her hair is beautiful

"Kekkei Genkai... You... Can you show me again? I didn't get a good look just now..."

Kushina swallowed hard, her curiosity overpowering her earlier fear. She had been scared out of her wits when she first saw Liuyun's eyes, barely registering the details. Now that she had calmed down, her innate nosiness kicked in.

'You already saw all three tomoe, and you still didn't get a good look?'

Liuyun was speechless.

"You..." He was about to respond when he noticed a group of students entering the classroom.

"Too many people around. It's inconvenient. I'll show you when I get the chance..." He whispered vaguely, trying to brush her off.

"Fine… After school, then!"

"..."

Before Liuyun could react, an annoying voice interrupted them.

"Hey, hey! Rotten Tomato! Little Bastard! What are you two whispering about over there?"

A boy swaggered into the classroom, looking for trouble.

"Rotten Tomato" was the nickname the boys gave Kushina because of her striking red hair. "Little Bastard" was what they called Uchiha Liuyun—not just as an insult, but as something that had become a cruel tradition.

Most Uchiha had deep black hair, but Liuyun's long locks were streaked with purple. This was because his mother wasn't from the Uchiha clan; she was just an "ordinary" villager with purple hair. The Uchiha elders disapproved of such mixed blood, and though they wouldn't outright reject him, they subtly spread the idea that he was "impure."

It started with the adults calling him Little Bastard behind his back, and soon, their children picked up the insult and used it freely. Over time, it evolved into Little Mixed Hair—a way to mock the fact that his Uchiha blood wasn't "pure."

"I told you to stop picking fights. Otherwise, you'll get beat up and run crying to the teacher again," Kushina snapped, glaring at the boy.

The boy's face turned red with anger.

"You've got some nerve, Rotten Tomato! You're the one who always runs to the teacher!"

"Yeah! You beat us up all the time, then complain like we bullied you!" another student chimed in.

Kushina had a reputation. If the boys pulled her hair or mocked her accent, she'd pummel them—then, when the teachers came, she'd act like the victim. The teachers, especially the soft-hearted ones, tended to take her side. Over time, this turned into an endless cycle of fighting and tattling.

"We wouldn't have to mess with you if you didn't have that stupid red hair!"

"Haha! Yeah, it's way too bright—it hurts to look at!"

A group of boys burst into laughter. They didn't care about reasoning with Kushina. They just enjoyed getting under her skin.

"Oh, and what about you, Little Bastard? Your hair's just as weird! No wonder you two sit together—perfect match!"

"Hahahaha!"

They were just trying to provoke them. Kids their age loved teasing classmates about "matches," especially ones they thought were outcasts.

Kushina's face turned red—not with embarrassment, but with fury.

"You idiots! Get lost! You're like flies buzzing in my ear all day—so annoying!"

Her hands clenched into fists. A little more provocation, and she'd start swinging.

Liuyun sighed.

'I was just sitting here, minding my own business... and trouble still found me.'

"What's with that sigh, Little Mixed Hair? Got a problem?"

"Yeah, like you could talk! Who'd want to match with a Rotten Tomato? Hahaha!"

The boy named Sato hadn't even finished his sentence when Liuyun suddenly leaned forward, tilting his head as he observed Kushina's hair up close.

"...The color's actually nice. It's beautiful."

Liuyun spoke casually, as if stating a simple fact.

For a moment, silence filled the room.

Even Kushina froze, blinking in disbelief.

"W-Wait… What did you just say?"

Sato's eyes widened. "Did you just say her hair is beautiful?!"

He grabbed a lock of Kushina's hair and waved it in the air, as if to prove a point. Normally, she would've punched him by now, but she was too busy staring at Liuyun, her mind blank.

"You heard me. It's beautiful," Liuyun repeated. "Don't you think so?"

He even pointed at Kushina's round face. The combination of her bright hair and her slightly chubby cheeks made her stand out.

Sure, she was loud and aggressive, but her looks? They weren't bad at all.

"Hahaha!"

The boys erupted into laughter.

Meanwhile, Kushina's face turned so red, she looked like an overripe tomato. She buried her face in her arms, too embarrassed to look at anyone.

'Did he… really just say that? Did he just call me cute?!'

She had always been a tomboy—loud, brash, and constantly getting into fights. No one had ever called her cute before. Not even once.

The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, would someday admire her from afar, but even he wouldn't dare compliment her so boldly.

This was the first time a boy her age had ever praised her. And it wasn't some shy, half-hearted remark—it was confident, direct, and completely serious.

Her heart started pounding.

'No way… No way, no way, no way! Why does my chest feel so warm all of a sudden?!'

"Hahaha!"

The other students continued laughing, but one of them—clearly too cocky for his own good—reached out and grabbed Liuyun's hair.

"See, even you have weird hair! You really are—"

SMACK!

A loud slap echoed through the room.

Liuyun's palm struck the boy's face so hard that his mouth twisted to the side. He collapsed to the floor in stunned silence.

For a moment, nobody moved.

Liuyun calmly clapped his hands together.

"I hate when people touch my hair," he said coldly.

The boy on the floor suddenly burst into tears.

Kushina, still recovering from her flustered state, immediately jumped to her feet.

"Yeah! I hate it too! Why do you guys always mess with my hair? Are you just stupid?!"

Seeing her react so fiercely, Liuyun felt a strange sense of camaraderie.

Kushina, on the other hand, suddenly saw him in a new light.

Before, she had thought he was just another quiet, soft-spoken kid—maybe even a little similar to Minato. But now, seeing him stand up for himself with such confidence…

'Huh? Why does he suddenly look… cooler?'

Meanwhile, the rest of the troublemakers started backing away.

They barely stood a chance against just Kushina. Now they had to deal with two fighters?

Not worth it.

Picking up their crying friend, they fled the classroom.

"Cowards! Hahaha!" Kushina put her hands on her hips, laughing triumphantly.

But when she turned back, she found Liuyun watching her with an unreadable expression.

"..."

Her laughter stopped.

The blush that had almost faded came rushing back.

'Ahhhh! Why does he keep looking at me like that?!'

She quickly turned away, clutching her burning cheeks.

For the first time in her life, she didn't know whether she wanted to fight someone… or hide.