— Did you hear about the Haruno family's youngest son?
— No. What did that little devil do this time?
— He unleashed a swarm of insects. Now all the houses around his are struggling to get rid of those things.
— Insects? Again? Are you sure that kid isn't from the Aburame clan?
— If only he were. He wouldn't cause so many problems, or at least his disasters would only be his clan's problem and would never reach my house.
— Haha… that's one of the reasons I decided to move. So? Did you file a complaint?
— … No need to be sarcastic. What good would it do to report him when it's common knowledge that the Aburame heir is his friend? There's always someone willing to cover up his messes.
— I wonder if the Aburame heir is to blame for that little demon becoming so obsessed with insects.
— I don't doubt it. Where else would he get so many bugs? Honestly, I'd rather he went back to the days when he used to cut through and knock down the walls of his own house.
— Wouldn't it be better to go back to the days when he was so sick he couldn't even get out of bed?
— You're right. At least there was some peace there. Now I always have to wait until his sister comes back to put that little demon in his place.
— If only the demon foxes' older sister could do the same with the disaster of a younger brother she has, the village would be a much better place.
— I get it. That damn brat tore my shop apart again yesterday.
— That's why I've always told you to kick him out as soon as you see him. He doesn't even respect Hokage-sama; don't expect him to respect us mere civilians.
— Why do those kids have to be so troublesome? Look at the Hyuga heiresses. Both twins are so polite and charming. They never cause any trouble.
— You're asking too much. They're the heirs of a noble clan; the others are just members of a newly formed clan made up of former civilians and a couple of orphans.
— But even so…
About a hundred meters away, the women's voices faded out of earshot.
Without rushing, Yashin tore his eyes away from their backs to write in the notebook in his hands.
"Day twenty. 100 meters. Twice the hearing range of a human and half that of a dog without ninja training. It seems impossible to achieve greater sensitivity without altering the structure of the ear canal or increasing the density of hair cells. It is imperative to study a larger group of animals, preferably with chakra, before any bodily modifications."
After letting out a heavy sigh, Yashin closed his notebook.
If only he had enough chakra, he wouldn't have to waste his time on this kind of nonsense, he thought.
No, the problem wasn't the chakra; it was the flawed body he had gone to such lengths to create.
"Yashin"
Such a fitting name, yet at the same time, it couldn't be more insulting.
What good is ambition without ability?
There is nothing more repulsive than a pig that longs to swallow the sky, without first realizing the width of its own snout.
…
"Hey, hey. Instead of complaining about the same old crap, why don't you drop a couple of fleas on those old women? They dared to wish ill upon our great self. The least they deserve is a night of itching and insomnia."
— If it weren't for the fact that I listened to you and overstimulated the wolf spider and her young, they surely wouldn't be wishing me back to bed.
"Cut the crap. As if you care about their point of view. Besides, no matter why they're doing it, they should pay. In my previous life, I would've sent them to sleep with the fishes for much less."
— I'd rather think I'd ignore them and go about my business as a law-abiding citizen.
"Only to then have someone else do your dirty work, right? There's no need to act like you're some decent person in front of the voice in your head—after all, we're the same person."
— That's what you say, but I see a lot of differences.
"Like what?"
— At least I'm aware of the limits we're subject to in this new life.
"I asked for a reason, not your old excuse for acting like a cowardly bitch."
— Yeah, yeah.
…
After brushing the nonexistent dust off his hakama, Yashin stood up and began to climb down, step by step, from the high wall he was standing on.
His body, completely parallel to the ground, trembled every time one of his feet left the wall; even so, his posture remained perfect.
…
"At the very least, we should have taught them a lesson so they'd remember that spiders aren't insects."
— Not even the Aburame had a clear distinction between arachnids and insects. What do you expect from civilians?
"Bow."
…
Although he wanted to retort immediately, once his feet touched the ground and he stopped fighting gravity, he could barely stay upright and keep from collapsing to his knees.
The sudden release of his perpetually overtaxed chakra left him without a shred of breath to waste on arguing with himself.
It was more important to regain his composure and make sure his hormones didn't run wild.
It wasn't until more than a minute later that he was finally able to sit up and let out a sigh of relief. Even so, his pale, sweat-drenched face spoke volumes about his condition.
…
— Do you still think we deserve respect?
"Why not? It's just a minor inconvenience that I'll resolve sooner or later. And regardless of my condition, no one should even consider disrespecting me."
— So, what do I do about the trouble that's coming?
"How about cutting off their heads and then eating their flesh? I still have enough chakra to do that, don't I?"
— And that's why I say you don't know the limits of our current life.
…
A frustrated snort echoed in Yashin's head, just as he turned to face the group of children rounding the corner.
— So, this is where you were hiding.
— I knew it. If the big-headed older sister was around here, the cripple would definitely be nearby too.
— Don't call him a cripple. First we have to make sure he hasn't recovered yet.
— That's true. I once heard him say he'd recover. This could be the day.
— I think his forehead is almost as big as his sister's now. If that's the source of his strength, this time he might surprise us like he used to.
The group's loud laughter rose high into the late afternoon sky.
For his part, Yashin remained expressionless, his eyes fixed on the children's smiles. However, whether it was his limbs or his entire spine, everything was beginning to feel overwhelmed by a slight tingling sensation.
…
"You see. Even this defective body knows what I must do. A simple Kai, and all their heads would be rolling at my feet, as it always should have been. Why did you restrict it so much?"
…
Yashin didn't answer, but his eyes narrowed and began to sharpen.
Meanwhile, the group finished approaching him.
— Why aren't you saying anything? Did the cat eat your tongue?
— Look at his face. It's obvious he's scared.
— Pathetic.
— Back when you thought you were better than everyone else, did you ever think that one day you might be weaker than any of us?
— You expect too much from him. He was just an arrogant brute with too much strength. Now that he's lost the only thing that made him special, all that's left is an arrogant brute.
— Don't forget he also has a huge forehead.
As if to drive home his point, the boy reached out to press his hand against Yashin's forehead; however, before he could do so, Yashin's palm caught his wrist.
Silence fell over the alley, which had been bustling just a moment ago.
"What do you think you're doing, cripple? Are you looking for a fight with us?"
Without a second's delay, the group of kids completely surrounded him.
"Looks like the cripple still doesn't understand his place."
"This time we should hit him harder. That way, tomorrow when he can't get out of bed, maybe he'll understand that we're even more fearsome than his illness."
"Good idea. Besides, no one will be able to complain since he used to do the same thing.
…
"Are you really going to put up with this again? How long are you going to let this kind of trash treat you like this? Just raise your other hand and cut them all down equally. End of story. None of them will ever bother me with their presence again."
…
Little by little, Yashin's free hand began to rise.
A slight movement, barely noticeable to anyone; but for some strange reason, it caused the temperature of the surroundings to drop, to the point where all the children felt a chill creeping up the backs of their necks.
But before his hand could reach the height of their necks, a shrill scream, accompanied by a fierce, flower-scented wind, stopped his hand in its tracks.
— Yashin!