Chapter 6: Elbow, come inside with me!

"Araki, let's go! It's my first day of school, and I don't want to be late!"

Kushina urged the dumbfounded Araki, her words were urging, but her tone remained gentle.

Since arriving in Konoha yesterday, her heart was filled with anticipation for her interaction with Araki, the ninja school, and their future life.

"Um... Do you really consider me a friend?"

Araki asked hesitantly. His gaze shifted towards Kushina, and from her emotional fluctuations, there were no signs of lies, nor did it seem like she was testing him.

Perhaps...

Kushina really was just staying in his house.

However, after their first encounter, Kushina showed a desire to protect him, which surprised him. It was different from what he had imagined.

"Yeah!"

Kushina nodded without hesitation. She was still innocent and naive. She hadn't experienced any unfair treatment in Uzushiogakure, so everything she saw in Konoha was still beautiful to her.

"In that case..."

Araki took a deep breath. He wanted to quietly live in Konoha, avoiding any trouble. But the fact that he and Kushina were roommates had already been decided, and many things between them were intertwined.

Araki looked around the corridor. There was no one there for the moment, so it was relatively safe, but it wasn't the place for conversation.

"Come with me to the room!"

Araki took the lead and walked towards Kushina. He slightly bowed and took the bag from her hand, quickly opening the door and entering the room.

"I have something to tell you..."

The whole process was swift and without any hesitation.

"Huh?!"

Kushina's eyes were filled with curiosity, not understanding what Araki had in mind. She was momentarily unaware that Araki had become fluent in speaking.

After a brief moment of confusion, Kushina quickly caught up and entered the room.

As soon as she entered, Araki closed the door with light and careful movements, without making much noise.

"Kushina, if you truly consider me a friend, then you must agree to three things, or else I won't come near you or speak to you again!"

Araki's face was serious, his gaze intense. After three years of silence in Konoha, he rarely revealed his ability to communicate normally.

This wasn't hasty or careless. When Araki was at the door just now, he considered many possibilities and felt that this was the most confident approach.

Araki was well aware that avoiding such situations wasn't a solution. It would only keep him in a passive state. Only by taking the initiative could he possibly change the situation.

Of course, there was one more thing. In Araki's view, revealing a small ability to speak to Kushina wasn't a serious matter. According to his principles, he could show a third of his true strength. He couldn't be regarded as useless, but he also needed some leeway.

Being in this middle ground where he wasn't outstanding but also not overlooked was the least attention-grabbing state for an ordinary person. Being too dazzling or too inconspicuous would bring inconvenience.

"What things?"

Kushina was completely drawn in by Araki's words. Her curiosity was fully aroused, and she still overlooked the fact that Araki could speak. After all, her interactions with Araki had been limited, and she hadn't formed a proper understanding of him yet, so she hadn't broken through that initial shock.

If it were another student from the ninja school, they might have shown exaggerated surprise upon hearing Araki speak because they had hardly interacted with him at all.

Kushina's attention was focused on the three things Araki mentioned. She had already decided to become friends with Araki, or rather, to rescue him from his secluded and introverted state. This sense of righteousness, akin to saving the world, filled her still naive heart.

"The first thing is that apart from you and me, you can't tell anyone else that we live together, let alone reveal our relationship. Once we step out of this door, we act as if we don't know each other."

Araki's face was filled with seriousness as he brought up what he considered the most important matter: that nobody else should know about their relationship, which would mean they had no connection between them.

By doing so...

Many troubles would not fall upon him.

"No way!"

To Araki's surprise, Kushina gave an almost spontaneous response, shaking her head like a tambourine, and her twin ponytails swung back and forth, making her look incredibly cute.

"This..."

Araki was taken aback. He had just stated the first condition and was immediately rejected. This was not going smoothly at all.

The only leverage he had to "threaten" Kushina was to become friends.

If this didn't work...

If Kushina decided to reveal their relationship...

Then he would have no choice.

"The previous conditions are acceptable, but we can't pretend we don't know each other. After we step out of this door, I can treat you as an ordinary friend!"

Kushina explained.

Deep down, her goal was to heal Araki's seclusion.

When she saw Araki communicating with her just now, for a brief moment, she thought his mental issues might not be so severe.

But now, she realized the gravity of the problem!

Agreeing to pretend not to know each other just to be friends—can they really be considered friends if they don't recognize each other outside?

This logic was contradictory!

Kushina instinctively felt that she couldn't agree to such a condition. The prerequisite had to be friendship. However, she didn't have any objections to the other aspects. It wouldn't be a bad thing if they didn't reveal they lived together outside.

"Fine... I guess..."

Araki's mood immediately eased a bit. Being ordinary friends on the surface was acceptable for now. There wasn't much room for negotiation given the current circumstances. If others didn't know they lived together, it would help avoid many troubles.

But being ordinary friends...

It sounded strange...

If they acted like ordinary friends in front of others, did that mean they weren't ordinary friends when they were alone?

As Araki pondered over these thoughts, he quickly dismissed the drifting thoughts from his mind. It wasn't the time to dwell on such trivial matters.

"Now... the second thing..."

Araki took a deep breath. Since the first condition didn't go so smoothly, he approached the second matter cautiously.

"Konoha is more dangerous than you imagine. You mustn't stand out too much or say anything arrogant. Don't make too many enemies for yourself. As someone from an outside village, it won't benefit you to do so when trying to integrate into the village."

After finishing that statement, Araki was afraid that Kushina would interject, so he quickly added another sentence.

"Especially, don't say anything about wanting to become the Hokage or anything like that!"