When Rakawa returned to school, Kushina was still in the classroom and had not left.
She had come to the Hidden Leaf Village as a candidate for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, so logically, many ANBU members should have been secretly protecting her.
Now, it was late, and she still had not returned, yet no ANBU had come looking for her. This left Rakawa somewhat puzzled.
'Could the ANBU really be so at ease, leaving a young girl here alone?'
He gently pushed open the classroom door. His Byakugan allowed him to see Kushina, who was slumped over a desk in the darkness. After a moment of thought, he casually switched on the classroom lights.
Snap!
The classroom lights flickered on. Kushina, who was resting on the desk, sensed the sudden light and was startled, immediately lifting her head.
Having adapted to the darkness, her eyes felt uncomfortable when suddenly exposed to light. She wanted to raise her hands to shield them, but her hands were firmly stuck together by the glue. She could only half-close her eyes, squinting through a narrow slit to observe.
Through the blur, a figure, seemingly both small and tall, approached, filling her with a mix of panic and anticipation.
The figure stopped right in front of her, seemingly observing her.
Kushina dared not move or speak carelessly. After a short while, her vision returned to normal.
Upon clearly seeing who it was, Kushina gasped, then her face darkened. She glared fiercely at Rakawa and angrily said, "What are you doing here? I don't want to see you. Go away, you bad guy!"
Rakawa, however, acted as if he hadn't heard her. He looked around, seemingly searching for something, then shook his head and muttered to himself, "That's strange. When I was refining Chakra earlier, a little girl clearly said that if someone brought her a large bowl of seafood ramen, she would marry the man who brought it. If it was a woman, she wouldn't mind a yuri relationship and would just adopt a child later. Now, where did that person go?"
Kushina froze, her nose twitching. She suddenly caught a familiar, fragrant scent of ramen. She couldn't help but swallow, and her stomach's protests grew even stronger.
Looking at the large bowl of seafood ramen in Rakawa's hands, and then recalling what he had just said, her small face flushed, and her mind became a little muddled.
'Did what I said earlier really reach his ears? That's impossible, right? How could something so absurd happen? But, if it's true...'
At this moment, Rakawa seemed to just notice Kushina, asking in surprise, "Oh, it's you? Why are you still here? Could it be that you were the one who said those words?"
Kushina's small face turned red, and she turned her head, huffing, "Those idiotic words weren't spoken by me! Keep fantasizing all you want."
Rakawa chuckled inwardly. 'Weren't those idiotic words precisely what this Little Chili Pepper said?'
"Right, those gentle words don't sound like something you'd say anyway," Rakawa said with a smile.
Kushina immediately became furious. 'What did he mean by that? Was he implying that she wasn't gentle? Hmph, what's the point of a woman being so gentle? Living true to oneself is the real truth.'
"Idiot, scoundrel, you..."
Just then, Rakawa handed her the ramen and calmly said, "It's a pity I couldn't find that gentle girl. Kushina, why don't you eat this? It's specially made Ichiraku Ramen, and it tastes excellent."
Kushina snorted heavily, still not turning her head. "I'm not eating your ramen. I'm not hungry."
Grumble~
Despite her words, her stomach's reaction was very real, betraying her current state.
"I see. That's truly a shame. Ramen tastes best when eaten hot to appreciate its authentic flavor. It won't be good once it's cold. Since that's the case, I'll just throw it away then," Rakawa said with a hint of regret, making a gesture as if to toss the ramen out the window.
"Ah, you, what are you doing?" Kushina couldn't help but ask.
Rakawa smiled faintly. "Of course, I'm throwing it away. Since you're not hungry, and I've already eaten dinner, I can only discard it."
Kushina was bewildered. She bit her lower lip, staring at the ramen in Rakawa's hands. It was getting late, and the shops outside were gradually closing. It would probably be difficult to find a place to eat. If this bowl of ramen was really thrown away now, she would have to go to bed hungry tonight.
Grumble grumble~
Her stomach protested again, this time much louder. It was impossible for Rakawa to pretend he hadn't heard it. Kushina's face turned crimson, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into.
Rakawa was already laughing inside. He placed the ramen on the desk and said, "Don't be stubborn. Eat. You must be hungry after all this time."
Kushina was conflicted. She eyed the ramen, her mind in a state of internal struggle.
'If I eat it, won't I have to fulfill my promise? If I don't eat, I'll probably starve to death.'
"You, you..."
"Stop with the 'you, you.' If you're hungry, eat. It's that simple."
Rakawa's calm words dispelled Kushina's dilemma, but they also made her furious. "How am I supposed to eat like this, you idiot? Idiots will always be idiots."
"Oh? Is that so?"
As Rakawa spoke, he picked up the chopsticks, picked up some ramen, and brought it to her mouth.
Kushina stared at him for a while, then huffed and opened her small mouth, eating the ramen.
Once she started eating, there was no stopping her. Her stomach's protests made her eat faster, and in no time, she finished the entire bowl of ramen.
"Ugh, that was so good, so good. I'm alive again."
Kushina said contentedly. Suddenly, she remembered that this annoying guy was still here, and her gaze turned fierce again.
"Hmph, I won't let you off easy! Hyuga Rakawa, what happened today isn't over. You bullied me, and I'll make you regret it."
"They say that those who eat your food are soft-mouthed, but why is your mouth so hard? Still, being able to grow a beard from eating a bowl of ramen is a pretty good skill."
As he spoke, he gently picked up two small strands of seaweed from her face with his chopsticks and dangled them in front of her.
Kushina was embarrassed and annoyed. She turned her head away, refusing to speak further.
Rakawa knew when to quit. He had only come to check on her tonight because he was worried about her being alone in the classroom. Now, it was time for her to go home.
"I'll release you now. Don't stay out too late."
With that, his Byakugan activated, and Chakra threads extended from his fingertips, cutting through the solidified glue that was stuck to the desk and chair.
Kushina now understood. This guy hadn't released her earlier, but had been enjoying her predicament instead. 'That hateful guy! Fine, then I won't be shy either.'
"Hyuga Rakawa, I'm not done with you!"
Kushina leaped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, then stomped out the door in a huff.
Bang!
"Heh, truly a brainless Little Chili Pepper. That must have been quite a bump, wasn't it?"
+++++++++++++
This is a fan translation. My original fanfic is: Marvel: Rise of the Shinobi God. My fanfic follows a slower pace at the beginning and will focus heavily on developing the abilities and forces of the mc, interactions, and other characters etc. I want to write something more believable and realistic despite it being fanfiction. I consider my writing weak and still in development, so please be patient with me if you want to give it a chance. Thank you.