Minato! Are You Going to Compete with Me for Mirai Too?

The Uzumaki Clan's talent for Monster Strength had been inherited by Kushina.

That punch sent the unsuspecting upperclassman flying straight into the corner of the hallway.

It left a group of female students staring in stunned disbelief.

"I told you! I'm his girlfriend! You're not allowed to come again!"

"She hit someone!"

"Where did this red-haired brat come from? She hits so hard!"

"Do you really think all of us are just decorations? Everyone, get her! Teach this shameless red-haired girl a lesson."

The situation instantly spiraled out of control.

Several girls immediately turned hostile, and amid the shoving and pushing, someone threw the first blow.

Although Kushina had decent talent, she had never trained properly, and her chakra reserves were insufficient.

There were many more people on the other side, including two or three upperclassmen whose Taijutsu foundations were clearly stronger than hers.

After knocking down two more girls from her grade, she was quickly grabbed from behind by an upperclassman, her arms pinned against the wall.

"Learning to brag at such a young age?" the upperclassman snorted. "His girlfriend? Does Mirai even know that?"

"Exactly. And you're so hot-tempered too. I heard someone first called you the Red Hot Habanero, and they really weren't wrong!"

Kushina struggled desperately but could not break free, her eyes reddening.

Just then—

"What are you doing?"

A frosty voice came from the other end of the hallway.

Izumi Uchiha had appeared at some point, her long black hair swaying gently in the breeze, her expression as cold as frost.

Behind her stood a blond, spiky-haired boy—Minato Namikaze—with worry written across his face.

"Kushina..." Minato looked at Kushina pinned against the wall, then at the group of girls. His brow furrowed, his expression stern. "No matter why you started fighting, let Kushina go first!"

"What does this have to do with you?" The upperclassman glanced at him. "This red-haired brat attacked first."

"Even so, you can't have a group gang up on one person!" Izumi's voice was cool as she stepped forward and stood in front of Kushina. "Let her go. If you want to fight, I'll oblige!"

Minato said nothing further, but silently stepped beside Naori as well. He slipped his hand into his ninja tool pouch, assuming a stance ready to strike at any moment.

The two sides faced off, and the tension was palpable.

Just then—

"Everyone, stop."

A voice that was not loud but carried a chill came from the end of the hallway.

Mirai Uzumaki stood there expressionlessly, his sleeves slightly bulging as a faint golden light flowed beneath the fabric.

"Mirai..." The instant Kushina saw him, her eyes turned completely red. The stubbornness she had barely been holding onto instantly collapsed.

The girls were stunned as well.

Especially those who had brought love letters. They had even forgotten to hide the pink envelopes in their hands and awkwardly shoved them behind their backs.

The moment she was released, Kushina threw herself into Mirai Uzumaki's arms. Her shoulders trembled as though she were crying.

"It's okay now, Kushina."

Kushina buried her face in his chest and gave a muffled "Mm."

"Who threw the first punch?" Mirai looked up, his voice turning cold.

The girls from the same grade exchanged looks, none of them daring to speak.

The upperclassman was still the one who forced herself to answer. "She hit someone first. We were only defending ourselves!"

"I'm asking who hit her first!" Mirai cut her off, his gaze as sharp as two blades.

No one dared answer.

Mirai did not press further. A golden chain shot out from his sleeve, moving so quickly that its path was nearly impossible to see. In the blink of an eye, it bound every girl by the entrance without missing a single one.

"Ahhh!"

"What is this?!"

"Let go! Let go!"

"Ah! It's squeezing me so tightly, I can't take it!"

The chains tightened, binding them so tightly they could not move. Yet the force was controlled perfectly—it only restrained them without causing harm.

Mirai walked up to the upperclassman and looked up at her slightly. Though there was a huge difference in height, his presence completely overwhelmed hers.

"So you like bullying the few with the many, and the young with the old, huh?"

The chains gradually tightened, and the girls hanging in the air let out pained groans.

"Mirai~" At some point, Kushina poked her head out from his arms, tugging lightly at his clothes with a pleading look in her eyes.

She was worried that if things got too big, they would be difficult to resolve.

Mirai Uzumaki rubbed Kushina's head, his icy demeanor turning into a smile. "It's okay, Kushina. I'm just teaching them a little lesson. Nothing will happen."

"You were fine today, but otherwise..."

Mirai flicked his fingers, and the Golden Chains danced. The girls tangled in them were all tripped and sent tumbling to the ground on their backsides.

For young girls, that was utterly humiliating.

His gaze shifted to the other girls and turned icy. "Being tied up would be the least of your problems!"

The upperclassmen bit their lips, their faces pale. In the end, they lowered their heads, not even daring to cry aloud.

Mirai withdrew the chains. One by one, the girls scrambled up from the ground and ran off with their heads down, even forgetting to pick up the love letters they had dropped.

The hallway fell quiet.

Kushina was still buried in his arms, sniffling softly.

Mirai looked down at her, his tone softening. "All right, they're gone. It's okay now."

"Mm-hm!" Kushina was still not in high spirits and only nuzzled against him in his arms.

