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ā° Resets Monday!
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Breakfast was done.
Takenouchi led Heshu out the door, heading for the Ninja Academy. The streets were filled with similar pairingsāone adult, one child.
After all, today was the first day of the Academy.
Takenouchi even ran into a few familiar faces along the way.
Heshu mentally dubbed them all Uncles Cannon Fodder. After years immersed in the Naruto universe, he didn't recognize a single one.
"Yo! Takenouchi, is this your daughter?"
"Since when do you have a daughter, Takenouchi?"
"Awwā¦ Takenouchi, your daughter is too cute!"
"What's her name, Takenouchi?"
Heshu's cheeks were pinched and prodded the entire way. He'd lost count of the squeezes.
He didn't bother activating his 'guidance' on them. Sure, their favor would be easy to gain, but he doubted they'd yield anything useful.
The Academy plaza was already buzzing with parents and kids. And inevitably, gazesāsubtle and not-so-subtleākept landing on Heshu.
"Wow! That little girl is so adorable!"
"She might just be the school's top beauty, you know?"
"Haha, you're right!"
"I'm going to ask her name later!"
The first time he'd heard comments like these, the cringe had been bone-deep. But now? Now he was a mature, seasoned cross-dressing veteran. He not only handled it with calm, he even had the spare mental capacity to grace the onlookers with a sweet, practiced smile.
Then, a familiar figure crashed into his field of vision.
The spiky, upward-brushed hair. The sharp, upturned eyes. The iconic Uchiha fan on his shirt.
Oh ho!
Bingo.
Uchiha Shisui.
Heh heh hehā¦
A gleam flashed in Heshu's eyes. He widened them into pools of innocent, guileless wonder and looked straight at the boy.
Shisui happened to be looking back. Their eyes met.
Shisui's face flushed scarlet. He looked away, flustered.
Heshu raised an eyebrow internally. Interesting.
[Ding! Favorability of Target 'Uchiha Shisui' has reached 30!]
Heshu's triumphant smirk froze on his face.
What the hell?
All that blushing, that flustered lookā¦ and it's only 30 favorability?!
Seriously?!
Was Uchiha Itachi really Shisui's one true love?
Heshu gritted his teeth. What was a peerlessly beautiful girl like him supposed to do in the face of that?!
"Shisui, do you like her?" The Uchiha clansman standing beside Shisui ruffled his spiky hair. He glanced at Heshu, then back at Shisui with a teasing glint.
He didn't bother lowering his voice. Everyone nearby heard.
Heshu sneered internally. Like, my ass! The one he likes is Uchiha Itachi!
Shisui quickly sensed the hostile glares converging on him. All from the other little brats here to enroll.
"Hahaha!" The Uchiha clansman laughed loudly. "Looks like you've got a lot of rivals, Shisui!"
Shisui: "ā¦"
Heshu was already garnering so much attention on day one. A wave of fatherly sorrow washed over Takenouchi. What if some punk kid tried to whisk his precious daughter away?
Heshu, who still looked like a seven-year-old loli on the outside, had no energy to even mentally facepalm.
After registration, all parents had to leave.
Heshu was assigned to Class 3.
He casually picked a seat. Instantly, the seats around him were swarmed and claimed by the other kids.
"Youā¦ what's your name?" The boy who snagged the seat next to him had a different kind of explosive hairstyle than Shisui. Seeing the patterns on his clothes, Heshu's interest was piqued. A Sarutobi?
"I'm Tsukimi Heshu. Nice to meet you." Heshu offered a polite, well-practiced smile.
The boy froze for a second, then grinned like he'd won the lottery. "IāI'm Sarutobi Aoki!"
Sarutobi Aoki? Heshu searched his memory. Never heard of him. Another cannon fodder, then.
But while Aoki might be fodder, his last name certainly wasn't.
Heshu's eyes lit up with carefully crafted awe. "You're from the same clan as the Hokage?"
His small face was a picture of pure admiration.
