““Congratulation, Takeshi!””
“Thanks, everyone! Really!” I said as I feel a grin threatened to split my face.
Currently, me and the group are about to feast in one of the Akimichi-owned restaurant to celebrate me getting top ranking in the first year.
Of course, it wasn’t me who paid, I’m not that loaded. It was the OG Ino-Shika-Cho trio who are footing the bill for all 10 of us.
Curiously, aside from the three men who foot the bill, Shibi and Tsume also showed up under the reason of escorting their child tonight.
“To think you managed to best Fugaku’s youngest for a full year… That’s amazing, kid!” Tsume commented with a half disbelieving tone to it. Though, if what I saw was to be believed, there’s also some sort of tension when she uttered Fugaku’s name.
Inoichi then analysed, “With how good his notes were thus far, Takeshi should have his ground covered in theoretical tests.”
Shikaku also chimed in, “And with how hard he trained, the physical aspect of the first year also should not be hard for him.”
Choza then laughed, “Yeah, he’s quite a kid, right? But what’s important tonight was for the them to eat a lot!”
Meanwhile, Shibi was just nodding along without a word, his presence so thin just like his son.
… Or rather, I guess Shino got that trait from his father, huh?
Right after that, the five adults went somewhere else to let us kids have our own moment.
After they finally left, I scratch the back of my head in embarrassment. “Man, it was kinda awkward being praised like that.”
“It really was amazing how you can best Sasuke. Especially after he became so enthusiastic from the start of third term.”
“Sora’s right. Sasuke after the second term was a different breed entirely.”
“Oi, Choji, hold back a little, will you? We are celebrating for Takeshi, remember?”
“Dining table is a battlefield, Shikamaru. Look, even Takeshi understand!”
The conversation paused as they all looked at me and my plate. On it was a pile of food that was about half as tall as on Choji’s plate.
“Skipped lunch?” Shino asked succinctly.
“Nope. Wouldn’t last that long. But I did train quite a lot this afternoon.”
“You still training even in holidays like this?” Sakura asked in disbelief.
“’Course”
“W-why?” Aki hesitantly asked.
“Why not? But if really ask why-” “Oi.” “-aside for getting stronger, it is also so I could eat more.”
““Huh?””
“Well, I don’t know how Choji and Hinata can just inhale a lot of food everytime without them puking up. But I cannot do it like them. I gotta train so I get hungry, only then I could eat lots.”
That’s right, Hinata’s monstrous appetite was a thing in this timeline. And that fact was already coming to light, at least to our group and Choji’s parents. Though, obviously, Shikaku and Inoichi would end up knowing about it too.
It happened during the group’s third visit to Choji’s house. That’s when Choza, as the host, in his infinite wisdom and creativity, somehow decided to hold an eating competition among us. His treat, of course.
Hinata was at first only eating slowly and elegantly, which I and I’m sure everybody else assumed was simply her following the strict etiquette ingrained from her upbringing. It was only after encouragement from the group that Hinata picked up her pace.
And picked up her pace she really did, as at the end Hinata was actually beating Choji. Only barely, but none the less impressive considering that Choji is an Akimichi.
I ended up getting the third place on that event, by the way. Though the gap between me and the second place was quite enormous, I was only able to eat half of what Choji inhaled. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
From that point onward, Choji kind of become my benchmark of how much food I should fleece if I was ever treated to a meal. Just like right now, on my plate was almost precisely contained half the amount of food that is on Choji’s.
Under the disbelieving gazes of the group, and admiration gaze from Choji, I started chowing down right after collecting all of the food that I craved from the table. Then the conversation dwindled down as everyone else also started eating.
.
.
.
The night of spring was no longer carrying the bitter cold of winter and instead felt refreshingly cool. With Sakura in full bloom, people tends to hang around outdoor even quite late into the night.
That was why I agreed to the evening outing in the first place. The road back home was unsurprisingly not deserted and instead was quite crowded. People can be seen chatting and bantering under the illumination of whatever lighting device that is used in this technologically puzzling world.
Under such an atmosphere, I just walking leisurely while patting my belly from time to time. Admittedly, I did eat a bit too much back there. Can’t help it, really. The food was delish.
“Hey, you!”
Let’s try and recreate it later. Surely the Akimichi father and son wouldn’t mind if it is only for personal consumption, right? Though, some of the recipes were surely needed a long time to cook. But, hey. Kage Bunshin.
“Wait! Stop!”
Speaking of which, Hiruzen said that I can only start to learn it in the second year. That means only after the spring breaks ends, right? That too if I could or capable to learn it in the first place.
But, surely, making at least one Kage Bunshin should be possible, right? That’s before even considering the cheat from the system.
