Rihito quickly found something to do.
He discovered the ninja academy's library.
Most people assumed the library was for students. In reality, it wasn't. Kids between six and twelve rarely had the patience to sit and read. The library primarily served teachers for self-study and research, it wasn't open to students.
But that was no obstacle for Rihito.
With just a casual request to Teacher Sato, he gained access to the entire library.
After all, in just a single month, his academic prodigy image had become unshakable. And as we all know, straight-A students can get away with anything.
The library had been part of the academy since its founding by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. Most of the books inside were his personal collection. Though filtered before being made public, many of Tobirama's "fingerprints" still remained.
Titles like:
Just reading a few pages, Rihito felt like he could already see Tobirama in a dimly lit lab, performing human experiments on an unnamed ninja with glowing red eyes, clearly a Sharingan user.
The topics were wide-ranging, but the majority were focused on biology and medical research. He even found early prototypes of the body modification techniques that would later be perfected by Orochimaru.
Rihito decided to read everything. Something told him that whether it was Tsunade, Orochimaru, or Hiruko, all their future achievements would stem from the knowledge buried in this library.
Back when he had nothing to do, Rihito would still play the occasional kiddie ninja game with his classmates. But once he found purpose, he refused to waste another second on meaningless fun.
Which led to one unfortunate side effect, Tsunade started to panic.
Because let's be honest, who hasn't felt this:
Everyone else is playing, but your desk partner is over there quietly reading medical theory?
How are you supposed to keep having fun?!
So Tsunade, in a mild panic, also picked up books on biomedical research to keep up.
Hiruko, not wanting to be left behind, requested access to the library as well.
Teacher Sato was absolutely delighted by this turn of events. As someone responsible for teaching not just Rihito's class but two others, he couldn't help comparing. And the more he saw Rihito, Tsunade, and Hiruko, the more frustrated he became with the rest.
He began using them as constant examples:
"Look at Princess Tsunade from Class 1-A. She's working hard every day!"
"Rihito Sato is chasing his dream of becoming Hokage. What are your goals?"
"Hiruko came from a civilian family. He's under tremendous pressure, yet he hasn't given up. So why should you?"
It wasn't long before the three of them became known as "those other kids", a model trio that every other student was passive-aggressively compared to. Before they knew it, they were being subtly isolated by their classmates, and even some upper years.
Hiruko was the first to notice things going sour. He adjusted his strategy, burning the midnight oil alone at night, but during the day, blending in and socializing as usual.
Only Tsunade and Rihito remained unbothered, continuing to do their own thing without the slightest concern for others' opinions.
No one dared to mess with Tsunade, the Senju clan's princess. So naturally, all the resentment funneled toward Rihito.
But he didn't care. In fact, he welcomed it.
Increased mentions from classmates, teachers, and even parents meant more reputation points. He was absolutely thriving.
And truthfully, what kind of trouble could a bunch of six-year-olds cause? He was actually kind of curious.
So, one day, after using the restroom, Rihito found himself surrounded by four kids outside the door.
He glanced around and spotted a familiar face.
"207. What's the meaning of this?" he asked flatly.
"207" immediately snapped.
"Rihito Sato! Don't think I didn't notice! We've been in the same class for weeks and you can't even remember my name?! All you ever care about is grades! That's seriously rude!"
"Oh, sorry. I only remember your rank in the monthly test. If you weren't in the top five… there's no real need to remember your name."
Rihito shrugged, looking completely innocent.
Of course, he did remember the guy's name. But he said that on purpose, just to stir hatred and maximize Reputation farming.
After all, among all human emotions, hatred lasts the longest.
Love might fade in a few years.
But hatred? That can last a lifetime.
If someone hates you, they think about you.
If they think about you, they mention your name.
If they mention your name… that's Reputation income.
Simple math.
207 was shaking with rage. He pointed at Rihito and screamed, "GET HIM!"
His three lackeys charged at once. Typical kid fighting, no technique, just flailing fists.
Rihito instantly drop-kicked the center one into the wall, then slapped the other two across the face, one for each side. Both burst into tears on the spot.
The last kid, lying on the ground, hesitated. He wanted to get up and keep fighting, but also didn't want to get slapped.
After a brief moment of soul-searching, he clutched his stomach and started groaning, pretending to be severely wounded.
Seeing all his backup defeated in under ten seconds, 207 froze.
Rihito calmly walked forward.
207 backed up step by step… until he hit the wall.
Rihito leaned in, raised his hand fast,
And then simply scratched his own head.
207 flinched, shut his eyes, and screamed, bursting into tears.
"Tch. Lame."
Rihito strolled past him, hands behind his back, stopped at the sink, washed his hands, and left the bathroom without a care in the world.
They say shinobi kids mature quickly, but honestly? He wasn't seeing it.
When he returned to class, Hiruko leaned over.
"Rihito… I heard something. They said someone was going to ambush you in the bathroom. Be careful."
Rihito gave him a brilliant smile. "You're a little late. I already dealt with it."
Hiruko blinked, then quietly gave him a thumbs-up. "...Respect."
In the world of boys, "Respect" is the highest possible compliment.
Rihito felt like he'd just downed an ice cream cone on a blazing summer day,
Two words: pure bliss.
Tsunade glanced over at them, then silently turned her attention back to the book in her hands. The deeper she delved into biomedical texts, the more obsessed she became. She hadn't even had time to play cards with Grandma Mito lately.
Rihito smirked and also turned back to his book.
Hiruko, sitting beside them, suddenly looked anxious.
Studying only at night doesn't cut it.
Studying night and day together... really is the most efficient.
<150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter>