*Chapter 13: Emergency Mission.
The air in Classroom 1-A of the Konoha Ninja Academy felt warm because the morning sun came in through the window. On the blackboard, Shikamoto-sensei wrote chakra manipulation formulas with chalk that squeaked softly. The classroom atmosphere was quiet. Too quiet for kids who were usually noisier than a vegetable market.
Yuji sat at a desk in the third row near the window. His posture was relaxed, one hand supporting his chin, and his gaze was straight at the blackboard. He listened to Shikamoto-sensei’s explanation about the weakness of the Earth element with a blank expression that, according to his classmates, looked "smart." In reality, inside his head, Yuji was comparing chakra theory.
In the seat next to him, Hana sat with her notebook neatly open. Her writing was small, neat, and had pink divider lines in every Chapter. Hana was the type of student who prepared five highlighter colors for just one lesson. When Shikamoto-sensei explained about binding seals, Hana suddenly glanced to the side.
The target of that glance? Yuji.
Hana’s face immediately turned red like a tomato that had been in the sun too long. She quickly looked down and pretended to focus on taking notes, even though the tip of her pen had stopped moving three seconds ago.
Yuji, with his sharp perception from his father’s meditation training, immediately caught the small change in chakra around him. The sensation of being stared at was clear. But he didn’t look over. Experience had taught him one thing: if he looked at Hana in the middle of class, there was a chance he’d get trapped in a conversation.
Ding.
That sound was only heard by Yuji. It wasn’t the break bell. It wasn’t the sound of chalk falling. It was a system notification in his head.
_[Emergency Mission]_
[Objective: Defeat an intruder from another village near the Forest of Death, on the edge of Konoha (Reward: Kekkei Genkai Enhancement + 3 Chakra Points)]
Yuji’s eyes widened by half a centimeter. That was the most dramatic expression he could show without ruining his image as the "cold student." In his head, calculations immediately appeared. An intruder? The Forest of Death? The reward wasn’t just a few chakra points or a jutsu enhancement, but a Kekkei Genkai enhancement. It was like a 90% discount for a power-up and was very rare. It would be a shame to miss it, because his 2-tomoe Sharingan was almost about to evolve into a new 3-tomoe Sharingan.
But logic also spoke up. ’If the enemy is jonin-level and I still have to ask permission to go to the toilet first, I could be tomorrow’s headline: "Academy Student Falls Because He Was Too Ambitious,"’ Yuji thought seriously.
About the Sharingan, Yuji had once been asked by his father why he could awaken it so young without experiencing something traumatic. Even though he was proud of his son for being a genius who awakened the Sharingan quickly, he still had to ask.
Yuji only answered that he was very sad when he saw many orphaned children lose their parents. And at that moment his Sharingan awakened.
Although that reason was a little hard to believe, the sad fact about orphans was indeed a logical explanation. Back to the current topic.
He held his breath, trying to calm his heartbeat. His hands unconsciously clenched under the desk. Everyone in the class was still busy with the lesson, no one realized that one of them had just received a free invitation to fight.
Then his brain worked. Fast. Sly. And a little hot.
He remembered. In his father’s house warehouse there was an emergency flare launcher. An old item for Konoha police, it could be fired into the sky and release orange smoke.
The problem: how to escape from class without being suspected.
Without thinking twice, Yuji stood up. His chair made a loud "screeech" sound because it was pulled suddenly.
The whole class looked over. 27 pairs of eyes immediately turned to him. Several boys in the back immediately whispered.
"Hey, why did he suddenly stand up? Is he going to challenge sensei to a duel?"
"Don’t tell me he’s bored of being the model student."
"Hey, kids from big clans are different. Even sitting looks expensive."
Shikamoto-sensei stopped writing. The chalk hung in the air. "Yuji? What’s wrong?" he asked, confused.
Yuji straightened his body. He made his face as pale as possible. He pressed his temple and took a breath like a daytime drama actor. "Ano... sensei!! I... I’m a little sick. Dizzy. Nauseous."
Silence.
Then a small commotion.
Several girls immediately got worked up. "Eh?! Yuji-kun is sick?!"
"Did he not sleep because he was training all night? Poor thing..."
Hana beside him just narrowed her eyes behind her round glasses. She had known Yuji since this morning. That kid had still had time to look at his lunchbox with a hungry expression; it wasn’t possible for him to suddenly collapse. She slightly pushed her glasses up and studied Yuji’s face. No cold sweat. No genuinely pale face. What was there was only... god-level acting.
’Lying,’ Hana thought. ’But why?’
To Shikamoto-sensei, Yuji was the best student. Highest grades, never late, and always submitted homework on time. The new teacher couldn’t possibly think Yuji would lie.
"Hmm... alright," said Shikamoto as he nodded. He smiled kindly. "You may go home, Yuji. Get enough rest. Get well soon."
Yuji was halfway to the door, his backpack slung over one shoulder, with a convincing weak act.
But fate had other plans.
"Sensei!!" A loud voice cut in. It was Ayaka from the Hyuga clan, sitting in the front row. Her Byakugan eyes weren’t active yet, but her detective instincts were on. "Why go home? Besides, there’s an infirmary at school. Why do you have to go home?"
The class fell silent again. This time it was an awkward silence.
Shikamoto slapped his forehead. "Ah, that’s right! I just remembered, haha. Yuji-kun, you can go to the health room first. Then Miss Sazame will check you. Our school has medical staff."
Yuji’s plan almost collapsed like a sandcastle kicked over. He was already at the door. Just one more step to freedom.
With the last of his acting, Yuji turned around slowly. He patted his backpack and bowed slightly. "My clan has a special medicine that is more suitable for my condition, sensei. Sorry for the trouble. I’ll take my leave."
The moment the word "clan" came out, Shikamoto went silent. Bringing up a clan name at the Academy was the same as bringing out a sacred letter. Any teacher would think twice before arguing.
"E-eh... y-yes. Be careful on your way," Shikamoto answered nervously.
Yuji left the classroom with the coolest walk of his life. The door closed softly behind him.
Hana just pushed her glasses again and smiled a little.
In the corridor, Yuji immediately ran lightly. Once he turned the corner, he stopped, and started leaping onto the rooftops and quickly ran and jumped toward the Uchiha clan residence.
Inside the classroom, Shikamoto resumed teaching with slightly trembling hands. Meanwhile, Hana quietly wrote in the corner of her notes: "Yuji = something happened to him. Note: investigate later."
And out there, the wind of the Forest of Death was already waiting.