Shiranui Riku walked through the streets of Konoha on his way to the Ninja Academy.
He had no other choice. The place he lived was too far off the beaten path, so if he wanted to get to school, he had to pass through the heart of the village.
He wasn't a masochist. Hearing people curse or gossip about him as he walked by always made him uncomfortable.
When he arrived at his classroom, Riku walked straight to his usual seat in the far corner and sat down quietly.
No one sat in front of him or to his right. No one wanted to be near him, let alone share a desk.
Riku had been attending the Ninja Academy for three years now. He was always diligent, never slacking in class.
After all, if he wanted to change his situation—his isolation—there was only one way: he had to become stronger.
When he first enrolled, the moment he was taught how to refine chakra, he tried it.
To his surprise, he discovered he had a natural talent for it.
Most students took a day or two to refine chakra for the first time. Riku had succeeded within half a day.
But even so, there was someone who surpassed him in talent—Minato Namikaze, a civilian-born ninja.
Over these three years, Minato had defeated the top students from the prestigious clans—the Uchiha, Hyuga, Nara—and earned the title of number one in the school.
With his bright personality and good looks, Minato was incredibly popular among the students.
Riku, too, was handsome—but unlike Minato, he was met only with cold stares and rejection.
He laid his head down on the desk, waiting for class to begin.
At the moment, there was little he could do besides attend school and wait—for Uzumaki Kushina to arrive.
Having seen firsthand the hypocrisy of Konoha, Riku had begun combing through his memories. The details surrounding Kushina's arrival seemed… strange.
Back when both Minato and Kushina were still Genin, she had been kidnapped by three elite ninja from the Hidden Cloud—at least Special Jonin level.
They had nearly made it to the border when Minato, following the trail she'd secretly left behind, tracked them down and single-handedly defeated all three.
At least, that was the story everyone believed.
But the more Riku thought about it, the less sense it made.
Could a mere Genin like Minato really take on three elite Cloud ninja on his own?
And how had Konoha, with all its sensor-nin, failed to detect them until Minato did? Were the sensory squads just for show?
Riku began spinning worst-case theories in his mind, and suddenly, something clicked. He abruptly lifted his head and stared at Minato.
The Nine-Tails' vessel!
At this point in time, Kushina wasn't yet the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails.
The current one, Uzumaki Mito, was near the end of her life.
For strategic reasons—maintaining the balance of power between the Tailed Beasts—Konoha had chosen Kushina as the next host and secretly brought her into the village.
So, Kushina didn't come to Konoha by chance.
She was chosen. Groomed. A vessel.
She had no say in the matter.
According to her own recollections, the sense of loneliness and the crushing pressure she endured after arriving nearly broke her.
Even though she hated it, she had no choice but to accept that grim reality.
The first reason she gave was obvious—she couldn't change the outcome.
But the second? It was likely tied to her growing bond with Minato.
She loved him.
And to stay with him, she had to accept Konoha's cruel arrangement.
Riku suspected that Konoha's top brass had been orchestrating everything from the start—ever since the day Minato "rescued" her from the Cloud ninjas.
It was all too convenient.
They allowed a bond to form between a lonely orphan and a bright, rising star of the village—then used that bond like a leash, a means to ensure Kushina would willingly accept her role as Jinchuriki.
And it worked.
Konoha got exactly what it wanted.
If Riku's theory was right, then Kushina had been used as a tool from the very beginning.
Sensing his gaze, Minato glanced over at Riku.
Riku quickly turned his eyes away.
Minato, seeing that Riku wasn't looking at him after all, assumed he was mistaken and went back to chatting with the others.
Riku's heart pounded.
If what he suspected was true, then Konoha was even darker than he had imagined.
Even Minato—destined to become the Fourth Hokage—might just be another pawn.
Riku took a deep breath and steadied himself.
Whether these suspicions were true or not didn't matter.
Sooner or later, he would leave this place.
For now, what mattered most was power.
The Third Great Ninja War was coming—a perfect opportunity to gain witness points.
But without enough strength, he wouldn't even survive long enough to seize them.
Suddenly, the classroom door swung open.
Their teacher, Masada Hayabusa, entered.
Behind him stood a small figure—and when Riku saw who it was, his eyes lit up.
After three long years of waiting…
Uzumaki Kushina had finally arrived.
She stood beside Masada-sensei, visibly nervous.
He introduced her to the class, "This is the student transferring to our school starting today…"
Kushina took a deep breath, shut her eyes tightly, then blurted out:
"I'm Uzumaki Kushina—dattebane!"
She immediately covered her mouth in embarrassment. That catchphrase had slipped out.
Riku watched her, amused. He thought she was pretty cute.
But the rest of the class burst out laughing.
"Look at that hair! What the hell is that?"
"Red? Seriously?"
"How is she supposed to be popular looking like that?"
Kushina scratched her head, clearly self-conscious.
Masada Hayabusa barked, "Enough! Quiet down!"
But the damage was done. Kushina trembled, her small fists clenched tightly at her sides.
Then, as if making a solemn vow, she shouted:
"I… I will become the first female Hokage of this village!"
The class fell silent, stunned by her outburst.
Then Minato Namikaze stood up, flashing his signature warm smile.
"I want to become a Hokage recognized by all the villagers too," he said.
Kushina glanced at him and frowned. She found him a bit too soft—he didn't look like someone who could become Hokage at all.
Masada Hayabusa moved to assign Kushina a seat.
But most of the classroom was already full—except for the seats around Riku, which remained conspicuously empty.
When the teacher saw Riku, he frowned, eyes filled with barely concealed disgust.
"There's no other space. Go sit over there for now," he said, gesturing toward Riku's corner.
Kushina followed his gaze. She noticed no one was sitting near Riku, and it was clear he had been ostracized.
She also noticed several students smirking at her, clearly enjoying her discomfort.
Her expression darkened.
Without saying a word, she marched toward Riku's desk and sat down beside him, clearly defiant.