The Blood-Red Pepper

School started in the blink of an eye. Four Chunin instructors were assigned to four new classes. Since Hyuga Nichigetsu was from the Hyuga Clan, he was placed in a class that was basically an honors class. The campus was tidy, the classrooms spacious and bright, the training grounds fully equipped, and the library had an enormous collection of books. Nichigetsu marveled at how much Konoha invested in education.

Sitting in the classroom, Nichigetsu felt conflicted. He'd spent more than twenty years of his previous life in school, and now he had to go again. So he deliberately chose a seat in the last row by the window. The Chunin instructor looked familiar: his small eyes hid behind a pair of black, round sunglasses, and a ninja headband was wrapped around his head.

"Hello, everyone! My name is Ebiki! Following my instruction is the best shortcut to becoming a ninja, because I'm one of the elite teachers! Naturally, the students I train are all elites, too! Do you all want to become elite ninja?" The Chunin instructor pushed up his sunglasses and delivered his speech with an air of cool confidence. The children were completely taken in, their eyes sparkling with admiration.

Nichigetsu's jaw hit the floor. "Could this sunglasses guy be... Ebisu's dad? Why did I have to run into this guy at school? Heaven, if the Sannin can't come teach me, could you at least send White Fang of the Leaf or Sarutobi Shinnosuke?" Heaven indicated it was asleep.

"Now, let's go around and introduce ourselves," Ebiki said. Nichigetsu couldn't help thinking that this was so very Konoha.

"My name is Mizuno Ai. I love going on nature outings with my family..."

"I'm Watanabe Jiro. I like catching frogs..."

"Hello, everyone. My name is Hashimoto Kaori. I love my mom and dad the most..."

It was a little boy's turn. He was quite handsome, dressed in a black jacket, with his hair hanging loose and parted bangs over his forehead. He held his head high, wearing a haughty expression.

"Uchiha Jun, five years old. I hate weak people the most! There are lots of things I like. I usually practice Shuriken and Taijutsu. As for my dream, I want to become strong!"

He was arrogant and somewhat conceited, with an air that warned people to keep their distance. The girls in the class couldn't take their eyes off the boy, practically swooning.

"Wow, he's so handsome!"

"Uchiha Jun? He seems so cool!"

"He's from the Uchiha Clan. I heard everyone in the Uchiha Clan is really strong."

The boys looked on with thinly veiled envy and scorn.

"Hmph, quit showing off."

"I won't be any weaker than you."

"The Uchiha Clan are all cops. They're so cold."

Nichigetsu couldn't help thinking, Why did the Uchiha Clan keep producing people who seemed destined to do great things?

At last, it was Nichigetsu's turn. He stood up from his seat in the last row. He was gentle and relaxed, with a smile on his face and a quiet confidence in his eyes. His black hair hung loose, and his side-swept bangs covered half his forehead. The children all turned to look at him, curious.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Hyuga Nichigetsu. I'm five years old. I hate unreasonable rules the most, and I like eating all kinds of delicious food. As for my dream, I want to open a clinic—and, if I can, a restaurant, too. I also want to avoid being bullied and protect the people who are important to me."

Everyone seemed to find the gentle Nichigetsu rather approachable.

"He seems easy to get along with."

"This guy's pretty handsome, too."

"Someone from the Hyuga Clan must be really strong, right?"

"What's that strange mark on his forehead?"

"I heard that people from the Hyuga Branch Family all have a mark like that!"

Nichigetsu ignored the children's chatter and sat down once he'd finished. The Uchiha boy from earlier turned his head slightly and stole a glance at him.

"So he's Nichigetsu from the Hyuga Clan?"

Teacher Ebiki began the lesson with a history lecture: "How Konoha was founded!" Nichigetsu already knew how Konoha was founded, so he could only lie down and sleep.

"A long time ago, the world was in the Warring States Period..."

"So the First chose to establish a village beneath this cliff..."

"The name Konoha came from..."

After sleeping for a while, Nichigetsu felt he was truly wasting his time. While Teacher Ebiki turned to write on the blackboard, he took out a scroll. Inside was a puppet made to look like him. From a distance, it was hard to tell the difference unless you looked closely. Nichigetsu positioned the puppet, propped up a book to hide it, and slipped out the window. It all happened in an instant, and nobody noticed him leave.

"Maybe I should go train for a while. If only I knew the Shadow Clone Technique. I could leave a Shadow Clone in the classroom to endure the brainwashing for me." As he considered this, Nichigetsu strolled through the campus. "I should explore the school properly first. I might find something interesting."

