บท 88: Chapter 88: I'll Shatter Your Teeth!
"Shinho-kun, congratulations on getting first place again."
Ino Yamanaka jogged over with a sincere smile, her golden hair shining in the soft light of the setting sun, casting a glow that made her appear almost radiant.
"Isn't it just normal for Shinho to get first place?" Kiba Inuzuka chimed in, jumping into the conversation.
"True," Choji Akimichi nodded in agreement.
Hinata Hyuga and Shikamaru Nara both wore expressions of approval.
"The theory results aren't out yet, so it's not guaranteed," Shinho responded casually.
"Did you mess up, Shinho-kun?" Ino's face flashed with concern at his words.
"No," Shinho shook his head.
"Then I don't see why you wouldn't get first place," Ino shot him a playful look, rolling her eyes slightly. Shinho-kun is great at everything, but sometimes he's too modest. Other times... a little too cocky.
"To celebrate Shinho getting first place, how about we go for some yakiniku?" Choji suddenly exclaimed with excitement.
[Tl/n: Yakiniku is board term for Japanese barbeque restaurants.]
"I'm in!" Naruto immediately echoed his enthusiasm.
"I'll treat," Shinho said with a faint smile. "Consider it a pre-holiday feast."
"Holiday, huh…" Ino murmured, realizing she wasn't looking forward to the break as much as she thought. Once school is out, seeing Shinho-kun won't be as easy.
"Ino?" Shinho glanced over at her.
"I'm going!" Ino quickly dashed forward, squeezing herself next to Shinho.
"Wait, we're still missing someone," Naruto suddenly said, as if remembering something important.
"Who? Shino?" Shinho asked instinctively.
"…"
Shino fell silent, feeling a little speechless. I was literally just helping you out earlier, bro.
"No, Sasuke," Naruto said before bolting off in a random direction. "I'm gonna go get him!"
"Wait!" Shinho called out, "That's not the way."
Naruto skidded to a halt, then ran back, scratching his head. "Uh… where does Sasuke live?"
"I'll go get him," Shinho offered after thinking for a moment. With Naruto's tendency to cause trouble, things might escalate between him and Sasuke.
Also, with the Uchiha clan still under surveillance after the Nine-Tails incident, the last thing they needed was for a jinchūriki to show up unannounced at their compound—it'd be a real horror story for them.
"You guys go pick up Sakura and meet at the yakiniku place," Shinho instructed, as he walked away.
The Uchiha clan had moved to the outskirts of the village after the Nine-Tails attack, situated in the southwestern corner of Konoha. Shinho had never been there before, but he'd studied maps, so he knew the general direction.
After a short walk, Shinho arrived at the entrance to the Uchiha compound. Two Uchiha guards glanced at him but didn't question his presence, letting him pass without issue.
Because I'm just a kid, Shinho mused. With the Uchiha's pride, they probably wouldn't bother interrogating someone so young. Besides, who would dare cause trouble in the largest clan's territory in the village?
As he walked through, Shinho noticed that the Uchiha compound had a bustling atmosphere—almost like a village within a village. It reminded him of the Hyuga compound, although the Hyuga's environment felt more repressive, likely due to the Caged Bird Seal.
After asking for directions, Shinho found his way to Fugaku Uchiha's house and knocked on the door.
"Fugaku, is that you? Oh... Shinho!"
Mikoto Uchiha greeted him warmly at the door, a look of surprise on her face.
"Auntie Mikoto," Shinho greeted, looking up at her. She was wearing a white apron, her long black hair tied back—she embodied the ideal of a gentle, caring mother.
"You're just in time. Why don't you stay for dinner?" Mikoto asked softly.
"No, thanks, Auntie," Shinho replied politely, explaining his reason for coming. "I'm here to get Sasuke. We're all going out for yakiniku."
"Sasuke, huh?" Mikoto paused, then smiled. "Did he lose to you again today? He came home looking quite upset."
How should I even explain? That Naruto shattered his dream of being the strongest with a single kick? Shinho didn't know how to respond.
"I'm not blaming you," Mikoto reassured him as she crouched down to pat his head gently. "Sasuke is just proud, that's all. Please bear with him."
"I'll go talk to him," Shinho said, already having expected this.
"Thanks, Shinho," Mikoto said, giving his cheek a light pinch. "You're such a good boy. Your mother must be very happy to have a son like you."
Shinho's mouth twitched slightly. Do all women enjoy patting heads?
"Come on in," Mikoto stood up, stepping aside to let him in.
Shinho entered the living room.
"That room," Mikoto whispered, leaning down to his ear as if afraid Sasuke might overhear.
Shinho walked forward and pushed open the door.
"Who said you could come in?" Sasuke's irritated voice came from under a pile of blankets.
He probably thought it was Mikoto.
"Are you crying in secret?" Shinho asked calmly.
The room fell silent.
After a few seconds, Sasuke's head popped out from the blankets, his eyes stubborn. "No."
"Then come on out, let's get some yakiniku," Shinho said, observing the bloodshot state of Sasuke's eyes.
Is he about to awaken his Sharingan? Shinho wondered. Though, it doesn't seem likely, yet. He recalled reading that awakening the Sharingan required not only strong emotional stimuli but also sufficient chakra reserves, since the eye's power came from chakra.
Sasuke, who only awakened a single tomoe during the Uchiha Massacre, likely hadn't yet built up enough chakra to manifest the full Sharingan.
"..."
Sasuke remained silent, looking conflicted. I lost so badly, and he wants me to go eat yakiniku?
"Don't you want to know why you lost to Naruto?" Shinho adjusted his sunglasses, adding an extra hint of mystery to his voice.
"I'm going," Sasuke responded immediately, springing out of bed.
