Chicken Out and You're a Puppy!
…No, seriously.
That brat's got a screw loose, right?
Hyūga Shiori couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth.
So what—you like getting beaten up now?
She rubbed her forehead helplessly, her mind already racing through the possible consequences of this decision.
The most immediate effect was obvious:
the relationship between the Hyūga clan and the Hokage's faction would inevitably grow closer.
Getting closer to the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki was an opportunity countless clans would kill for.
But on the flip side—
If anything ever happened to the jinchūriki, the Hyūga would be the first to be held accountable.
After all, the Nine-Tails wasn't just some important asset—it was a national-level weapon, arguably even more important than the Hokage himself.
A Hokage could be replaced.
Lose the Nine-Tails, and where the hell were you supposed to find another one?
After weighing the pros and cons, Nao finally made up her mind.
As the only daughter of the Hyūga clan head—and, barring any accidents, the future clan leader—she had the authority to decide this on her own.
What she hadn't expected, though, was that what started as a temporary ANBU assignment—just filling in as the jinchūriki's guard—
Would turn out like this.
She'd been in ANBU for three years already. The résumé was gilded, the merits earned.
Originally, she'd planned to finish this last mission, resign, and go home to quietly wait to take over the clan.
Who could've predicted that the jinchūriki would turn out to be a full-blown masochist?
Life was unpredictable.
—
Sarutobi Hiruzen finished reading the interrogation report Nao had submitted. He closed his eyes and leaned back, deep in thought.
A visitor from another world…
The idea was absurd—almost ridiculous.
But from his perspective, if it was true, that would actually be the best outcome.
It would prove the Hyūga clan's innocence beyond doubt, and confirm that the Byakugan had never leaked.
If it was false…
Then he'd have to reconsider letting Hyūga Shiori remain beside Kyūsei.
The jinchūriki's safety allowed for zero margin of error.
"Alright," Hiruzen said slowly.
"Nao, go get some rest. I'll have people look into the Sky Ninja remnants."
Nao bowed and took her leave.
After a long silence, Hiruzen finally spoke again:
"Go and summon Hatake Sakumo. I have a mission for him."
The wind brushed quietly against the curtains of the Hokage's office.
Something felt… missing.
—
"So-called shinobi combat," the instructor droned on,
"requires precise judgment of distance between yourself and the enemy…"
Kyūsei propped his chin on his hand, listening to the teacher's voice like it was some kind of high-level lullaby. He stifled a yawn.
Honestly, this stuff was completely useless to him.
What—was he supposed to go into battle and throw shuriken?
Please.
If it ever came to that, it'd be straight to Tailed Beast Bombs.
His eyelids felt like they had lead weights hanging off them.
He hadn't slept well.
Dragged awake in the middle of the night.
Watched a mother–daughter deathmatch.
Then got shipped off to the Sarutobi household.
Okay, fine—those were excuses.
The real reason?
Kyūsei was picky about his bed.
If it wasn't his bed, he just couldn't sleep.
Just as he was about to completely give in, something cracked sharply against his forehead.
Thwack.
"Kyūsei," the teacher said flatly, adjusting his reflective glasses,
"no sleeping in class."
"Yesss, teacherrr~"
Kyūsei yawned again, rubbing his bleary eyes.
Seeing the classroom tyrant looking this lifeless, the teacher decided it wasn't worth the effort and continued lecturing.
At that moment, a slender, fair hand quietly pushed a green candy onto Kyūsei's desk.
"It's mint candy~"
Namikaze Kaoru smiled at him.
Kyūsei unwrapped it and popped it straight into his mouth.
Instantly, a sharp minty freshness shot straight up to his skull.
He felt human again.
Kaoru watched him eat the candy she'd given him, her blue eyes curving into happy crescents.
…Damn it, this bastard.
Behind Kyūsei, Sarutobi Shinnosuke witnessed the entire exchange.
His molars ground together so hard they were about to shatter.
I want Kaoru's candy too…
—
Time ticked by.
Finally, the dismissal bell rang.
Kyūsei's half-dead eyes lit up instantly, and he stared eagerly at the teacher's desk.
Unable to endure that burning gaze, the teacher hurriedly announced class dismissal and left.
The classroom exploded into noise like a marketplace.
Before Kyūsei could even stand up, a figure blocked his path.
A black-haired boy with the Uchiha clan fan crest on his back stood there, arms crossed.
"Uzumaki Kyūsei," he said coldly.
"I lost our last duel—but I'm not the same as before!"
"I'm stronger now!"
"If you're a man, we settle this on the training field!"
As his voice fell, boys gathered rapidly around them.
The formation was clear.
More than thirty stood behind Kyūsei.
Barely a dozen stood behind the Uchiha boy.
Ever since Kyūsei had beaten everyone on his first day, many students—under prolonged, loving oppression—had decided that becoming his underlings was the safer life choice.
The remaining few, stubborn to the core, refused to give in.
Leading them was this boy—
Uchiha Naoki.
"Tch, weren't you the one who got beaten so badly you couldn't tell north from south?"
A boy with a ninja dog perched on his head scoffed.
"And now you're acting tough again?"
"Bah!"
A chubby kid behind Naoki retorted, shoveling chips into his mouth, crumbs flying everywhere.
"Calling him 'boss'? You spineless traitors! Got smacked a few times and you switched sides—disgusting!"
"This isn't betrayal!"
Someone behind Kyūsei fired back.
"We just chose the right person!"
"With Boss Kyūsei leading us, who in our year can stand against the Uzumaki Gang?!"
"Yeah! We should be thinking about beating the upperclassmen already!"
"Hah! Uzumaki Gang, my ass!"
Naoki sneered.
"You think you can beat the older students?"
"Joining the Fan Club is the real way forward!"
The argument erupted instantly.
Kyūsei yawned, stood up, and stretched lazily.
"If you're that eager to get beaten, I'll oblige," he said casually.
"Don't complain later that I bullied you."
For Kyūsei, brawling with kids like this was oddly fun.
One of the most important spices in his laid-back, rice-grubbing life.
"Fine!"
"See you on the field!!"
"Anyone who doesn't show up is a puppy!"
Uchiha Naoki hurled out what he clearly believed was the most vicious threat imaginable, then turned and stormed toward the training field.
"Boss, you've gotta teach him a lesson this time!"
"Yeah! Naoki's always looking down on people like that—so annoying!"
The Inuzuka kid glared at Naoki's retreating back.
Kyūsei's lips curled into a mischievous smile.
"Hey now, we're all comrades from the same village," he said lightly.
"We should get along, right… Retsu?"
Inuzuka Retsu grinned back immediately.
"Exactly! How could we go too hard on fellow villagers?"
"Boss, you really think things through!"