Kushina probably didn't know she was going to become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki yet!
Araki rapidly thought through many things in that instant. He clearly remembered that when he watched Naruto before, Kushina had spoken of her past and said that before coming to Konoha, she had known nothing about the Nine-Tails.
Only when Mito Uzumaki was nearing the end of her life and could barely hold on had they talked all night, after which the Nine-Tails was sealed inside Kushina.
This was quite a dangerous time. Even setting aside whether Kushina had some other special mission, if everything was exactly as it appeared, she would become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki before long.
Getting too close to Kushina would not be a good thing for him.
But they were already roommates now.
Abruptly distancing himself from her on purpose would only draw attention instead.
He had to strike the right balance!
"All right!"
Kushina had no idea that Araki had thought through so many things about her during his silence. She assumed his mental issues had left him in a daze. Her smile grew gentler, and her voice softened considerably.
"Don't worry. With me around from now on, no one will bully you!"
Kushina patted her still-flat chest as she promised. From her tone, she sounded very much like a little boss lady.
While she had nothing to do, she had imagined that a withdrawn child like Araki might be bullied by his peers at the Ninja Academy. Perhaps that was why he went out at night to train, wanting to improve his strength to protect himself.
"???"
A whole bunch of little question marks appeared above Araki's head. He had no idea where Kushina's imagination had taken her, but he could clearly sense that her attitude was sincere as she said these things. It was no act.
"Wh... why?"
Araki asked in confusion. He knew there was no hatred without reason in this world, nor love without reason. There was always a reason behind a sudden show of goodwill.
If he did not know exactly what that reason was...
He felt uneasy.
"Because we're friends!"
Kushina's eyes curved like crescent moons when she smiled. Combined with her twin ponytails, she looked quite cute.
She waved her small, fair hand in front of Araki.
"We shook hands, didn't we?"
"Once we shook hands, you became my friend!"
"You're the first friend I've made since coming to Konoha!"
"Of course I won't let anyone bully you!"
"Friends help each other! You give me a place to stay, and I give you protection. From now on, you're one of mine!"
Kushina spoke one sentence after another. As though afraid Araki would not understand, she said each sentence slowly, enunciating with exceptional clarity. Her shining eyes remained fixed on him, her gaze never wavering or hesitating. Gradually, her deliberately cultivated gentleness became the enthusiasm in her bones.
"..."
Araki had been quite moved by the first part. After coming to the ninja world, he had closed the door on social interaction. Even later, when the language barrier had lessened, he had little inclination to make friends.
But...
Now a roommate had suddenly popped up.
And she just had to be Kushina Uzumaki, famous throughout Naruto.
She even declared that they were friends!
That much was fine...
But why did what followed sound increasingly outrageous?
Children might say whatever they liked, but mentally, he was not a child. Why did this sound a little less than legal...?
Chapter 6: C'mon, Come Inside with Me!
"Araki, let's hurry! It's my first day at school. I don't want to be late!"
Kushina looked at the dumbfounded Araki and urged him along. Though her words were urging him, her tone remained very gentle.
Ever since arriving in Konoha yesterday, her heart had been filled with anticipation-for getting along with Araki, for the Ninja Academy, and for her life ahead.
"Um... do you really think of me as a friend?"
Araki asked hesitantly, looking toward Kushina. Judging by the fluctuations in her emotions, there were no signs she was lying, nor did she seem to be testing him.
Perhaps...
Kushina really was simply living in his home.
Still, her showing that she wanted to protect him right after their first meeting surprised him. It was not how he had imagined they would get along.
"Yes!"
Kushina nodded without hesitation. She was still so innocent and straightforward. She had never suffered any unfair treatment back in Uzushiogakure, and everything she saw after just arriving in Konoha was still wonderful.
"In that case..."
Araki took a deep breath. He wanted to live quietly in Konoha without getting caught up in trouble, but the fact that he and Kushina were roommates was already settled. That meant many things between them were now tied together.
Araki looked around. There was no one in the hallway, so it was relatively safe for the moment, but it was not a place to talk.
"C'mon, come inside with me!"
Araki walked over to Kushina first, bent slightly to take the bag from her hand, quickly opened the door, and headed inside.
