Chapter 12 — Tricking Hiashi
The next day.
Inside Class One of the Ninja Academy, there was a familiar face.
Kinoshita Hikaru walked into the classroom, looking surprised.
"Mikoto-chan, why are you here?"
"I don't know. The teacher told me to come yesterday."
"Oh!"
At this time, only a few students had arrived. Kinoshita Hikaru found a seat in the back row by the window and quietly sat down.
As time passed, students entered one after another—many of them well-known figures.
Only now, they were still in their youthful forms.
Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, Akimichi Choza, Hyuga Hiashi, Hyuga Hizashi, Senju Nawaki, Uchiha Shigeru, Aburame Shibi.
Aside from Nawaki, who was six, the rest were all two years older than Kinoshita Hikaru—eight years old this year. Yet they already carried themselves like little adults. Especially Hyuga Hiashi, with his pale Byakugan eyes and serious expression.
"Hikaru-kun, are we in the wrong classroom? These are all third-year students."
It wasn't strange for Namikaze Minato to be suspicious. The two of them were six-year-old civilian ninja students, while everyone else came from major clans—many of them even heirs.
"Relax. If they provoke us, we'll just beat them up."
Minato sighed helplessly. That wasn't what he meant at all.
At this moment—
Hyuga Hiashi walked over to Kinoshita Hikaru and said, "I would like to sit here. Could you change seats with me?"
Though phrased as a question, his tone left no room for refusal.
"No."
Kinoshita Hikaru rejected him outright, without the slightest room for negotiation.
Back row by the window—the king's homeland.
How could he possibly give it to this white-eyed guy?
Tilting his little face up, he said, "Want it? Then show your strength. Defeat me, and the seat is yours."
"Uh." Minato looked helpless. His friend was way too chuuni. He said the strangest things.
All the students turned to watch, curious how Hyuga Hiashi would respond.
Would he swallow his pride—or bully someone younger?
Either way, it wouldn't look good.
Hiashi's expression stiffened. He realized the dilemma too. His young mind felt a bit muddled, unsure how to respond.
Seeing his older brother cornered, Hyuga Hizashi stepped forward.
"There's no need for my brother to act. If you refuse, I'll teach you a lesson instead."
"No. This is a duel between men. Make your choice, Hiashi—will you fight me, or will you give up?"
Kinoshita Hikaru locked his gaze onto Hiashi.
"How dare you!" Hizashi's veins bulged in anger as he stepped forward, ready to teach Hikaru a lesson.
"Smack!"
Namikaze Minato stepped in front of Hizashi, meeting his eyes.
"A duel between men can't be interfered with. If you want, I can be your opponent."
The surrounding students were speechless, almost unable to bear watching.
Kids were still kids—they just couldn't grow up.
They were already eight, no longer little children. They wouldn't act this chuuni.
"Sugoi!"
Senju Nawaki's eyes sparkled with excitement. He thought the two of them were incredibly cool.
"That's right! A duel between men must not be disturbed!"
Nara Shikaku covered his forehead. As expected, kids were the most troublesome of all. Even so, Shikaku was curious to see what Hiashi would choose.
The scene reached a stalemate. As the heir of the Hyuga clan, Hiashi had his pride. But dueling a younger child felt like crossing a line.
He was caught between advancing and retreating.
After a moment—
His eyes hardened with resolve. Compared to retreating in embarrassment, being accused of bullying someone younger was at least acceptable.
"How do you want to compete?"
"How about an eating contest? Whoever eats more pays the bill?" Kinoshita Hikaru suggested.
"Uh..."
The tense atmosphere instantly collapsed.
Nara Shikaku's face darkened.
As expected—kids were still kids.
Nawaki felt as though his idol had just shattered. ｸﾞｯ!(๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
Namikaze Minato's smile stiffened.
Was this really the right time to bring up eating, you idiot?! ( ; ≥皿≤ )
Akimichi Choza, who had been quietly munching on potato chips, suddenly perked up. He had no interest in duels—but if it was an eating contest, now that caught his attention.
Kinoshita Hikaru was helpless too. He wasn't actually a kid. If he had directly suggested a fight, it would make him seem violent—totally inconsistent with his carefully crafted image of a well-behaved, chuuni youth.
In this Konoha where even your "good brothers" might stab you in the back, you had to develop cautiously if you lacked strength. Otherwise, you'd be dissected in minutes.
And right now, a hot-blooded chuuni boy was the mainstream.
After all—
The world of the Hokage was a passionate one. ∪･ω･∪
At the same time—
Hiruzen Sarutobi watched through his crystal ball and smiled faintly.
This was youth.
There was no darkness in that child's heart. It seemed the village's education had done well.
But was Hiashi already placing such weight on clan honor at such a young age?
When would these great clans truly understand the Will of Fire?
As Hokage, he couldn't judge things only by the surface. He had seen Hiashi's hesitation.
Yet in the end, Hiashi was still willing to bully someone younger to defend the Hyuga clan's pride.
At such a young age, the notion that the clan outweighed the village had already begun to surface.
Hiruzen couldn't help but question whether allowing Hiashi into the Genius Class was the right choice.
After all—
One rotten apple could spoil the whole barrel.
"I'll observe a little longer. If it continues like this, you can return to the regular class and be your young clan heir there."
Back in the classroom—
Kinoshita Hikaru waited for Hiashi's answer, already planning to provoke him further if he refused.
Hiashi carefully sized up Hikaru's small frame.
"Fine. After school. At the Akimichi barbecue restaurant."
"Whoever loses pays."
"Agreed."
Minato silently offered a moment of respect for Hiashi. Still too young. He had no idea how dangerous the human heart could be.
"Seems like everyone is full of energy. As your teacher, I'm very pleased."
With a bang, a puff of white smoke exploded over the podium. When it cleared, Kinoshita Muraichi stood there with a smile.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Kinoshita Muraichi. I'll be in charge of this class from now on. Please take care of me."
"Demon teacher!" one student blurted out, having heard rumors of this instructor's frequent corporal punishment.
Kinoshita Muraichi: (ー_ー)!!
This batch of students was going to be difficult. As expected—kids were still kids. So annoying.
He pointed at himself and asked, "This student—were you referring to me?"
"N-no…" The student shook his head frantically, refusing to admit it.
Kinoshita Muraichi's smile brightened. It looked fake—though no one thought so, since he always smiled like that.
His gaze swept the room before locking onto his target.
Sorry, little brother. This will be the last time.
"You two. Daring to gossip about a teacher behind his back—such disrespect. Get outside and run one thousand laps."
Namikaze Minato: Uh (︶︿︶)
Kinoshita Hikaru: ヽ(￣д￣;)ノ
Was this guy a monster?
He had to be, right?!
Seeing the two remain still, Kinoshita Muraichi roared, "What? Now you dare disobey your teacher? Move it—go!"
His authority as both teacher and older brother surged to the maximum.
"Yes, sir!"
Minato grabbed Hikaru and bolted out the door.
The moment they left—
Kinoshita Muraichi instantly changed expressions, his smile radiant as he said, "Alright, class, let's begin~ (ಡωಡ)"
Everyone: Uh (︶︿︶)
This teacher didn't just have a bad temper—
He was a total drama king!!!