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Hakuju sat up straight, watching his teacher introduce himself on the podium.
"My name is Satō Kamoku," the man said with a light cough, his gaze sweeping over the little sprouts below. "Starting today, I will be your teacher."
A sparse smattering of applause rose from the children. The little sprouts weren't the least bit interested in Satō Kamoku.
In stark contrast, Hakuju wore a brilliant smile, clapping gently.
Satō was nearly moved to tears.
Truly, the Hakuju in their class… was like an angel!
If Hakuju chose to target Satō Kamoku, he'd definitely hear the Affinity counter dinging its way upward.
"Teacher! Teach us ninjutsu!"
"Yeah! Teach us ninjutsu!"
"Come on, teacher! Show us some moves!"
"Fire Style! I want to learn Fire Style!"
"You don't know anything! Lightning Style is the strongest!"
"Bullshit! You're completely ignoring Wind Style!"
"Who are you calling bullshit?"
"You! I'm talking about you!"
The little sprouts who had just entered the Ninja Academy craved flashy, impressive ninjutsu far more than they did any foundational knowledge of the shinobi world.
Satō Kamoku understood perfectly. Understanding was one thing. Handling so many kids shouting over each other—now nearly coming to blows—was another.
Besides, Satō himself was only a Chunin. He hadn't mastered that many ninjutsu himself. How was he supposed to teach them?
"Hmph." Sarutobi Aoki sat next to Hakuju. Thinking he was being subtle, but actually being incredibly obvious, he shot a glance at Hakuju and said with great gravitas, "Such brats! All they know is how to shout! They have no respect for Teacher Saki at all!"
Hakuju liked polite children. His performance should win Hakuju's favor, right?
Hakuju felt the urge to facepalm. In front of a thespian of his caliber, Aoki's acting skills were… lacking.
Also, the man's name was Satō Kamoku!
He still smiled in response. "Sarutobi-kun is right. But I think everyone is just excited because it's the first day of school."
He paused, looking at Aoki seriously. "Also, Sarutobi-kun… our teacher's family name is Satō, not Saki. But I'm sure you didn't get the teacher's name wrong on purpose!"
Two giant hearts seemed to burst from Aoki's eyes. He turned his head away, two clear trails of tears streaming from the corners.
Why… why was Hakuju always so understanding?
Sniff… He was so touched!
He really wanted to marry Hakuju and take him home right this instant.
Satō Kamoku finally managed to calm down the rowdy little sprouts. He let out a long sigh.
"Alright. Before we begin formal lessons, we need to do self-introductions."
Here it was. The part Hakuju had hated most in his past life.
At least he was a child now. He didn't have the crippling social anxiety of his previous incarnation.
Some things were truly universal. Self-introductions were an inescapable ritual no matter where you went.
"First up, Sarutobi Aoki!"
Aoki was a purebred social terror. He strode up to the lectern with a swagger, chest puffed out. He scanned the little sprouts below like a king surveying his subjects, his gaze haughty. He thumped his chest.
"My name is Sarutobi Aoki! A future shinobi destined to be renowned across the ninja world! I hate Uchiha Juri the most, and anyone else who tries to steal Hakuju from me! My favorite…"
Aoki's face suddenly flushed bright red. He shot a shy, bashful glance at Hakuju, then coyly bit off the rest of his sentence.
Hakuju: "…"
He had never been this speechless in his entire life.
"Uh."
Clearly, Satō Kamoku's speechlessness level wasn't much lower. He clapped stiffly. "Good, good. Well said! Next, Uchiha Shisui!"
Aoki jolted. He wasn't finished!
This Saki-sensei, really!
Aoki stomped off the podium, glaring fiercely at Uchiha Shisui as he passed.
Uchiha Shisui: "?"
"Hakuju," Aoki immediately leaned in, a shameless grin on his face. "Do you… do you understand my feelings for you now?"
Hakuju paused. He tilted his head slightly, offering a flawless, impeccable smile. "Of course I do! Sarutobi-kun wants to be my bosom friend for life!"
Aoki's eyeballs and jaw nearly hit the floor together.
Bosom friend for life?! What the hell!
Who wanted to be Hakuju's bosom friend?!
He wanted to be Hakuju's… for life!
"You… you don't want to be my friend, Sarutobi-kun?"
Hakuju took in Aoki's reaction. A wounded, disappointed expression appeared on his face.
