"Big houses belong to others."
"The one I live in was left behind by my parents when they died."
Motomu's tone was calm, as if he were simply talking about what he had for breakfast.
"A grandma from the clan is kind-hearted and invites me over for a meal every now and then. Otherwise, I would have starved to death."
Acting, huh?
As a 'naturally evil' Uchiha brat, I'm a pro at this.
Total lockdown; I won't give her a single opening!
If Motomu were to grade this performance...
It would be at least a nine out of ten, with the last point withheld to keep himself humble.
Little Anko looked at Motomu with her bright, crystal-clear eyes. Her small mouth parted slightly as if she wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out.
She reached out with a thin hand and carefully tugged on Motomu's sleeve, her voice sounding muffled.
"I... I didn't mean to bring that up."
"I'm just like you."
"It's fine. You get used to it after a while."
"Being alone... it's actually not that bad..."
Hearing Anko's words, Motomu felt a momentary surge of shock.
'Is Orochimaru really this bad?'
'He's raising an apprentice with a total hands-off approach!'
'She's even talking about being alone. Just how irresponsible is he?'
"Look, those two kids are so pitiful."
"Yeah, maybe their parents were war heroes who sacrificed themselves to protect Konoha!"
"Mhm, looking at them, they must be heading to the Ninja Academy, right?"
"It's so dangerous to be a ninja..."
Seeing the villagers looking over, Motomu's face flushed with embarrassment. He felt incredibly awkward; he hadn't expected the people of Konoha to be so sentimental.
If Obito saw this...
His image as a serious older brother would collapse instantly!
At the thought of the constipated expression Obito would make, he couldn't help but shudder.
'I need to get out of here fast.'
Motomu didn't respond to Anko.
He pretended to stare at the wall clock in the dango shop for a moment before looking down at Anko's hand, which was still gripping his sleeve.
Her nails were clipped very short, and there were scars on her slender knuckles from practicing shuriken throwing.
She didn't look like a girl her age should, at least not by the standards of his previous life.
He reached out and gave her hand a squeeze.
It didn't feel great; she was too thin, lacking the chubby, collagen-rich feel a child should have.
'Tsk, she really is kind of pitiful.'
"Let's go, Anko. We're going to be late."
Motomu didn't let go, quickening his pace.
"Okay."
Anko replied softly and broke into a light jog to keep up with him.
...
"Youth is truly wonderful!"
"Don't you agree, old man?"
Just as Motomu was pulling Anko toward the school gates...
Not far away.
Sunlight slanted through the glass of the Hokage's office, illuminating four ninjas of varying temperaments standing within.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, clad in the Third Hokage's robes, took a puff from his pipe.
He ignored Jiraiya and turned his gaze toward the man whose body was half-hidden in the shadows.
"Beyond their missions, ninjas are people with emotions too."
"Orochimaru, I hope you can find a suitable apprentice, just like Jiraiya."
As he finished speaking, the air seemed to grow still.
A few moments later, a raspy voice broke the silence.
"How boring. But since you're the one asking, I understand."
...
"Yo! Kakashi! Accept my challenge!"
A green figure darted past, his eyes fixed on another white-haired boy.
"Thank you."
Uchiha Motomu hurriedly accepted his enrollment documents and turned to leave immediately, fearing that if he were a second too slow, he might be challenged by that green-spandex-clad bowl-cut.
The Mysterious Duel Man was just too intense!
Perhaps it was because Might Guy's win-loss record against him was so lopsided, but every time Guy challenged him, he would shout the score at the top of his lungs.
30 to 1. That was the score between Guy and Motomu.
Although Motomu only had one point, in a certain sense, that single victory had been absolute.
"Oh, Motomu, you're in Class 1."
Anko looked at the Class 2 printed on her own documents, a flash of disappointment crossing her small face.
"Yeah, it's right next door. We can still hang out after class."
Motomu replied casually, his gaze shifting back toward the path ahead.
The Academy corridor wasn't very large. The light reflected off the white walls, making the interior exceptionally bright.
The floor, made of interlocking wooden planks, was slip-resistant—likely designed to prevent clumsy students from knocking their teeth out.
After seeing Might Guy's green figure disappear around the corner and confirming it was safe, Motomu pushed open the classroom door marked Class 1.
On the blackboard were a few brief instructions regarding today's orientation. In front of it stood a solid wood teacher's podium, facing five rows of tiered student desks.
Motomu glanced around briefly before focusing his attention on the chalk writing.
Today was the entrance ceremony; there were no scheduled classes.
After picking up their supplies and familiarizing themselves with the classroom, they were free to go.
However, what followed was important.
Tomorrow after 10:00 AM, each class would undergo a baseline combat assessment conducted by their respective homeroom teachers.
11:00 AM: Lunch.
Testing would resume at noon and continue until dismissal at 4:00 PM.
'So the test is tomorrow?'
'Looks like Uchiha Obito's info wasn't quite right.'
Oh, right!
There was something else.
Mentioning Obito reminded Motomu about the enrollment papers his little brother had begged him to pick up. He hadn't gotten them yet.
"It's already eleven! If the teachers handing out the documents have packed up for lunch, Obito is screwed."
Motomu blended into the crowd heading home and made his way back to the registration desk.
When he arrived, he saw two teachers in Chunin vests already putting away the distribution tables.
Motomu's heart sank, and he hurried forward to ask.
"Teacher, are there any enrollment papers left for a student named Uchiha Obito?"
"Oh, that one? A little girl already picked it up."
"I remember it quite clearly. After all, it's rare to see a civilian go out of their way to help someone from the Uchiha clan..."
Motomu breathed a sigh of relief, already having a good idea of who it was.
He stepped through the red gates of the Academy.
On the long path lined with wooden fences...
Motomu looked toward three figures lagging behind the crowd of students.
"Late even for the entrance ceremony, huh?"
"People like you don't belong in the Academy. You're hopeless."
A boy with a deep green scarf and a mask covering his face looked at Obito and shrugged.
Sweat dripped from Obito's chin as he panted. Hearing those words, he bared his teeth, his expression one of desperate struggle.
Just as little Obito was about to shout back with full confidence that his dear big brother would surely have picked them up for him...
A pair of slender hands holding an envelope full of documents reached out from the side and held it in front of Obito.
"Here, I picked this up for you."
Motomu saw it clearly—the moment the girl did that, Obito's face turned beet red.
"F-For me?"
Uchiha Obito pointed at himself, his face the picture of disbelief.
"Mm-hmm! As long as you hand this in, you'll be enrolled."
The girl's eyes curved into crescents, and a gentle smile bloomed on her face, which was marked by two purple rectangles of face paint.
"Thank you so much for the help! I owe you one!"
Obito pressed his palms together in gratitude, a wide grin revealing his straight teeth.
"Tch. If you keep spoiling him like this, he'll never fix his habit of being late."