"Sorry, Takeshi, I didn't realize my fear of red hair was this severe."
On the way, Minato, who had recovered, now looked like a puppy abandoned by its owner, speaking with deep dejection.
His intense reaction in class earlier had scared the newly appointed homeroom teacher, Xiuren, half to death, who, fearing he might have another incident, hastily gave him a day off to rest.
And to ensure Minato wouldn't suddenly drop dead on the way, the teacher thoughtfully let Takeshi off as well.
This is why the two of them were now wandering the streets.
"It's fine."
Takeshi truly didn't intend to blame Minato; after all, if one were to trace the root of the problem, he himself would be to blame.
Ultimately, Minato's habit of wilting at the sight of red hair was entirely due to Takeshi constantly scaring him with genjutsu.
So, Takeshi naturally felt awkward scolding him.
Moreover, given their current strength, they wouldn't learn anything useful in school anyway, so a day off was quite good.
He had already met Kushina and currently had no plans to do anything to her.
The most pressing matter was to first resolve Minato's red hair stress disorder.
He was too sensitive!
Seeing red meant certain death.
This weakness would not only affect his daily life but also make him easily exploitable by enemies.
If he were to go to the battlefield in the future and all his opponents had red hair, wouldn't Minato be doomed?
Takeshi just didn't want Minato and Kushina to get together; he wasn't trying to send him to his death.
Fortunately, Takeshi quickly thought of a solution.
The first thing he remembered was the Aburame Clan of Konoha Village.
Because almost everyone in that clan wore sunglasses.
The purpose, of course, was not merely to look cool.
As is well known, their clan cultivates parasitic insects within their bodies, and these insects are often photophobic.
Insects might enter and exit through the eyes, and at such times, wearing good quality sunglasses that reduce light entering the eyes would effectively compensate for this deficiency.
So Takeshi thought, if sunglasses can compensate for the Aburame Clan's parasitic insects' photophobia, why couldn't they compensate for Minato's fear of red hair?
Good sunglasses merely reduce the light entering the eyes, like adding a filter; the essence of the scene before one's eyes doesn't change much.
This wasn't good, nor was it suitable for Minato.
The type of sunglasses Takeshi intended to buy for Minato were those that, once worn, made it seem as if a gray, or even black, curtain had been drawn before one's eyes.
Only such sunglasses, which dramatically altered the colors seen, would be most suitable for him.
"Boss, bring out the cheapest sunglasses in your store, the worse the quality, the better."
Takeshi led Minato to an eyewear store and called out to the boss in front of him.
"?"
The boss was bewildered; he had never heard such a unique request before.
And the person who spoke, judging by his attire, seemed to be from the Uchiha Clan.
Had the Uchiha Clan fallen to the point where they couldn't even afford a normal pair of sunglasses?
Although the boss felt puzzled, he didn't press further, merely silently followed the customer's instructions and brought out a few pairs of sunglasses.
He was an old hand and knew that some members of the big clans in the Village always had a few unspeakable little quirks.
Compared to the explosive rumors about the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara.
This Uchiha merely liked to wear somewhat shabby sunglasses; this was already considered very normal.
Takeshi picked out what looked like the worst quality and darkest sunglasses, and without hesitation, handed them to Minato.
"Here, try them on."
This... will it really work?
Minato hesitated as he took them, looking at the sunglasses with lenses that seemed smeared with black oil, his mouth twitching slightly.
"Please trust me."
At this moment, Takeshi's voice rang out again.
"Although its left and right temples are uneven, the nose pads have an anti-gravity design, and it's prone to sliding down to your mouth when you look down, the effect is absolutely top-notch! As long as you wear it, your red hair stress will definitely be cured!"
This doesn't sound like it can be cured at all!
Minato complained wildly in his heart; he felt that if he wore it, he might develop even more problems.
But in the end, he couldn't resist his best friend's concern and put them on his face.
Whoosh—
It got dark!
"How is it?"
Minato looked at himself in the mirror and organized his thoughts: "Hmm, how should I put it, it feels a bit... cool?"
He saw himself in the mirror; after putting on the sunglasses, he instantly transformed into a crooked-mouthed war god, with one nose pad higher than the other, one temple longer than the other, instantly becoming a high-low brow evil god!
Coupled with the fact that the sunglasses were prone to sliding down, Minato's frequency of adjusting them was comparable to someone with Parkinson's, thoroughly exercising the dexterity of his hands.
"Right? Trust me, you can't go wrong!"
Takeshi took out the red wig he had just bought, placing it on his head as if it were a veil.
"Now let's test its effectiveness."
It's definitely fine.
Because... I can't see anything right now.
It's all about... the world being black.
The effect was unexpectedly powerful!
Minato felt his sense of security explode; he would no longer be defeated by red hair.
He turned to look at his best friend, Takeshi.
Because the sunglasses were prone to sliding down, he tilted his head back slightly, and he found that this seemed to prevent them from falling off.
I'm so smart!
Thinking this, a smug curve couldn't help but appear at the corner of his mouth.
"Hey, can you stop looking at me through your nostrils?"
Takeshi always felt that this kid's wings had hardened after getting the sunglasses; he actually learned to look down on people. Did he really think of himself as a crooked-mouthed war god?
"Uh... I just don't want the sunglasses to slide into my mouth."
Minato brought his tilted-back head forward, and the Parkinson's-like frequency of adjusting his glasses reappeared.
"..."
This looks even more abstract... "How about..."
Takeshi watched Minato, who was frantically adjusting his glasses, his eyelids twitching slightly, and he stammered:
"I'll still get you a different pair of sunglasses. These seem a bit difficult to manage, and I feel like you can't handle them."
"No, I think they're great!"
Hearing Takeshi say he couldn't do it, Minato's inexplicable competitive spirit suddenly flared up.
"What do you mean I can't? I feel like I can totally handle them!"
Minato tilted his head back slightly again, noticing that one nose pad was higher than the other, causing the sunglasses to be a bit crooked, so he tilted his head slightly in the opposite direction.
Only after adjusting it to the perfect angle, allowing the sunglasses to remain level on his face, did he finally curl his lips slightly, satisfied.
Well!
He really did become a crooked-mouthed war god!
Takeshi covered his face, feeling that Minato was definitely going to get beaten up in the future.
His appearance was truly maxed out on the taunt attribute!
...