North of Konoha Village, the Sarutobi clan compound.
“Those who break the rules of the ninja world are called trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash…
huh?”
Nearing fifty and realizing his physical condition was beginning to decline, the Third Hokage rested on a wicker chair in the courtyard after dinner.
His eyes were closed in a light doze as he recalled the story Asuma had just shared at the dinner table.
‘Obito Uchiha.’ The Third Hokage searched his memory.
‘Oh, that Uchiha kid who’s always clamoring about becoming Hokage, quite similar to Nawaki…
For him to think this way…
is not bad at all.’
‘This is the true Will of Fire.
If it were up to me, I would definitely give him full marks.
It’s a pity.
If only Sakumo could have heard those words…’
‘With a comrade like that, Kakashi should be able to pull himself together.
Sakumo’s spirit in heaven…’
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, the Third Hokage, lying on the wicker chair, gradually seemed to drift off to sleep.
However, a moment later, he sat up straight as if sleepwalking.
Squinting, he stood up, walked over to the firewood pile in the corner of the courtyard, fiddled around for a good while, and pulled out a tobacco pipe, tapping it lightly.
He returned to the wicker chair and lit it…
“Dad!
You’re secretly smoking again!”
The Third Hokage jolted as if startled awake from a dream.
He looked blankly at the pipe in his hand, then at Asuma, who had just darted out from a corner with an angry expression, and mumbled, “I don’t know what’s going on lately, I keep sleepwalking…”
Asuma rolled his eyes, stepped forward, and snatched the pipe from the Third Hokage’s hand.
“Confiscated.
Hiding it in the firewood pile, you really outdid yourself.
How many times have I told you?
Smoking is bad for your health.
Stop smoking!
Stop smoking!”
“Yes, yes.” The Third Hokage wore an awkward, sheepish expression, completely subdued by his youngest son.
‘This is no way to live.’
…
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
“Allocating points really does come with risks.”
Kaito stood in front of a thick sapling, constantly twisting his hips and delivering roundhouse kicks.
One kick after another, he had been at it for nearly half an hour, using the pain to stop the itching.
“I should have just increased my Taijutsu point by point.
Adding three points at once made my strength grow way too fiercely.”
His physical strength had increased to 19.94, a jump of more than three points.
He could clearly feel his muscles becoming firmer, but it also brought an uncontrollable, intense itch.
He felt somewhat fortunate that he hadn’t recklessly dumped attribute points directly into his physical strength.
Otherwise, jumping straight from 16 to 26 might have literally made him explode on the spot.
“Until my physical strength reaches 50, I absolutely cannot add points directly to it…
No, 100 would be safer.”
“Ah, it’s so damn itchy!”
Kaito groaned.
The sensation was somewhat like a seafood allergy from his past life, breaking out in red hives all over…
Fortunately, his increasingly agile and powerful movements offered him some comfort.
However, because his punches and kicks were getting faster and stronger, bloody welts gradually appeared on his hands and feet, yet it still wasn’t enough to completely stop the itching.
‘Should I…
hug the tree and rub against it?’
‘That’s so embarrassing.’
‘Just a little rub, nothing else…’
‘No one usually comes here, right?’
‘Whatever, I don’t care anymore.’ Kaito pulled back his fists, spread his arms wide, and lunged forward to hug the tree.
But right at that moment, a voice suddenly came from behind him.
“Found you, Kaito.”
‘Huh?’ Bang!
Startled into a shiver, Kaito slammed face-first into the tree.
Dazed from the impact, his stiff body slid down to the ground.
A fresh bruise appeared right in the middle of his forehead, yet a strange smile crept onto his face.
‘That finally scratched the itch!’
Hizashi Hyuga’s eye twitched wildly, a wave of disgust washing over him.
This guy’s smile was absolutely sickening.
He steadied his nerves before speaking.
“Why didn’t you come find me at the training ground?”
‘My hair got messed up from the crash.’ Slumped on the ground, Kaito slowly climbed to his feet.
He pulled out a kunai and used it to comb his hair, parting it down the middle, before replying, “I got held up by Obito Uchiha after school.”
“So you tricked him into going to the training ground instead?”
“…Yeah.” ‘Did that idiot Obito actually go?’
Hizashi Hyuga scrutinized Kaito, who was disheveled, covered in bruises, and yet still combing his hair.