Sarutobi Aoki had probably only seen the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, a few times in his life. But Heshu's look of reverence made him feel ten feet tall, and he puffed up with immense pride. He thumped his chest. "Yeah!"
"I admire Lord Hokage the most!" Heshu clenched his tiny fist, his expression turning determined. "I'm going to become a splendid ninja just like him one day!"
He prayed inwardly: Please, let this line somehow reach the Third's ears!
Sarutobi Aoki nodded vigorously. "Me too! I'll become a great ninja like Lord Hokage!"
"Hmph."
A soft, derisive snort came from a few rows away.
Sarutobi Aoki's brow instantly furrowed.
Who? Who dared to sound so dismissive?!
Heshu's gaze immediately locked onto the source.
That boy's chest also bore the Uchiha fan. But unlike Shisui's short spikes, this one had long, wild, spiky hair.
"What was that supposed to mean?" Aoki couldn't afford to lose face in front of his beloved Heshu. His face, still round with baby fat, was set in a look of grave seriousness.
Heshu observed the long-haired Uchiha and sighed internally. Classic, posturing Uchiha. Look at the difference: Aoki glaring like an angry kitten, the long-haired one sitting there, unmoved and aloof.
"'Becoming a splendid ninja like the Hokage'ā¦ Not just anyone can say words like that." The long-haired Uchiha's disdainful gaze settled on Aoki.
Aoki's fists clenched. His expression turned dangerous. "What did you say?!"
Heshu's focus, however, was elsewhere. Wait, did that comment also include him? He'd just said the same thing. Sure, he didn't actually want to be like the old monkey, but stillā¦ that was annoying.
Heshu's smile remained perfectly pleasant.
I'll make sure this Uchiha gets a taste of a beautiful girl's iron fist one day.
Right now, Sarutobi Aoki seemed eager to introduce this Uchiha to the iron fist of the Sarutobi clan.
"Hold on."
A figure materialized between Aoki and the long-haired Uchiha.
It was Uchiha Shisui.
"No fighting in the classroom." Shisui played peacemaker. He didn't want to see a brawl break out on the very first day.
The long-haired Uchiha frowned but said nothing, letting out another cold hmph.
"Sarutobi-kun, fighting is bad. Please don't fight." At that moment, Heshu stood up. He looked at Aoki, his face full of concern.
Sarutobi Aoki felt the blood rush to his head, turning his face beet red. "Ahem, wellā¦ if Heshu says so, of course I won't fight." He sat back down obediently, giving Heshu a lingering, shy glance.
"Hmph." Seeing this, the long-haired Uchiha snorted again, a malicious smirk twisting his lips. "A member of a great clan, listening to an orphan."
Shisui's eyes widened. His expression turned cold. "Juri!" His voice held a clear warning. That was too far.
Heshu, who had just started to sit back down, paused. His eyes glinted. A cold smile finally broke through his pleasant facade.
Okay, that's it. Uncle can tolerate this, but Auntie sure as hell won't!
This troublemaker was called Uchiha Juri. That he knew Heshu's status didn't surprise him. The registration paperwork required proof of guardianship. His and Takenouchi's documents clearly stated 'adoptive relationship.' This Uchiha kid with the wandering eyes must have peeked.
"Don't yell at me!" Juri scowled at Shisui. "Did I say anything wrong?" Did Shisui really think he, Uchiha Juri, was afraid of him?
Shisui's frown deepened.
"So rude." Heshu swallowed the 'little son of a bitch' that almost slipped out, replacing it with something more fitting for his persona.
"Hmph! What right does an orphan like you have to call anyone rude?" Uchiha Juri tilted his chin up arrogantly. "Even if I am rude, what are you going to do about it?"
Heshu's fist clenched. This brat needs an education.
A silver flash reflected in Shisui's eyes.
Heshu moved.
In an instant, he was right in front of Uchiha Juri.
Seeing the utter shock on Juri's face, Heshu raised his fist.
Juri instinctively squeezed his eyes shut.