The moment Aoki saw Hakuju's disappointment, his mouth moved faster than his brain. "Of course not! I absolutely want to be your bosom friend for life, Hakuju!"
Hearing his own words, Aoki wanted to slap himself. Why had he said that? How did it become 'bosom friend'?
Hakuju nodded, satisfied. "I want to be your friend too, Aoki!"
Seeing the bright, shining light in Hakuju's eyes, Aoki swallowed any explanation he might have given.
Bosom friend… fine. Bosom friend it was.
Wahhhhh…
His heart was breaking!
Aoki's gaze at Hakuju was now filled with the sorrow of unrequited love.
"My name is Uchiha Shisui. I am from the Uchiha clan. I hope we can all get along well."
Shisui's standard, by-the-book introduction made Satō Kamoku heave a huge sigh of relief.
"Wow! Shisui-kun is so cool!"
"Yeah!"
"Hmph! What's so cool about Uchiha Shisui?"
Similar chatter drifted into Hakuju's ears. He had long since developed an automatic immune system.
It was common knowledge. Kids in the world of Naruto matured… exceptionally early.
"Next, Uchiha Juri!"
The classroom fell silent.
"Hm?"
Satō looked up from the roster. "Uchiha Juri!" he called again.
Still, no one answered.
"Sensei," Hakuju stood up from his seat, his face etched with concern. "Juri-kun ran out earlier. Should I go look for him?"
Satō Kamoku didn't know what had happened earlier. Seeing Hakuju being so helpful, he couldn't help but give a kind smile.
"Then…"
"NO!"
Before Satō could finish, Aoki slammed his desk and shot to his feet.
"Sarutobi-kun, is there something you need?" Satō forced a smile, his fists already itching.
This kid's last name is Sarutobi, he chanted to himself. This kid's last name is Sarutobi…
"You can't let Hakuju go find Uchiha Juri! That Uchiha guy will bully Hakuju!"
Aoki declared righteously. How could he stand by and watch his beloved Hakuju get bullied by that Uchiha?
"Oh?"
Satō's gaze slid between Aoki and Hakuju. So something had happened earlier that he didn't know about.
"Then, Shisui, you go find him," Satō said, looking at Shisui.
Shisui nodded.
"Sensei, I'll go too!"
Hakuju wore a look of guilt. "After all, it's because of me that Juri-kun…"
His trailing words invited wild speculation.
Immediately, someone couldn't stand it and jumped to Hakuju's defense.
"Hakuju! It was clearly Uchiha Juri's fault! Don't feel guilty!"
"Yeah! Uchiha Juri went too far!"
"How can Hakuju-kun be so kind?"
In an instant, a verbal firing squad targeting Uchiha Juri had assembled.
"Everyone, please don't say that…" Hakuju murmured softly.
His fair, soft face was like a cloud in the sky.
It melted everyone's hearts.
From the chatter of these cubs, Satō Kamoku pieced together the gist of what happened. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Did the orphanage that raised a kid like Hakuju have any more? He wanted to adopt one too!
"Sensei, I'll go with Shisui!"
Perfect chance to raise Shisui's Affinity in private!
Hakuju looked pleadingly at Satō Kamoku.
Satō Kamoku couldn't refuse at all!
"Then… alright then," Satō coughed lightly, instructing Uchiha Shisui. "Shisui, you're a man. You must protect Hakuju-kun!"
Uchiha Shisui glanced at Hakuju and nodded.
Though he had a feeling Hakuju might not need his protection.
Watching the retreating backs of Hakuju and Uchiha Shisui walking side-by-side, Sarutobi Aoki ground his teeth viciously.
Damn Uchiha!
He actually managed to get alone time with Hakuju!
On the other side, Hakuju and Shisui walked shoulder-to-shoulder.
A breeze brushed the treetops, bringing waves of coolness.
Cicadas hummed. The sun was blinding.
"Hakuju," Shisui hesitated for a long moment before finally asking, "How did you move that fast?"
He knew the question was rude. But he couldn't suppress the doubt in his heart.
As a member of the Uchiha clan, their ninja training started earlier than most children's.
Uchiha Shisui bore the title of the Uchiha clan's genius. He was always a top performer within the family.
Besides talent, he also trained exceptionally hard.
That's why Hakuju's speed made no sense to him.
It simply wasn't a speed someone their age should possess.
