Araki was not at all surprised that Ibuki-sensei would ask a follow-up question. Before he said those words, he had already anticipated that he might be questioned further.
After all, when some students had voiced unexpected dreams during the earlier questions, Ibuki-sensei had also asked them why.
"I don't want... to let... more people... lose their parents..."
As Araki spoke, his eyes dimmed. This would remind Ibuki-sensei and everyone watching him that he had suffered the pain of losing his parents, so there was nothing particularly unusual about the way he acted now, nor did it warrant so much attention.
Ibuki-sensei pressed his lips together and nodded silently, suppressing the approval in his eyes. He avoided meeting Araki's gaze, then looked toward the next person without saying anything more in response to Araki's reaction.
Some things only needed to be understood in one's heart.
The admiration he showed now might become a weapon that hurt this child.
Let the pain drift away little by little with the wind.
The day would come when he moved past it.
The pupils in Kushina's beautiful eyes contracted sharply. After hearing Araki's explanation, she truly sensed an open-minded, loving heart.
It was precisely because his parents had died on a mission.
That was why he wanted to become a medical-nin-to prevent others from suffering the same tragedy and ending up like him.
It was not a grand dream.
But it was very meaningful!
For a moment.
The way Kushina looked at Araki changed slightly.
Suddenly, she felt that this boy her age named Araki was like an obscure, difficult book. When she first opened it, she had only found it strange, but as she learned more, she gradually discovered its hidden wonders.
No wonder he reminded me not to make enemies...
He must really think of me as a friend!
He doesn't want an outsider like me to suffer the loneliness of having no friends, just like him!
Or perhaps...
He wants me to have more friends!
Or does he think...
The more Kushina thought, the more complicated her thoughts became. As she stared at Araki's lonely figure, she inexplicably felt a little ache in her heart.
Chapter 11: A dark shadow
The lesson soon passed amid Ibuki-sensei's questions, without causing much of a stir. Everything seemed to be just as everyone had expected.
On the surface, Araki had little presence and seemed uninterested in anything, but in fact, he had listened to everyone's "dream."
Only by knowing yourself and your enemy could you remain undefeated in a hundred battles.
Of course, Araki was not learning about these things because he wanted to make enemies of his classmates. He was simply gaining a basic understanding so that he could handle any problems more calmly in the future.
At the same time.
At this particular point in time.
Araki also realized that the course of Konoha's history had changed.
Having transmigrated here three years ago, he had no desire to make waves. He only hoped to steadily improve his strength. Once he could fully master Wood Release, he would have some ability to protect himself.
However...
That did not mean Araki would step into the spotlight once he mastered Wood Release.
As someone familiar with Naruto's history and background, he understood that all sorts of major events would continue to occur in Konoha and even throughout the shinobi world, with immensely powerful figures behind them.
The slightest carelessness could cost him his life. At the very least, he felt he should not willingly put himself at a disadvantage.
Often, the more ignorant someone was, the more fearless they became.
Someone like Araki, who knew what would happen later, was instead even more cautious in handling things.
Ring, ring, ring...
With the ringing of the dismissal bell, another day of classes ended.
As usual, Araki was not the first to stand up and leave the classroom. Doing that for too long would draw attention. The best approach was to remain among the crowd and make himself seem perfectly ordinary.
After waiting in the classroom for a short while, Araki immediately noticed something unusual. Many people would normally have left by now, but instead, they stayed and gathered around Kushina.
Was it starting already?
Araki's brows furrowed slightly. Based on the scenes he had seen in Naruto, the students in the class might start picking on Kushina.
Araki did not want that to happen.
If he had no connection to Kushina, as before, he could have ignored everything that happened.
But...
Kushina was living in his house now.
They could be considered roommates.
That had created some bonds between them.
Besides that.
Kushina was also quite friendly toward him, which made things a little difficult for Araki.
In fact.
Araki would have preferred Kushina to act a little more overbearing toward him.
A little more unreasonable.
That way, when faced with things involving Kushina, he could openly pretend not to see them.
"Hello, Kushina. My name is Akimichi Yoshimaru!"
"Shibi Aburame."
"I'm Akimichi Chōza!"
"..."
The students gathered around Kushina one after another, friendly expressions on their faces. Almost all of them had come over to make friends.
"Huh?"
When Araki saw the scene before him, he was briefly startled before he understood.
The change in Kushina's "dream" had already changed the story here. No matter how much he tried to keep a low profile, he was still like a butterfly flapping its wings, setting off a butterfly effect in the shinobi world.
In the original story, Kushina had come here as an outsider and said something rather arrogant, upsetting many people. Coupled with her somewhat blunt and rough way of handling things, her relationships with her classmates had not been very good.
But now, Kushina had expressed herself differently. She had said she wanted to make friends with everyone, so naturally, the students here were willing to befriend such a cute girl.
This was good.
Araki nodded imperceptibly.
This spared him a great deal of unnecessary trouble and meant he did not have to worry too much.
Then Araki stood up, picked up his schoolbag, and headed toward the classroom door.
He was ready to leave.
At that moment, Kushina's gaze immediately focused on Araki. She wanted to follow him, but too many students surrounded her, and she could not get away.
She was a new student. Everyone gathered around her had introduced themselves, but she had not remembered a single name. The whole situation had left her flustered, and she could not simply leave too casually.
Before she could react, Araki had already left the classroom.
Oh, honestly...
Kushina grumbled inwardly. Knowing she could no longer catch up with Araki, she simply stopped dwelling on it and patiently talked with the students around her. Whatever else, they would be classmates from now on.
Araki tossed his schoolbag back into the house and ran into the woods to train.
The day's events had given him considerable insight.
Over the past three years, he had done his best to blend into Konoha, making himself appear ordinary and keeping himself out of any trouble.
He had originally thought he could keep quietly building his strength like this.
After all, he had already made it through most of the Second Shinobi World War. Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru's battle with Hanzo of the Salamander had ended, and the fame of Konoha's Sannin had spread throughout the shinobi world. The war was nearing its end, and the village would next enter a rare period of peace.
But Kushina's sudden appearance seemed to sound an alarm for him.
Many things would not develop as he expected. Changes often came faster than plans, and without great strength, he would lack the ability to deal with unexpected events.
Over these three years...
Araki had never slacked off for a single day.
But now he understood that this was not enough. He had to train even harder and increase the speed at which he grew stronger.
With that thought...
Araki headed deep into the forest and began running swiftly.
He was agile and extremely fast. Without using chakra, he could perform many incredible movements through his physical abilities alone.
Elsewhere.
After Kushina finished handling her relationships with her classmates.
She walked slowly toward her lodgings.
"That rotten Araki! He just left me behind!"
Kushina clenched her little fists and spoke resentfully. Despite her words, she did not actually feel any dislike toward Araki.
Before long.
She returned to her lodgings.