A Bet

"Did you get hurt just now?" Riyue walked over to Kushina and helped her up, then brushed the dust off her legs. Tear tracks still marked her face as she stared blankly at him.

"Hey, hey, are you all right?" Riyue waved a hand in front of Kushina.

"I'm fine..." Kushina came to her senses and wiped her tears, looking dejected and miserable.

Riyue hurried to comfort her. "Those people don't know what they're talking about. They were just spouting nonsense, so don't take it to heart. Actually, your hair..."

Kushina slapped his hand away and turned her face from him. "Stop talking! Just stay away from me! I'm an ugly tomato! Nobody will ever accept me! Even I hate this pure red hair! Even I think my round face looks just like a tomato! You think so too, don't you? If you want to laugh at me, then go ahead. You don't have to pretend you're any different from everyone else! A tomato like me shouldn't even be here!!" As she spoke, she clenched her fists, tears falling onto the grass. At that moment, she deeply regretted coming to Konoha.

Uh... She's really hurting. I have to cheer her up. But Kushina's just as stubborn as Naruto. She definitely won't listen to anything a stranger like me says right now. Sigh, what a hassle! Minato, Naruto, you'd better give me a big piece of land when you pay me back someday.

When Riyue didn't respond, Kushina assumed he agreed with her. She couldn't bear to stay there another moment. Riyue thought it over, then stepped in front of her as she tried to leave and nodded. "You're right. I don't accept you!"

Kushina froze, then looked even more dejected, as if she'd expected this all along. She lowered her head, tear tracks still on her face. The smile that should have lit it up was gone, and her eyes had lost all their spark.

Riyue continued, "But! I don't accept you—not because of your hair or your looks."

At his words, Kushina looked up at him, a questioning look in her eyes.

"Well, I think you're too weak right now. You can't even handle a few little brats, so I don't accept you. With skills like that, you'll never become Hokage!" Riyue wagged his index finger at her.

When Riyue looked down on her strength, Kushina pursed her lips and glared at him.

"Of course, if you don't believe me, then let's make a bet. Attack me with everything you've got, and I'll only dodge. If you can touch me within three minutes, I'll accept your strength and accept you as a person! If you can't touch me in three minutes, you have to believe what I say—and we'll become friends!"

Riyue's bet was pretty devious. If he lost, he'd accept Kushina's strength. Wasn't being accepted by others exactly what she wanted? If he won, Kushina would have to believe him. That would also let him show her, indirectly, that he wasn't laughing at her at all, and that she shouldn't put herself down.

Besides, they could become good friends. Wasn't that exactly what Kushina lacked? Riyue could also spar with one of his favorite characters from Naruto. There was no downside. And since Kushina specialized in Sealing Jutsu, Taijutsu was all she could use to attack him right now, so Riyue had a pretty good chance of winning.

"With you? A bet?" Kushina still hadn't wrapped her head around it.

"I'm really strong! What, you don't have the guts to bet because you're not strong enough? I won't accept anyone who doesn't even have that much courage!" Riyue wasn't about to give Kushina time to think it through. Just as she had earlier, he lifted his chin and put on an air of arrogance.

"Why wouldn't I dare?! Fine, I'll take that bet! Hyuga Nichigetsu, don't get too cocky! If I win, you have to accept my strength!" Kushina wasn't one to back down. Riyue provoked her, and she took the bait.

"If you lose, you have to believe what I say! And we'll become friends!" Riyue nodded and made the stakes clear once more.

"All right, I'm definitely going to win!" The gullible Kushina raised her left fist to cheer herself on and took a fighting stance.

"Heh! Then, begin!" As soon as Riyue finished speaking, the veins around his eyes bulged. Without making any Hand Seals, he activated his Byakugan. Every detail in a 360-degree area within 700 meters came into view. Riyue first examined Kushina's chakra flow. Sure enough, she had at least dozens of times more chakra than an average Genin. Naruto being able to create hundreds of Shadow Clones at once was no exaggeration.

