"This is a problem."
"No kidding. If we're talking about docking points, it doesn't really feel like enough."
Two instructors from the Ninja Academy sat side by side, both wearing troubled expressions.
In terms of both skill and chakra reserves, Byakuya had already surpassed the level of a chūnin. But the fact that he showed absolutely no regard for allies was a serious problem.
"What if we send him to the ANBU?"
"Do you know what the ANBU are like right now? They value loyalty to comrades even more. If we were really going to send him anywhere, it would have to be there... but that's going way too far."
The teacher, stopping just short of saying the word Root out loud, eventually shook his head and stood up.
When it came down to it, the graduation exam didn't test loyalty to comrades at all. Sooner or later, Byakuya would graduate and become a full-fledged shinobi.
Once he got assigned to a jōnin squad leader, maybe he would finally learn something. Maybe then he would understand how important teammates were.
"Then it's settled. We'll have him graduate early."
"Yeah. Better than keeping him at the Academy where he can keep causing problems..."
"Let's do it."
But the decision they had just reached clearly wasn't a very good one either. The two men looked at each other in silence, sighed at the same time, and sank right back into frustration.
A moment later, though, both of them gave a dry laugh and spoke as if none of it really mattered.
"Well, even if we submit the request, it's not guaranteed to be approved."
"That's true. Still, we should file it first. We can't just leave this alone."
At this rate, someone might actually die during combat training.
This situation absolutely could not be allowed to continue.
In the end, finding a solution was the responsibility of the Academy teachers.
---
"Do you really think that guy is for real?"
"If someone like that becomes a shinobi, anyone sent on a mission with him is basically dealing with twice as many enemies."
"I heard he steals, too."
"They say the school wants him to graduate early and send him into the ANBU."
"Heh. Honestly, that kind of suits him."
So rumors really did spread that easily.
Byakuya stared blankly up at the sky, doing his best to ignore the whispers drifting around him.
"Graduating early, huh..."
His original plan had been to play the villain just enough, then wait until Naruto was strong enough, rush in, and finish everything by shoving his own neck onto a shuriken Naruto raised in self-defense...
But if he graduated early, that meant being sent to the battlefield early too... and if that happened, things got bad fast.
There had never been any character named Kuroshiro Byakuya in the original story, and with the strength this body had, there was no way he could have been some nobody.
Which meant only one thing: the "him" from this body had most likely already died on a battlefield, or somewhere else along the way.
"Hey, Byakuya. I heard you're taking the graduation exam early?"
"..."
"Man, I wish I could graduate early too."
By now, Byakuya was starting to get used to Asuma always trying to cozy up to him lately... no, scratch that. Why the hell had this guy been acting like they were suddenly friends all the time?
Byakuya gave Asuma a flat, speechless look from head to toe, then even turned slightly away, doing everything he could to show he had no interest in talking.
But against someone as thick-skinned as Asuma, it was completely useless.
"So when are you taking it? If you pass, you'll be the youngest shinobi, right?"
"I'm not taking it."
"Huh?"
Whether he was surprised because Byakuya had finally bothered to answer him, or shocked by the answer itself, Asuma's eyes widened slightly.
Byakuya stood up, fixed him with a look of open impatience, and spoke.
"And stop acting like we're friends all the time, okay?"
"Ah..."
Did that actually hurt him?
Byakuya flicked a quick glance at Asuma's expression, then worried his own face might give something away and hurriedly turned to leave.
The thought that Asuma might really stop trying to talk to him after this should have made things easier, but instead it left a strange ache in his chest.
"Why not!? This is such a great chance!"
"..."
Apparently, this idiot hadn't taken a single word of that harsh line to heart.
Byakuya turned and looked at him with the kind of irritation that wasn't even forced anymore, the real thing straight from the gut. But in the end, he decided ignoring him was still the best strategy, gave up resisting, and picked up his pace.
Then Asuma, stubborn as ever, actually chased after him, still demanding to know why he wasn't taking the graduation exam.
Because of that, the people nearby overheard them, and suddenly everyone seemed intensely interested in why he was turning down early graduation. More and more eyes shifted toward him.
If he explained it all at once, he could probably make himself look even worse. Then the talk behind his back about early graduation would probably die down too.
With that thought, Byakuya stopped short, turned around, and faced Asuma, who was still walking toward him with question after question.
So what am I supposed to say...?
Was talking tough really this hard...?
Before he knew it, Byakuya had plunged the whole classroom into dead silence, and the pressure crashed down on him like a wave.
Now that he had stopped, he had to say something... but with everyone staring at him, he found himself getting weirdly nervous.
If he brought up the thing everyone was already focused on, that would probably stir things up even more, right...?
"Because there's still a lot to learn at this school. Like the fact that there really are idiots dumb enough to get caught in even the tiniest jutsu."
"You bastard!"
Looks like the nastiness he forced into his voice had worked. The student who had been on Byakuya's team before and got hurt by his jutsu shot to his feet in fury, looking ready to charge across the room and punch him.
Byakuya gave the enraged boy a cold, dismissive sneer, then turned and walked out of the classroom.
But once he was out in the hall, he couldn't stop thinking about the look on Asuma's face after being frozen in shock by what he'd said.
Byakuya had a feeling that this time, Asuma might really never try to cozy up to him again.
"...That's better this way."
He had to be a villain through and through.
That way, when Naruto killed him, Naruto wouldn't have to carry any guilt.
Byakuya repeated it to himself like a kind of mantra, forcing himself to steady his nerves. But in truth, his hands had been shaking the whole time from anxiety.
Things had only just begun. He wasn't even halfway there yet, and he was already trembling over something this small...
Even Byakuya couldn't help thinking how pathetic that was.