Uchiha Fugaku watched his clansmen leave one after another and quietly sighed.
As clan head, he naturally understood their personalities.
No matter what absurd things they said or did, he rarely took them to heart.
A narrow-minded man could never become clan head.
Much less the head of the Uchiha.
His clansmen were simply too unpredictable.
One moment they were worrying about the clan's future...
The next they were seriously debating whether fried chicken was good for children.
Watching Asuka walk away shoulder to shoulder with Elder Ryōichi—casually stuffing another bucket of fried chicken into the elder's arms—Fugaku let out another sigh.
Being clan head really is exhausting...
---
Outside the shrine...
A chicken bone dangling from the corner of his mouth, Asuka glanced at Elder Ryōichi beside him and asked in a low voice,
"Say, Great-Uncle Ryōichi..."
"When are we staging the coup d'état?"
"...A coup d'état?"
Ryōichi nearly jumped.
He hurriedly glanced around before lowering his voice.
"Damn it!"
"Have you people been leaving this old man out of the discussions?"
"No."
"Then why don't I know we're planning a coup?"
"The Hokage position never comes to us."
"So shouldn't we launch one?"
...Are young people this dangerous nowadays?
Seeing Asuka's genuinely curious expression, Ryōichi shook his head vigorously.
After carefully covering the bucket of fried chicken in his arms, he looked at Asuka with unusual seriousness.
"Asuka."
"I'm your great-uncle."
"Your parents passed away when you were young."
"But I'm still here."
"So the next time dangerous thoughts like that pop into your head..."
"...think about your great-uncle first."
"Hiss..."
Asuka looked at the word REJECTION practically written across the old man's face.
"I know you're my great-uncle."
"So..."
"When exactly do we start thinking about a coup?"
"..."
Ryōichi simply stared at him.
Unbelievable.
Why was this kid's head filled with nothing but thoughts of rebellion?
Couldn't he just live a peaceful life?
...Or perhaps...
Had losing every one of his comrades during the war left such an emptiness in his heart that he'd become like this?
Thinking about it...
Asuka was already eighteen.
It was probably time for him to get married.
After a long silence, Ryōichi patted him on the shoulder, sighed, and walked away.
A man really does need something to tie him down.
Otherwise, his mind starts wandering toward dangerous ideas.
---
Watching his great-uncle disappear into the distance, Asuka rubbed his chin as he walked home.
Mentally, he reviewed everything he remembered from his previous life.
Based on all his probing...
He could now confirm one thing.
The Uchiha Clan currently had no intention whatsoever of staging a coup.
Yes, they were dissatisfied.
Yes, life wasn't easy.
But things hadn't deteriorated to that point.
Hmm...
Could Fugaku have decided to start the coup on his own?
Recalling something one of the elders had mentioned some time ago, Asuka narrowed his eyes toward the direction of the Naka Shrine.
«Uchiha Fugaku valued the future of the Uchiha Clan more than his own life.
He took immense pride in bearing the clan crest, held himself and everyone around him to strict standards, and was willing to sacrifice everything for the prosperity of the Uchiha.»
Someone like that...
Would probably only consider rebellion after completely losing hope for the clan's future.
After all...
Anyone capable of awakening those eyes probably wasn't entirely normal psychologically.
Still...
I'd better start by investigating Danzō.
---
The next day.
Konoha Ninja Academy.
"Iruka!"
A little girl with long purple hair looked toward Umino Iruka.
Every few moments, she glanced excitedly toward the classroom door.
"Do you think we'll end up on the same team?"
"I wonder who our instructor will be."
"I don't know."
Iruka shook his head with a hopeful smile.
"Probably a chūnin."
"Maybe even a special jōnin."
"If we're lucky..."
"A real jōnin."
"Hmph."
A cold snort interrupted them.
Nearby, a black-haired girl with pale Byakugan eyes looked toward the classroom door with obvious disdain.
"The war isn't even over yet."
"Most jōnin are still out on missions."
"There's no way one of them would waste time teaching us."
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The moment she finished speaking, someone knocked on the classroom door.
Before the three children could react...
The door swung open.
A young shinobi stepped inside.
He had short black hair, wore a black combat uniform beneath the standard green jōnin flak jacket, and carried a sheet of paper in his hand.
Walking to the front of the classroom, he glanced at the list and called out,
"Iruka Umino."
"Yūgao Uzuki."
"Hyūga Hanahana."
Seeing the three children stand somewhat nervously, Asuka smiled.
"Come with me."
---
The three silently followed him out of the classroom.
As they watched the jōnin's back—and the Uchiha fan crest embroidered on it—they exchanged uneasy glances.
The Uchiha Clan...
Their strength and their personalities were famously inversely proportional.
Everyone in the ninja world knew that.
Honestly...
Although having a jōnin instructor was wonderful...
They really wished it wasn't an Uchiha jōnin.
---
On the Academy rooftop, Asuka turned to face them.
"My name is Uchiha Asuka."
"I'm a combat-oriented jōnin from Konoha."
"I like cooked food."
"I also like raw food."
"My current hobby is journalism."
"And my dream..."
"...is to live a peaceful life."
He folded the paper and tucked it into his pocket.
"Your turn."
---
"Gulp..."
Iruka nervously swallowed before taking a tiny step forward.
