Chapter 21: Gift Pet, Withering Ration
The next morning, Tonan woke up bright and early—not heading to the academy as usual, but stepping out of the Uchiha compound and into Konoha's shopping street. His mission? Acquire a weapon of mass distraction: a tiny, fluffy white kitten with four pink paws.
After buying the little furball (complete with a small cage from the shopkeeper), Tonan made his way to the academy. As soon as he entered the classroom, all eyes snapped to him. Among them were Hyuga Chiryo, Uchiha Mina, and, of course, Kakashi—who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else.
Tonan strode over to Mina's desk and placed the cage down with a small grin. "Thought about it last night. Maybe this little guy can help you."
Mina blinked, stunned. "Tonan-kun… is this for me?"
He nodded. "Yeah."
"Thank you!" Mina's smile could have rivaled the Hokage's on New Year's.
The classroom buzzed instantly, whispers and theories flying around like kunai in a training ground about the budding love triangle. But in a shadowed corner, Chiryo's clenched fists stabbed into her palms—her fingernails digging so deep they drew blood.
Chiryo's last move—rough and threatening—didn't faze Mina one bit. As an Uchiha, Mina wasn't about to stay down, especially after Tonan's tutoring. She was confident she'd surpass Chiryo soon. Now, with Tonan handing her a pet? She took it without hesitation.
Class was underway, with Umino Naoto lecturing from the podium, drone voice and all. Tonan listened attentively, though he'd already memorized every jutsu and tactical lesson. The trick was looking like he cared—just like ninja etiquette required.
Chiryo sat stiff as a kunai in a scroll, eyes glued to Tonan's back. Mina, meanwhile, played quietly with the kitten. The tiny fluffball curled into a perfect little ball, and Mina poked a finger through the cage bars. The kitten lifted its head, sniffed, and gave her fingertip a delicate lick with its tiny pink tongue.
Her heart melted faster than Naruto's ramen bowl at Ichiraku. She glanced up at Tonan, heart soaring, "Don't worry, Tonan-kun. I'll take good care of this little guy!"
The first period ended, and Chiryo approached Mina with an icy glare sharp enough to cut through even the hardest ninja armor.
"Come outside," Chiryo whispered, leading the way to the training field. Tonan was absorbed in his book, oblivious. Mina didn't hesitate.
Under the shade of a tree, the tension thickened like the steam from a hot bowl of miso. They faced off.
"You really think I won't kill you?" Chiryo's veins pulsed, and her Byakugan eyes flickered ominously.
Mina crossed her arms, cool as a Genin who just passed the Chunin exams. "Stop the act. Just because you have the Byakugan doesn't mean I'm scared."
Chiryo raised her hands slowly, forming the signature Gentle Fist seal. "Only the same kind of people can be together. Tonan-kun and I are orphans. I'm the one who truly deserves him."
Mina snatched a kunai from her bag and aimed it steadily at Chiryo. "By that logic, I'm an orphan too—my parents died in the Second Great Shinobi War. Why should I give up on Tonan-kun?"
Chiryo froze, eyes flickering with doubt. They were at the academy—no place for bloodshed. Plus, killing Mina would risk Tonan's wrath and possibly ruin her chance with him forever.
Defeated in aggression, Chiryo dropped to her knees, forehead almost touching the dirt. "Please… give Tonan-kun to me. You still have your clan. I have nothing. Without him, I don't want to live."
Mina's eyes narrowed. This wasn't a fight anymore—it was a pity plea.
"Give up."
Her tone softened just enough. "But… aren't you forgetting one thing?"
Chiryo looked up, puzzled.
"The Hyuga clan forbids intermarriage outside the family. I never saw you as a love rival—just someone I don't like."
Mina smiled, pocketed her kunai, and strolled back to class. Chiryo's surrender lifted the fog of defeat from Mina's mind.
Under the tree, Chiryo remained kneeling, head bowed, her face twisting into a manic grimace. When class resumed, she shuffled back like a living corpse.
Most in Konoha knew the Hyuga's rule forbidding marriage outside their bloodline—no one talked about it because it was just accepted fact.
But Chiryo had never faced it head-on. When Mina pointed it out, the truth hit her hard. All the Hyuga she'd ever seen stayed inside the clan, never marrying out or letting outsiders in.
She had only one grim realization.
During class, Chiryo's pale face barely hid her brewing despair. Her eyes threatened tears she fought to hold back.
"So even if Tonan-kun likes me, the clan will never accept it."
She reached under her thick bangs and pressed her fingers against the cursed Caged Bird seal.
"Leaving it all behind… running away? Impossible. This cage can't be broken. The only escape is death. But there's no Tonan-kun in the afterlife."
Her gaze flicked toward Tonan's back.
"Tonan-kun… even in death, I want to be with you."
Outside the classroom window, two white pigeons nestled together on a branch, silent witnesses to the scene.
Tonan had watched it all, even if he hadn't caught every word.
He gave up on Chiryo. All day long, all she thought about was love and relationships, wasting time on empty hopes. He wanted to give her courage to fight Mina, but she never bothered to train hard.
Now, she looked hopeless. That plan was toast.
He pinned his hopes on Mina instead.
Mina really loved that kitten. Once she poured enough affection into it, Tonan planned to find the perfect moment to eliminate it before the Third Great Shinobi War.
Because nothing awakens the Sharingan like a little heartbreak….