Uchiha Kai's lips twitched.
Running into a system this lazy really left him helpless.
Still, at least he'd gotten a newbie gift pack. And in the future, he wouldn't even need to do missions—just slack off as much as possible, and the system would hand him rewards.
Looked at one way, that wasn't so bad…
But damn it all.
This was the ninja world, a messed-up society where shinobi were nothing but weapons of the village.
During wartime, if he dared to slack off, even if Danzo didn't make a move, the village itself wouldn't spare him.
And even in peacetime, missions were unavoidable!
Trouble everywhere.
Just as Kai was fretting, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally finished his fiery motivational speech up on the podium.
"Cough, cough. One last thing."
"These next few days, everyone should rest well. In three days, we'll begin assigning squads."
"For now—class dismissed!"
With that, Sarutobi Hiruzen left the classroom.
Inside, the civilian students instantly erupted into noisy chatter.
"I finally became a shinobi! I can fight to protect the village!"
"I'll definitely surpass Kakashi—and even the Sannin of Hidden Leaf Village!"
"I'll become Hokage!"
"..."
The civilians, one after another, shouted out their dreams. Their eyes shone with passion, as if they already saw themselves cutting down enemies and becoming towering figures of the village.
In contrast, the clan-born students wore nothing but furrowed brows and restless glances.
They knew more. They understood the village's actual situation far better.
But of course… none of them warned the civilian kids. Instead, they quietly left the classroom in twos and threes.
Kai's eyes narrowed.
His face stayed calm, but when he looked at the civilians, his gaze carried a complicated trace of pity.
He had no intention of warning them either. Without a word, he slipped out of the classroom and headed straight home.
The reason was simple—
These kids were already thoroughly brainwashed. If he so much as spoke out of line, not only would they fail to thank him, they'd probably run straight to the Hokage to report him.
Then he wouldn't get any benefit, only a heap of trouble.
And with his Uchiha identity, the one waiting for him then would likely be none other than Hidden Leaf Village's own shadow—Danzo.
The streets bustled with people.
Kai walked leisurely, glanced at the clear blue sky, yawned, and soon found himself at the Ichiraku Ramen stand.
"Uncle Teuchi, one Deluxe Seafood Ramen."
Kai sat down casually, his tone relaxed.
He was a regular here. Ever since he transmigrated, he'd come often.
Partly because he couldn't cook—having been a delivery-food addict in his past life, long since a useless shut-in, he'd forgotten how to make meals.
And partly because, although his parents had died tragically, money wasn't a problem.
But most importantly, he wanted to get on good terms with Teuchi.
When chaos eventually erupted in Hidden Leaf Village, he'd need a place to lay low—and this ramen stand would do just fine.
Yes, the place was tiny—just one row of stools by the entrance, enough for maybe five people at once.
But in the eyes of fans from his previous life, Teuchi was practically the Otsutsuki of Ramen!
Call it exaggerated if you will, but the facts spoke for themselves: no matter if it was the Nine-Tails' attack or Pain's invasion, Ichiraku Ramen was never touched.
Even in the Boruto era, the shop was still around—and had even expanded!
"Oh, it's Kai!"
"Today's your graduation, right? That deserves a proper celebration."
"On the house—extra chashu and tempura!"
Teuchi beamed warmly, eyes narrowing in his usual cheerful smile.
From inside, Ayame also came out at the sound, smiling as she chatted with Kai.
He smiled back, trading small talk with the father-daughter duo while waiting for his food.
At that moment, the curtain was lifted—and in walked a masked shinobi.
"One super-sized Tonkotsu Ramen."
His voice was flat, his demeanor cold.
White hair, a black face mask, and an aura screaming keep away.
Yes.
He was Hatake Kakashi.
Nominally, Kai's classmate.
Ordering, Kakashi sat right next to Kai—his eyes darting to glance at him, curiosity flickering deep within.
For this Uchiha with the flame fan crest, Kakashi had no personal impression.
But everyone in Hidden Leaf Village, even the entire shinobi world, knew that crest.
And what struck Kakashi as odd was—
Weren't most Uchiha notoriously arrogant, carrying themselves as if above everyone else?
Yet the one before him… seemed nothing like that.
Strange indeed.
Besides Obito, who constantly pestered him every day, Kakashi had never thought he'd run into another such oddball Uchiha.
Meanwhile—
As Kakashi observed him, Kai was also quietly watching Kakashi.
Running into him here wasn't what Kai had expected.
But thinking about it, it wasn't strange. Anyone of note in the original series had a habit of dropping by Ichiraku.
Even so, Kai had no intention of interacting.
He simply kept chatting with Ayame while tucking into his ramen.
After all, they weren't close.
And Kai only wanted to lie low. Now that his so-called system had awakened, and it was a useless "Lie Flat & Slack Off" system, he had even less interest in dealing with key plot characters.
Because that meant trouble!
"Uncle Teuchi, Ayame—thanks for the meal. I'll be heading home."
Finishing up, he stood, stretched lazily, and walked out of the shop.
On the other side, Kakashi kept eating—though his mind was still running circles around the strange Uchiha he'd just seen.
"Kakashi, why aren't you eating?"
"Don't tell me today's ramen isn't good enough?"
Arms crossed, Ayame glared at him, visibly unhappy.
Clearly, if Kakashi didn't give her an explanation, she'd blow her top.
Awkwardly, Kakashi forced a smile, hurriedly wolfed down some noodles, apologized, and then asked about Uchiha Kai.
Ayame didn't hold back.
"Oh, you mean Kai-kun!"
"He's definitely not your typical Uchiha. He's been coming here seven or eight years already—one of our most loyal regulars."
"Kai-kun is always polite and gentle when he speaks. He's really a good person."
"..."
Hearing this, Kakashi's expression relaxed slightly.
Truth be told, when he'd first seen Kai, his instinct was to assume the boy was trying to approach him deliberately.
Because of his teacher—Namikaze Minato.
Ordinary people might not know, but Kakashi understood well that his sensei was a strong contender for the position of Fourth Hokage.
And the Uchiha clan's issues… Kakashi was very aware.
So upon seeing Kai, his first thought was: was this guy trying to use him as a way to get closer to his teacher?
But Ayame's words had dispelled those doubts.
Seven or eight years as a consistent customer—clearly he wasn't here for some scheme.
Thinking that, Kakashi shook his head.
"What a strange Uchiha…"