A Bet

"Are you hurt?" Nichigetsu walked over to Kushina, helped her up from the ground, and brushed the dust off her legs. Kushina still had tear tracks on her face, staring at him in a daze.

"Hey, are you alright?" Nichigetsu waved a hand in front of her.

"I'm fine..." Kushina snapped out of it, wiping her tears, her face filled with disappointment and sorrow.

Nichigetsu quickly comforted her, "Those people are ignorant and just spouting nonsense; don't take it to heart. Actually, your hair is..."

Kushina swatted his hand away, turned her head, and said, "Don't say any more! Just stay away from me. I'm nothing but an ugly tomato! No one will ever accept me! I even hate this bright red hair myself! I think my own round face looks just like a tomato! You think so too, don't you? If you want to mock me, go ahead. There's no need to pretend you're any different from the others! A tomato like me shouldn't be here at all!" As she spoke, she clenched her fists tightly, tears dripping onto the grass. At that moment, she deeply regretted coming to Konoha Village.

Ugh, Nichigetsu thought to himself, she's really hurting. I need to guide her through this. But Kushina is just as stubborn as Naruto; she won't listen to a stranger right now. Sigh, what a hassle. Minato, Naruto, you two better make sure the land you give me later is a big one.

Seeing Nichigetsu remain silent, Kushina assumed he agreed with her and didn't want to stay a second longer. Nichigetsu thought for a moment, stepped forward to block her path, and nodded. "You're right, I don't accept you!"

Kushina froze, then wore an "I knew it" expression, the disappointment in her eyes deepening. She lowered her head, her face devoid of the radiance that should have been there.

Nichigetsu continued, "However! I don't accept you, but not because of your hair or your looks."

Hearing this, Kushina looked up at him, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

"I just think you're too weak right now. You can't even handle a few little brats, so I don't accept you. You can't become Hokage with strength like that!" Nichigetsu held up his index finger and shook it at her.

Hearing him look down on her strength, Kushina pursed her lips and glared at him.

"Of course, if you don't believe me, let's make a bet. You attack me, and I'll only dodge. If you can touch me within three minutes, I'll accept your strength and accept you for who you are! If you can't touch me in three minutes, then you have to believe what I said, and we'll become friends!"

This bet was quite cunning. If Nichigetsu lost, he would accept Kushina's strength—isn't that what she wanted? If he won, she would have to believe his words, and he would indirectly show her that he had no intention of mocking her, so she shouldn't belittle herself.

Plus, he could become good friends with her—isn't that what she lacked? He also got to spar with a character he liked from the series; it was a win-win situation. Besides, Kushina specialized in sealing techniques, and she could only use taijutsu against him now, so his odds were high.

"Bet... with you?" Kushina's mind hadn't caught up yet.

"My strength is quite formidable! What? Are you too scared to bet because you lack the skill? I don't accept people who don't even have that much courage!" Nichigetsu didn't give her time to think, lifting his chin just as she had earlier, looking full of pride.

"Who's scared?! You're on! Hyuga Nichigetsu, right? Don't get too arrogant! If I win, you have to acknowledge my strength!" Kushina was not one to admit defeat, and she took the bait immediately.

"And if you lose, you have to believe what I said! And we become friends!" Nichigetsu nodded, clarifying the stakes.

"Fine, I'm going to win this bet for sure!" The simple-minded Kushina raised her left hand, clenched her fist to cheer herself on, and took an offensive stance.

"Heh! Then, start!" As soon as Nichigetsu finished, veins bulged around his eyes. Without needing hand signs, he activated his Byakugan. Every detail within a 360-degree radius of 700 meters came into view. He first observed the flow of her chakra. Sure enough, her chakra reserves were dozens of times greater than an average genin; it was no wonder Naruto could create hundreds of shadow clones.

Next, Nichigetsu focused on the contraction of her muscles and ligaments and the flow of her blood, with chakra flow as a secondary concern. When Kushina moved, her muscles had to move, and the contraction and relaxation of those muscles were visible through the ligaments—nothing could escape the microscopic insight of the Byakugan. He could predict her movements based on these physical reactions. This was his unique Byakugan prediction technique!