Next, Riyue focused mainly on the contractions of Kushina's muscles and ligaments and the flow of her blood, only then checking her chakra flow. When Kushina made a move, it had to start with her muscles. The way they contracted and relaxed could be read from her ligaments, and nothing could escape the Byakugan's microscope-like perception. Riyue could predict Kushina's movements based on her muscle contractions and other physical reactions. This was Riyue's unique Byakugan prediction technique!

Sure enough, the biceps in Kushina's right arm began to contract, and her left quadriceps moved too. She's going to step forward with her left leg and punch at my left side with her right fist? Riyue thought. The next moment, Kushina charged at him and threw a punch.

Riyue folded his arms, tilted his head to the right, and easily dodged Kushina's punch. Then he stepped back to the right, letting her pass him. Her punch missed, and she rushed past him.

"Tsk, you missed!" Riyue said casually, his back to Kushina.

"I'm not done! Take this!" Kushina turned and swung a horizontal kick.

A backward sweeping kick? Riyue leapt forward with both feet. Her toes swept past his back, missing by five centimeters. He hadn't even turned his head the whole time.

Kushina stared at Riyue's back, surprised. Is he that confident? He's not even afraid of me attacking him from behind? Then she threw a punch.

She's aiming for my head? Riyue tilted his head. Her fist passed by his ear, missing by just three centimeters!

A side kick to the head? Riyue crouched, and her leg sailed over his hair, the wind from it ruffling his locks.

Riyue still had his back to Kushina and showed no sign of turning around. Kushina swung an elbow at the back of his neck, aiming for the back of his head.

An elbow strike? I saw through the start of the move, but the attack's path falls right into my Byakugan's blind spot. If I rely on my Byakugan too much, I'll get hit. But besides the Byakugan, I've trained my senses and reflexes to be razor-sharp! Riyue felt the air shift from her elbow. His body reacted instinctively, and his feet moved quickly. He circled around Kushina in a wide turn, his body tracing a graceful arc as he slipped behind her in one fluid motion.

"I missed?!" Kushina had thought she'd landed her hit, but Riyue was already behind her.

"Too bad. You missed again," Riyue said calmly.

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

That opening is way too obvious. Riyue hopped lightly to his left, dodging Kushina's full-force punch. Her fist struck empty air, and she was already breathing hard.

"Damn it! Again!" Kushina rushed in close, throwing a rapid series of straight punches and hooks. Riyue dodged from side to side.

He leaned backward and pulled his body away to avoid one of Kushina's uppercuts aimed at his abdomen, then immediately performed a backflip to put some distance between them.

Kushina pursued him relentlessly, leaping high and twisting into a downward kick. Riyue dodged to the side. As soon as Kushina landed, she followed with a sweeping leg kick. Riyue jumped with both feet and avoided it.

What's going on? Can he predict my movements? Every time, he dodges by the tiniest margin! Kushina thought in frustration.

She almost touched me a few times. Kushina's Taijutsu really is pretty good. The Hyuga Clan specializes in Taijutsu, so for her to push me this far, she's definitely skilled. She must have spent a lot of time training. Then again, she had to, or she wouldn't have been able to beat those people into tomatoes. Riyue thought, smiling faintly.

Kushina swung her fists and was about to charge again. Riyue waved a hand and deactivated his Byakugan. "Stop! The three minutes are up!"

"Huh? Did I lose?" When Kushina realized the time was up, she lowered her fists and drooped her head.

So I'm really this weak? I couldn't even hit a five-year-old. How could anyone possibly accept me like this...

A hand reached out in front of Kushina, clearly waiting for a handshake. She slowly raised her head and met Riyue's earnest, sincere gaze.

"You lost! According to our bet, you have to believe what I say. Actually, your red hair is beautiful! I've never seen such lovely red hair before. Stop hating yourself!" Riyue smiled, holding out his hand and waiting for her to take it.

"You... you really think so?" Kushina asked timidly, feeling uneasy.

