When he finally woke up, it was already the next morning.
As soon as Gisei Shiraishi opened his eyes, he felt weak all over. He hurriedly pulled open his shirt to check his chest; the bite mark from the larva had already faded into a small scar.
He slumped back onto the bed, looking for all the world like a cat that had just been neutered.
If he could turn back time, Gisei would absolutely refuse to learn any "secret technique." He had been a perfectly fine, normal person, and now, just because someone said so, he had a worm living inside him.
He got dressed and climbed out of bed, only to run into his "beloved" uncle the moment he opened the door.
He wanted to say something tough, maybe throw a few harsh words, but unfortunately, his uncle reached out and grabbed him by the ear first.
"Were you planning to curse at me in your head last night?"
"Ouch... pain... let go! Eisawa Shiraishi, I'm not done with you! You lied to me about some clan secret technique, and it turned out to be putting a worm inside my body. Are you even human?!"
"The inheritance of the clan's secret technique is just like this. Are you a man or not? You couldn't even bear a little pain and ended up fainting. If this were the past, you would have become the laughingstock of the clan and been mocked for a lifetime."
"Don't talk to me about clans. What kind of 'clan' is a family of two people?"
Immediately after saying it, Gisei regretted it a little. He didn't care about the clan, but his uncle cared quite a lot.
Strangely, Eisawa didn't have a big reaction to the insult. Instead, he just smiled and let go of Gisei's ear.
"Indeed, a family of two can hardly be considered a clan anymore. But there's still you, isn't there? When you grow up, work hard and have a few more children, and you'll be able to revitalize the clan in no time."
Gisei was shocked and looked at him in surprise. It was only then that he realized his uncle was wearing the formal clan ceremonial robes—garb that, in the past, was only worn during important clan meetings.
It was a very flashy set of clothes, colorful and decorated with several butterfly motifs. The whole look seemed quite effeminate.
Eisawa held another set in his hands; it was self-evident who that one was for.
"I will absolutely not wear those clothes. This is my one request in life, Uncle Eisawa."
"Is that so? Well, actually, we could always raise a few more worms in you. Let me tell you..."
Before Eisawa could finish his threat, Gisei grabbed the clothes, bowed deeply, and said, "Please, you must let me wear them. This is the glory of the clan, and my honor as well."
Some people say "no" with their mouths, but once they actually put the clothes on, their honest reaction is: Damn, I look good.
Back in his room, Gisei looked in the mirror, pulling at his hair and muttering, "I can't keep long hair in the future, otherwise I really will be mistaken for a girl."
Still, Gisei was quite satisfied with his appearance. It was much better than his previous life—a proper "protagonist-standard" face.
Hmm, but how does one go from being an extra to a protagonist? This was a question worth pondering.
When he changed his clothes and came out, Eisawa was already waiting for him at the dining table. Gisei felt it was a bit strange; his uncle was acting like a real, responsible guardian today.
"What day is it that we have to wear these clothes? And you actually cooked and waited for me to eat together?"
"Did you forget that today is the entrance ceremony?"
"...Alright. But what does that have to do with you? I can go to the entrance ceremony by myself."
"According to custom, a parent needs to accompany the child."
Does Konoha actually have such a custom?
He had been in this world for too long and had forgotten many details, and he didn't really have any friends to ask. There were some children who wanted to play with him, but his noble soul didn't allow him to participate in their low-level, childish games.
After eating, Eisawa took a bottle of pills from his chest pocket and tossed it to him. "From now on, take one after every meal."
"What kind of medicine is this? What does it do?"
"Clan secret medicine. It's for pain relief."
"I don't feel any pain, why do I need to take this?"
Eisawa made a strange expression, smiling with narrowed eyes. "You need to eat, don't you think it needs to eat too?"
Gisei looked around the room. It was just the two of them. Where were the "others"?
His uncle pointed a finger at Gisei's chest.
Gisei gasped, sucking in a breath of cold air. "It needs to eat too? Eat my flesh and blood?"
"It eats your chakra. If your chakra isn't enough, it will start eating your flesh and blood. You don't want it to turn into a dead worm inside your body, do you?"
Putting the pill in his mouth, a strange taste dissolved on his tongue.
Gisei's face turned pale. "Do I have to live on this medicine for the rest of my life?"
"Not for a lifetime. At most, two or three years. Once it turns into a pupa, you won't need to take it anymore."
"After it becomes a pupa, will it turn into a butterfly?"
Eisawa didn't answer the question. He simply stood up and said, "It's getting late, we should head out."
On the way to the Ninja Academy, Eisawa held his hand and walked in silence, not saying a word, seemingly lost in thought.
Gisei wanted to ask some questions about the clan's secret technique, but the streets were crowded with people, so he could only swallow his questions back into his stomach.
When they arrived at the school, the newly enrolled children were lined up in neat rows, waiting for the arrival of the village head, the Third Hokage.
Eisawa let go of his hand, signaling him to get in line, and turned to walk into the crowd of parents.
Finding a random spot to stand, Gisei began to look around, hoping to see any familiar faces, but the result was disappointing.
This was normal, he supposed. There were only a few truly famous ninjas in Konoha, and with so many students enrolling in the Academy every year, it would actually be more surprising if he ran into one right away.
