“You don’t even recognize the Uzumaki Clan?
What a laughable alliance.”
Mirai’s lips curled into a sneer.
In every other shinobi village, people practically had a conditioned reflex when they saw red hair—they immediately thought of the Uzumaki Clan.
Konoha, meanwhile, was ridiculous.
Forget the children; even many adults couldn’t recognize an Uzumaki on sight.
“The symbol on the back of Kishimoto-sensei’s flak jacket is our Uzumaki Clan crest!”
“You brats are stupid, useless, and somehow still full of yourselves.
You’re seriously annoying.”
They were a bunch of background characters and yet they kept jumping in his face.
Mirai had had enough of them.
In canon, these little brats could bully the Nine-Tails’ jinchuriki and even the Hyuga heiress.
But they weren’t bullying Lord Mirai Uzumaki.
The only people allowed to bully him were cute, soft girls.
Boys could get lost!
No traps, either.
Cross-dressing didn’t count!
In this suspiciously bromance-heavy Naruto world, Mirai had to remain vigilant and protect his bottom line at all times.
“Bastard!
What kind of arrogant crap are you spouting?!”
“This is Konoha!
Who gave an outsider redhead like you the right to insult us?!”
“Apologize now, or we’ll knock your teeth out!”
The classroom exploded into chaos.
They were proud Konoha residents, and quite a few came from shinobi clans.
Mocking a pair of redheaded outsiders seemed perfectly normal to them.
But for an outsider to actually talk back?
Mirai Uzumaki, you have chosen the path of getting beaten up.
More students crowded around, several even rolling up their sleeves.
“We’re all classmates.
There’s no reason to take this so far.” Minato tried to intervene.
“How about everyone just takes a step back?”
But Minato came from a civilian family and was only a second-year student.
His talent hadn’t truly revealed itself yet.
No one cared what he said.
If anything, the insults only got louder.
Kushina’s face turned red as she desperately suppressed the urge to start swinging.
Before they came to school that morning, Grandma Mito and Tsunade had repeatedly told her to get along with her classmates and make lots of friends.
Otherwise, she would have exploded long ago.
“Hahaha!
She’s getting mad!
Look, her face is red again!”
“Come hit me!
Come on, you red-haired witch—no, Red Chili Pepper!
Hahaha—agh!”
Mirai was done being patient.
He punched the boy who had literally asked to be hit and dropped him on the spot.
“You all heard him.
He told me to hit him, so I did.”
Mirai shook his hand innocently.
“Honestly, that’s the first time I’ve ever heard such a ridiculous request.”
“Mirai!” Kushina panicked.
If Tsunade and Grandma Mito learned that they had gotten into a fight on their very first day at school, wouldn’t they be disappointed?
“Don’t worry, Kushina.
Just hide behind Lord Mirai.
I can deal with this trash by myself.”
Mirai looked around without the slightest concern.
“Anyone else asking for a beating?
Take one step forward.”
Aside from Minato, every student surrounding him took a synchronized step forward.
“Mirai Uzumaki, right?
You attacked someone first!
What an awful outsider!”
“Exactly!
There are so many of us today, we could drown you in spit!”
“Kneel down and apologize, and maybe I’ll go easy on you later.”
Mirai spread his hands.
“Wow.
This many of you?
So negotiations have broken down, huh?”
“Fine, then.
I’ve been wanting to test a technique I recently mastered anyway.”
His voice dropped as he pointed one hand forward.
“Adamantine Sealing Chains!”
A golden chain suddenly shot from Mirai’s hand.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
It swept through the crowd.
Anyone touched by it was immediately wrapped up and bound so tightly they couldn’t move.
“Aaaah!”
“What the hell is this?!”
“I can’t use any strength!”
“Help!
I’m going to die!”
“Mom!
Dad!
Big Brother!
Save me!
Aaaaaah!”
“We picked the wrong nickname!
Mirai Uzumaki is the real Red Devil!”
Minato stared in shock.
He had never imagined this redheaded boy with an obvious prejudice against blonds could use such a powerful technique.
With a single move, Mirai had defeated more than a dozen students his own age.
He might even be more talented than the famed geniuses of the Uchiha Clan.
And with that temper—starting a fight the moment someone crossed him—the nickname Red Devil suddenly sounded quite appropriate.
The bound students had no argument.
“Hmph.
Mere gravel beneath my feet.”
Mirai shoved his hands into his pockets, looking as if he had never heard the word “opponent” in his life.
“That was the Adamantine Sealing Chains!
Mirai, when did you get this strong?!” Kushina stared at him in disbelief.
Alongside the shock in her eyes was a trace of admiration.
Strength was naturally attractive.
The Adamantine Sealing Chains were a secret bloodline technique of the Uzumaki Clan, something only those carrying Uzumaki blood could awaken.
Even then, talent mattered.
Not every Uzumaki could use them.
Enjoying Kushina’s admiring gaze, Mirai grinned.
“Nothing special.
Basic stuff.
No need to make a fuss.”
“Well…
since you stood up for me, thank you!”
Kushina quickly leaned over and kissed Mirai’s cheek, then immediately turned around and hid behind him as though nothing had happened.
Her face, which had only just returned to normal, slowly turned red again.
Mirai froze for a second before his grin widened.
Minato stared at the two of them, feeling strangely envious.
“Can someone tell me WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!”
Drawn by all the screaming, Kishimoto rushed back into the classroom.
Then his brain nearly crashed.
His limited processing power simply couldn’t calculate why there was suddenly a giant golden chain in his classroom tying up half his students.
Was this some new kind of kids game?
Had he really become that out of touch with the younger generation?
…Like hell!
This was obviously a ninjutsu.
Don’t underestimate the professional judgment of a chunin instructor!
“Sensei!
Mirai Uzumaki attacked us!
He whipped us with this weird chain!”
“Sensei, save me!
I don’t want to die!
Waaah!”
The troublemakers immediately started tattling.
Kishimoto felt a headache coming on.
The people tied up weren’t only civilian children.
Several belonged to major shinobi clans.
One glance was enough to spot names he really didn’t want trouble with: Shimura, Koharu’s clan, Sarutobi…
Kishimoto looked up at the heavens.
Or rather, the ceiling.
‘I’m finished.
The Hokage isn’t going to fire me over this, is he?’
The Third Hokage had personally instructed him again and again to take good care of these two Uzumaki children.
And now Mirai had beaten up more than a dozen classmates on his very first day.
The worst part was that Kishimoto couldn’t afford to offend the families of the beaten children either!
“That’s nonsense!
If you hadn’t made up insulting nicknames, Mirai wouldn’t have hit you!” Kushina immediately argued.
Kishimoto’s headache got worse.
He decided to cut through the mess as quickly as possible.
“Mirai, release your technique.
No matter what they said, using ninjutsu against your classmates is dangerous!”
“Tomorrow, all of you are bringing your guardians to school.
A mass fight in the classroom has to be dealt with seriously!
And that includes the rest of you.
Every one of you is bringing a guardian!”
In the end, Kishimoto chose to punish both sides equally.
He couldn’t afford to offend either one.
“Pfft—hahahahaha!”
Mirai suddenly burst into villainous Uchiha-style laughter.
“Calling the parents?
Great!
It’s a deal!
This is getting better and better!”
Just wait.
He’d bring someone they absolutely weren’t prepared for.