“I’m talking to you! Nobu Takeshi!”
“Sasuke, don’t be rude.”
Huh? Sasuke?
I stopped walking and turned around to see Sasuke approaching along with, you guessed it, Uchiha Itachi. Sasuke walking with a little bit of puff in his cheeks while Itachi was holding one of his hands.
Sasuke kept walking towards me and only stopped after only around 8 steps were left between us. He then took several deep breaths and looking like he was a little bit constipated.
“Oh, good evening, Sasuke.” I greeted him lightly without waiting for him to resolve his constipated look. Then I turned to the older Uchiha.
“And, uh…”
Maybe because he saw me hesitating, he nodded and thankfully didn’t let me hanging for long. “Itachi, Uchiha Itachi. Good evening, Takeshi. Sasuke has told me quite a bit about you.”
“Good evening, Itachi-san. So, you are Sasuke’s older brother?”
“That’s correct, Takeshi. It is nice to finally meeting you.”
Well, it is not nice for me at all, really. You are a bit too filial to my liking.
“Pleasure is mine, Itachi-san.” I conclude the greetings and looked back to Sasuke which has gone quite red-faced while still taking deep breaths.
Now, this is a problem. Has he not been able to take his loss to me at all?
I mean, it looked like he was about to cry several days ago at the front of the class’s ranking list with his fist clenched so hard. I honestly thought he was about to awaken the Sharingan then and there. This chapter is updated first at novelping(.)com.
He wasn’t. Which I thought was quite a shame. Imagine what the massacre would do if Sasuke has already awakened Sharingan by the time it happens.
After several more seconds of silence, I turned again toward Itachi, who were also watching me. I shrugged my shoulder to ask him ‘what’s his deal?’, and Itachi just gave me a smile. With no answer from that side, I turned my head back toward Sasuke.
“Um… Anything I can help with, Sasuke?”
After a couple more deep breaths, Sasuke finally speak while pointing at me. “I will definitely be the top ranker for the next term, Takeshi! Just you wait!” Red faced, he then bolted while dragging Itachi with him.
Itachi smiled wryly while nodding at me. I replied by bowing a bit to him as he is older. Then I can only stood there for a while, stunned, until the two brothers were leaving my sight.
Damn. Never expect I would be a target of tsun act. Worse, it was from another boy! Yuck.
Another thing that I didn’t expect was to actually meeting Itachi way before canon begin. Wonder if that will have any effect on the Uchiha Downfall… ‘Course it will, huh?
It’s been almost three years since the memory awakening, of me living in this world armed with the meta-knowledge. Surely the butterfly effect has been kicked into motion by now, right?
Whatever the result of this timeline’s massacre, I just hope it won’t affect me negatively. Sounds cold, I know. But I am simply still very weak. I would be no better than regular bug in the grand scheme of thing as I am right now.
I still need time…
.
.
.
Spring holiday passed, and I am right now officially a second-year student. My first day as one can be said to be… interesting, to say the least. And it was because of the stares, again.
You know what they say: Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enem… a pattern.
And it so happens that I’ve bested Sasuke for three terms in a row at this point. So the interest of other student was at borderline dangerous level.
The only saving grace was my looks that is quite average and forgettable, making most students, especially girls, to still have their attention mostly on Sasuke.
Ironically, the pretty privilege was working in my favor despite not being it’s subject.
I guess my friendship with Shino also helped a lot, as not many have yet gotten over their first impression from his introduction back then. That made very few people willingly interacted with him. Thus in turn made few willingly approaching me who often hung around him.
Which is weird as I thought bug catching / collecting was a somewhat common hobby for kids in Japanese culture, which is a very prevalent thing in this village as far as I can tell.
Heck, that’s how a certain ‘catch ‘em all’ video game came to existence if I don’t remember it wrong. Yet here, they are a bit weirded out by it.
Or was it simply an Aburame-specific thing?
Well, whatever.
And yes, the sitting arrangement hasn’t changed in the past year, thankfully. At least for the six of us. So, from right to left, there’s still Hinata, Shino, and me on the last row, left-most table. Then in front of us there’s still Aki, Sora, and Kiba.
For Shino and Hinata, I could presume there’s no reason for them to change their seating position as someone who’s not socially adept. I did feel bad for them, but I could not deny that it is working immensely in my favor. That’s why I couldsurreptitiously practice the earth’s nature all year long without worry.
So the first day of the second year went by with me trying to be as unnoticeable as I could while my mind was filled in anticipation of learning Kage Bunshin.
Then at the end of school day, just as I was about to leave, Iruka finally called.
…Here goes nothing.
Note
No, the MC will not be negatively affected by the Downfall / Massacre.