From an angle he could not see, a silly smile appeared on Kushina's lips. Mirai's embrace is so warm and comfortable!

I want to stay hugged like this forever.

A mischievous smile appeared on Mirai Uzumaki's lips. "By the way, I think I heard you say that you're my girlfriend?"

Kushina's body visibly stiffened.

She raised her head from Mirai's arms. The tear tracks on her face had not dried yet, but her eyes were wide and round.

Her lips pouted high, and after a long while, she finally forced out, "Y-you kissed me just yesterday! Are you saying you won't admit it now?!"

"I admit it," Mirai said with a smile. "But if you're going to be my girlfriend, there should be some benefits, right?"

"What benefits?"

"For example—whenever I want to kiss you in the future, you have to let me?"

Kushina's face exploded red, the blush spreading from the base of her neck all the way to her ears. It seemed as if white steam were rising from her head.

Mirai actually wanted to kiss her again? She did think kissing felt nice, but they were only seven. Wasn't that a little too early?

And there were people watching! How was she supposed to agree to that?

Mirai was seriously unbelievable. Couldn't he find somewhere private, where the two of them could talk behind closed doors?

She was going to die of embarrassment!

Her whole body froze as if someone had hit pause, and after a long while, she finally said in a voice as soft as a mosquito's, "No!"

"Then forget it."

"—No! That's not what I meant!"

"Then what did you mean?"

"I... I..."

Kushina stammered "I" for a long time without managing to say anything coherent. In the end, she could only stomp her foot, face red. "Anyway... anyway, you're not allowed to find anyone else! As for everything else... we can talk about it later!"

Mirai held back a laugh and nodded.

This little girl really is fun to tease!

Nearby, Minato Namikaze watched the entire scene, his blue eyes full of envy.

He muttered softly, "That's so nice! Childhood sweethearts in love... I want that too..."

Izumi Uchiha stood on the other side, her cold gaze sweeping over Mirai and Kushina.

There was not much emotion visible on her face, but her lips were pressed tightly together, and she gripped the hem of her clothes so hard that her knuckles turned white.

That guy had pinned her down like that last time, yet he turned around and started hugging someone else.

And that redhead—she could not even beat a few upperclassmen. She was so weak, so why...

Her chest felt blocked, and she could not explain what she was feeling.

After returning to the classroom, Kushina was clearly in a much better mood, practically skipping as she walked.

Mirai returned to his seat. Minato, seated in front of him, suddenly turned to look at him, his eyes carrying an unusual seriousness.

"Mirai, in today's practical combat class, I want to challenge you."

Mirai raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Are you sure, Minato?"

In the original story, Minato Namikaze might have been Yongdai Mei, but that was only after he learned the Flying Thunder God and rose to fame.

Before that, he was merely a ninja with good talent and extremely fast reflexes.

His talent for space-time techniques was even less apparent.

"I'm certain! I want to see where my limits are." Minato clenched his fists, his blond hair gleaming in the sunlight. "And I want to set a goal for myself."

What had happened in the hallway had stirred Minato deeply.

He wanted to become a powerful ninja like Mirai Uzumaki too, someone who could defeat swathes of enemies with a wave of his hand!

Mirai looked at him for two seconds, then nodded. "All right."

When practical combat class finally came around, Izumi Uchiha, who had been holding in a bellyful of anger, walked toward Mirai Uzumaki and heard—

"Teacher! In today's practical combat class, I want to challenge Mirai Uzumaki!"

It was Minato Namikaze's voice!

Naori was completely dumbfounded. She opened her mouth and was just about to say, "Mirai! I want to challenge you!" when someone beat her to it.

She watched as Minato had already gone to the edge of the field and begun warming up with a serious expression.

Izumi stood rooted to the spot, her mind a tangled mess. No way! Minato, are you, a boy, going to compete with me for Mirai too?

She gloomily returned to her place, her face stretched long.

Kushina glanced at her from nearby, then suddenly leaned over. "Hey, Uchiha girl, how about you and I have a match today?"

Izumi turned and glanced at her. "...You?"

"What? Scared?"

The fire in Naori's heart was immediately ignited.

She had already been annoyed, and now Kushina had delivered herself right to her doorstep. It was the perfect chance to vent some frustration.

"Fine." Naori stood up, her voice as cold as ice. "But don't cry when you lose."

"Whoever loses and cries is still up in the air!" Kushina snorted with her hands on her hips.

The two walked side by side toward the other side of the training ground, one with a face full of defiance, the other full of anger.

Minato Namikaze and Mirai Uzumaki stood in the center of the field, watching the red-haired and black-haired figures head in opposite directions and begin warming up.

"Will the two of them be okay?" Minato was a little worried.

"They'll be fine." Mirai withdrew his gaze and rolled his wrist. "Let them fight! Kushina actually has great talent too. She's just too lazy. It'll be good for her to suffer a little at Naori's hands."

"Maybe then she won't slack off so much in the future?"

Minato nodded, took a deep breath, and assumed his opening stance.

"Mirai, please go easy on me."

The corners of Mirai's lips curled slightly. "Come on."