Nichigetsu reached a small grove beside the playground. There was a swing there, and he immediately felt his blood surge. He jumped onto it and started swinging. "Is this where Naruto used to hang out? I really should've brought a camera. These iconic scenes are worth taking pictures of."

Just then, a furious roar came from the grove!

"You called me a tomato behind my back again!"

A few children immediately let out shrieks.

"Ahh, Tomato heard us! Run!" "Yikes! Tomato's coming! Ugly Tomato!" "The Blood-Red Pepper's gone berserk!" "Run!" "Help!"...

Several kids, around eleven or twelve years old, came running this way. Behind them was a red-haired girl, her long hair flying like a fiery red octopus. Her eyes were wide with anger, her fists clenched, and a large "well" mark appeared on her forehead. She shouted, "You're still calling me that? Don't you dare run!"

"Uh... I ran into her here. Looks like Uzumaki Kushina hasn't graduated yet. The Blood-Red Pepper really lives up to her name." Nichigetsu watched Kushina, furious with rage, and felt a chill run down his back.

"Help me! Help!" A boy spotted Nichigetsu on the swing and ran toward him, calling for help, but slipped and fell. Kushina, radiating an intimidating aura like the Terminator, stomped toward the boy on the ground, one heavy step at a time.

"It—it was them who called you Tomato, not me."

"Hm? You just said 'Tomato' again..."

"I didn't call you Tomato! Uh, I mean, you're not a tomato..."

"You said it again!" Kushina's round eyes glinted ominously. Her face had turned completely dark with anger, and her red hair whipped wildly around her. She grabbed the boy on the ground, her fists crackling as she clenched them.

"I—I—I won't do it again. Ah, help..."

"Bam! Bam! Pow! Bam bam bam..."

Watching Kushina give the boy a thorough beating, Nichigetsu couldn't help raising a thumb in admiration. "Miss, you're a real tough guy! Brother Minato, you're the toughest guy of all!" Of course, Kushina hadn't hit the boy too hard. He'd only been beaten up and hadn't suffered any serious injuries. Still, the savage, violent sight made a huge drop of cold sweat trickle down the back of Nichigetsu's head.

After chasing the boys away, Kushina returned to normal. Her long red hair fell to her waist, framing her round face, big eyes, and delicate, pretty features. She looked quite a bit like Naruto. She wore a short-sleeved, pale yellow ninja outfit. Though she was only around eleven, she was already beginning to look like a beauty.

Nichigetsu thought, "Naruto's mom really is a great beauty. Her long red hair is gorgeous. Come to think of it, I'm descended from the Senju Clan, and she's from the Uzumaki Clan. We're relatives!" He immediately felt a sense of kinship with her.

Kushina turned to look at Nichigetsu, who had been sitting on the swing and watching the show the whole time. She glared at him. "Hey, you little kid from the lower grades over there."

"Huh? I-is something the matter?" Nichigetsu insisted to himself that he was just some random passerby.

"Kid, aren't you supposed to be in class right now? What are you doing here?" Kushina asked, staring intently at Nichigetsu as if interrogating a suspicious stranger.

"Oh, I already know everything they're teaching, so I came out to wander around."

"You're from the Hyuga Clan, right? What's your name?" Kushina continued.

"Hyuga Nichigetsu. I'm five years old. Who are you?" Nichigetsu pretended not to know her.

"Me? I'm going to be the first female Hokage!" Kushina declared confidently, lifting her little chin.

"The Hokage? Mm! Good luck! You can do it!" Nichigetsu nodded and thought, "Kushina, you're a ninja from the Uzumaki Clan, and your Sealing Jutsu is practically unparalleled. You could say half of the Fourth Hokage's strength comes from you. The Uzumaki Clan also has the Sage Body. If you put the Nine-Tails' power to good use, becoming Hokage might not be impossible. Heh, even if you don't make it, once your husband or son becomes village leader, they can set aside a plot of land for me to open a clinic."

Just as Nichigetsu was thinking about how to befriend Kushina so she'd give him land for a clinic in the future, his words caught her by surprise. Usually, when she told people about her dream, they either didn't take her seriously, showed disbelief, or made fun of it. But this kid didn't seem to think that way. He seemed to genuinely believe in her.

A voice came from nearby. "Hokage? That's not a job for a Tomato like you." Several older children walked over. The one leading them was clearly bigger than the others, and he wore a ninja Forehead Protector. He was a Genin.

"What did you say?!" Kushina knew the leader was a Genin, but she didn't back down. She glared at them with wide eyes and clenched fists.

"You beat up my little brother. I'm going to teach you a proper lesson, T-o-m-a-t-o!" The little Genin sneered and pointed at Kushina's face. His younger brother stood behind him; he was one of the boys Kushina had just beaten up. The others also clenched their fists, eager for a fight.

