She was so excited that she could hardly contain herself.
"Haha, why don't you just stop pretending? Your surprised expression has betrayed you!" Kushina burst out laughing, reveling in her small victory.
They were engaged in cheerful conversation when the playground suddenly erupted in applause and cheers, even louder than before. Minato, like Liuyun, threw three shurikens simultaneously. Two of them hit the bullseye, and one landed very close. He became the first and only student in the class to score full marks.
A group of elementary school students unconsciously began to compare him with Liuyun, believing Minato to be far superior. Even the girls in the class thought so—everyone except Kushina.
In truth, Kushina wasn't even paying attention to Minato. All she could think about was how clever she felt. She had managed to see through Liuyun's disguise, which made her feel accomplished. From her initial self-doubt and denial to finally uncovering his true colors, she felt proud of herself.
Although she excelled in physical strength, she had always ranked last in terms of intellect. The ability to see through Liuyun's façade proved that she wasn't just a stupid girl who could only fight, as others claimed. Winning in brainpower felt more fulfilling than simply being strong. With that recognition, how could Kushina not feel proud?
Typically, she would only be praised for her fighting skills, but now she had "won" in both intellect and cunning.
Liuyun, on the other hand, was unaware of Kushina's complicated thoughts, and doubt began to creep in as he considered his own situation.
"Anyway, this is my grade—believe it or not..." Liuyun finally said stubbornly. Even if Kushina saw through him, it wouldn't matter. Others wouldn't recognize or believe it, and even if it were true, it wouldn't prove anything. After all, 90 and 100 points were both excellent; the difference didn't mean much.
"Okay, okay, I won't embarrass you in front of everyone..." Kushina smiled and waved her hand dismissively.
"..."
As soon as those words left her mouth, Liuyun felt inexplicably unhappy. He hadn't felt that way before.
Soon, as the outdoor class came to an end, a group of elementary school students returned to the classroom. It was the last class of the day, and they were due to have their homeroom teacher, Oda.
In class, Liuyun was multitasking: he listened to Oda's lecture while quickly forming hand seals under his desk. In ninja battles, the speed of hand seals could significantly impact the outcome. If he wanted to use his three-tomoe Sharingan to copy ninjutsu, he needed to be quick. After all, every second in battle could determine victory or defeat.
Kushina glanced at Liuyun from time to time and finally seemed to remember something. She secretly threw a small paper ball at him.
Minato, sitting behind, stared blankly at Kushina's back. This time, he noticed it was Kushina who had taken the initiative.
"Hey, can you teach me throwing techniques?" was written on the paper ball. She felt that Liuyun's throwing skills must be impressive. If he agreed to teach her, she would surely score higher in the next assessment.
When Liuyun read her note, he was taken aback. Kushina felt uneasy after sending the message, fearing that Liuyun would reject her. She wanted to see his reaction but was too nervous to make eye contact, her heart racing.
Liuyun appeared deep in thought, not responding for a long time. He stopped making seals with his hands and tapped his fingers silently on the desk.
Kushina turned her head to look at him, feeling impatient. She couldn't stand the silence any longer; she urgently needed to know his answer—whether he would agree or refuse. But Liuyun remained calm, occasionally glancing at her, his expression unreadable.
When he didn't respond for so long, Kushina felt a sinking sense of disappointment. She had hoped that someone would want to be friends with her, an "outsider," but it felt like she was being alienated instead.
Unable to bear it, she turned away, refusing to look at Liuyun any longer or listen to what the teacher was saying. Just when her sadness was about to overwhelm her, a small piece of paper hit her head.
Kushina glanced back at Liuyun, her heart pounding again. She pretended to be calm, waiting a moment before picking up the paper ball, almost as if she could "retaliate" by doing so. In reality, she was eager to see what it said.
Finally, with slightly trembling hands, she opened the paper ball.
"You teach me the sealing technique, and I will teach you the throwing technique."
Kushina's ears flushed red, and she couldn't suppress the smile creeping onto her face.
The moment he saw her expression, Liuyun realized he had achieved his goal. This little emotional tug-of-war had taken a toll on her; she couldn't resist it. He had successfully caught her interest.
At that moment, Kushina didn't even consider a critical question: how did Liuyun know she had knowledge of sealing techniques? While it was true she had mastered some basic sealing knowledge, she had never actually used it in the ninja school.
Liuyun, however, seemed to know. This realization should have been alarming, but Kushina was too caught up in her excitement to think about it. The "cleverness and wisdom" she had shown earlier felt like a distant memory—her mind had quietly shifted.
Kushina quickly wrote something on another piece of paper and threw it at Liuyun, hitting him in the head.
Liuyun picked up the paper ball with his toes and opened it to find just one word: "Good."
Soon, the bell rang, signaling the end of the last class. All the elementary school students cheered, relieved that the day was over.
As Liuyun packed his schoolbag, preparing to go home, Oda called out, "Liuyun and Kushina, stay behind."
A group of students, led by Sato, wore wicked grins.
"Teacher Oda, what's the matter?" Liuyun asked quietly, his head down.
"Did you slap Kameda in the face this afternoon?" Oda asked sternly.
Liuyun was known for being passive, never fighting back or talking back when he was bullied. Why had he suddenly hit someone? Kameda's teeth were almost knocked out, and if he hadn't had something urgent to attend to, Oda would have taken Liuyun to the office for a proper lecture.
"Teacher Oda, please listen to me..."
"Be quiet. I'm not asking you right now. Let Liuyun speak first." Oda glared at Kushina and interrupted.
"He called me a bastard and pulled my hair..." Liuyun explained honestly.
"Is that so?" Oda looked at Kameda.
"I just touched it lightly..." Kameda hastily defended himself.
Both sides presented their versions of the story, and Oda turned his gaze back to Kushina, signaling her to speak.
"Kameda pulled my hair very hard. I saw it with my own eyes," Kushina replied confidently.
In truth, she hadn't seen anything. She had been too embarrassed at the time to remember whether Kameda had actually pulled her hair. She only knew about it after Liuyun mentioned it. However, this didn't stop her from standing up for him.
Lying outright allowed her to disgust those bullies while protecting her little classmate, so why not?