Minato! Even You Want to Compete with Me for Mirai?

The Uzumaki Clan's Monster Strength talent 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? That was way too 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 someone started throwing punches amid the shoving.

Though Kushina had decent talent, she'd never trained properly, and her chakra reserves were lacking as well.

The other side had strength in numbers, along with two or three upperclassmen whose Taijutsu foundations were clearly more solid than hers.

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

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

"Exactly. And you're so hot-tempered too. I heard someone started calling you Red Hot Habanero. Looks like they weren't wrong!"

Kushina struggled desperately, but she couldn't break free. Her eyes had already turned red.

Just then—

"What are you doing?"

An icy voice came from the other end of the hallway.

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

Behind her stood a boy with golden, spiky hair—Minato Namikaze, 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 serious. "No matter why this conflict started, let Kushina go first!"

"What does this have to do with you?" The upperclassman shot him a glance. "This red-haired brat threw the first punch."

"That still doesn't mean a group of people can gang up on one person!" Izumi's voice was cool and clear as she stepped forward, standing in front of Kushina. "Let her go. If you want to fight, I'll keep you company!"

Minato said nothing more, but he silently stepped beside Izumi and slipped a hand into his ninja tool pouch, taking a stance ready to strike at any moment.

The two sides faced off, and the tension was razor-sharp.

Just then—

"Everyone, stop."

A quiet but chilling voice came from the end of the hallway.

Mirai Uzumaki stood there with a blank expression. His sleeves bulged slightly, and a faint golden glow flowed beneath the fabric.

"Mirai..." The instant Kushina saw him, her eyes completely reddened. The stubborn front she'd been putting on instantly crumbled.

The girls were stunned too.

Especially the ones who had brought love letters. They'd even forgotten to hide the pink envelopes in their hands, awkwardly shoving them behind their backs.

The moment she was released, Kushina threw herself into Mirai's arms, her shoulders trembling as if 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 raised his head and asked, his voice turning cold.

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

The upperclassman was the one who finally forced herself to say, "She hit someone first. We were only fighting back!"

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

No one dared answer.

Mirai didn't press further. A Golden Chain shot from his sleeve, moving so fast its path was nearly impossible to see. In the blink of an eye, it bound every girl by the entrance, not missing a single one.

"Ahhh!"

"What is this?!"

"Let us go! Let us go!"

"Ah! It's too tight! I can't take it!"

The chains tightened, binding them so thoroughly they couldn't move. However, the force was carefully controlled; they were merely restrained, not injured.

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

"You enjoy bullying the weak with numbers and picking on younger kids, huh?"

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

"Mirai~" At some point, Kushina had lifted her head from his chest. She tugged at the corner of his clothes with a small hand, her eyes carrying a trace of pleading.

She was worried things would get too big and become difficult to settle.

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

"You're lucky nothing happened to you today. Otherwise..."

Mirai flexed his fingers, and the Golden Chains danced. The girls tangled up in them were tripped and sent tumbling onto their backsides.

For young girls, it was utterly humiliating.

His gaze swept toward the other girls and turned icy. "Being tied up wouldn't have been the end of it!"

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

Mirai withdrew the chains. One by one, the girls scrambled up from the floor and ran away with their heads lowered, so quickly that they even forgot to pick up the love letters on the ground.

The hallway fell quiet.

Kushina was still buried in his arms, sniffling softly.

Mirai looked down at her, his tone gentling. "Alright, everyone's gone. It's okay now."

"Mm-hm!" Kushina was still in low spirits, only nuzzling deeper into his arms.

From an angle he couldn't see, a dreamy smile curled onto Kushina's lips. Mirai's embrace is so warm and comfortable!

I want to keep hugging him forever.

A mischievous smile appeared on Mirai's lips. "By the way, I think I just 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 hadn't dried yet, but her eyes had gone wide and round.

Her lips puckered up, and it took her a long time to force out, "Y-you kissed me just yesterday! Are you going to deny it now?!"

"I admit it." Mirai smiled. "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'll let me?"

Kushina's face flared red with a whoosh, the blush spreading from the base of her neck all the way to the tips of her ears. It was as though white steam were rising from her head.

Mirai still wanted to kiss her? Though she also thought kissing felt really nice, 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 awful. Couldn't he find somewhere private where they could talk with the door closed?

She was going to die of embarrassment!

Her entire body froze as though someone had pressed pause, and after a long while, she finally said in a voice as quiet 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 ages without managing to explain herself. In the end, she could only stomp her foot with a red face. "Anyway... anyway, you're not allowed to find anyone else! As for everything else... we'll talk about it later!"

Holding back his laughter, Mirai nodded.

This little girl was really fun to tease!

Beside them, Minato watched the entire exchange, his blue eyes filled with envy.

He muttered quietly, "That's so nice! Childhood sweetheart love... I want one too..."

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

There wasn't much emotion visible on her face, but her lips were pressed tight, and her fingers clenched 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 couldn't even beat a few upperclassmen. She was so weak, so why did she...

Something felt blocked in her chest, but she couldn't explain what it was.

After returning to the classroom, Kushina's mood was clearly much better. She practically skipped as she walked.

Mirai returned to his seat. Minato, sitting in front of him, suddenly turned around and looked at him with an unusual seriousness in his eyes.

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

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

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

Before that, he was merely a ninja with decent talent and incredibly fast reflexes.

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

"I'm sure! I want to see where my limits are," Minato said, clenching his fists. His golden hair gleamed under 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 groups of enemies with a mere wave of his hand!

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

When practical combat class finally arrived, Izumi Uchiha, who had been bottling up a stomachful of anger, walked toward Mirai Uzumaki and heard—

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

It was Minato Namikaze's voice!

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

Minato had already walked to the edge of the field, warming up with a serious expression.

Izumi stood there in a daze, her thoughts in a complete mess. No way! Minato, even you, a boy, want to compete with me for Mirai?

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

Kushina glanced at her from nearby and suddenly leaned over. "Hey, Uchiha girl, how about the two of us fight today?"

Izumi turned and shot her a glance. "...You?"

"What, scared?"

The fire in Izumi's heart was instantly ignited.

She was already upset, and now Kushina had delivered herself right to her doorstep. This was the perfect chance to vent some anger.

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

"Who's going to cry isn't certain yet!" Kushina snorted, hands on her hips.

The two walked side by side toward the other side of the training ground, one looking thoroughly unconvinced, 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 walk in opposite directions and begin warming up.

"Will those two be okay?" Minato asked with some concern.

"They'll be fine." Mirai looked away and rolled his wrist. "Let them fight! Kushina actually has great talent; she's just too lazy. It'd be good for her to suffer a little at Izumi's hands."

"Maybe 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 corner of Mirai's lips lifted slightly. "Come on."