Chapter 5 - Thank You!

The entire classroom fell silent, all the children staring with somewhat shocked gazes at that usually gentle and innocent-looking face. But now, those azure eyes held the expression of a ferocious beast scanning everyone before it.

That gaze caused some of the more timid boys and many girls to instinctively back away a few steps. 

Was this really the Minato Namikaze they were familiar with?

This behavior not only left Akasaka's gang dumbfounded, but Kushina's petite face wore an expression of utter shock. Deep in her eyes, however, a tinge of delight seemed to be spreading, though perhaps even she did not notice it herself.

Though surprised, Mikoto heaved a sigh of relief seeing Minato unharmed and having rescued Kushina. Yet her gaze also flickered with a touch of bewilderment. 

Minato's movements just now were far too fast for a student at the Ninja Academy. In fact, in her understanding, even some of the genin in the Uchiha clan were only at that level. Most of them were over ten years old and had been trained by the clan's chunin and jonin to reach that skill.

But Minato, being an orphan, had nowhere to train except at the Academy. How had he become so strong? She had never known Minato to be this powerful before!

"Ahem!" 

The tense atmosphere was broken by a fit of coughing as Akasaka, who had been kicked away by Minato, spat out some blood. Fortunately, his physical conditioning was better than most kids his age, so he did not immediately pass out.

Even so, he slumped against the corridor wall, completely drained of strength to stand up. 

Not far from him, some students in the hallway had also stopped in their tracks, clearly startled by the sudden commotion. Most of their faces showed signs of panic, except for a boy surrounded by several others on Akasaka's left, who merely frowned slightly.

Swish!

That boy had wanted to enter Minato's classroom to see what had happened, but a blur too fast for him to make out had already appeared by Akasaka's side. It was Minato's teacher, Kunio Shindo, who crouched down with a grave expression.

"Akasaka, are you alright?" Kunio asked, lifting Akasaka up. The latter let out a pained cry, but Kunio noticed cracks on the wall Akasaka had hit, indicating the massive force behind the blow that sent him flying.

He wondered which student in his class could possess such strength. Glancing towards the back door, he saw Minato, Kushina and some of Akasaka's gang members. But it was Minato's eyes that caught his attention - behind the ferocity lurked a hint of killing intent that these children, having never experienced life-and-death situations, failed to perceive.

Even without asking, Kunio realized who must be responsible for this incident. 

"Okamoto Sa, Nakatani Kaze, take Akasaka to the medical room," Kunio instructed two dazed boys, snapping them out of their shock. They hurried over and carried the injured Akasaka away.

"Everyone else, go take your break. Don't gawk," Kunio dispersed the gathered students in the hallway. The boy surrounded by others shot a wary glance at the cracked wall before leaving.

Entering the classroom, Kunio saw the ferocity leaving Minato's eyes, as the student knew no one would dare bully Kushina further with the teacher present.

"Minato, what happened here?" Kunio asked, not accusing, as he believed Minato would not attack someone without reason.

Minato remained silent, head bowed. Kunio's expression started to sour until Mikoto rushed over. "Sensei, it was Akasaka and his friends bullying Kushina first. Minato was only protecting her!"

"Explain what happened," Kunio pressed, his gaze shifting to Kushina, who now looked somewhat embarrassed, as if reluctant to divulge the details. 

Convinced something had indeed occurred, Kunio took Mikoto outside to inquire further.

After they left, Minato lifted his head to find his formerly friendly classmates now regarding him with a mixture of awe and even fear. 

The situation he had dreaded finally came to pass. Minato had hidden his true abilities in class because he did not want to be seen as special or different. He simply wanted to live normally among his peers. His training was meant to protect Konoha, not set him apart. 

But if his strength only caused others to fear and distance themselves from him, that defeated the purpose. 

Sighing inwardly, Minato turned to Kushina behind him, his face regaining its usual gentle smile. "Kushina, are you alright?"

Kushina nodded instinctively, her gaze towards Minato now changed somewhat. After a moment, she bowed to him. "I'm sorry about earlier."

Minato was taken aback - why was she apologizing to him?

Unbeknownst to him, Kushina had perceived him as rather effeminate and unreliable due to his delicate looks. But his recent actions changed her view.

This was the first time someone risked offending others to defend her. As she considered this, ripples of emotion surfaced in Kushina's eyes, which did not escape Minato's notice.

"Thank you!" Kushina suddenly blurted out, her cheeks flushed slightly with an odd verbal tic she had.

Before the dumbfounded Minato could respond, she swiftly dashed out the back door, brushing past Kunio and Mikoto entering the classroom.

(end of chapter)