Chapter 3: Uzumaki Kushina

Chapter 3: Kushina Uzumaki

As time passed, the once empty classroom became increasingly filled with more and more students arriving.

At this age, when children gather together, it's more like a gathering place for them rather than a place for learning. A group of children huddled together, discussing interesting things and letting out childish laughter, making the entire classroom seem a bit noisy.

In the midst of this chaos, Minato was holding a ninja handbook, studying it carefully. The edges of the handbook were worn, clearly showing that he had read it more than once.

However, he believed that just like any ninja technique, the only way to improve oneself was through diligent practice. As of now, he didn't know many powerful ninja techniques, but for every great ninja, the basics were of utmost importance.

What he could do now was to solidify his foundations as much as possible, trying to catch up with the predecessors. He had plenty of time.

In this atmosphere, Kunio Shindō, their teacher, walked in and said firmly, "Alright, students, settle down."

His voice carried a certain authority, and the noisy classroom quickly fell silent. After all, the students here were not ordinary children; in the future, they would all become ninjas carrying out missions.

Absolute obedience to orders was one of the fundamental principles of being a ninja. This was something that even students at the Ninja Academy had to cultivate from a young age and adhere to.

Minato put away the handbook he was holding and looked forward, waiting for the class to begin.

"Before we start the class today, I'd like to introduce a new student to you all. From now on, she'll be studying together with you," Kunio Shindō said, and then quickly walked out of the classroom.

As soon as he left, there was a murmur of whispers in the classroom, indicating that the students were looking forward to the arrival of the new classmate.

Minato and Mikoto exchanged a glance from across their seats, as they had already known about the new student's arrival.

After a while, Kunio Shindō walked back in, holding a child's hand beside him. It was a young girl with long, red hair. Because her hair was quite long, the students in the classroom couldn't see her face clearly.

However, they could vaguely make out her delicate facial features.

When Minato saw her, his heart suddenly trembled. Before his eyes, it seemed like there was a head of long, flowing red hair swaying in the wind. The color of that hair was also red.

The face of the long-haired girl was extremely blurry, and no matter how hard Minato tried to focus, he couldn't get a clear view.

Subconsciously, while seated, he suddenly let out a low, hoarse, and extremely painful howl, drawing the attention of those around him.

One of the students nudged him and asked, "Minato, are you okay?"

Minato snapped out of it, his body trembling slightly. He looked at the child next to him and said, "No, no, I'm fine."

The child next to him didn't think too much of it, but Minato furrowed his golden brows, muttering to himself, "What's wrong with me?"

"Alright, why don't you introduce yourself?" Kunio Shindō said gently as he let go of the little girl's hand.

His voice drew Minato's gaze towards her. Under the watchful eyes of all the children in the class, the little girl slowly turned around, but she was hanging her head, seemingly shy.

"Her hair color is so weird!"

"Yeah, how could someone have such red hair?"

The students below were whispering their comments, while on the podium, the little girl kept her head down, with a lock of hair falling over her eyes. She reached out her tiny hand and twirled her hair, her big eyes showing a hint of bewilderment.

Of course, those students who were commenting didn't notice her small gestures, but there was one person who couldn't take his eyes off her, as if he didn't want to look away.

Faced with these whispers, the little girl clenched her fists tightly, so tightly that her veins were visible. She took a deep breath and then said in a very loud voice:

"My name is Kushina Uzumaki, and my dream is to become the first female Hokage of this village!"

Her words carried a strange accent, but such a shocking statement not only silenced the entire class, but even surprised Kunio Shindō himself.

Minato heard her words and felt a pang of pain in his heart for some reason, but he was also happy to have met someone who shared the same dream as him.

He then stood up, placed his hand on his chest, and said with a kind smile, "My dream is also to become the Hokage who can protect all the families in the village."

However, Kushina didn't seem to immediately accept Minato's kindness; instead, she looked at the blond boy with a hint of wariness in her eyes.

"Haha, I never imagined that my class would have two students with such lofty aspirations. This is truly gratifying," said Kunio Shindō, who, as a Chunin, naturally had keen observation skills. He noticed Kushina's wariness and, in an effort to ease the awkwardness, laughed approvingly.

"Minato, you can sit down now," he said, glancing around the classroom before turning to Kushina. "Kushina, you can sit there."

He pointed towards a direction, next to Mikoto Uchiha's seat, by the window. There was an empty spot.

Upon hearing this, Kushina walked over in large strides, ignoring the disapproving voices, and sat down next to Mikoto.

Seeing this, Kunio Shindō let out a wry smile. Kushina's personality was quite different from Minato Namikaze and Mikoto Uchiha.

After sitting down, Kushina glanced sideways, and Mikoto smiled warmly at her, covering her mouth and saying softly, "Hello, my name is Mikoto Uchiha. From now on, we'll be classmates and friends."

Kushina seemed blunt, but she was actually very perceptive and sensitive. She noticed that in this class, only the blond boy who had stood up earlier and talked to Kushina, and the girl in front of her, didn't have any preconceptions about her hair color.

However, the former seemed a bit too gentle to her.

"Mmhmm," Kushina responded to Mikoto, then looked in Minato's direction and shyly asked, "What's his name?"

Seeing her demeanor, Mikoto could understand. After all, it was their first meeting, and the people in the class didn't seem to treat the new student very kindly.

Mikoto followed her gaze and, after turning back, said, "His name is Minato Namikaze. He's a very kind person."

When mentioning Minato, a smile naturally appeared on Mikoto's childish face. It seemed that in this class, Kushina was the first person who had some prejudice against him.

"Minato Namikaze, huh?" Kushina lowered her head slightly, muttering to herself.

However, she only pondered for a brief moment before turning her gaze back to the podium. After all, she had to give her all for her dream.

The Ninja Academy was the beginning of her dream!

Seeing Kushina's determined expression, Kunio Shindō felt slightly relieved. Although her personality was a bit eccentric, with Mikoto's influence, she might change.

What surprised him, though, was that Minato, who was usually extremely diligent in class, kept glancing towards Kushina's direction after her arrival, albeit subtly.

But he didn't think too much of it, as Kushina's actions earlier might have already left a deep impression on him.

At this age, even as a teacher, he might not be able to fully comprehend what the children were thinking.

He then refocused his attention and, looking at the youthful faces before him, smiled slightly and said, "Students, let's begin our class!"

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