*Clang!*
The second kunai grazed past Uchiha Tekka’s scalp, and a lock of shorn hair drifted down.
The kunai buried itself firmly in the target post, its tail vibrating wildly.
Uchiha Tekka froze for half a second, his legs gave out, and he crumpled to the ground.
He reached up to touch the bald patch on his head, eyes rolling back so far that with all that white showing, you’d have taken him for a Hyuga.
［Emotional Damage Points from Asuma Sarutobi, +666!］
［Emotional Damage Points from Uchiha Tekka, +999!］
The Chunin instructor’s eyes went as wide as they could go.
Looking at the names in the grade book, the new pen he’d just switched to slipped straight through his fingers.
A prodigy?
Uchiha talent?
The value of their bloodline?
It was all bullshit!
Two Uchiha — one stabbing someone else’s target, the other stabbing someone else’s head!
Before the instructor could have his heart attack, Yoru’s third kunai was already away.
The kunai drew a tricky diagonal line, whistling as it sliced through the air, heading straight for the right side of the playground!
At the edge of the crowd —
Kakashi had just gripped the handle of the kunai in his left leg, bracing himself to grit his teeth and pull it out.
*Squelch.*
The sharp blade punched through skin and flesh.
Kakashi felt as though he’d been struck by lightning.
His fingers clamped around the ring of the first kunai as he slowly lowered his head.
On his right calf — perfectly fine a second ago — a brand-new standard kunai now stood buried in the muscle.
The depth of the wound, the angle of the slant, even the speed of the bleeding, were almost perfectly symmetrical with the one in his left leg.
You couldn’t have matched them this precisely with a ruler!
Two legs, two kunai, immaculately even.
Even the most severe obsessive-compulsive would have found perfect salvation in this moment.
But Kakashi’s face collapsed completely, a distorted groan forcing its way out of his throat.
He ripped his hands out of his pockets and dug all ten fingers into the dry, muddy ground.
His knees could no longer hold him.
The most eye-catching prodigy freshman in the history of the Ninja Academy — with a *thud* — dropped straight to his knees on the playground, on the very first day of school.
A knife stuck in each leg, his posture bizarre and pitiful, the fresh blood pooling into two dark-red puddles.
Yoru’s mind detonated with notifications.
［Emotional Damage Points from Kakashi Hatake, +999!!!］
［Emotional Damage Points from Kakashi Hatake, +999!!!］
［Emotional Damage Points from Kakashi Hatake, +999!!!］
［…］ Get faster updates on g.com.
The golden notifications flooded the screen, dense as New Year’s fireworks.
The whole scene went dead silent for a full three seconds.
Everyone’s heads turned in unison to the right side of the playground.
“Ka— Kakashi-kun!!”
“Why is he on his knees? No, wait — there are two kunai in his legs!”
The girls broke into shrill screams.
Asuma’s mouth hung open, his expression dazed, and Might Guy stood frozen in place, pupils quaking, forgetting even to clench his fists.
“Kakashi-kun!”
Rin Nohara cried out in alarm and burst out of the crowd, her face full of worry.
She rushed over, dropped to her knees, and pulled out bandages and clotting medicine, her voice choked with tears.
“Don’t move — let me stop the bleeding first!”
Kakashi gritted his teeth, staring at the kunai in his legs, his pride being ground into the dirt.
And Obito, who’d been standing right up front, all set to watch Kakashi humiliate himself, had his laughter cut off mid-breath.
His mouth fell open, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.
What had he just seen?!
His beloved goddess was kneeling beside that show-off, her eyes full of heartache, her hands even touching Kakashi’s leg!
Why wasn’t he the one who’d gotten hurt?!
Why hadn’t Rin felt sorry for him when he got chewed out for a zero just now?!
Obito’s world collapsed all over again.
［Emotional Damage Points from Uchiha Obito, +999!!!］
［Emotional Damage Points from Uchiha Obito, +999!!!］
［…］
Listening to the massive haul of points in his mind — exploding even harder than Kakashi’s — Yoru stood off to the side and gasped.
*These aren’t classmates, they’re perpetual motion machines!*
*As long as Kakashi and Rin are around, Obito can self-destruct on the spot at any time.*
Asuma pushed himself up off the ground, pointed at Yoru, and cursed.
“Uchiha Yoru! You did that on purpose, no question!”
“You were staring right at Kakashi a second ago! Is this your Uchiha clan trying to provoke us?!”
Yoru stopped, drew out a kunai he hadn’t thrown yet, juggled it in his hand, and smiled kindly.
“Asuma — as the Hokage’s son, is that your own opinion, or is that the Hokage-sama’s meaning?”
“As for missing the target, Obito did the exact same thing just now.”
“Was he doing it on purpose too?”
Hearing this from the side, Obito’s brain short-circuited for the sake of his pride, and he blurted out —
That desperate face-saving line instantly confirmed the accusation.
Asuma shook with rage.
“Fine! You Uchiha really are arrogant!”
Yoru tossed the scrap kunai in his hand down at Asuma’s feet, where it landed with a crisp metallic clatter.
His gaze turned cold, sweeping across the onlookers.
“Don’t be so eager to frame me — consider this a free warning.”
“Since this is the ninja world, we settle things by the ninja world’s rules.”
“If you’ve got a problem with me, come to the Seventh Training Ground in the south after school. I’ll take you on anytime.”
A private grudge, instantly elevated to a matter of establishing authority through combat.
Asuma faltered, half his momentum gone.
Over by the podium, the Chunin instructor had completely fallen apart.
He snatched up the pen he’d dropped earlier, bore down — *snap* — and broke it clean in two.
“Where’s the medical team?! Get Kakashi to the infirmary, now!”
He leveled a finger at Yoru and roared, his voice plainly on the edge of tears.
“Uchiha Yoru!!! Zero points! Get back here! Go stand in punishment at the edge of the playground this instant — and you’re not going home until school lets out!”
“Sure thing, teacher.”
Yoru shrugged, unbothered, stuffed his hands into his pockets, and rubbed the three real kunai still inside.
He turned and walked back.
As he strolled, he cheerfully opened the system panel.
Balance: 24,550 points.
Enough for two more ten-pull.
*Coming to this school was the right call — I’ve already milked every big shot in the room on day one.*
Passing the still-stunned Obito, Yoru gave his shoulder a casual pat.
Then, passing the kneeling Kakashi, he paused for half a second.
Their eyes met.
Kakashi’s were bloodshot, brimming with the desire to tear Yoru limb from limb.
Yoru met that glare, gave him the most sincere smile of the whole day, and walked off without looking back.
In the Hokage Building, not far from the Ninja Academy.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, puffing on his pipe, stood before his broad desk.
The crystal ball in front of him reflected the whole scene on the Ninja Academy playground with perfect clarity.
When he saw his own son scared to the ground, and the prodigy Kakashi on his knees with two kunai buried precisely in his legs — the muscles on Hiruzen’s face twitched uncontrollably.
He drew the pipe from his mouth, exhaled a thick plume of smoke, and stared long and hard at the Uchiha boy strolling along, hands in his pockets, in the crystal ball.
“Uchiha Yoru…” Hiruzen murmured to himself, his brow knitting tight.
“Since when did the Uchiha clan produce a troublemaker like this, one who won’t play by any rules?”
“It seems I’ll need to have the Anbu keep a very close eye on this boy.”