"Mhm!"
Kabuto adjusted his glasses and nodded in agreement.
"And you, Akashō?"
"Me?" Akashō raised an eyebrow. "I'm also an orphan from the Sand Village battlefield. Well, my situation's pretty much the same as yours."
"I see."
Kabuto nodded. So their backgrounds were similar—just that he had been sent to Konoha earlier than Akashō.
Similar fates. Kindred souls.
With that thought, the sense of distance Kabuto felt toward Akashō shrank instantly.
"Oh, by the way—your smile? It's way too fake. Nothing like Nonō's at all."
Akashō suddenly spoke.
"Huh?"
Kabuto froze, his face full of surprise.
"Heh, just kidding."
Akashō smirked and gave him a slap on the back.
"Come on, show me around this orphanage."
"…Alright."
Kabuto led the way toward the back door of the courtyard, with Akashō following at an unhurried pace.
As they stepped through, Akashō slightly turned his head. Three boys—no more than seven or eight years old—were gathered by a pillar, watching him with ill intent.
Heh. Brats like these really exist everywhere.
"You'd better stay away from them," Kabuto said after they walked a short distance. "Those three are especially annoying in the orphanage. They love bullying people."
"But as long as you give in, they won't hit too hard. Keep a low profile, and they won't bother you again."
"Oh?"
Akashō casually hooked an arm around Kabuto's neck.
"What, they beat you too?"
Kabuto wore a faint smile. "Every boy in the orphanage has been beaten by them."
"So according to you, you just have to take a beating."
"There's no helping it. They don't really mean serious harm. It's just a beating—it's not a big deal. Besides, we don't want to cause trouble for the director. Even if the director finds out, at most they'll get scolded. After that, you'll still get beaten anyway."
Hearing that, Akashō let out a snort. "You make cowardice sound so logical. Kid, you've got the makings of a politician."
Kabuto pushed up his glasses and dropped the topic, instead leading Akashō into a room filled with beds.
"This is the boys' dormitory."
"Turn right at the end of the hall for the bathroom. The dining hall is on the left."
Akashō didn't pay much attention to the explanation. He glanced to the side, spotting the three boys approaching with their hands in their pockets.
"Well, aren't you eager."
Hearing that, Kabuto quickly turned to look at the boys who had already come close.
"Still not leaving, Kabuto?"
One of them shoved him arrogantly.
Kabuto staggered back a few steps, then looked at Akashō with a serious expression.
Akashō gave him a reassuring look before turning and walking into the dormitory.
"Let's talk inside."
The three boys exchanged glances, each sensing the others' surprise.
"What a cocky kid. Let's teach him a lesson."
They followed him into the dorm and casually shut the door behind them, leaving Kabuto alone in the hallway.
The smile had already vanished from Kabuto's face. As he stared at the tightly closed door, his eyes were filled with unconcealed worry.
That boy named Akashō… didn't seem like he intended to give in like he had suggested.
Hopefully nothing serious would happen. If it caused trouble for the director, he'd feel guilty.
...
Inside the boys' dormitory, Akashō sat on a bed, looking at the three boys surrounding him.
They cracked their knuckles one by one, their faces cold.
"Figured out how you wanna die yet?"
A faint smile curled at Akashō's lips. He lifted his chin and swept them with a disdainful glance.
"Go ahead—hit me. If you don't beat me to death today, I'll be your damn father."
"What did you just say!?"
"You little bastard!!"
The three boys, used to throwing their weight around in the orphanage, had never been provoked like this before. They exploded in anger, kicking Akashō to the ground before raining punches and kicks down on him.
Akashō curled up on the floor, but his mouth never stopped running.
"What's wrong? That all you've got? Feels like you're scratching an itch."
"Damn it! If we don't beat you to death today, we're your sons!"
Their blows grew heavier and heavier, yet as Akashō felt the pain coursing through his body, the corners of his mouth kept rising uncontrollably.
Finally—something in this orphanage that actually interested him.
From the moment those three had set their sights on him, he had already been thinking about how to deal with them.
Using brute force wasn't an option. If he transformed into Kokushibo, he'd likely end up surrounded and hunted by Konoha shinobi.
But without transforming, his frail body couldn't possibly beat three boys taller than him—and besides, that wouldn't be fun at all.
It wasn't until Kabuto told him about his experiences getting beaten that Akashō came up with a brilliant idea.
Sure, he'd have to take a beating first—but what he really wanted to see was the look of fear and regret on their faces afterward.
That would be far more entertaining.
"Alright, that's enough. If we keep going, we'll really kill him!"
After nearly ten minutes, the chubbier of the three hurriedly stopped the others.
But just as they were cursing and preparing to leave, Akashō suddenly sat up and sneered:
"Heh… so if you're not killing me, does that mean you admit you're my sons?"