Impossible! The thought screamed in his mind. How is she so fast? I couldn't even track her movement! It was likeā¦ she just appeared!
But the expected pain never came. Juri cautiously opened his eyes.
A small, pale fist hovered right before the tip of his nose. It hadn't descended.
In front of the entire class, Heshu slowly lowered his hand. A gentle, spring-breeze smile returned to his face.
"Juri-kun, I would never hurt a classmate." His voice was clear and calm, carrying across the silent room. "I just wanted to show you something. Orphan or not, we're all part of Konoha. We all dream of becoming splendid ninjas like the Hokage. What you said earlierā¦ was truly very rude."
Juri stood frozen, speechless.
"Heshu's right!" Sarutobi Aoki jumped to his feet, pointing at Juri. "Uchiha Juri, apologize to Heshu!"
In an instant, most of the class was on its feet.
"Uchiha Juri! Apologize!"
"Don't think your Uchiha clan makes you so special!"
"Say you're sorry!"
The chorus of young voices swelled.
"Youā¦ You all!" Juri, for all his arrogance, was still just a kid. Confronted by the unified disapproval of so many peers, he was utterly overwhelmed.
Finally, with red-rimmed eyes, Uchiha Juri turned and fled the classroom.
The moment he was gone, a swarm of children surrounded Heshu.
"Heshu, are you okay?"
"Heshu, that was amazing!"
"Heshu, if he bothers you again, you tell me!"
"Heshuā¦" The chatter was incessant.
He was buried in a wave of well-meaning concern. His gaze, however, lingered on the doorway where Juri had disappeared.
Heh. Amateur.
Think you can compete with me? This was the gap between Uchiha Juri and him. It wasn't about strength. It was about perspective. If he'd punched Juri, he'd have gotten momentary satisfaction and nothing else. But by not punching him? He'd just secured a massive surge of favorability from the entire classāinvaluable for his future Hokage campaign. And if this little incident made its way to the Third Hokage's earsā¦ heh heh hehā¦
On the other side of the room, Uchiha Shisui had been pushed to the outskirts of the crowd. He watched Heshu at the center, his expression complex. Howā¦? How could this little girl beā¦ faster than him? Her speedā¦ he'd barely caught a blur.
[Ding! Favorability of Target 'Uchiha Shisui' has reached 31!]
The system prompt made Heshu glance towards Shisui. He narrowed his eyes slightly, then gave Shisui another of his kind, harmless smiles.
Uchiha Shisuiā¦ you're interesting. He'd just put an Uchiha in his place, and Shisui's favorability went up? What did this mean? It meant he might have just found a gold mine. He could farm Shisui's favor by schooling Uchiha Juri!
"Aaaah!"
"Heshu smiled!"
"So kawaiiā¦!"
Looking at the girls now cooing over him and touching his arms, Heshu wasn't sure how they'd infiltrated the circle.
"Ahem." A tall figure stepped onto the platform and barked at the chaotic class, "Class is starting!" A long wooden pointer smacked against the teacher's desk with a sharp crack.
The crowd around Heshu finally dispersed, returning to their seats. He secretly sighed in relief. He'd almost been suffocated.
Seeing this, Sarutobi Aoki, sitting beside him, immediately declared with righteous indignation, "They were too much! Heshu must have been so uncomfortable, squeezed like that!"
Heshu marveled at how this kid could spew such nonsense with a straight face. After all, Aoki himself had been part of the squeezing mob.
"It's okay. Everyone was just being enthusiastic." Heshu's smile didn't waver. Of course he wouldn't admit to being uncomfortable. This was theā¦ suffocating love of his comrades! He needed them to spread the word for that sweet, sweet favorability! Woe is meā¦
"As expected of Heshu!" Aoki praised inexplicably, his admiration growing. He never imagined Heshu would be such a kind and understanding person!
[Ding! Favorability of Target 'Kakashi Hatake' has reached 25!]
[Ding! Favorability of Target 'Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi' has reached 50!]
Heshu's eyes sparkled.
Excellent.
Now this is what I'm talking about!
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