"Hmph! He kept picking on me and trying to bully me!" Kushina angrily pointed at the Genin's little brother, who immediately hid behind the others.

"Hmph! Enough excuses! Anyone who messes with my little brother needs a good 'lesson'!" The Genin rubbed his fists together, making them crack.

"Why should I?! I was only defending myself!" Kushina stood tall, refusing to back down.

"Because of this!" The Genin pointed his thumb at his Forehead Protector, then waved his hand. "Everyone, get her! Beat her up!" Several of them charged Kushina, and the fight began. Nichigetsu wanted to see what Kushina could do, so he didn't step in right away.

The older boys were strong. They avoided clashing with Kushina head-on and instead tied her up. The Genin attacked from behind, knocking her down with a chop. The others immediately piled on, pinning her arms behind her back, while the Genin grabbed her red hair.

"Beat her up! Turn her face into a rotten tomato!" "A Tomato can't become Hokage!" "How could the villagers ever accept a disgusting Tomato?" "Serves you right, Tomato! Let's see you act tough now!"...

"That ugly red hair is really getting on my nerves. I'll cut it off!" The Genin yanked Kushina's red hair hard and pulled out an iron Kunai.

"Yeah! Shave her bald!" "Cut off that awful hair!" "It's as disgusting as coarse yarn!" "Why is an ugly Tomato like you even here?" "Hmph! If I looked like that, I'd have buried myself somewhere no one could find me long ago!" "Hahaha!"... They kept shouting insults at her.

Kushina struggled desperately, and quite a bit of her hair had already been pulled out. But it was no use. The Genin had already placed the Kunai against her hair and was about to slice it off. Kushina's eyes reddened, her lips clenched tight, and tears of hurt and grief ran down her face. She could only watch helplessly as they cut at her red hair with the Kunai.

Nichigetsu frowned, realizing something was wrong. "This scene wasn't supposed to happen in the story... It's my fault! I accidentally caused a butterfly effect." If Nichigetsu hadn't shown up here today, Kushina wouldn't have beaten up that boy and stayed behind to talk to him. These people wouldn't have run into her right now, and even if they'd met her later, she wouldn't have been in such a helpless state.

Just as the Kunai was about to slice through Kushina's red hair, Nichigetsu grabbed the Genin's hand. The Genin looked up and saw a five- or six-year-old kid. He ignored him and tried to continue, but found Nichigetsu's grip unbreakable. His hand wouldn't move. He tried to wrench himself free, but Nichigetsu only tightened his grip, making the Genin wince in pain. "Kid, what do you think you're doing?"

"Hey, you're a Genin bullying a student. Do you think that makes you look good? What kind of talent does it take for a bunch of older boys to gang up on one girl? Is being a ninja just an excuse to bully people? Besides, her beautiful red hair would be ruined if you cut it off. Don't you think that's going too far? Stop now, or you're going to regret it!" Nichigetsu stared at the Genin and spoke in a deep, commanding voice.

The Genin was getting impatient, but Nichigetsu was only one person. He yelled threateningly, "Kid! Let go right now, or I'll beat you up too!"

"Wrong answer, brat!" Nichigetsu's Byakugan snapped open. He tapped the Genin's elbow with his other hand, and the Genin's arm went numb, forcing him to let go. The Kunai fell to the ground.

"Bastard!" The Genin let go of Kushina's hair and swung at Nichigetsu's face. Nichigetsu easily dodged by tilting his head, then jabbed one finger into the Genin's armpit and another into his side. The Genin felt a sharp pain shoot through his body and collapsed.

Nichigetsu immediately straddled him, deactivated his Byakugan, and rained punches down on him! The Genin shrieked and begged for mercy.

"The Genin's been beaten! Run!" Seeing the strongest among them knocked down with one move and then pummeled, unable to fight back at all, the others felt a chill run down their backs. They released Kushina and ran away.

Nichigetsu had had no choice. If he fought them all, he wasn't worried about being outnumbered; these people were no match for him. But the others might take the opportunity to bully Kushina while he was occupied. And with his lousy Byakugan, he didn't dare drag out the fight. If they tied him up, he'd be in trouble. So Nichigetsu had decided to beat the ringleader and scare the rest away.

"Get lost, brat! Don't think becoming a Genin means you can bully people. You'd better learn to behave, or I'll deal with you again!" Nichigetsu released the Genin by his collar and stood up. With his face bruised and swollen, the Genin didn't dare stay. He scrambled up and ran off, crying and yelling.

Only Kushina remained, kneeling on the ground as tears rolled down her cheeks and fell onto the grass.