"I-I'm Iruka Umino."
"I just graduated from the Ninja Academy."
"I like Ichiraku Ramen."
"I don't like wasabi."
"My hobby is soaking in hot springs."
"And my dream..."
"...is to become a teacher."
"Hm."
Asuka nodded before turning toward the purple-haired girl.
"I'm Yūgao Uzuki."
"I also just graduated."
"I hate greasy food."
"My hobby is flower viewing."
"As for my dream..."
Suddenly blushing bright red, Yūgao covered her face with both hands.
"...Can I skip that part?"
"You can."
"...Huh?"
Her eyes widened.
An Uchiha this easy to talk to?
That was unexpected.
Finally, Asuka looked toward the last girl.
"I'm Hyūga Hanahana."
"I like bananas."
"I hate milk."
"My hobby is daydreaming."
"And my dream..."
"...is freedom."
Seeing the Caged Bird Seal branded onto her forehead, Asuka immediately understood.
A tragic child...
---
Without another word, Asuka formed a hand seal.
Poof!
Three buckets of Honey Mustard Fried Chicken appeared before the children.
"Normally..."
"Instructors give some boring survival exercise."
"Teamwork."
"Bell tests."
"That sort of thing."
"I'm different."
"The way to earn my approval..."
"...is to finish these three buckets."
"If you can't..."
"You'll be sent back to the Academy."
"I'm a combat shinobi."
"The Hokage forced me to become your instructor."
"...That's it?"
The three children stared at the buckets in disbelief.
The test is really this simple?
"Of course not."
The instant the words left his mouth—
Whoosh!
Asuka vanished.
When he reappeared, his arms were full of ingredients.
Milk.
Wasabi.
Cooking oil.
The moment the children recognized them...
An ominous feeling settled over all three.
Each one was something they hated.
Bang!
Asuka bit open a carton of milk and poured it directly into one bucket.
Glug... Glug... Glug...
Watching the fried chicken gradually disappear beneath the milk...
Hanahana's eyes began watering.
"...Please."
"That's enough."
"Really..."
"It's gone too far..."
After soaking the entire bucket in milk, Asuka pulled on a pair of gloves.
He generously coated every drumstick with an absurd amount of wasabi.
Finally...
He dipped a brush into cooking oil and flicked even more onto the chicken.
"...Ugh."
Even Asuka shivered at the sight.
Then he handed a bucket to each student.
His expression became unusually serious.
"This..."
"...is the first lesson I'll teach you."
"A shinobi..."
"...doesn't get to have picky eating habits."
"Oh."
Asuka suddenly remembered something.
Sitting casually on the rooftop railing, he looked down at the three children.
"My medical ninjutsu is excellent."
"Although I once swore never to use it again..."
"If the three of you end up with food poisoning..."
"I suppose I can reluctantly treat you."
"After all..."
"Oaths are only meant for outsiders."
"Now eat."
"Even if you have to repeat another year at the Academy..."
"...you're finishing every bite today."
The three children lowered their heads toward the horrifying food.
Milk-soaked honey mustard fried chicken.
Chicken buried beneath mountains of wasabi.
Chicken dripping with oil.
What kind of nightmare combination is this?
Will this actually kill us...?
---
Half a day later...
"Ugh..."
"Blegh..."
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
Asuka, who had accidentally fallen asleep against the railing, was awakened by a chorus of miserable groans.
Opening his eyes, he looked at the three exhausted children...
Then at the three completely empty buckets beside them.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"Congratulations."
"You're officially qualified genin."
"T-Teacher..."
Yūgao weakly raised a trembling hand.
"My stomach hurts..."
"Oh."
Asuka immediately jumped down beside her.
Seeing the girl kneeling on the ground in obvious agony, he placed his glowing green palm against her abdomen.
A moment later...
He scratched his head awkwardly.
"...That black-hearted shopkeeper."
"I asked for ordinary bulk cooking oil..."
"...and he sold me fish oil instead."
Watching Yūgao's complexion gradually improve, Asuka removed his combat jacket and tied it around her waist.
Then he gently patted her head.
"Well..."
"Since you drank fish oil..."
"Your intestines probably won't absorb it."
"So..."
"You're going to have diarrhea soon."
"Go occupy the Academy bathroom for the next few hours."
"I'll walk you home tonight."
"Oh."
"And don't touch the oil stain on your backside."
"It's a pain to wash out."
"..."
Yūgao stared at him blankly.
She hadn't understood why he'd suddenly tied his jacket around her waist.
Oil stain...?
Unable to resist, she cautiously reached behind herself.
"..."
"...There's so much."
She stared silently at the oil covering her fingers.
Then she looked up at Asuka with teary, aggrieved eyes...
Before turning and sprinting toward the restroom without another word.
Asuka turned to the remaining two students.
"You."
"You drank too much milk."
"Go spend the next few hours in the bathroom too."
"And you."
"You ate too much wasabi."
"You probably won't need the toilet today."
"But tomorrow..."
"Remember to stop by the hospital and buy an enema."
"Otherwise tomorrow's bathroom trip is going to be..."
"...memorable."
After treating the last two students, Asuka wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Looking at the setting sun, he couldn't help sighing.
"Being a teacher is exhausting..."
"It's only the first day..."
"...and I'm already overwhelmed."