Frowning slightly, he asked, “Why did you pass the wrong answers to Obito Uchiha?”
‘I knew it was about this.’ Kaito thought for a moment, then tested the waters.
“Because…
I find him annoying?”
“Why?”
“Well…” Kaito hesitated.
The excuse about following in the Hyuga clan’s footsteps and teaching the Uchiha a lesson was too embarrassing; he simply couldn’t bring himself to say it.
‘Fortunately, I probably don’t need to say it.
Hizashi Hyuga should be able to fill in the blanks himself, right?
Is he going to praise me?’
Hizashi Hyuga did indeed fill in the blanks exactly as Kaito hoped, but he had no intention of praising him.
“You seem to have forgotten something.”
“…Huh?”
“You are merely a commoner.
Remember your place!
Great clans are not to be insulted!” Hizashi Hyuga lectured.
‘???’
Kaito was a bit confused.
He tried to process it, but found it still made no sense.
A member of the Hyuga clan was lecturing him for messing with someone from the Uchiha clan, and the reason was his commoner status?
‘Don’t the two clans have a massive rivalry?
Shouldn’t he be thrilled that a commoner messed with Obito?’
“Clan ninjas, commoner ninjas…” Kaito muttered thoughtfully.
Looking at Hizashi Hyuga’s dead-serious expression, a sudden realization dawned on him.
‘The class divide might be much larger than what was shown in the manga.
So in those fanfictions where a commoner protagonist clashes with the Uchiha clan and instantly gains the friendship of the Hyuga clan…
they were all fucking lying to me!’
‘I need to be more careful.
Good thing it was just Obito.’
‘Hiss…
it’s starting to itch again.’
Kaito quickly said, “I understand.
Have you eaten yet?
Hurry up and go home to eat.”
‘Hurry up and leave, I need to rub against the tree!’
‘Is he brushing me off?’ Hizashi Hyuga scoffed lightly.
“It seems you don’t understand at all.
From the nine founding clans of Konoha to the more than thirty large and small ninja clans today, the existence of ninja clans to the village is…”
Kaito scratched his arm.
“Although genius commoner ninjas have occasionally appeared in recent years, the ones who support the village and allowed us to emerge victorious in two Great Ninja Wars are the clans, including our Hyuga…”
Kaito scratched his leg.
“A mere commoner, regardless of the reason or standpoint, must never humiliate…”
Kaito scratched his butt.
Hizashi Hyuga glared furiously.
“Commoner, fix your attitude!”
“Uh…” Seeing that Hizashi Hyuga was endlessly nagging, Kaito rubbed his aching head.
“If a commoner humiliates a clan ninja, will they really be treated as an enemy by all the ninja clans?”
Hizashi Hyuga nodded.
“Most of them.”
“If what happened in class gets out, wouldn’t there be no place for me in Konoha?”
Kaito scratched his chest.
“It’s not that serious.
You should be glad we are still just Academy students.
In the eyes of our elders, we are at an age where we can fool around.
But since your family is under the protection of our Hyuga clan, I have a responsibility to discipline you and teach you what you should and shouldn’t do…”
“Academy students can fool around?”
Hizashi Hyuga frowned.
“Interrupting others is very rude.”
“Ah, sorry, sorry.
Um, I just have one last question.
Academy students…
let’s say Obito, for example.
If I bully him, will he go back and ask his elders to help teach me a lesson?”
“Are you insulting the dignity of a great clan?” A vein popped on Hizashi Hyuga’s forehead, making it look as if he had activated his Byakugan.
“Bringing elders into a dispute between Academy classmates is a disgrace.
No ninja clan would tolerate such a cowardly ninja within their ranks!”
Kaito completed a full-body scratching rotation.
His eyes lit up slightly as several thoughts flashed through his mind, and a rather immature idea suddenly took shape.
‘Hizashi Hyuga is only an average student in class.
He’s not very strong in practical combat lessons, and his kunai throwing is only at a “Good” or even “Pass” level.
With my “Excellent” grades in three subjects, I can probably beat him now, right?
He’s a ready-made sparring partner to test my skills on, and while I’m at it, I can also…
hehehe!’
“Hizashi, if I beat you up, you definitely wouldn’t go home and tattle, right?”
“…Huh?”