The morning classes had ended—it was finally time to go home.
As soon as the bell rang, several boys in class swarmed around Uzumaki Kushina.
"Tomato! From now on, your name is Tomato! That round, chubby face and red hair—what else could you be?"
"How could a tomato ever become Hokage?"
"I hate tomatoes!"
"Same here! If there's tomato in my lunch, I leave it untouched."
"How could a tomato, hated by all, ever be recognized by the villagers?"
"Hahaha!"
Uzumaki Kushina pouted, furious but unable to say anything back.
Because truth be told, the name fit. With her flushed cheeks and vibrant red hair, she did resemble a tomato.
"And look, the Tomato's sitting next to the Traitor. No wonder you two ended up as desk partners."
"Tomato and Traitor! What a perfect pair!"
…
Shiranui Riku curled his lip in disgust. He too had a nickname at school: "Traitor."
That nickname didn't come from his classmates but from their parents. Children only parroted what they overheard at home.
Seeing how far the teasing had gone—especially now that they were dragging him into Kushina's bullying—Riku couldn't ignore it any longer.
What frustrated him more was that Namikaze Minato was watching everything unfold from a distance. His gaze lingered on Kushina, yet he made no move to intervene.
Just as one of the boys reached out and grabbed Kushina's hair, Riku stood and walked over.
"It's harvest season, Tomato! Time to pick some fruit!"
Kushina grabbed the boy's wrist, ready to explode—but before she could do anything, Riku had already appeared behind the boy.
"Hey," Riku said coldly, "mind getting out of the way?"
The boys instantly turned their taunts toward him.
"What makes you think we'll move for you, freak? Get lost!"
"If you want to fight here, you'll just end up looking pathetic," Riku replied calmly.
Back when he first entered the Academy, he'd been jumped by a few students too. But having inherited some of the Senju clan's physical prowess, Riku had overwhelmed them easily—even if he wasn't as strong as Minato.
After that, most of the bullies who liked to pick on easy targets knew better than to mess with him.
Sure enough, the moment Riku spoke, the boys froze.
Without waiting, he stepped forward, bumped his shoulder against the boy still tugging at Kushina's hair, and pushed past, walking out of the classroom.
But as he crossed the threshold, he froze.
Wait… wasn't Uzumaki Kushina the one who didn't need rescuing?
She was known for her fiery spirit. And the Uzumaki clan had a constitution unlike any other.
Sure enough, the moment Riku stepped out, chaos erupted behind him.
"Who're you calling Tomato?! I HATE tomatoes too!"
Kushina flung the boy who'd grabbed her hair with a single toss, sending the whole group of bullies flying.
Then she pounced on one of them, straddled his chest, and began thumping his head with her fists. "Say 'Tomato' again and I'll pound you into ketchup!"
From the side, Minato watched with a small smile on his face.
"What's so funny?!" Kushina snapped.
Minato instantly turned his head, staring at the wall, but continued peeking at her from the corner of his eye.
Afternoon classes began.
Riku walked back into class chewing on a rice ball he bought from the convenience store.
Kushina was sitting with arms crossed, visibly fuming.
Riku glanced at the boys who had bullied her earlier. All of them were now sporting massive bumps on their heads.
Maybe she's mad she didn't hit them harder?
As class went on, Riku stayed silent and focused on Masada Hayabusa's lesson.
But he quickly noticed something else—Kushina kept sneaking glances at him. More than just a few.
By the end of the afternoon, Riku was thoroughly uncomfortable.
Finally, the last bell rang.
He bolted from the classroom the moment class ended. All he could think about now was the Breathing of Thunder technique.
What he didn't notice was that Kushina had raised her hand slightly—only to hesitate mid-motion, a conflicted expression on her face.
She had wanted to talk to him.
Kushina, too, was isolated. And now that she was in a strange place, the longing for a friend felt stronger than ever.
Riku stepping in earlier had moved her.
He didn't mock her. He stood up for her.
So she clenched her fists and chased after him.
But Riku had already broken into a near run, eager to get home.
Determined, Kushina chased after him with her short legs as fast as she could.
They had just exited the streets of Konoha, heading into its outskirts, when she finally called out in a breathless voice:
"H-Hey! Wait!"
Riku heard the familiar voice, turned around, and was startled to see her.
Kushina stopped in front of him, hands on her knees, panting heavily.
Riku took a step forward. "Is there something you wanted to say?"
Still catching her breath, Kushina looked up, then stretched out her hand toward him with all the courage she could muster.
"I'm Uzumaki Kushina!" she declared.
Riku stared at her, eyes flickering with surprise.
Kushina saw his expression and grew a little uneasy.
"…I'm Shiranui Riku."
He took her hand, gave it a light shake, and quickly let go.
"Huh? Riku—is that your given name or your family name?"
"Given name. I don't have a surname."
"You don't… have a last name?" Kushina tilted her head in confusion. "How does that work?"
Riku didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "What did you want to talk to me about?"
"I… I want to be friends with you!" she blurted out.
Riku smiled faintly.
"I figured as much."
He then gently added, "Kushina, you saw how things are for me in class."
"Well yeah," she said, "you're isolated… just like me."
"But it's different," he said. "You're new. You got teased today, sure, but you'll find friends in time. I, on the other hand… I'm isolated by the entire village. If you become my friend, they'll turn on you too.
Today was just your first day. Don't let this define it. Ask the teacher to move your seat. Sitting next to me will only make things harder for you.
It's getting late. You should head home. Goodbye."
Riku gave a small wave and turned to walk away.
Kushina stood there in silence, watching him go. Her hand slowly dropped to her side.
She had finally worked up the courage to speak to him—only to be gently turned away.
Her eyes lowered, her mood dampened.