Minato Namikaze was an orphan too, adopted by the same orphanage as Bai Lin.
He was the future Fourth Hokage, the "Yellow Flash," with talent that ranked among the best in the Ninja World.
The moment Bai Lin met him, he'd already started plotting how to train him into his trusted subordinate.
After all, Minato was the man who would develop the Flying Thunder God and inherit the Will of Fire. Bringing him onto his side now would make him the most reliable confidant when Bai Lin ran for Hokage and conquered the Ninja World in the future.
Over the years, Bai Lin had spared no effort with Minato.
He treated him like his own little brother and racked his brains every day to feed him motivational speeches from his past life, hoping to build himself up in Minato's eyes as a towering, noble figure.
As time went on, Bai Lin's standing in Minato's heart had long since surpassed that of Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi by who knew how much.
Meanwhile,
Minato quickly caught up with Kushina and spread his arms to block her path, his chest rising and falling slightly. "Kushina, don't run off! The boss has something to say to you."
"Move!" Kushina stubbornly shoved Minato. "You're all on the same side, and you all hate my hair. I bet you're calling me a tomato in your heads!"
"You people from Konoha are all so awful. The Will of Fire is nothing but empty talk."
"No, I don't hate your hair." Minato hurriedly waved his hands, his voice anxious.
"Move, or I'll make you!"
Kushina stepped back a few paces and took a fighting stance.
If this sissy dared to block me, I'd beat him so badly his own mother wouldn't recognize him.
That was what Kushina thought.
"Please, stop, Kushina."
"You're not strong enough to beat me."
"I didn't mean that I hated your hair, and my boss isn't like that either. Please, just stop so we can talk."
Minato clearly didn't realize he'd accidentally insulted Kushina too.
What?
I can't beat you?
So this sissy was mocking me too!
Kushina hadn't even heard the rest of what he said. All she'd heard were the words, "You're not strong enough to beat me."
She was a member of the Uzumaki Clan. When had she ever put up with this kind of disrespect?
I, Kushina Uzumaki of the Uzumaki Clan, am second to none!
"You dare look down on my strength!"
"Then let's see what you've got, you sissy!"
"Let's see if you're really as strong as you claim!"
Kushina had a fiery temper, and before she'd even finished speaking, she attacked.
She clenched her fist and swung straight at Minato's face.
Minato's expression changed. He hurriedly dodged to the side, chakra surging through his feet as he sprang back several paces, avoiding the blow.
"Kushina, I didn't mean to! Don't be mad!" He waved his hands anxiously.
Minato wasn't the assertive type with the villagers. As sunny as he was, he couldn't bring himself to fight Kushina.
"Save it! Take this!" Kushina pressed her advantage, advancing relentlessly as her fists rained down.
So that was all Minato had?
I'd backed him into retreating, and he still dared say I couldn't beat him.
Today, I'll show you what happens when you mock me!
But Minato was simply too nimble. Several times, Kushina came close to landing a hit, only for him to narrowly dodge at the last moment.
Kushina was still too young to realize the difference between them. She just kept swinging her fists.
"If you've got guts, stop dodging and fight me fair and square!" Kushina shouted.
"What are you dodging for? If you're afraid to fight, just admit defeat!"
When she couldn't land a hit, Kushina grew even angrier. She suddenly leaped onto the old locust tree beside them, hoping to use the chance to get away.
But the moment she steadied herself on a branch, the unexpected happened. A flash of cold light shot from behind her at an angle—a shuriken, aimed straight at her back!
"Oh no, a shuriken! I can't dodge it!"
Kushina stiffened all over. By the time she realized she was under attack, her body was already half a beat too slow.
"Clang!" A figure appeared beside Kushina in an instant. A long sword knocked away the shuriken flying toward her. It was Bai Lin.
He stood beside Kushina, catching her in one arm as she nearly fell from the branch, stunned. His expression was cold.
"Who gave you the nerve to attack a villager in Konoha?" Bai Lin fixed his gaze on a tree, his eyes icy.
Still shaken, Kushina leaned against Bai Lin's chest, her back damp with cold sweat.
The shuriken had nearly hit her. Even though whoever threw it hadn't aimed for a vital spot, she would've been hurt if it had struck her.
She looked at the boy's tall, straight back beside her. The deadly chill from a moment ago still lingered in her mind, yet he'd dispelled the danger with just one swing of his sword.
A complicated feeling welled up inside her.
He's so handsome!
How could anyone in the world be this handsome?
I want to be his friend. I wonder if he'll hate my red hair.
People in the Ninja World tended to mature early, and Kushina was no exception.
When she saw Bai Lin's handsome face, she looked just like Bietian Ying when she saw Gaoleng Zuo: her eyes turned into hearts.
"Come out!"
"As a ninja, attacking someone in the village without permission is your first crime."
"Lurking in the shadows and attacking someone by surprise is your second crime."
"I suspect you're a spy sent by an enemy village to Konoha with ulterior motives. That's your third crime."
"I have the right to arrest you and turn you over to the Konoha Military Police Force, where Third Hokage-sama can interrogate you himself!"
Bai Lin's voice rang out firmly. He gripped the Kusanagi Sword in one hand, released Kushina from his embrace, and spoke coldly.
After a brief silence, two people slowly emerged from behind the tree.
"It's you!" Kushina recognized one of them. He was one of the people who'd tried to bully her at the Ninja Academy, but hadn't succeeded; she'd sent him flying with Humanoid Kaiten.
"Don't... I only heard from my younger brother that this girl named Kushina bullied him. I wanted to stand up for him."
The taller man who stepped out from behind the tree looked about twelve or thirteen. He wore ordinary clothes, had an ordinary appearance, and wore a Konoha Forehead Protector, marking him as a Konoha ninja.
Under Bai Lin's accusations, he looked flustered. He raised both hands to show he meant no harm.
With Bai Lin charging him with all those crimes, he could end up in prison for life. He couldn't afford to be careless.
A timid boy followed close behind him. He was one of the people who'd mocked Kushina at school earlier that day. Now he kept his head down, not daring to look at her.
"Liar! Your brother was the one who mocked my hair first and ganged up with the others to corner me! I was only defending myself!" The man's words instantly reignited Kushina's anger.
"You weren't strong enough, so you went and got help. You're just like this blondie—a sissy with no backbone."
Kushina put her hands on her hips and scolded them. Her red hair swayed slightly with her anger, but she kept her eyes fixed on the two behind the tree, not backing down an inch.