Sure enough, the biceps of her right arm showed signs of contraction, and the quadriceps of her left leg moved as well. Stepping with the left leg, throwing a right hook to my left? Nichigetsu thought. The next moment, Kushina lunged forward and threw a punch.

Nichigetsu crossed his arms, tilted his head to the right, and easily dodged the blow. He then took a step back to the right, letting her momentum carry her past him. Kushina's punch hit empty air as she flew past his side.

"Tsk tsk, didn't hit me!" Nichigetsu said casually, his back to her.

"It's not over! Take this!" Kushina spun around and threw a roundhouse kick.

Sweeping back with a raised leg? Nichigetsu jumped forward, the tip of her foot grazing his back by five centimeters. He didn't even turn his head.

Kushina looked at his back, surprised. He's so confident? He's not even afraid of me attacking his back? She threw another punch.

Punching at my head? Nichigetsu, still facing away, tilted his head, and the fist grazed his ear. It missed by only three centimeters!

Side kick to the head? Nichigetsu crouched, and her leg soared over his hair, the wind from the kick making his hair flutter.

He remained facing away, with no intention of turning around. Kushina threw an elbow strike aimed at the back of his head.

An elbow strike? I saw the wind-up, but the attack line is in my Byakugan's blind spot. If I relied too much on the Byakugan, I'd be hit. But besides the Byakugan, I've trained my sensory reflexes! Sensing the airflow from her elbow, his body reacted automatically. He moved his feet quickly, circling around her in a beautiful arc, his movements fluid and without hesitation, ending up behind her.

"Missed?!" Kushina thought she had landed the hit, but he was already behind her.

"Too bad, didn't touch me again," Nichigetsu said calmly.

"Damn it!" Kushina grew anxious, jumped, turned, and threw a fierce punch.

"That opening is way too big." Nichigetsu hopped to the left, dodging her full-force blow. Kushina hit empty air and began to pant.

"Damn it! Again!" Kushina closed the distance, throwing rapid straight punches and hooks, but Nichigetsu dodged left and right.

He leaned back, retracting his torso to avoid an uppercut to his stomach, then performed a backflip to create some distance.

Kushina pursued relentlessly, leaping high for a downward axe kick, which Nichigetsu dodged by side-stepping. As she landed, she followed up with a sweep, but he jumped over it.

What's going on? Can he predict my moves? He misses me by just a hair every time! Kushina felt frustrated.

She almost hit me a few times; her taijutsu is actually quite good. The Hyuga clan excels at taijutsu, and for her to push me to this point, she must have spent a lot of time training. Then again, how else could she have beaten those people into tomatoes? Nichigetsu thought, smiling slightly.

Kushina swung her fists, ready to charge again. Nichigetsu waved his hand and deactivated his Byakugan. "Stop! Three minutes are up!"

"Huh? Did I lose?" Kushina looked at the time, dropped her fists, and hung her head in defeat.

"I'm so weak, I couldn't even hit a five-year-old boy. How could I ever get anyone to accept me..."

A hand reached out in front of her, clearly waiting for a handshake. Kushina slowly looked up and met Nichigetsu's earnest and sincere gaze.

"You lost! According to our bet, you have to believe what I said. Actually, your red hair is beautiful! It's the first time I've seen such pretty red hair; don't hate yourself anymore!" Nichigetsu smiled, his hand still extended.

"Do... do you really think so?" Kushina asked timidly, her heart fluttering.

"Of course, it's a very special red hair. I can spot you in a crowd instantly; how could it be like a tomato? I believe I'm not the only one who thinks your hair is beautiful! So don't give up on yourself. If you don't even accept yourself, how can you ever find happiness?" His words left Kushina stunned. No one had ever told her that her red hair was beautiful before.

"Really?" Kushina still couldn't be sure and asked again.

"Yeah! Really!" Nichigetsu nodded firmly, his expression serious and sincere.