Students continued to arrive one after another. After waiting for nearly half an hour, the Third Hokage finally arrived—late.
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't come alone; a group of officials followed behind him.
Gisei only recognized Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, the two high-ranking Konoha advisors. He didn't know any of the others.
High-level cannon fodder, Gisei thought, observing a moment of silence for them in his heart.
As for Danzo, the ninja who would later bear the title "Darkness of Shinobi," his nature was incompatible with such open and bright occasions, so he definitely wouldn't appear in a place like this.
On the platform, the Third began to deliver the most important "Will of Fire" speech of Konoha village.
Gisei listened drowsily, secretly complaining in his heart about how even the young Third Hokage was so long-winded. Public morals were truly declining.
Just as Gisei was about to fall asleep, there was suddenly a strange commotion at the back of the line.
When he looked back, a boy with spiky white hair had already run up to him and extended a hand. "First time meeting, I'm Jiraiya. Please take care of me."
Gisei was very confused. Even when he saw it was Jiraiya, he didn't react immediately. Even when Jiraiya extended his hand, he still hadn't figured out the situation.
He was surprised that the Konoha Sannin were in the same year as him, but even more surprising was the situation unfolding in front of him. What was going on?
Pointing at himself, Gisei opened his mouth to speak, but then he suddenly realized what was happening, and he nearly exploded with anger.
Today was an important day, and thanks to his "good" uncle, he was wearing a gaudy, effeminate outfit.
So... is this the reason you, Jiraiya, blatantly ran over to hit on me?
You even openly extended your wandering hand?
For a moment, the entrance ceremony went quiet because of Jiraiya's stunt.
On the platform, the Third didn't get angry at Jiraiya's reckless behavior. Instead, he said with a chuckle, "That outfit... it must be a child from the Butterfly User Clan. What a pretty little girl."
Homura Mitokado nodded in agreement, but Koharu Utatane said grumpily, "That is a boy."
The two old men began to cough violently to cover their embarrassment.
What to do? Gisei's brain spun rapidly, but he couldn't think of a single solution. He wanted to speak but didn't dare to open his mouth.
If he spoke, his identity as a male would definitely be exposed completely.
Although being mistaken for a girl was annoying, it was better than being treated as a freak. A boy dressed like a girl—if he spoke up, his name would probably spread throughout Konoha in less than a day, and the clan would become a laughingstock along with him.
Use force? Leaving aside whether he could win, this occasion was just wrong for it. Getting into a big fight at the entrance ceremony probably wouldn't end well.
His small face turned bright red, but to the bystanders, it just looked like shyness.
Unable to think of a solution, he could only glare fiercely at Jiraiya with a look full of killing intent. Then, he slapped Jiraiya's hand away and looked up at the Third on the platform without saying a word.
The Third coughed lightly, and soon a school teacher came out to maintain order, taking Jiraiya to the back of the line to criticize and educate him.
With Jiraiya's scene interrupting the flow, the Third didn't have much mood to continue speaking. After perfunctorily saying a couple of sentences, the entrance ceremony—which was incredibly awkward for Gisei—was declared over.
Next was the class division. He was assigned to Year 1, Class A, and the teacher told him to go to the classroom and wait for the homeroom teacher.
Finding the classroom and pushing the door open, the moment he entered, that detestable face appeared before his eyes.
"So we were assigned to the same class! Introducing myself again, I am Jiraiya. Please take care of me from now on."
Jiraiya extended his wandering hand toward him again.
Gisei's face instantly darkened. He scanned the situation in the classroom, and seeing there weren't many people yet, he finally reached out to shake hands with Jiraiya.
When their hands clasped together, Gisei pulled with a little force. Jiraiya didn't react—or perhaps he simply didn't want to resist—and was pulled right into Gisei's embrace.
Leaning into Jiraiya's ear, Gisei deliberately spoke in a raspy voice that had a strong Orochimaru vibe: "Gisei Shiraishi. Please take care of me from now on."
Hearing this voice for the first time, Jiraiya shuddered, then shouted loudly, "A guy?!"
Laughter instantly erupted in the classroom. Gisei's face turned green. Not wanting to tangle with the idiot anymore, he found a seat by the window and sat down.
Even after he sat down, Jiraiya still couldn't believe it. It took him a good while to calm down.
It wasn't quiet for long before Jiraiya couldn't sit still again. He lay on the windowsill, eagerly watching the corridor. Whenever a girl passed by, he immediately ran to the door and stood at attention, preparing his "first meeting" gift.
After repeating this a few times, he actually managed to take quite a few liberties with the girls. Gisei was quite speechless and whispered, "Truly an idiot."
Another girl pushed the door open and entered. This girl was named Tsunade Senju.
Jiraiya extended his wandering hand according to custom, but halfway through, he turned his head to glance at Gisei.
He suddenly discovered that the girl in front of him actually looked similar to Gisei in some places.
His brain short-circuited, and for some reason, he blurted out, "Are you a guy too?"
Tsunade, who had originally extended her hand prepared to shake with Jiraiya, instantly changed her palm into a fist and smashed it ruthlessly onto Jiraiya's forehead.
The world was quiet.