In the Ninja Academy classroom.
Kushina Uzumaki had arrived in the classroom early that morning, placing her things in her desk drawer, a strange smile playing on her face.
After sitting down, Kushina watched the classroom entrance, observing students enter one by one, her beautiful eyes sparkling with that peculiar smile.
Rakawa entered the classroom with his two signature followers. Seeing Kushina by the door, he immediately withdrew his gaze, sat up straight, assuming a posture of rigid attention.
Reaching his seat, Rakawa sat down, his eyes drifting toward the person in front of him, a faint 'smile' lingering in the corner of his eye.
Kushina was observing Rakawa out of the corner of her eye. When she noticed the 'smile' in his eyes, her small face immediately fell.
'That idiot, that scoundrel is looking at Mikoto with such a lewd smile. He really isn't any good.'
Realizing the truth, Kushina instantly flared up. She puffed out her cheeks and let out a heavy snort.
However, Rakawa did not notice her displeasure and continued looking forward.
'Bastard, I really want to kill you, ah!!!'
Kushina was frantic inside. She had shown her displeasure so clearly, yet why was this guy still ignoring her? What did he mean by staring at Mikoto the whole time?
In her fury, Kushina nearly swung her small fist at him, but after careful consideration, she simply slumped onto her desk, staring straight ahead.
The student sitting in front of her shivered. A cold sensation spread throughout his body, making him instinctively glance behind him.
He saw Kushina's darkened expression and boundless resentment, causing his heart to tremble. He nearly burst into tears.
Terrifying. This Little Chili Pepper was terrifying, practically like a wild beast.
The restless student felt helpless and almost got up to move to another seat.
But was Rakawa truly staring at Mikoto?
Of course not. His gaze passed over Mikoto's body and locked directly onto Fugaku Uchiha.
As the Uchiha Clan's young leader, he looked no different than usual, appearing composed and at ease, occasionally chatting and laughing with the female students beside him.
The girls talking to him were beaming, practically clinging to him. Although Fugaku Uchiha could not compare to Rakawa in terms of strength and looks, his status as the Young clan head of the Uchiha Clan was enough to attract countless girls.
In this world where girls matured quickly, ten-year-olds already considered romance paramount, neglecting their studies long ago.
Fugaku was happy to indulge them. Through these girls, he regained his former confidence and the feeling of being the center of attention.
As someone who had always been the school's star and the focus of everyone's attention, he could not tolerate Rakawa's arrival.
Rakawa's presence completely overshadowed him, making it difficult for him to return to his glorious past. Therefore, his heart was filled with resentment, wishing this member of the Hyuga Clan would just die.
Yet, continuous assassination attempts by the clan's ninja had failed, resulting in the loss of several shinobi, which left him intensely frustrated.
Rakawa was observing him, and seeing the other party laughing and talking with the girls, his mockery was self-evident.
The start of all this trouble lay with this man. If not for his provocation, the Uchiha Clan would not have repeatedly caused problems, and he would not have had to visit the Hokage's Office twice.
However, there were pros and cons. The two assassination attempts had significantly increased his strength, and he had also acquired numerous ninjutsu from the Scroll of Seals.
Still, the feud with the Uchiha Clan was clearly far from over, and more assassination attempts were surely coming.
'Fugaku Uchiha, I'll let you laugh for a while longer. After this period passes, the Uchiha Clan better prepare for a funeral.'
With murderous intent surging in his heart, Rakawa then slumped onto his desk, continuing to refine his Chakra. He continuously recalled the ninjutsu from last night, continuing his mental review.
Kushina noticed his change, glanced sideways at him, and then angrily turned her head away.
'Idiot, definitely an idiot.'
The teacher entered the classroom and instinctively looked toward Rakawa's direction, shaking his head helplessly. He ignored Kushina, who was already slumped over her desk beside Rakawa, and began the lesson.
...
When the bell rang for the end of class, Rakawa lazily straightened up and stretched.
Kushina also raised her head, looked at him, and her expression seemed hesitant. After much deliberation, she reached into her desk drawer and fumbled around.
Just as Rakawa was about to get up and leave, Kushina suddenly said, "Hyuga Rakawa, this is for you."
Kushina pulled the item out of her drawer. It was a Bento box.
Rakawa froze. What was wrong with this Little Chili Pepper? Why was she acting so strange? Was she planning some kind of trick again?
The events that had transpired previously made him suspicious. This Little Chili Pepper was not a gentle person.
Once bitten by a snake, one fears the rope for ten years.
Seemingly understanding his suspicion, the Little Chili Pepper snorted and said, "Don't overthink it! This wasn't specifically prepared for you; I just made an extra portion."
She pushed the Bento box onto Rakawa's desk, then turned her head away.
Rakawa found this slightly amusing. This tsundere Little Chili Pepper was quite cute sometimes.
He gently opened the Bento box. However, the moment he opened it, his expression instantly became strange.
"What... what is this?"
The contents of the Bento box could, tentatively, be called food. What was that sticky, mushy mess? And was it supposed to have soup? Although, the aroma seemed quite good.
Kushina suspected nothing and replied immediately, "It's ramen Bento, of course! This is seafood ramen that I got from Ichiraku Ramen."
"Hmm, so it's ramen. But where is the seafood? Where is the ramen? Did it boil away? What is this sticky mess? Are you sure it's edible?"
It was hard to imagine that this sticky lump was ramen. And where was the seafood? Had someone secretly eaten it?
Kushina's face froze, and countless veins popped up on her forehead. She glanced at the Bento box, then immediately roared, "You idiot! You bastard! I won't give it to you anymore! You are a complete fool!"
With that, she snatched the Bento box and ran off, her face full of grievance.
Rakawa was dumbfounded. What was that all about?