"Of course! It's such a special shade of red. I could pick you out in a crowd in an instant. How could it look like a tomato? I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks your hair is beautiful! So don't give up on yourself. If even you can't accept yourself, how can you ever find happiness?" Riyue's words left Kushina stunned. No one had ever told her that her red hair was beautiful.

"Really?" Kushina still wasn't sure, and asked again.

"Mm-hmm! Really!" Riyue nodded firmly, his expression serious and sincere.

Find happiness...? Kushina remembered what Lady Uzumaki Mito had once told her. The gloom in her heart lifted, and a faint smile appeared on her face. She felt... warm inside.

Finally, she reached out and shook Riyue's hand. "I lost. I believe you."

Riyue smiled too. "Mm-hmm! I accept you, because you've accepted yourself. If other people won't accept you, then prove yourself through your actions! Let's introduce ourselves properly. My name is Hyuga Nichigetsu. I'm five years old and just started school. I'm glad to meet you. From today on, we're friends."

"My name is Uzumaki Kushina. I'm eleven, and I'm glad to meet you too. I'm really good at Sealing Jutsu! I won't lose to you next time, so watch out! I'm going to become the first female Hokage!" Her confidence had returned, and she smiled happily. Being accepted felt wonderful. Her face was brimming with determination.

Riyue grinned. "Heh, even though I accept you, you're still a long way from becoming Hokage with your current strength. Keep working hard! I believe you can become a female Hokage if you want to! But you won't be the first, because Lady Tsunade is the first female Hokage!"

Kushina felt warm inside and thought, I've told everyone I'm going to become a female Hokage, but nobody believes me. Hyuga Nichigetsu, you're the first. You're also the first to say my red hair is beautiful, and my first friend... I'm so happy... Thank you, Riyue.

"Hehehe..." Both of them grinned, their eyes narrowing into crescent moons. One sat on a swing, the other beneath a tree, and they chatted excitedly about all sorts of fun things. Riyue and Kushina quickly became good friends.

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

"I have several dreams. I want to travel around the world and see all kinds of strange places, meet lots of interesting people, and eat lots of delicious food! I also want to open a clinic in Konoha and put Konoha Hospital out of business!"

"Why do you want to put Konoha Hospital out of business?" Kushina asked, puzzled.

"Monopolize Konoha's medical industry! That's the way to make money." Riyue waved his hand grandly, showing off his grand ambitions.

"What do you need so much money for? Isn't it enough to have what you need?"

"Making money is part of achieving my dreams. Just think—once I've made enough, I can eat loads of ramen! I could even buy the whole ramen shop!"

"Oh! Riyue, you absolutely have to put Konoha Hospital out of business! I believe in you!" Kushina suddenly understood. Her eyes shone as she nodded solemnly.

"Uh..." That was Kushina for you, simple as ever...

The two happily chatted until school let out. Worried the other kids might come after Kushina, Riyue walked her to her front door before they said goodbye and headed home.

Riyue suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, Kushina, you're already eleven?"

"Yeah, my birthday's July 10!" Kushina nodded.

"Oh, well, see you tomorrow!" Riyue waved.

"See you tomorrow, Riyue!" Kushina had been especially happy today. She was just a kid, after all, and had already put her troubles behind her.

As he walked home, Riyue thought, Looks like I won't get to meet Namikaze Minato for now. Minato is eleven too, but he graduated from the Ninja Academy at ten. Jiraiya should be his instructor, so he's already joined Team Jiraiya. He's probably training under Jiraiya right now... Huh? I feel like I forgot something. Did I leave something behind? What was it?

At school, the students gradually filed out of the classroom. Almost everyone had left. Then Ebiki noticed a "sleeping Riyue" in the last row and went to wake him. But "Riyue" didn't react at all. Puzzled, Ebiki walked over and patted "Riyue" on the head. "Riyue" tilted to the side and toppled onto the floor.

"Huh? Is this... a puppet? Where did Hyuga Nichigetsu go?! He actually skipped class!!"

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

A furious roar rang across the schoolyard at dusk.