"I have something to tell you..."
His movements were swift throughout, without the slightest hesitation or delay.
"Huh?!"
Kushina's lovely eyes were full of curiosity. She had no idea what Araki intended, to the point that she briefly overlooked how fluently he was speaking now.
After a moment's pause, Kushina hurried after him and returned inside.
As soon as she entered, Araki closed the door. His movements were light and careful, making little noise.
"Kushina, if you really think of me as a friend, you have to promise me three things. Otherwise, I won't come anywhere near you again, or say another word to you!"
Araki's expression was serious, his gaze solemn. After keeping a low profile in Konoha for three years, he made a rare display of his ability to communicate normally.
This was neither rashness nor carelessness. At the door just now, Araki had considered many possibilities and felt that this approach offered the best chance.
Araki knew very well that when faced with something like this, avoidance was no solution. That would only leave him in a passive position. Only by taking the initiative could he possibly change the situation.
Of course, there was another point: in Araki's view, revealing a little of his ability to speak to Kushina was nothing serious.
His rule for handling things was to reveal three parts out of ten of his strength. He could not let people see him as completely useless, and he also had to leave himself some room to maneuver.
Someone at this middling level, neither high nor low, was an ordinary person who attracted the least attention. Being too dazzling or a dead last would both draw notice and bring many inconveniences.
"What things?"
By now, Araki's words had completely captured Kushina's attention and stirred her curiosity. She still overlooked the matter of his speech.
After all, this was the extent of her contact with Araki. She had yet to form an established impression of him, so she did not experience the shock of having such an impression overturned.
Any other student at the Ninja Academy might have shown exaggerated surprise upon hearing Araki speak, because almost none of them had ever communicated with him.
Kushina's attention was entirely on the three things Araki had proposed. She had already resolved to be his friend-or rather, to rescue him from that lonely, withdrawn state. This sense of justice, as though she were saving the world, filled her still-innocent heart.
"First, aside from you and me, you can't tell anyone else we're living together, much less reveal our relationship. Once we leave this door, we act like we don't know each other."
With a thoroughly serious expression, Araki raised what he considered the most important point. As long as others did not know about their relationship, it was almost equivalent to there being no relationship between them.
That way...
A great deal of trouble would not fall on him.
"No!"
To Araki's surprise, Kushina answered almost without thinking. Her head shook back and forth like a rattle drum, her two ponytails swinging along with it. She looked utterly adorable.
"Well..."
The corner of Araki's mouth twitched hard. He had only stated the first condition, and she had rejected it outright. This was going far too poorly.
The only thing he could use to "threaten" Kushina was their friendship.
If that did not work...
If Kushina insisted on telling people about their relationship...
Then there was nothing he could do.
"Everything before that is fine, but we can't pretend we don't know each other. Once we're outside, I can treat you as just a regular friend!"
Kushina explained.
The goal she had set for herself was to cure Araki's withdrawn state.
Just now, when she saw Araki communicating with her, she had briefly thought that his mental issues were not that serious.
Now she was acutely aware of the problem!
They could only be friends if she agreed to pretend not to know him? If they did not know each other outside, did that still count as friendship?
That logic contradicted itself!
Kushina instinctively felt she could not agree to such a thing. They had to remain friends as a prerequisite. As for the rest, she had no objections. Not telling people outside that they lived together was no bad thing for her either.
"O... okay..."
Araki immediately felt somewhat relieved. Appearing to be ordinary friends was fine too. Given the situation, he had little room to bargain. As long as others did not know they lived together, that would be enough to avoid a great deal of trouble.
As for ordinary friends...
Why did that sound strange...?
If they acted like ordinary friends in front of others, did that mean they were not ordinary friends when no one was around?
As Araki's thoughts wandered, he hurriedly shook them off. Now was not the time to think about those less-than-legal things.
"Then... the second thing..."
Araki took a deep breath. Since the first condition had not gone so smoothly, he felt a little cautious as he brought up the second.
"Konoha is more dangerous than you imagine. You can't stand out too much, much less say anything arrogant. Don't make too many enemies for yourself. You're from another village. Doing that won't help you fit in here."