After saying this, Araki hurriedly added another sentence, afraid Kushina might interrupt.
"Especially anything about wanting to become Hokage!"
Chapter 7: What a Strange Guy!
"Huh?"
Kushina blinked as she stared at the completely serious Araki before her. Her pretty brows drew together slightly, then quickly relaxed.
So this was why he shut himself away!
Because his parents had died, he felt the outside world was dangerous and hid himself inside a protective shell.
If I weren't his roommate, he wouldn't tell me any of this.
Perhaps...
Only by shutting himself away like this...
Could he feel safe!
"All right."
Kushina nodded. In that instant, she had thought about many things, all of them concerning Araki. In her innocent mind, she felt that his words indicated a certain degree of persecution paranoia.
Living here came with some responsibility to help Araki.
The best approach now was not to argue with him about these things. She should first go along with what he said and agree, letting him feel secure, then change him little by little.
However...
Kushina agreed aloud.
But inwardly, she did not share his view.
As far as she knew, Konoha could be called the safest village. It had beautiful scenery and friendly residents who lived in harmony. Where was the danger?
That was precisely the problem!
If my judgment wasn't wrong...
This was the root of Araki's withdrawal!
An unconcealable look of contemplation appeared on Kushina's still-childish face. She quickly assessed Araki's condition in her mind, like a doctor who had just seen a patient, immediately making what she considered an accurate diagnosis.
Mental illnesses like this often resulted from a shock.
Araki might have lost his sense of security because of his parents' deaths, leading him to feel that the whole world was incredibly dangerous.
No!
Not might!
That had to be it!
Once Kushina had figured this out, she actually felt much better. She had found the key to saving Araki going forward.
"What's the third thing?"
A smile returned to Kushina's pretty face, and her voice grew gentle again. Something about the way Araki behaved made her heart ache a little for him.
"Hmm..."
Araki took in all of Kushina's reactions. He had no idea what had gone through this girl's mind, only that everything was going a little more smoothly than expected.
Kushina had agreed far too easily.
Instead, that gave Araki a sense of unreality.
In his recollection, Kushina was not someone who compromised so easily. She frequently fought with others at the Ninja Academy and had a rather stubborn personality.
But...
The version of Kushina with twin ponytails standing before me didn't seem that hot-tempered.
He kept feeling that she was being a little perfunctory.
Still, getting this far was enough. It would help him avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble.
"The third thing concerns everything about me. No matter what you see or figure out in the future, you absolutely cannot tell anyone else!"
Araki spoke in a low, solemn voice.
This was the most important thing to him.
He did not know how long Kushina would live here.
A few days?
A few months?
Or a few years?
In any case...
If we spent a long time together...
Many issues would come to the surface.
Completely concealing his abilities was not particularly easy, especially since he often trained at night, which was itself not something an ordinary person would do.
Sooner or later, Kushina might see something or develop suspicions of her own.
Araki did not want all his painstaking years of concealment to end with Kushina, who shared his home, exposing him!
"No problem!"
Kushina agreed almost without hesitation. She did not consider this much of an issue at all, especially after figuring out the earlier problem.
To her, Araki's instructions still came down to the same issue.
Persecution paranoia!
The shock of his parents' deaths had caused him to fear the world, making him feel that danger lurked everywhere in the village.
Reasoning with him couldn't resolve that kind of mindset!
I had to help him relax little by little and provide the sense of security he lacked.
Kushina already had a few vague ideas about what to do about Araki...
She agreed just like that?
Araki had originally thought the last two conditions would not go so smoothly with Kushina. His judgment had turned out to be wrong.
Still, as long as he achieved his goal, the process did not matter as much.
"Let's go to class."
Araki glanced at the clock on the wall. Their conversation had not taken too much time, and they would not be late if they left now.
Throughout his time at the Ninja Academy, he had never been late, broken any school rules, or gotten into disputes or conflicts with other students. He did everything possible to avoid attracting attention.
Those days were probably nearing their end now...
He knew very well that this was the gap between ideals and reality. Once he became connected to Kushina, no matter how much he held back and avoided causing trouble, trouble would eventually come knocking anyway.
He would keep things stable for as long as he could.
The most urgent task was still to improve his strength as much as possible.
Three years of arduous training had greatly improved his physical capabilities. He had some confidence when it came to facing situations that were not particularly dangerous.
"Okay!"
Kushina's face was full of smiles. She had long looked forward to Konoha's Ninja Academy, and now that she and Araki had reached an agreement, her anticipation had become almost impossible to contain.
Araki said nothing more. He picked up his schoolbag and headed out of the house first.
He deliberately quickened his pace, putting some distance between himself and Kushina.
He judged that distance perfectly.
It ensured that he remained within Kushina's sight to show her the way, while keeping others from thinking they knew each other well.
"What a strange guy!"
Kushina shook her head and silently followed Araki, maintaining the distance he had created rather than insisting on catching up.
Her gaze remained on Araki. As she watched his back, her beautiful eyes were filled with thought.
Araki looked... pretty good from behind!
She did not know whether it was because he exercised often, but from a distance behind him, she could faintly make out the broad shoulders and lean waist outlined beneath his clothes.
For a moment.
Kushina felt that Araki was very mysterious.
That feeling slipped into her mind for no apparent reason, involuntarily stirring a desire to explore.
The peers she had known before practically wished the whole world knew whenever they had any abilities, eager to win everyone's praise.
But this person seemed to be the opposite...
This was a type she had never encountered before. Even knowing that Araki had suffered a severe emotional shock, she still found herself intensely curious.
Chapter 8: What Is Your Dream?
Araki and Kushina walked one ahead of the other, maintaining relatively fixed positions and almost matching each other's pace and rhythm. Before long, they reached the Ninja Academy's gates.
"It's so beautiful!"
Kushina's beautiful eyes shone as she looked all around the Ninja Academy. She had come here yesterday and gained a slight initial impression, but now she was a student here, and excitement kept surging within her.
Across the entire ninja world, the major hidden villages had followed Konoha's example and established Ninja Academies, yet none of their academies could compare to Konoha's.
This could be called the best Ninja Academy in the world!
Just thinking about it was exciting!
Kushina's gaze swept over the elegantly designed school building, moved to the playing field covered in green grass, and finally settled on a swing among the trees...
Almost everywhere she looked was pleasing to the eye, and merely stepping inside left her feeling refreshed and at ease.
Kushina did not keep admiring the Ninja Academy's scenery. She knew this was where she would be studying, and she would have plenty of time to take it all in later.
Kushina followed closely in Araki's footsteps and entered the classroom. They were classmates, so they shared the same classroom.