"If it's some kind of secret technique, I apologize for my rudeness!" Shisui said to Hakuju seriously.
His dark eyes held genuine apology.
Uchiha Shisui was truly an anomaly among the Uchiha. The clan's typical arrogance wasn't evident in him. Instead, he radiated humility.
"It should be considered my Kekkei Genkai," Hakuju said, not feeling the least bit offended. His smile remained.
The Six Eyes probably counted as a Kekkei Genkai. And Limitless, which required the Six Eyes as a prerequisite, was likely a built-in skill of that bloodline.
"Kekkei Genkai?" Shisui was surprised.
Kekkei Genkai were coveted special abilities in the ninja world. Those who possessed them also had a much higher ceiling than ordinary shinobi.
"Yes," Hakuju nodded.
His Six Eyes had already pinpointed Uchiha Juri's location.
Right now, Uchiha Juri, eyes rimmed red, was hiding behind a large tree, peeking at Hakuju and Shisui.
Hakuju didn't hesitate. He walked straight towards Juri's hiding spot.
"You!" Juri gritted his teeth, glaring at Hakuju, his eyes blazing.
"Juri, come back with us. Sensei is looking for you," Shisui stepped forward to reason with him.
Juri didn't even glance at Shisui. His slightly swollen eyes were fixed hatefully on Hakuju.
Seeing there weren't many people around, Hakuju felt an itch to… let loose a little.
"You little bitch."
"Stop it!" The Alluring Conquest System's voice was unusually sharp.
"Hakuju-kun… what did you just say?" Shisui wondered if he was hearing things.
There was no way Hakuju-kun would swear.
But…
Hakuju gave a sweet smile. "I just saw a little puppy."
"I… Is that so?" Shisui looked at the empty, dog-less playground.
He must have imagined it. Hakuju-kun would never swear.
Hakuju nodded. "Of course! I'm not very good at lying."
After saying this, he lowered his head shyly.
A warm, genuine smile spread across Shisui's face. "That's a good thing. Being unable to lie is a fine quality."
"Mhm!" Hakuju agreed with a nod, a shy blush coloring his little cheeks.
Did it come out? Hakuju asked the system in his mind.
"What?" The system didn't understand his question.
Did I successfully blush? Hakuju clarified.
After all, being able to blush on command was a standard skill for pure, kind-hearted beauties.
"…" The system paused for two seconds. "Yes. Blush achieved."
"Juri-kun, please come back with us. I'll ask sensei to go easy on you for today's… discourtesy," Hakuju's sincerity was overflowing.
Listening nearby, Shisui felt something was off, but couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"I'm not going back!" Juri snapped his head away viciously, sneering at Hakuju's words.
The Uchiha's infamous stubbornness was on full display.
Shisui frowned, urging again. "Are you saying you won't go to school anymore? It's better to come back with us. No one is taking today's incident to heart."
Even though he disliked Juri's attitude, Shisui, being more mature mentally, couldn't just stand by and do nothing for a fellow clansman.
"Who cares about school!" Juri refused to back down. Looking at Shisui, he blurted out without thinking, "The Uchiha clan's techniques are way better than anything they teach at the Ninja Academy anyway!"
Shisui's pupils constricted. He couldn't help but look at Hakuju.
Hakuju was also taken aback, sighing inwardly at the sheer brainlessness of this brat.
"Shisui-kun, I'll pretend I didn't hear what was said today," Hakuju said obediently, nodding at Uchiha Shisui.
He understood Shisui's wariness.
Compared to Juri and Shisui, he was an outsider.
If words like that got out, the Uchiha's reputation would take another nosedive. The higher-ups would view the clan with even greater displeasure.
The reason Uchiha Shisui was crowned a genius wasn't just his shinobi talent. It was also his sensitivity to these kinds of political undercurrents.
[Ding! Affinity with Uchiha Shisui is now 35!]
Tsk.
He was helping them keep their little secret, and the Affinity only went up that much?
Still, every little bit counted. You couldn't rush these targets.
Hakuju sighed internally. He turned to Shisui with an understanding expression. "Shisui, I'll head back first. Juri is in your hands."
Uchiha Shisui understood Hakuju was giving him and Juri space to talk privately. He couldn't help but feel grateful. "Thank you, Hakuju."
Hakuju shook his head, then turned and left.
The next second, the system's prompt sounded.
[Ding! Affinity with Uchiha Shisui is now 36!]
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