Naruto : Minato back to the past

Most of the courses for freshmen were theory-based. After all, the growth of the human body is a process, and this lays the foundation for chakra. For this group of developing children, the amount of chakra they could extract was pitifully small.

In fact, in Minato's class, there were still five or six students who couldn't condense chakra at all.

"This is the end of the morning class. Everyone, remember to have a good lunch!" Shirota-sensei announced.

The originally peaceful classroom suddenly became lively and noisy. Shirota-sensei shook his head with a smile and glanced at Minato.

Throughout the morning, he had been observing Minato. Normally well-behaved and serious, Minato had not listened to the lecture at all. Instead, he had kept watching the newly arrived Uzumaki Kushina.

"Ah, what does this mean? I can't understand it at all," Kushina said irritably, holding her long red hair and staring at the paper on her desk. The ninja manual in front of her seemed to mock her with its complexity.

Despite her determination to make this place the first step toward her dream, the morning class had been a struggle. She realized she was not good at the theoretical aspects of ninja training.

In the morning class, Shirota-sensei had covered basic information about chakra, including its source, nature, and some methods for condensing it. Although Kushina tried to pay attention, she found it extremely challenging.

Beside her, Mikoto watched with a faint smile. For Mikoto, these courses were simple. Born into the Uchiha clan, she had studied these topics before entering the ninja school.

Seeing the students' varying reactions, Shirota-sensei smiled lightly, gathered his textbooks, and left the classroom.

During the lunch break, most students didn't go home. They had bento boxes prepared in the morning.

Kushina, however, was still staring at the ninja manual in front of her, unfazed by the noisy atmosphere in the class.

"Okay, don't think about it now. Do you want to have lunch together?" A gentle voice awakened Kushina from her state. Mikoto was tilting her head, looking at her with a hint of expectation in her black eyes.

Mikoto's beauty and gentle temperament made it impossible for people to dislike her. Receiving the invitation, Kushina was taken aback, and a blush appeared on her baby-fat cheeks.

"puff."

Seeing her cute reaction, Mikoto couldn't help but laugh. She took out a bag, got up, and placed it on the table.

"These are my rice balls. Please taste them!"

Mikoto made a gesture of invitation. Kushina looked at her, then at the rice balls in the bag. Under Mikoto's expectant gaze, she slowly reached out her small hand.

At that moment, an unkind voice sounded.

"Hey, new kid, are you allowed to take Mikoto's food so casually?"

The two girls looked up to see a boy standing in front of the desk.

Kushina was stunned, but Mikoto frowned and said, "Akasaka Yu, what does this have to do with you? I invited her!"

This boy, Akasaka Yu, was one of the more mischievous kids in the class. As he spoke, two or three boys walked towards them, his friends.

"Speaking of which, this girl's hair color is really strange, like a red thread," one boy said, looking at Kushina's red hair.

Hearing this, Kushina's face showed her upset feelings, but she turned to leave, saying, "It's none of your business!"

Unexpectedly, two other boys blocked her way. Akasaka Yu ignored Mikoto and said, "You're new here, and you're very arrogant."

Four boys, all about Kushina's age, pushed her to the edge of the class. Mikoto began to show anxiety on her face. She glanced at Minato's seat, hoping for help.

At that moment, Minato was lost in a vision of a woman with long red hair. Her face became clearer, but she looked pained. In a dark room, she was curled up on a bed, her hair messy, tears in her beautiful eyes, biting her lip, whimpering.

Minato couldn't stop this scene from unfolding. His whole body trembled. He didn't want to see this woman hurt. He didn't know who she was, but he felt an overwhelming desire to protect her at any cost, even his life.

"Red thread-like hair and a round face, I'll call you Tomato from now on."

"Tomatoes, I hate them the most. If they're in my lunch box, I'll definitely leave them!"

Hearing these hurtful words, Minato's pain eased a little. He raised his eyes and saw Akasaka Yu and his friends surrounding Kushina, pointing and laughing.

Kushina stood there, ashamed and angry, her small fists clenched, her body trembling.

Seeing this, Akasaka Yu grabbed a lock of her long hair and said, "It's really a strange color."

Mikoto's black pupils trembled. Just as Kushina was about to act, an angry voice drowned out all the noise in the class.

"No one is allowed to bully her!"

In the eyes of the students, Minato's figure appeared like a ghost in front of Akasaka Yu. He ruthlessly kicked Akasaka Yu in the lower abdomen.

Boom!

Akasaka Yu flew out through the back door of the class and hit the corridor wall hard.

The noise in the entire class stopped abruptly, and horrified eyes focused on Minato.

Namikaze Minato, usually humble and gentle, was furious protecting the new student.

Both Mikoto and Kushina were stunned. Minato stood protectively in front of Kushina, a fierce expression in his blue eyes.