"You didn't get hurt just now, did you?"Hinata Haruki walked over to Kushina, helping her up from the ground and brushing the dirt off her legs. Her face still carried streaks of tears as she stared at him in a daze.
"Hey, hey, are you okay?" Haruki waved a hand in front of her eyes.
"I'm fine…" Kushina came back to her senses, wiping her tears away, but her expression was full of disappointment and sadness.
Haruki quickly tried to comfort her. "Those people don't know what they're talking about—they're just spouting nonsense. Don't take it to heart. Actually, your hair—"
Kushina suddenly pushed his hand away and turned her head, refusing to look at him."Don't say any more! Just stay away from me. I'm nothing but an ugly tomato! No one will ever accept me! Even I hate this pure red hair! Even I think my round face makes me look exactly like a tomato! You probably think so too. If you feel like laughing at me, then go ahead! Don't pretend you're any different from the others! A tomato like me doesn't belong here!!"
Her fists clenched tightly as she spoke, tears dripping one after another onto the grass. At that moment, she truly regretted coming to the Hidden Leaf Village.
Uh… looks like she's really upset, Haruki thought to himself. I've got to cheer her up somehow. But Kushina's just as stubborn as Naruto—if I'm just some stranger to her, nothing I say will get through. Tch… what a pain. Minato, Naruto, you'd better give me a bigger plot of land later for all this trouble.
When Haruki didn't reply, Kushina assumed he agreed with her words. She had no intention of staying another moment and started to walk away. Haruki thought for a moment, then stepped forward to block her path.
"You're right," he said with a nod. "I don't accept you."
Kushina froze, then gave a look that said, I knew it. Her disappointment deepened, her head lowering as the tear-streaks on her face caught the fading light.
"But," Haruki continued, "I don't accept you—not because of your hair or your face."
Kushina looked up at him, her eyes filled with doubt.
"It's because," Haruki said, pointing at her, "you're too weak right now. You couldn't even handle a few little brats. At this level, you can't become Hokage."
Her lips pressed into a thin line as she glared at him for insulting her strength.
"Of course," Haruki went on, "if you don't believe me, we can make a bet. You attack me with everything you've got, and I'll only dodge. If you can land even a single hit on me within three minutes, I'll acknowledge your strength—and you as a person. But if you can't touch me in three minutes, then you'll have to believe what I say… and we'll be friends."
It was a sly bet. If he lost, Kushina would get the recognition she craved. If he won, she'd have to accept that he wasn't mocking her, stop putting herself down, and—bonus—become his friend. Kushina needed friends, after all. And Haruki? Well, he'd get to spar with one of his favorite characters from the future Hokage roster. Plus, since Kushina's real specialty was sealing jutsu, she could only use taijutsu right now—meaning his odds were pretty good.
"A bet? With you?" Kushina blinked, still processing it.
"I'm strong, you know. What's wrong? Too scared to take the bet because you're not confident? If you don't even have that much courage, I definitely can't acknowledge you!" Haruki said, lifting his chin just as she had done earlier, his tone dripping with arrogance.
"Of course I'm not scared! You're on, Hinata Haruki! Just don't get too full of yourself! If I win, you have to recognize my strength!" Kushina shot back, unable to resist the challenge.
"And if you lose, you'll believe what I've said… and we'll be friends," Haruki repeated, making sure the stakes were clear.
"Fine! I'm going to win this for sure!" The straightforward redhead pumped her fist for motivation and settled into a fighting stance.
"Heh… then let's begin."
Haruki's temple veins bulged as he activated his Byakugan without a single hand seal. Every detail within 360 degrees, up to 700 meters away, came into perfect focus. He first studied Kushina's chakra flow—it was exactly as he'd guessed: easily tens of times greater than the average genin's. No wonder Naruto could spam hundreds of Shadow Clones; that wasn't an exaggeration.
Then his attention shifted to her muscles and tendons—the contraction of biceps, the shift in quadriceps, the flow of blood—Byakugan's microscopic insight could predict her movements based on these minute signs. This was Haruki's unique Byakugan prediction technique.
Sure enough, her right bicep tensed while her left thigh shifted. Left step, right punch… aiming for my left side, Haruki thought.
Kushina lunged. Haruki tilted his head just enough to let the punch sail past, stepping aside so she rushed by harmlessly.
"Tsk, didn't get me," he said casually, back still turned to her.
"It's not over yet! Take this!" She spun with a high roundhouse kick.
Back-sweep kick? Haruki hopped forward just enough that her heel passed five centimeters behind him—still without turning around.