"To find happiness..." As Uzumaki Kushina recalled the words Uzumaki Mito had once spoken to her, the gloom in her heart was swept away, replaced by a faint smile. It felt... very warm inside.

Finally, she reached out her hand to shake Hyuga Nichigetsu's. "I lost. I believe you."

Nichigetsu smiled as well and said, "Mm! I acknowledge you, because you have acknowledged yourself. If you cannot be acknowledged by others, then use your actions to prove who you are! Let's reintroduce ourselves. My name is Hyuga Nichigetsu, I'm five years old, and I just started school. It's a pleasure to meet you. From today on, we're friends."

"My name is Uzumaki Kushina, I'm eleven years old, and I'm very happy to meet you too. My sealing jutsu is actually really amazing, you know! I won't lose to you next time, so you'd better watch out! I'm going to be the first female Hokage!" Her confidence restored, she laughed happily. The feeling of being acknowledged was quite nice, and her face beamed with newfound determination.

Nichigetsu laughed and said, "Hehe, even though I acknowledge you, you're still a long way from being Hokage with your current strength! Keep working hard! I believe that if you're willing, you can definitely become a female Hokage! But, you won't be the first, because Lady Tsunade will be the first female Hokage!"

Kushina felt a warmth in her heart, thinking, I told everyone I wanted to be a female Hokage, but no one believed me. Hyuga Nichigetsu, you're the first. You're also the first person to say my red hair is beautiful, and my first friend... I'm so happy... Thank you, Nichigetsu.

"Heeheehee..." Both of them grinned, their eyes curving into crescents. One sat on a swing, the other under a tree, chatting excitedly about fun things. Nichigetsu and Kushina quickly became good friends.

"Hey, Nichigetsu, what's your dream?"

"I have quite a few dreams. I want to travel the world to see all sorts of strange and wonderful places, meet many interesting people, and eat lots of delicious food! I also have a dream of opening a clinic in Konoha and driving the Konoha Hospital out of business!"

"Why would you want to drive the Konoha Hospital out of business?" Kushina asked, her eyes filled with confusion.

"To monopolize Konoha's medical industry! That's the only way to make good money." Nichigetsu waved his hand grandly, displaying his ambition.

"Why do you need so much money? Isn't it enough to just have enough to get by?"

"Making money is part of achieving my dreams, too. Think about it, once I have money, I can eat lots of ramen! I could even buy the ramen shop outright!"

"Oh! Nichigetsu, you must drive the Konoha Hospital out of business! I'm rooting for you!" Kushina suddenly understood, her eyes sparkling as she nodded solemnly.

"Uh~~~" She really is a simple-minded girl, that Kushina...

The two chatted happily until school ended. Fearing that the other children might seek revenge, Nichigetsu walked Kushina to her doorstep before they said their goodbyes and headed home.

Nichigetsu suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, Kushina, are you already eleven?"

"Yeah, my birthday is July 10th!" Kushina nodded.

"Oh, well then, see you tomorrow!" Nichigetsu waved his hand.

"See you tomorrow, Nichigetsu!" Kushina was exceptionally happy today; being a child, her troubles had long since been pushed to the back of her mind.

Walking home, Nichigetsu pondered, It seems I won't be seeing Namikaze Minato for a while. Minato is also eleven, and he graduated from the Ninja Academy at ten. Jiraiya should be his instructor, and he's already joined Team Jiraiya. He must be training under Jiraiya right now... Huh? Did I forget something? Is there something I forgot to bring back? What on earth could it be?

Back at school, the students had left the classroom one after another, and it was mostly empty. At that moment, Ebiki noticed a "sleeping Nichigetsu" in the back row. He tried to wake him, but "Nichigetsu" didn't react. Finding this strange, Ebiki walked over and patted "Nichigetsu" on the head. "Nichigetsu" tilted to the side and collapsed onto the floor.

"Eh? This is... a puppet? Hyuga Nichigetsu, where did you go?! You actually skipped class!!"

"Hyuga Nichigetsu!!! How could you do this!!!"

A roar of fury echoed across the twilight campus.