Kurenai Yuhi

By the time everyone in class had finished introducing themselves one by one, it was nearly noon. At Sato Ichiki's call of "Dismissed," the students scattered.

But a little later, Ye Feng was dumbfounded. He had no idea the school did not provide meals. Seeing that the other students had all brought their own lunches, he gave Obito a questioning look.

When Obito saw Ye Feng's expression, he immediately scratched his head awkwardly and said:

"I forgot too. Look, I didn't bring one either."

Ye Feng was speechless. He really could not count on Obito; the boy was far too unreliable. But something even more awkward awaited him.

"Obito, I figured you wouldn't bring lunch, so I brought extra today. Come eat with me." Just then, Rin Nohara's voice reached them.

At the sound of Rin Nohara's voice, Obito's face immediately lit up. Without hesitation, he forgot his friend for a girl, abandoned Ye Feng, and eagerly trotted over to her.

Ye Feng was left alone, utterly at a loss. All around him, his classmates were eating their packed lunches, while he could only sit there foolishly with an empty stomach.

Suddenly, a lunchbox appeared before Ye Feng. Inside was colorful sushi in all sorts of adorable shapes. At the same time, a voice as heavenly as music rang out.

"Here, Ye Feng. I made quite a lot for lunch today and can't finish it all myself. We can share."

A girl with red eyes was sitting to Ye Feng's right, speaking to him.

It was Kurenai Yuhi! She had long black hair, and her slightly chubby cheeks made her even cuter. In the future story of Naruto, she would be a beauty with the air of a mature goddess. Right now, however, she was the bodhisattva saving Ye Feng from his misery.

"Thank you so much. Then I'll help myself!" Ye Feng thanked Kurenai Yuhi, picked up a piece of sushi, and stuffed it into his mouth. "It's delicious!" he added indistinctly.

As Ye Feng ate, he suddenly remembered that Kurenai Yuhi was the girl Asuma Sarutobi, the son of a high-ranking official, had a crush on.

He shifted his head slightly to look at Asuma Sarutobi behind Kurenai Yuhi. Asuma was staring at Ye Feng with his teeth clenched, squeezing the rice ball in his hand so hard that it oozed out between his fingers. In that instant, the sushi in Ye Feng's mouth no longer tasted so good. He swallowed it with difficulty.

I'm poaching someone else's girl, and I've been caught, Ye Feng thought uneasily.

All he could do was wear an awkward smile and praise Kurenai Yuhi's cooking, forcing himself to forget Asuma Sarutobi and focus on the sushi before him.

After struggling through lunch, he saw Kurenai Yuhi take out a handkerchief and wipe the grains of rice from the corner of his mouth. Ye Feng thought he heard knuckles cracking under pressure again.

Oh, heavens! Kurenai Yuhi, please spare me. Don't you know there's an official's son beside you practically drooling over you? Stop making him hate me!

Just then, he suddenly heard a commotion at the classroom door. As though clutching at a lifeline, Ye Feng hurried away from Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma Sarutobi to see what had happened.

Tanaka Shu was lying on the floor with both hands over his stomach, apparently injured. Opposite him stood Uchiha Lie, dressed in the Uchiha Clan's attire, speaking to him.

"Trash like you can't even take one punch from me, and you want to become a ninja? Go home and tend your little flowers and plants!"

After saying that, Uchiha Lie moved forward to stomp on him a few more times.

Tanaka Shu's family were all civilians. Only Tanaka Shu had some talent for becoming a ninja, so he had been sent to the Ninja Academy to study. His parents lived cautiously in Konoha, avoiding any dealings with the major clans as much as possible. If anything happened, the consequences would be more than they could bear. They also frequently reminded Tanaka Shu not to get into conflicts with members of the major clans at school and to endure whatever he could.

After taking a punch from Uchiha Lie, Tanaka Shu did not dare fight back. He simply lay on the floor, holding the injured spot to ease the pain.

The students around them were all watching, but no one stepped forward to help. The students from major clans were indifferent to Tanaka Shu, and even the civilian students merely watched the spectacle without getting involved, as though this were only natural.

Ye Feng, with his modern values, could not stand such a scene. Even if he could not change Konoha's current state, he still wanted to protect those he could right now. As for Konoha's future, he would change it once he was strong enough and had a powerful voice.

Without hesitation, Ye Feng kicked aside Uchiha Lie's foot just as it was about to come down on Tanaka Shu.

"Uchiha Yefeng, stay out of my business, or you'll get beaten up even if you're from the Uchiha Clan too," Uchiha Lie said arrogantly after Ye Feng stopped him.

"It's a disgrace to share a clan with trash like you. As long as I'm here, don't think you can do whatever you please."

Uchiha Lie had a fiery temper too. Hearing Ye Feng insult him, he stepped forward and threw a punch.

Ye Feng did not indulge him. Moving faster than Uchiha Lie, he caught his wrist and twisted it, stopping Uchiha Lie in his tracks with pain. Ye Feng immediately followed up with a knee to his stomach.

Uchiha Lie's eyes bulged with pain, and bitter fluid sprayed from his mouth. His body slammed into the wall before dropping to the floor, where he lay in too much pain to get up.

Ye Feng paid Uchiha Lie no further attention. He turned, helped Tanaka Shu up, and headed for the infirmary.

After Ye Feng and Tanaka Shu disappeared from sight, girls from several nearby classes began praising Ye Feng behind them:

"Wow, he's so handsome! Good-looking, so strong, and he has a sense of justice. He's even from a major clan. He's practically perfect."

"I'm warning you, none of you had better fight me for him. Uchiha Yefeng is mine."

"What makes him yours? I say he's mine!"

Ye Feng's actions multiplied his fame several times over. Several girls, including Kurenai Yuhi, clasped their hands before their chests and gazed after his departing figure with lovestruck expressions, murmuring, "So cool."

But in a corner, Asuma Sarutobi's expression grew darker and darker.