What, he's not even looking at me? Kushina thought, shocked, before throwing another punch.
Head strike? Haruki leaned aside, letting it graze past his ear by three centimeters.
Side kick to the head? He crouched, her leg passing just above his hair.
Even her elbow strike toward the back of his head—a move that would hit the Byakugan's blind spot—was dodged as Haruki's honed reflexes and instinct carried him smoothly in a graceful arc behind her.
"What?! He's behind me?!"
"Too bad—you missed again," Haruki said lightly.
Frustrated, Kushina leapt in with a heavy punch, which Haruki sidestepped with ease. Her breathing grew heavier as she launched into a flurry—straight punches, hooks, high kicks—but Haruki slipped through every gap.
She tried a downward axe kick, then a sweeping leg, but Haruki either sidestepped or hopped over them.
What is this? Can he see my moves ahead of time? I'm always just a little short of hitting him!
Haruki smirked inwardly. Her taijutsu's actually impressive. For a Hyuga to say that… she's put in a lot of work. No wonder she could beat those brats black and blue.
Kushina was about to charge again when Haruki raised a hand, deactivating his Byakugan. "Stop. Time's up—three minutes."
"I… lost?" Kushina lowered her fists, her head drooping. "I'm so weak I couldn't even hit a five-year-old… how could anyone acknowledge me like this…"
A hand appeared in front of her, palm open, waiting. She looked up into Haruki's sincere gaze.
"You lost, so you have to believe what I said. Honestly, your red hair is beautiful. I've never seen hair like it before. Don't hate yourself."
"You… really think so?" she asked uncertainly.
"Of course. It's striking—you stand out instantly in a crowd. How could it be like a tomato? I'm sure there are plenty of others besides me who think it's beautiful. So don't give up on yourself. If you can't even acknowledge yourself, how will you ever be happy?"
No one had ever called her hair beautiful before. She was stunned.
"Really?"
"Really," he said firmly, nodding.
"Happiness, huh…" She remembered Uzumaki Mito's words from long ago, and the cloud over her heart seemed to lift, replaced by a faint, warm smile.
Finally, she took his hand. "I lost. I believe you."
Haruki smiled. "Good. I acknowledge you because you acknowledge yourself. If others won't, then prove them wrong with your actions! I'm Hinata Haruki, five years old, just started at the Academy. Nice to meet you. From now on, we're friends."
"I'm Uzumaki Kushina, eleven years old. Nice to meet you too! My sealing jutsu is really strong—next time, I won't lose! I'll be the first female Hokage!"
Haruki chuckled. "Well, you've got a long way to go with your current strength. But if you work hard, I believe you could become Hokage someday. Just not the first—Lady Tsunade takes that title."
Kushina felt warm inside. No one's ever believed me before when I said I'd be Hokage. Haruki's the first… and the first to call my hair beautiful… and my first friend. I'm happy… thank you, Haruki.
They both grinned, eyes curving into crescent moons, and spent the rest of the afternoon chatting happily—Kushina on the swing, Haruki sitting under the tree.
"Hey, Haruki, what's your dream?"
"I have a few. I want to travel the world, meet interesting people, eat amazing food! Oh, and open a clinic in Konoha so good it puts the hospital out of business."
"Why take down the hospital?"
"To monopolize the medical field. That's how you make money."
"And what's the point of making so much money? Isn't enough just… enough?"
"Making money is part of my dream. With enough money, I could buy all the ramen I want—or the whole ramen shop!"
"Oh! Then you have to put the hospital out of business! I'm rooting for you!"
"…She's so simple…"
They chatted until school ended. Worried the bullies might try something, Haruki walked Kushina home before heading back.
"Oh, by the way, you're already eleven?"
"Yeah, my birthday's July tenth," Kushina replied.
"Got it. See you tomorrow!" Haruki waved.
"See you, Haruki!" she called back, her bad mood from earlier completely gone.
On his way home, Haruki thought, Guess I won't be seeing Minato anytime soon. He's eleven too, but he graduated from the Academy at ten, and Jiraiya should be his teacher now… huh? I feel like I'm forgetting something…
Back at the Academy, the students had mostly left when Ebisu-sensei noticed "Haruki" still sitting in the back row.
"Haruki?" he called, shaking the boy's shoulder. But the figure toppled over—it was a puppet.
"What the—? A puppet? Hinata Haruki, where did you go?! You skipped class?!"
The teacher's furious shout echoed through the sunset-stained schoolyard.