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The girl could only clench her fists. There was nothing she could do.
"It's okay, Rika," one of the boys said as he pulled her away while she struggled.
"Boss, what affinity did you get?" asked a boy who was noticeably fatter than the rest.
Yuta locked eyes with him, then slowly scanned everyone present, from the fat boy to the one wearing glasses, and finally the other two boys.
"Shota, you should have told the Boss yours first before asking," said the boy with glasses. "Now you've made him angry." His name was Jun.
"S sorry, Boss. I'm sorry," Shota said quickly, bowing his head repeatedly in apology.
"I, Jun, have a lightning affinity."
"I, Shota, have a fire affinity."
"I, Akira, have a fire affinity."
"I, Taro, have a fire affinity."
"I I, Rika… I don't have any affinity," she said quietly, her voice filled with shame.
Yuta stepped forward and gently patted her head. He did this for two reasons: to stop her from feeling inferior, and to ensure he did not become arrogant like the other civilians.
"I, Yuta, have all five affinities."
"What?"
No one had expected that answer. Five affinities out of five. Still, they were not entirely surprised. Everyone already knew Yuta was a monster in human form, even if he was lazy.
"Are you doubting me?" Yuta asked, narrowing his eyes.
"No, no."
"How could we doubt you, Boss?"
"We were told by the examiner that only the newly crowned Hokage and one of his students possess all five affinities," Shota said. The others nodded in agreement.
"Having five affinities means nothing," Jun added. "You can't master all of them. It's better to focus on two and become an expert rather than stuffing your head with everything and getting confused in battle."
Yuta said nothing. He simply put his hands into his pockets and walked toward the shade of a tree.
"Boss, I'll be resuming at the academy soon," Jun said, adjusting his glasses. "My father insists. Are you going too?"
Yuta stared at Jun, memories resurfacing.
Before Naruto, there was Shisui. Before Shisui, there was Obito. And before Obito, there was Jun, the anomaly of the Uchiha clan.
Jun had been the first to try to stop Shota and the other boys from bullying Rika. For his effort, he had been beaten badly.
Yuta's arrival that day had been pure coincidence. Akira had been trying to intimidate Jun when Yuta appeared. Seeing Rika nearby, Yuta decided to teach the three boys a lesson. The next day, Jun was the first to visit him, thanking him and begging to become his student. Soon after, the other boys arrived, still wrapped in bandages, bowing and pleading for Yuta to become their boss.
Yuta never believed he needed subordinates. However, his father and grandfather strongly disagreed. His grandfather had even threatened to cut off Yuta's meat supply if he turned the boys away, especially Jun.
The old man claimed that having people around him would be beneficial and that refusing would lead to Yuta's death. Yuta had been speechless at his grandfather's dramatic words, which essentially meant, "Accept them or die."
In the end, Yuta agreed. Jun became his second in command, and that was how the four boys came together.
Rika was not officially part of the group, but she was allowed to stay with them because her father was a chunin-ranked shinobi. To avoid suspicion, Yuta allowed one girl to remain with them.
Since then, Yuta had provided them with money and food. The Uchiha clan was struggling financially due to the ongoing Second Shinobi War, and resources were stretched thin.
In return, the boys brought Yuta information. Shota's father and Akira's father were members of the Hawks, while Taro's, Jun's, and Yuta's fathers belonged to the Doves.
"I'm also being forced to attend the academy," Yuta said. "So I suppose we'll be seeing each other there."
"Boss, where are we going today?" Jun asked. The others turned to Yuta expectantly.
"We're going to get some materials from the clan blacksmith store," Yuta replied.
"Boss, we were warned not to go there anymore," Jun said nervously. "Every time we visit, a bag of kunai goes missing, or an entire batch of small shuriken disappears."
"Oh. Wow," Yuta said, pretending to be shocked.
He was the culprit.
Whenever no one was watching, he would simply place his hand on a sack and the contents would vanish into his inventory. When Jun was present, Shota and Akira served as distractions. Yuta would cast a genjutsu on them so they never noticed what was happening. Even the officer who once tried to place Yuta under genjutsu was already trapped in one.
There were no cameras, and every search found Yuta empty-handed. He always left fully loaded.
All the stolen equipment was used by the four boys. Rika only watched and practiced throwing shuriken. The tools were single-use items, and none of them questioned where they came from.
Among the boys, Jun was the most talented. From shuriken accuracy to tactical thinking, he stood above the others.
Yuta gave Jun a sharp look that clearly said enough.
They left Yuta's house and headed toward the clan blacksmith store.
Along the way, Yuta observed the clan. Some people laughed. Others greeted one another warmly. Children played freely.
Who would have thought that these smiling people, who greeted elders and played with children, would one day leave the clan territory, promising to return, only to never come back? Yuta thought to himself. He remembered how their attitudes later shifted toward civilians.
It was what it was.
As they neared the store, Yuta suddenly tossed Rika a jacket with the Uchiha crest on the back.
"Put it on," he said.
She blinked in surprise. She hadn't even noticed him move behind her.
"Why should I wear your clan's clothes?" Rika asked. Every time she tried to associate herself with the Uchiha, Yuta usually refused.
Yuta remained silent, but Jun stepped in to explain.
"The guards at the entrance know all five of us except Rika," Jun said. "This is private Uchiha property. Even we technically shouldn't be here. As a civilian, she wouldn't be allowed in without the crest."
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