"If you ever saw Minato Namikaze without a smile on his face, you were in danger."
"Because it meant that, in Minato Namikaze's eyes, you were no longer someone who needed empathy."
People like that were usually already dead.
That was the shinobi world.
The world he had been born into.
"That Red-Hot Habanero went too far!"
"How could someone from another village act so full of herself!"
"Yeah, but we really can't beat that violent girl..."
Several boys she had beaten gathered together, muttering complaints about that outsider who didn't know her place.
"We can't just let this go. How can we let an outsider walk all over us!"
"Exactly, that bitch doesn't have a feminine bone in her body..."
Hidden in the shadows nearby, Minato frowned slightly as their words grew uglier.
"Find someone to teach her a lesson!"
"Right, Goichi, isn't your brother a genin? Get him to come!"
"I don't know... bringing my brother to school..."
"Are you stupid? Who said anything about school? What if a teacher catches us? We'll find a way to lure her out!"
"Right, send her a challenge."
"Good idea. Let's teach that arrogant outsider a proper lesson!"
A genin...
After hearing their plan, Minato stood there, momentarily stunned.
Back in the classroom, he looked at Kushina.
As though she had put up some sort of barrier, every seat around her was empty.
She sat there all alone, a trace of anger openly showing on her face.
Minato had wanted to give her a discreet warning, but then he remembered how prickly she had been the first time he offered her kindness...
There still wasn't much opportunity to speak to her.
The next day.
In the woods.
Minato had started following the boy's genin brother early, but he didn't intervene.