The entire classroom fell silent as all the children stared in shock at that youthful face, which usually carried a gentle smile. Yet now, those sapphire eyes held a savage expression like that of a ferocious beast, scanning across everyone before him.
That gaze caused some of the more timid boys and many girls to instinctively step backward.
Was this person still the same Minato Namikaze they had always known?
Such behavior not only stunned Yu Akasaka's gang, but Kushina Uzumaki's small face also showed overwhelming astonishment. Deep within her eyes, an involuntary glimmer of delight quietly emerged—an emotion she herself hadn't even realized yet.
Although Mikoto was equally shocked, she breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Minato unharmed after rescuing Kushina. However, her eyes soon revealed traces of surprise as well.
The speed Minato had just displayed was beyond what anyone would expect from a student at the Ninja Academy.
Even in her understanding, some chunin from her clan barely reached such standards. Most of them were over ten years old and trained by chunin or jonin instructors. In contrast, Minato had been orphaned and had no choice but to learn solely from what the school offered.
How did he manage to achieve this?
She had never known Minato to be this strong before!
"Cough cough!"
A few sharp coughs shattered the tense silence. Blood droplets flew from Yu Akasaka's mouth after Minato kicked him away. Fortunately, his physical condition was much better than average kids his age, so he didn't immediately lose consciousness.
Even so, he was leaning against the corridor wall, sitting helplessly on the floor without any strength left to stand up.
Not far from him, several students in the school hallway had stopped walking, clearly startled by the sudden commotion.
Most of these children wore expressions of panic, but the boy surrounded by several others on Yu Akasaka's left side merely frowned slightly.
Swish!
As the boy intended to walk into Minato's classroom to see what had happened, a figure he couldn't even see clearly had already appeared beside Yu Akasaka. He half-squatted beside him, his brows knitting with concern.
It was none other than Moto Kouda, Minato's homeroom teacher.
"Yu Akasaka, are you okay?" Kouda asked while lifting Akasaka's body. The latter cried out in pain, and Kouda noticed that the wall behind Akasaka already bore a slight crack from the impact.
Clearly, the force of the strike that sent him flying was tremendous.
He couldn't help but wonder which of his students could possess such power. Then glancing sideways slightly, he saw through the back door of the classroom the figures of Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, and some of Yu Akasaka's gang members.
Now, it was Minato's gaze that truly drew his attention. Within those sapphire eyes, besides savageness, there was a subtle undercurrent of killing intent completely undetectable to the other students.
These kids were just students at the Ninja Academy — none of them had ever been in a life-or-death situation before. And besides, the one involved was none other than Minato Namikaze, known throughout the grade for his gentle personality.
Now, even without asking, he already knew exactly who was responsible for what had happened.
"Okamoto Saku, Nakaya Fuu, take Yu Akasaka to the infirmary."
Moto Kouda called out from inside the classroom, snapping the two stunned boys standing beside Minato out of their shock. They hurried over immediately. After Yu Akasaka handed the boy off to them, each took one side and carried him toward the infirmary of the Ninja Academy.
"Everyone go have lunch break, nothing more to see."
Moto Kouda said while in the hallway, scattering the gathering crowd of students. The boy who had been surrounded by several others cast a wary glance at the crack on the wall where Yu Akasaka had leaned before leaving.
He walked back into the classroom. By now, the fierceness in Minato's eyes had gradually faded away because he knew that as long as Moto Kouda was here, no one would dare bully Kushina anymore.
"Minato, just what exactly happened here?" Moto Kouda asked upon reaching Minato. He wasn't showing any sign of blame yet, as he trusted that Minato wouldn't attack someone without reason.
At these words, Minato remained silent with his head lowered for a moment.
This caused Moto Kouda's expression to start turning somewhat grim. Seeing this, Mikoto quickly ran over and said, "Mr. Kouda, it was Yu Akasaka who bullied Kushina first! Minato was only protecting her!"
"Just what exactly happened?" Moto Kouda asked again, while looking toward Kushina. At this moment, she looked slightly embarrassed, almost reluctant to speak.
Only then did he believe that something really occurred. He immediately pulled Mikoto outside the classroom to learn more details.
After they left, Minato, who had been keeping silent with his head down, raised his gaze. He found all his classmates, who had always been kind to him before, staring at him with expressions containing both respect... even some fear.
What he feared had finally come true. Minato had hidden his strength in class because he didn't want people to think he was different.
Minato never wanted to be a once-in-a-thousand prodigy. He wanted to live together with everyone. He trained hard to develop his powers only because he wanted to protect everyone in the village.
But if such power made people feel afraid and distant instead, then this was not the result he wished for.
He sighed inwardly, met their stares with quiet resolve, and turned to Kushina behind him, offering her a gentle smile. "Kushina, are you alright?" he asked.
Instinctively, Kushina nodded. The look in her eyes when regarding Minato had changed somewhat compared to earlier.
A moment later, she actually bowed to Minato and said, "I'm sorry about earlier."
This action startled even Minato himself. Why was she apologizing to him?
What Minato didn't know was that Kushina's impression of him had always been somewhat girly and completely unreliable.
Indeed, Minato had an exceptionally refined and handsome appearance; someone unfamiliar with him might mistake him for a carefree or flirtatious person.
However, his actions previously caused Kushina to change her opinion.
It was the first time someone had stood up for her, even at the cost of offending someone else.
Thinking of this, Kushina's eyes began to show some emotion, which Minato noticed.
"Thank you!"
Suddenly, Kushina said those words again, complete with her unique speech pattern. A slight blush crept across her finely-shaped face, which had a hint of baby fat.
Then, before Minato could recover from his stunned expression, she darted through the back door of the classroom — just as Moto Kouda and Mikoto stepped inside...
...
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