When Uzumaki Mito heard Kushina mention Arima, she fell into deep thought.
Kushina noticed Mito's odd expression and asked,
"Grandma Mito, is something wrong?"
Mito shook her head and smiled gently.
"Kushina, do you want to be friends with Arima?"
Kushina nodded her little head with determination.
"I do!"
Mito spoke seriously,
"Arima wasn't wrong. If you truly want to be his friend, there's a good chance many people will dislike you for it. But if that's what you want, then you have to be prepared for that. Don't give up, no matter what.
I think Arima is actually very lonely. In Konoha, he has no family, and everyone hates him. His life is incredibly hard.
I hope the two of you can become friends, so that two lonely people can find comfort in each other.
Kushina, are you ready for that?"
Kushina's spirit blazed to life, and she beamed with energy.
"I'm ready, Grandma Mito!"
Mito smiled, clearly pleased.
But Kushina still looked puzzled.
"Grandma Mito, why does everyone hate Arima? Did he do something wrong?
My first impression of him was really good. And he said he didn't have a surname—I've never met someone without a surname before."
Mito sighed.
"It's not that Arima did anything wrong. He's the child of two clans who hate each other. He's a victim of their feud… a pitiful child.
It's true he has no surname. One clan doesn't acknowledge him, and the other has long since abandoned their family name. That's why he only has a given name."
Kushina, still young, couldn't fully understand what Mito meant—it all sounded like a confusing fog.
Mito gently patted her back and smiled.
"Alright, you must be tired. Go get some rest—you have class again tomorrow."
Kushina jumped down from Mito's lap.
"Okay! Good night, Grandma Mito!"
Mito watched her leave with a warm, loving gaze.
Once Kushina had gone, the house fell into silence, leaving Mito alone.
She couldn't help but let out a soft, wistful sigh.
She, too, knew the sting of loneliness all too well.
The Next Day
Kushina headed to the Ninja Academy brimming with confidence.
She had made up her mind—today, she was going to befriend Arima.
And if he refused…
Well, her clever little brain quickly came up with a solution:
She'd beat him up until he agreed!
But when she arrived at the classroom, she was disappointed to find that Arima wasn't there.
And since she didn't know anyone else yet, she had no way of finding out where he'd gone.
Instead, the group of brats she'd beaten up the day before were looking to get revenge.
But when it came to fights, Kushina had never lost.
With her fiery red hair whipping through the air and her tiny fists flying, she flattened the little punks once again.
Three days passed.
Each day, Kushina got into a brawl with the troublemakers who dared challenge her.
But despite the wins, her mood stayed gloomy.
Because for three days straight, Arima hadn't come to school, and her plan to make a friend had to be put on hold.
Meanwhile, Arima was still lying in a bed at the ninja hospital.
Hokage's Office
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe and asked,
"How's Arima? Has he woken up yet?"
An ANBU appeared behind him, kneeling on one knee.
"Arima is still unconscious."
Hiruzen frowned.
"It's been four days and he still hasn't woken up? What does the hospital say?"
The ANBU replied,
"His chakra has been severely overdrawn, and his chakra pathways are all damaged to varying degrees. There's also muscle damage throughout his body—especially in his hands and legs. The medical-nin say it was caused by the Lightning Release techniques he used."
Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe, a flicker of light in his eyes.
"So it really was Arima who destroyed that part of the forest. That means he's mastered a powerful Lightning Release technique. Did the medics say when he might wake up?"
"The earliest would be tomorrow."
Hiruzen set his pipe down and ordered,
"Report to me the moment he wakes up."
"Yes, sir."
The ANBU vanished without a trace.
School ended, and Arima still hadn't shown up, leaving Kushina thoroughly disappointed.
She packed her things and prepared to return to Mito's estate.
Just as she was about to walk out of the classroom, she felt someone staring at her.
She whipped around, expecting it to be the same little punks looking for trouble again.
But it wasn't.
Instead, it was Minato Namikaze, sitting quietly at his desk, looking at her.
The moment she noticed him, Minato blushed and quickly looked away.
Kushina glared and raised a fist threateningly.
"If you're looking for a fight, I'll beat you up!"
After delivering the threat, she turned her head with a huff and stormed off without looking back.
Honestly, Kushina didn't think much of Minato.
She thought he was way too girly.
Back on her first day of class, she'd shouted,
"I'm going to become the first female Hokage!"
hoping to impress everyone.
But then Minato stood up and said he wanted to be Hokage, too—like he was saying:
"Don't even dream about it. You're not cut out for it. Even a girly guy like me has a better shot than you."
Since then, Kushina had been annoyed with him.
After she left, Minato pouted in frustration, not understanding why Kushina seemed to hate him so much.
Back at Uzumaki Mito's estate…
"I'm home, Grandma Mito."
Mito saw her downcast expression and chuckled.
"Let me guess—Arima didn't show up again today?"
It had been the same story for days now, and Mito had already caught on.
Kushina slumped into a chair, deflated.
"Yeah… I finally worked up the courage, but he's not even showing up. I'm starting to lose my nerve."
Mito shook her head gently.
"Kushina, you made a decision—you can't give up halfway."
"I know… I'm not giving up. But if Arima never shows up, how am I supposed to befriend him?"
Kushina scratched her head in frustration.
Mito smiled knowingly.
"I know where Arima is~"
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