, Uchiha Mikoto's ears twitched. She turned her head and asked suspiciously, "Is that really all it is?"

"Of course it's true, why would I lie to you?" Li nodded, then tapped Uchiha Mikoto on the head and said with a huff, "Don't get angry like this next time, you hear?"

"Mm, I know. From now on, I'll listen to everything Brother Li says!" Getting Li's affirmation, Uchiha Mikoto smiled, revealing her little fangs.

Seeing Uchiha Mikoto like this, Li shook his head. This was a far cry from the image of the virtuous wife and mother she would become. But considering her age, he couldn't say much; she was only six, still in her innocent years. Besides, in the original story, she married Uchiha Fugaku. As the clan leader's wife, she had to handle many responsibilities, mind her etiquette, and set a good example for others. Perhaps those factors were what transformed her into the person she would eventually become.

"Who asked for your pity? You're all big meanies!"

At that moment, Kushina suddenly turned around and lashed out at Li, glaring at him with her cheeks flushed red, looking quite adorable.

Caught off guard by Kushina's sudden outburst, Li was baffled. Had he done something wrong today? He had just finished soothing Uchiha Mikoto, and now Kushina was looking for trouble. Just as he was about to speak, Uchiha Mikoto was faster. She stood up from her seat with a start and shouted indignantly at Kushina, "How can you be so rude? My Brother Li was kind enough to feel sympathy for you because you're new to the Leaf and don't have any friends, and yet you're being so unreasonable! Hmph, you're infuriating!"

Kushina wasn't about to back down. She stood up as well, glaring at Uchiha Mikoto, ready to fire back, but Li stood up and held out a hand between them.

Both girls looked at Li and asked in unison, "What are you doing?"

"Kushina Uzumaki... right? My name is Mirai Uchiha. If you don't mind, let's be friends!" Li said, extending his right hand. Kushina was stunned, staring at his hand, unable to speak.

"Brother Li, why would you want to be friends with such a rude person?" Uchiha Mikoto asked in disbelief from the side.