Chapter 25
The next day, Asakawa Naoki arrived at school like usual, taking his seat beside Kushina in the back row.
Nothing seemed different at first, but there was something slightly off about Kushina today — though Naoki couldn't quite figure out what it was.
It wasn't until after their second class that morning, just as Naoki was about to head out for lunch, that Kushina finally spoke up.
"Naoki, thanks for helping me yesterday… I made you a bento!"
Grinning, Uzumaki Kushina pulled out two bright red lunch boxes from her bag, handing the larger one to Naoki.
Naoki didn't hesitate. He accepted the lunch box and opened it, finding five neatly made rice balls, three cherry tomatoes, three little sausages carved with funny faces, and a few simple vegetable dishes.
In his previous life back in China, Naoki had known that Japanese students usually brought bento from home for lunch. And in this world's ninja academy, the custom was the same — most kids ate packed lunches their families made for them.
Naoki, however, was one of the rare few who went out to eat every day. Partly because cooking was a hassle, but mostly because he preferred hot, freshly made meals. Cold bentos never quite suited his taste.
Still, since Kushina had gone out of her way to make this for him, there was no way he'd turn it down.
"Thanks, Kushina."
The bento was well-balanced, with meat, veggies, and fruit — though the portion, meant for one or two kids, felt a bit small to Naoki, who typically ate enough for four to fuel his afternoon training sessions.
He took a bite of a rice ball and smiled. "It's good."
Of course, cold rice could never compare to a steaming hot meal, but it wasn't about the taste — it was about the thought behind it. And besides, once it was in his stomach, it would all turn into magic power anyway.
"As long as you like it, I'll make one for you tomorrow too!"
Kushina beamed at the compliment, visibly brightening from the nervous energy she'd been carrying all morning.
"Mito-obaa-san was right," she thought to herself, remembering what Uzumaki Mito had told her the night before. "If you want to win a person's heart, you have to win their stomach first!"
Naoki wasn't used to seeing this side of Kushina — the usual strong, stubborn girl looking both happy and a little bashful.
But he couldn't let her go through with this. Waking up early to make him lunch every day didn't sit right with him, not to mention the portion wasn't enough to meet his training needs anyway.
"You don't have to, Kushina," Naoki said, shaking his head. "Getting up early every day just to make a bento sounds exhausting."
"I don't mind! I have to make my own anyway," she replied quickly.
Naoki smiled. "You might say that, but you've been half-asleep all morning. I bet you got up at least an hour earlier than usual, didn't you?"
He wasn't wrong. Kushina's bentos used to be simpler — clearly made by someone else. The fact that she'd gone out of her way to make one today could only mean it was a thank-you gesture.
And while Naoki didn't mind accepting it once or twice, the thought of an eight-year-old girl getting up early every day for years just to cook for him… no, he couldn't accept that.
"Hehe…"
Kushina gave an awkward little laugh. Truth was, she'd woken up *two* hours earlier to learn how to make the bento in the first place.
Naoki decided to play his trump card.
"We're still growing, you know. If you don't get enough sleep, you won't grow tall."
It wasn't just boys who worried about height. Kushina did too — especially since when she'd first transferred here last year, she and Naoki had been about the same height.
Wasn't it said that girls grow faster when they're young? So why had the gap between them only widened since then?
The idea of staying short because of lost sleep just to make bentos made Kushina hesitate.
And Naoki pressed on.
"Not only that — if you don't sleep enough, your chakra will suffer too. And if that happens, you won't be able to become a great ninja in the future."
The color drained from Kushina's face. That thought hit a nerve.
"I-I don't want that!"
"Then it's settled. No more early mornings for bentos."
After a moment of reluctant silence, Kushina sighed and gave up on the idea. From now on, she'd go back to eating the ones Mito made.
The lunchtime 'bento battle' ended in defeat.
Still, neither of them was a picky eater, and they cleared their bentos without leaving much behind.
As they finished, Naoki remembered something and glanced over at Kushina.
"Hey, Kushina… mind if I have one of your hairs?"
It was a sudden, slightly awkward request, but Naoki didn't hesitate to ask.
In cultivating an external incarnation, the main material came from one's own body — but adding the tissues of others with special talents could occasionally pass on those traits.
Hair was the easiest option. Anything else would involve injury.
And though hair might seem insignificant, it still contained cells and genetic information. Back in his previous life, paternity tests were sometimes done with hair alone.
Kushina blinked at him, surprised.
"You don't hate my red hair?" she asked softly, her expression a mix of surprise and shy hope.
It wasn't uncommon for kids to mock her for her bright red hair, so for Naoki not to mind — even to ask for it — left her a little flustered.
Naoki smiled. "Of course not. I think it's beautiful."
He wasn't just being polite. Konoha was full of people with unusual hair colors — Hatake Kakashi had white hair, the Yamanaka clan had blonde, and Namikaze Minato's hair was gold too. Why people had picked on Kushina's red hair was beyond him.
To him, it looked just fine.
"…Thanks."
Kushina smiled and carefully plucked one of her longest red hairs, handing it over.
Naoki took it, then smiled back and pulled out one of his own.
"It's rude to take without giving. Here — one of mine too."
"Thanks! I'll keep it safe."
Grinning, Kushina accepted his black hair as if it were a treasure.
And just like that, a simple exchange between the two left both of them in high spirits.?
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