The morning classes had ended, and it was still break time.
After class, several boys from the class surrounded Kushina Uzumaki.
"Tomato! From today, you're Tomato! With that round, chubby face and red hair, you're basically a tomato, right?"
"How could a tomato become Hokage?"
"I really hate tomatoes!"
"Me too! If there's a tomato in my salad, I'll leave it behind!"
"An unpopular tomato, how could it possibly gain the villagers' approval?"
"Hahaha..."
Kushina Uzumaki puffed out her cheeks and looked upset, but she couldn't retort.
After all, with what they were saying, she did look like a tomato.
"An unpopular tomato and an unpopular traitor. No wonder you two sit together."
"Tomato traitor, a perfect match."
...
Arima sneered in disdain. He too had a nickname at school—'traitor' was his.
And the reason behind that nickname was that the parents of these kids had started calling him that.
Seeing these kids continue to be outrageous and drag him into mocking Kushina, Arima could no longer pretend to ignore it.
The main reason was that he had glanced at Minato Namikaze, who, though looking at Kushina, didn't seem to have any intention of stepping in.
As Arima stood up to walk over, one of the boys grabbed Kushina's hair.
"It's almost ripe! Tomato harvest time—let's go pick the fruit!"
Kushina grabbed the boy's hand and was about to explode when Arima had already walked up behind the boy holding her hair.
"Hey, can you move?"
The group of boys surrounding Kushina immediately turned their attention to Arima. "What right do you, the traitor, have to tell us what to do? Get lost!"
Arima said indifferently, "Making a scene here... You must be really embarrassed, right?"
Arima, who had been blocked by a few students earlier when he first entered school, was now known for his physical strength. His bloodline from the Senju clan made him stronger than most kids, and he was able to fight off several at once.
Afterwards, though his strength wasn't on Minato's level, Arima had gained some respect at school, and no one dared to challenge him.
Hearing Arima's words, the boys froze.
Arima walked forward, shoulder-checking the boy still holding Kushina's hair, and exited the classroom.
As Arima left the classroom, he suddenly froze, realizing something.
Kushina... actually didn't need him to step in.
Kushina was a stubborn person, and with her Uzumaki clan's unique physique, she didn't need anyone's help.
The next second, Arima heard a commotion from inside the classroom.
"Who's calling me tomato?! I hate tomatoes too, just so you know!"
Kushina had grabbed the boy who'd pulled her hair and swung him around, sending the other boys flying.
Then, Kushina mounted one of the boys, her small fists pounding on his head. "Dare to look down on me? Call me a tomato, and you won't be able to walk away from this!"
At that moment, Kushina saw Minato Namikaze smiling brightly. Irritated, she said, "What's so funny?!"
Minato quickly turned his head, only daring to glance at Kushina with the corner of his eye.
Afternoon classes were about to begin.
After buying a rice ball from a convenience store, Arima returned to his seat in the classroom and sat down.
Kushina, still pouting, looked very upset.
Arima glanced over at the boys who had surrounded Kushina earlier, their heads all bandaged.
Was she angry because he didn't hit them hard enough?
Arima said nothing and listened the lecture.
During the class, Kushina seemed to glance at Arima more often.
The entire afternoon felt uncomfortable for Arima.
Finally, the afternoon classes ended, and school was over. Arima couldn't wait to leave the classroom.
His mind was occupied with Thunder Breathing techniques.
However, Arima didn't notice that Kushina's hand was halfway up in the air, and her expression was a bit awkward.
Kushina had wanted to talk to Arima because both of them were isolated in class.
As a child, especially in a new place, Kushina longed for friends.
Earlier, when Arima had helped her, she felt she wanted to be friends with him.
Watching Arima leave, Kushina clenched her little fists, her eyes filled with determination, and ran after him.
But Arima, eager to get home, almost ran towards his house.
Kushina, struggling to keep up with her little legs, shouted, "Hey! Wait!"
Arima, hearing that familiar voice, turned in surprise. When he saw Kushina, he was more than a little shocked.
Kushina, panting and out of breath, stood before Arima, her hands on her thighs.
Arima approached her and asked, "Do you need something?"
Kushina, taking a deep breath, extended her little hand and said loudly, "I'm Kushina Uzumaki!"
Arima looked at her with a strange expression.
Kushina grew nervous under his gaze.
"I'm Arima."
Arima shook her hand lightly before quickly letting go.
Kushina asked curiously, "Arima? Is that your surname or your first name?"
"It's my first name. I don't have a surname."
"Huh? No surname?"
Kushina's little head was confused. Who doesn't have a surname?
Arima asked again, "Do you need something?"
Kushina gathered her courage and said, "I want to be friends with you!"
Arima thought to himself, as expected.
"Kushina, you must have seen what's been happening to me in class."
Kushina innocently replied, "Yeah, I know. You're isolated like me."
Arima smiled and said, "Your situation is different from mine. I'm isolated by the whole village. If you want to be my friend, you might be isolated too. Today, you're just dealing with some bad students. You'll find friends later. Try asking the teacher to change your seat because it'll be hard for you to make friends sitting with me. It's getting late, so you should go home. See you."
After turning down Kushina's offer, Arima waved and left.
Kushina watched Arima's retreating figure, her head drooping in disappointment.
She had finally gathered the courage to ask him to be friends, only to be rejected, and it hurt.