"Oh, so you're going back to Konoha with Simu's little girlfriend?"
Kushina looked at Hyuga Rei with a teasing expression, then shifted her gaze to Simu.
Jiraiya sat cross-legged on the ground, chuckling. "You could say that."
Simu rolled his eyes, shoved his hands into his pockets, and remained silent. He couldn't be bothered to argue with Kushina over something so trivial.
Meanwhile, Hyuga Rei blushed and muttered softly, "I'm not his little girlfriend..."
Kushina grinned, stepped closer to Hyuga Rei, and extended her hand confidently.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Kushina, and I'll be Konoha's first female Hokage in the future!"
"Hello..."
Hyuga Rei looked as timid as a frightened fawn, still shaken from her time in captivity.
But sensing Kushina's kindness, she mustered the courage to introduce herself in a soft voice:
"My name is Hyuga Rei, and my dream is..."
She lowered her head quietly. "I... I don't have a dream."
Noticing Rei's sadness, Kushina patted her own (still undeveloped) chest like a big sister reassuring a younger sibling.
"It's okay, it's okay! When I become Hokage, I'll definitely have your back!"
Hyuga Rei glanced at Kushina in surprise before whispering, "Thank you..."
Simu yawned, picked up a simple fishing rod he had just finished making, and walked off.
"Where's he going?" Hyuga Rei asked, pointing in the direction Simu had disappeared.
Kushina scoffed. "That guy? He's definitely off to go fishing."
She leaned in and warned, "Let me tell you, Simu is super annoying. Don't let him trick you!"
Hyuga Rei nodded repeatedly before hesitantly asking, "Do you know where he went fishing?"
Kushina smacked her forehead in frustration.
The girl was already gone.
After Rei left, Minato walked over.
"What's wrong?"
Kushina pouted. "I don't know what kind of spell Simu cast on her, but she went looking for him!"
Minato scratched his blonde hair.
"Come on, you shouldn't always badmouth Simu. Honestly, aside from being lazy, he doesn't really have any other flaws."
Kushina glared at Minato. "Hmph! You men are all the same!"
Minato stiffened.
Wait, what does this have to do with me?
Watching the students interact, Jiraiya chuckled.
Leaning against a tree branch, he sighed, "Ah, youth is truly wonderful."
Then, he pulled out his notebook and continued writing Icha Icha Paradise.
Meanwhile, Simu, who was fishing, turned his head slightly.
"What are you doing here?"
Hyuga Rei stopped in her tracks, fidgeting with her hands.
"I-I just came to thank you..."
"Thank me?" Simu raised an eyebrow.
"Y-Yes! Thank you for saving me from the underground exchange."
Simu waved his hand dismissively. "No need for that. We're classmates—it's only natural."
Since Simu didn't say anything else, Hyuga Rei cautiously squatted beside him.
"Are you fishing?"
"Yeah."
Simu quietly held the fishing rod, waiting.
Suddenly, the fishing line trembled slightly.
His expression sharpened as he pulled gently.
Hooked!
He stood up abruptly, skillfully reeling in the line.
The slender fishing line reflected under the sunlight, and a plump black fish was pulled out of the water.
"Lunch is settled."
A rare smile appeared on Simu's face.
Not even a Marine Admiral could resist the joy of catching fish.
Hyuga Rei giggled.
"Um... I can help!"
"You know how to fish?" Simu looked at her in surprise.
Rei nodded slightly.
For the next ten minutes, Hyuga Rei seemed unstoppable—catching fish one after another while Simu watched in disbelief.
Noticing his astonishment, she whispered shyly, "When I was younger... no one really played with me, so I used to sneak off to go fishing..."
"You're amazing." Simu praised her sincerely.
Hyuga Rei's face turned bright red.
"N-No, not at all..."
Simu handed her the fishing rod and made another one for himself. The two of them fished side by side.
After a while, Hyuga Rei hesitated before asking,
"Simu, why are you so strong?"
"Hm?"
"I mean... last night, you were incredible."
Hyuga Rei looked at him seriously.
Simu scratched his head. "Not really... You're pretty amazing yourself. Look at how many fish you caught..."
As he spoke, tears suddenly welled up in Hyuga Rei's eyes.
"If... If I were as strong as you, maybe my teammates wouldn't have died..."
Tears dripped into the river, creating ripples.
Memories of that horrifying night flooded her mind—watching her teammates die, one by one.
In the end, she had survived only because of her Byakugan.
"It was all my fault... If it weren't for me..."
She hugged her knees, unable to stop the tears from falling.
"...It wasn't your fault."
Simu reached out and gently placed his hand on top of her head.
Feeling the warmth, Rei looked up at him, tears still glistening in her eyes.
"If you think you're too weak, then get stronger."
"Strong enough to protect the people you care about."
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