During the morning class, Kazuki felt as if he was sitting on pins and needles, clearly sensing Kushina's gaze falling on him every three or four minutes.
This made him feel a sense of dread, like, 'Oh no, she's coming for me.'
If he could, he really wanted to shout at Kushina "Stay away from me!"
If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have helped Kushina solve her problem.
Being targeted by Hiruzen was one thing, as he could still act like a normal person, but if Danzo took an interest in him, wouldn't he be doomed?
He still needed time to grow.
With the nourishment of Indra Chakra, Kazuki was confident he could grow into a top-tier expert.
Through the combat arena, he could also fight against various powerhouses, and he would not lack combat experience in the future.
Last night, he used up his remaining three challenge opportunities, only to find helplessly that he couldn't defeat anyone at the moment.
A Jonin was not someone he, at his current age, could contend with.
Even Kotetsu, an experienced Chunin, managed to defeat Kazuki after a prolonged fight, mainly due to his superior experience.
And after failing the challenges, the combat arena also lost the challenge opportunities for those individuals.
Kazuki knew how treacherous Danzo was, and there was a high probability that he was also his father's killer.
He just wanted to pass his student days peacefully, why was it so difficult?
The morning classes finally ended.
Just as Kazuki was about to look for Mikoto, Kushina quietly approached him. He could clearly sense a hint of nervousness from her.
"Is there something you need, Kushina-san?" Kazuki sighed inwardly and asked.
"Thank you for speaking up for me earlier." Kushina mustered her courage and looked at Kazuki earnestly.
Kazuki looked towards Minato not far away and saw him observing them with a joyful expression.
Look, keep looking, and you won't have a wife, alright?
"We're all classmates, and besides, I merely spoke the truth." Kazuki waved his hand indifferently.
"Is that so?" Kushina nodded thoughtfully. Kazuki was as gentle as his father.
Just as Kushina was about to say something, a familiar figure walked into the classroom carrying a bento.
Mikoto was clearly surprised to see Kushina not far from Kazuki. She walked up to Kazuki and smiled sweetly. "Kazuki, it's time to eat."
"Mmmm" Kazuki nodded slightly, then looked at Kushina beside him. "Kushina-san, if there's nothing else, we should have lunch."
"Lunchtime is only an hour. If we don't hurry and eat, we'll have to wait until after school in the afternoon."
The Ninja Academy's lunch break wasn't long, but classes ended early in the afternoon, before three o'clock.
Of course, some diligent students would train in the school's training grounds.
This was somewhat like 'happy learning'. Whether one could truly become an excellent Ninja depended entirely on self-discipline.
"Lunch?"
Kushina's face stiffened. She seemed to have forgotten to bring her lunch.
What should she do? Go home to eat?
But with the travel time there and back, plus eating lunch, one hour simply wasn't enough.
"Did you forget your lunch, classmate? If you don't mind, I can share my bento with you." Mikoto noticed Kushina's predicament and gently invited her.
"Eh? Is that okay? Won't you go hungry?" Kushina's gaze lingered on the two bento boxes for a moment, they seemed to contain many delicious foods.
Even she couldn't help but swallow.
Before Uzushiogakure's destruction, Kushina was a princess, but what a princess ate wasn't necessarily gourmet food. Ultimately, Uzushiogakure was just a small island nation.
Eating fish was no problem, but when it came to mountain delicacies, Kushina hadn't eaten much.
Mikoto noticed Kushina's small actions and found it amusing in her heart. This classmate seemed very genuine and cute.
"It's fine, I always make extra every day. It's enough for both of us."
"Okay, then I won't be polite." Kushina's face showed a moment of hesitation before she looked at Mikoto with gratitude.
Indeed, Konoha still had many good people.
This girl should also be from the Uchiha clan.
Kagami, Kazuki, and Mikoto—what a warm family this was!
When she was in Uzushiogakure, Kushina had heard of the Uchiha clan's reputation. Some even called the Uchiha clan an inherently evil clan, supposedly a private complaint made by the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama that was overheard and spread.
But hearing is one thing, seeing is another. Mito had no ill feelings towards the Uchiha clan, and now she had met three good Uchihas.
Perhaps, it wasn't the Uchiha who were evil, but the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama.
Indeed, people's prejudices are like a great mountain.
"Delicious, truly delicious!"
"Mikoto, did you make this? I've decided, you're my best friend for life."
Facing such a ravenously eating Kushina, Kazuki and Mikoto couldn't help but exchange glances. Kushina seemed as if she had never been full before.
This was a bit too exaggerated.
Even Kazuki shared some of his lunch with Kushina, which made her impression of Kazuki and Mikoto even better.
They were all good people. She was determined to be lifelong friends with Kazuki and Mikoto.
For Kushina, who was new to Konoha, a bit of care and some help were invaluable.
Just like in the original story, the relationship between Minato and Kushina was not without this aspect.
Thinking of this, Kazuki sighed faintly. He couldn't deliberately distance himself from Kushina. That would be too obvious and would instead attract attention.
Moreover, giving such a girl the cold shoulder was not something he could do, it didn't align with the "Will of Fire" at all.
Forget it, he'd take it one step at a time.
Unbeknownst to them, all of this was under Hiruzen's control. At this stage, they hadn't yet decided to make Kushina the Jinchuriki. She was still just a candidate.