Chapter 63: Fried Fish
Scratch... scratch...
Hearing the constant sound of a brush moving across paper, the orange cat—flattened into a furry pancake atop the desk—slowly opened its eyes.
Following the sound, it looked toward Asuka, who was busy drawing, and asked softly,
"Asuka... how many years have we known each other?"
Without looking up, Asuka answered,
"Since I graduated from the Ninja Academy. It's been quite a few years."
The orange cat stood, leaped onto his head, gripped his hair with both paws, and leaned forward to inspect the page.
"...Hmm."
The artwork was vivid.
Lifelike.
Almost photographic.
Its eyes lingered on the heroine for a long moment before it blinked in confusion.
"This heroine..."
"Why does she look so familiar?"
"Oh, her?"
Asuka lowered his gaze to the stunning red-haired beauty on the page, looking thoroughly satisfied.
"She's the ideal beauty I imagined."
"I based her on the Uzumaki Clan."
"Pure-blooded Uzumaki all have red hair, so it's only natural she'd resemble Kushina a little."
The orange cat glanced at the beautiful Uzumaki woman before shifting its gaze toward the safe sitting in the corner of the room.
Puzzled, it asked,
"If you're already borrowing from the Uzumaki Clan..."
"Why not just involve the Senju Clan as well?"
"The Senju and the Uchiha were sworn enemies."
"A romance between members of rival clans would be far more compelling."
"It would also show outsiders that the Uchiha have a romantic side."
"And besides..."
"We've known each other for years."
"I've never seen you draw anyone who resembles Tsunade."
"That old woman's got an incredible figure."
"So why not use her as your reference?"
"After all..."
"You two don't exactly get along."
"When I sleep here at night, I occasionally hear you cursing her in your dreams."
Asuka's brush trembled.
A red line cut straight across the drawing.
Looking up at the cat, he declared with complete seriousness,
"A gentleman has things he will do..."
"...and things he absolutely won't."
The orange cat stared blankly before pressing further.
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
Asuka crumpled the ruined page into a ball and tossed it into the trash.
"It means a gentleman has principles."
"He does what he should."
"And never what he shouldn't."
"Heh."
The cat's whiskers twitched.
"So your principle just happens to be that old lady?"
Asuka merely shrugged.
He had no intention of continuing the discussion.
From a psychological standpoint, adults who bully children often do so because of deep-seated insecurity and emotional repression.
Unable to deal with their own negative emotions, they redirect their aggression toward weaker targets.
People like that...
Also tended to develop incurable psychological disorders when subjected to intense emotional trauma.
For example...
Hemophobia.
Ding!
A crisp notification suddenly echoed inside his mind.
Asuka's expression immediately changed.
Closing his eyes, he shouted inwardly,
"System!"
Ever since the previous mission had ended, the system had fallen completely silent.
He'd assumed it had discovered an error in the timeline and was recalibrating itself.
Apparently...
That wasn't the case.
This stubborn system...
---
New Mission Issued: Return in Glory, Yet Walk Within Darkness.
Konoha Ninja Academy is about to begin accepting new students.
As a member of the prestigious Uchiha Clan, enrolling is naturally no challenge.
However...
That alone is far from enough.
The protagonists who excel at "hiding their strength" are usually humble and low-key.
Even if they possess extraordinary talent or stunning appearances, they are described as ordinary and mediocre.
Then, when disaster strikes...
They step forward to save the day.
Unfortunately...
Such behavior completely contradicts the nature of the Uchiha Clan.
No one would ever believe an Uchiha is pretending to be weak.
As the young Clan Head, if you fail to utterly dominate the Ninja Academy entrance examination, your performance will inevitably be compared to your older brother's.
After all...
When your brother took the entrance exam, he left the runner-up so far behind that no one could even see his back.
Mission Requirement:
Obtain an overwhelmingly dominant first place in the Ninja Academy entrance examination.
Mission may be declined.
Reward:
- One increase in Sharingan Awakening Progress
- One Mystery Egg
- One Drop of Ōtsutsuki Blood
"Hm?"
Asuka instinctively ignored the Sharingan reward.
His attention settled on the Mystery Egg.
The reward system remained as infuriating as ever.
Judging by everything he had learned about it...
There was almost no chance this was an ordinary egg.
A very abnormal egg.
It probably wasn't meant to be eaten.
It was meant to hatch.
The only question was...
What exactly would hatch from it?
His gaze shifted toward the final reward.
A single drop of Ōtsutsuki blood...
What was he supposed to do with one drop?
After pondering for a while, Asuka shook his head.
I could probably sell it to Orochimaru.
His attention finally returned to the mission itself.
He had already taken the Ninja Academy entrance examination years ago.
Back then, he'd thoroughly traumatized an entire class of children.
Getting first place...
Wasn't that something anyone with functioning hands could do?
The only uncertainty was...
How overwhelming did the system expect "overwhelming" to be?
Smack!
The orange cat, which had been secretly grooming itself, nearly jumped out of its fur when Asuka suddenly clapped his hands in excitement.
Looking at the clump of orange fur it had accidentally bitten off, it growled,
"What are you doing?!"
"Sigh..."
Asuka stared out the window with a troubled expression.
His eyes drifted toward the brightly lit house across the street, where two elderly men still stood chatting by the window.
Then he sighed.
"I just realized something."
"...?"
The orange cat looked at him blankly.
"What?"
"I don't think..."
"...I can take the Ninja Academy entrance exam anymore."
"Why no—"
Before it could finish speaking, realization dawned on its face.
It looked at Asuka as though he were an idiot.
"You're already an eighteen-year-old elite jōnin."
"And you still want to compete against Academy applicants?"
"Are the Academy instructors stronger than you?"
"...You're right."
Asuka nodded seriously.
He had only just realized the problem himself.
He was an eighteen-year-old combat jōnin.
If the Academy instructors actually allowed him to compete against a group of children...
They'd have to be insane.
Even bribing them probably wouldn't work.
He possessed the strength to dominate the entire pond...
But he wasn't even allowed into it.
"Sigh..."
"I knew this system would never give me an easy mission."
---
Early the next morning—
"Morning, old man."
Asuka cheerfully greeted Ryoichi.
Looking at the heavy dark circles beneath the elder's eyes, he straightened proudly and said,
"Looks like you had quite the reunion with your old friend."
"When I finally went to bed at three in the morning, you two were still standing by the window together, stargazing."
Hearing Asuka's voice behind him, Ryoichi slowly turned around.
His face was filled with exhaustion.
"Kid..."
"Remember one thing for this old man."
"Hm?"
Asuka blinked.
"What is it?"
"The next time you're walking through the streets..."
"Don't casually bring strangers back to the clan."
Asuka immediately thought of the elderly man he'd carried home yesterday.
"...Was there a problem with him?"
He looked at Ryoichi in surprise.
"Old man..."
"Wasn't he your friend?"
Ryoichi stared at him in disbelief.
His voice was full of grief and indignation.
"He is not this old man's friend!"
"...?"
Question marks practically appeared above Asuka's head.
Not your friend?
Then why did you let him stay at your house?
If he wasn't your friend, why were the two of you secretly chatting together in that grove?
"Then..."
"Who exactly is he?"
"He's this old man's cousin."
"The one who disappeared nearly fifty years ago."
"You dragged my long-lost cousin back home."
"..."
"..."
"Kid."
"You've rendered your Second Grandpa completely speechless."
Taking a deep breath, Ryoichi slowly raised a trembling thumbs-up.
Word by word, he gritted out,
"You little rascal..."
"No wonder your Second Grandpa has always doted on you."