"Did you two sort things out?" Mikoto asked with a hint of surprise when the two emerged from the room. That conversation had taken less than half a minute. No wonder Shinho could befriend Sasuke so easily.
"Yes," Shinho nodded. "We're heading out, Auntie Mikoto."
"Have fun," Mikoto replied, her face radiating warmth.
"Why did I lose?" Sasuke couldn't wait until they were out of the house, asking the question the moment they stepped into the street.
Because mages are weak in the early game compared to warriors, Shinho thought to himself.
Aloud, he said, "Lightning-Style ninjutsu works best when paired with the Sharingan."
Sasuke paused, confused. That doesn't sound right. Are you messing with me?
All the Uchiha he knew used Fire-Style techniques with the Sharingan. Lightning-Style hadn't been mentioned.
"When chakra reserves are low, ninjutsu doesn't fare well against taijutsu," Shinho continued. "It wasn't your fault you lost."
"Then… should I learn taijutsu?" Sasuke asked hesitantly.
What's happening? he thought, feeling more and more like an outsider in his own clan. Uchiha Taijutsu Master? People would laugh if they heard that.
Besides, Sasuke was the clan leader's son. "No need," Shinho shook his head and said. "What you need is a teacher."
"A teacher?" Sasuke thought of Naruto's teacher, Might Guy. Undoubtedly, Guy wasn't as ordinary as he appeared. Naruto's sudden leap in power made that fact very clear.
"But the Uchiha clan doesn't have any shinobi skilled in Lightning Release," Sasuke said, furrowing his brow.
"Kakashi Hatake," Shinho gave the standard answer.
In all of Konoha, Kakashi was probably the most suitable teacher for Sasuke. In the original timeline, he had taken Sasuke as a true successor, teaching him with great care.
"Would he agree?" Sasuke hadn't expected Shinho to suggest Kakashi. Naruto had mentioned that Kakashi's rival was Might Guy. What a strange twist of fate—both teachers and students were rivals. Wait…
Sasuke suddenly realized he was overthinking. After all, Naruto had declared Shinho his own "rival for life."
"He'll agree," Shinho replied thoughtfully. "You could ask your brother to help you make the request."
In theory, Kakashi owed the Uchiha clan. The fact that he still had the Sharingan was due to the consent of Fugaku Uchiha.
Of course, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, played the biggest role in securing that agreement.
Getting Itachi to act as a middleman would work not only because he was Kakashi's comrade in the Anbu, but also because Itachi had already aligned himself with Hiruzen Sarutobi. Recommending Sasuke might even earn him favor with the Hokage.
The only obstacle might be Fugaku. Would he agree? But none of that concerned Shinho. He had provided Sasuke with the solution; it was up to Sasuke to make it happen.
At the yakiniku restaurant, they were warmly greeted as soon as they stepped inside.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura's excited voice called out as she waved.
"Over here, Shinho-kun!" Ino wasn't about to be outdone.
"Sasuke!" Naruto grinned as they approached, asking, "Did you know I got second place?"
What's wrong with you? Sasuke thought. Why are you so proud of getting second? But a part of him was envious. He used to consistently be in second place. Now, he was third. Funny how I didn't care about being second, but now I want it back.
"Sasuke, I grilled some pork belly for you," Naruto said, sliding a plate of grilled meat toward him.
"You burnt it!" Sakura quickly placed her own plate in front of Sasuke. "Eat mine instead."
After a brief moment of silence, Sasuke picked up his chopsticks, took a bite, and said, "Not bad."
Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. At least it was a compliment.
Sasuke glanced across the table at Shinho, who sat between Ino and Hinata.
Technically, Shinho should be the one grilling meat for the girls, but the roles had reversed. Instead, sasuke watched as both of them fed Shinho, who clearly had more food in his mouth than he could eat.
"N-Naruto," Sasuke asked, remembering something, "How long did your match against Shinho last?"
Having left early, Sasuke hadn't witnessed their battle.
Naruto scratched his head awkwardly. I got one-shot… Is that worth mentioning?
"I get it," Sasuke said, seeing Naruto's expression. He could guess what had happened. If Naruto had lasted a while, he would've boasted about it to everyone. The fact that he hadn't meant he lost—badly.
"You get what?" Naruto noticed Sasuke's strange look and immediately retorted, "I lasted a long time!"
"Sure," Sasuke replied dismissively.
"Of course I did!" Naruto insisted, indignant.
"Idiot," Sasuke found himself feeling a bit better for some reason.
"Moron!" Naruto shot back, not one to back down.
Sakura, holding her chopsticks, stared at them in confusion. Am I the outsider now? She felt awkward, unsure of how to join the conversation.
"Alright, I've had enough to eat," Shinho said, stopping both Ino and Hinata from piling more food onto his plate. The two girls seemed to be competing to feed him, and things were getting out of hand.
To settle things, Shinho took some of the extra grilled meat and divided it between the two. He gave the meat Ino grilled to Hinata and vice versa. Fairness above all.
Achievement Unlocked: "A Movie for Three." Reward: Crocodile Strength Gu.
Crocodile Strength Gu: A rank two Gu worm that, when consumed, permanently increases the user's strength by the power of a crocodile.
Shinho paused for a moment, surprised. The system's triggers were becoming stranger, but the reward was excellent.
He had worried that the strength from his White Pig Gu and Black Pig Gu might become insufficient as he grew stronger. With the Crocodile Strength Gu, those worries were gone.
The power of a crocodile... Now I can shatter your teeth with ease, Shinho thought, glancing at Sakura. He suspected she had unintentionally triggered the achievement.
After all, things were going pretty smoothly with Hinata and Ino, and Hinata wasn't the type to openly compete with others.
"Shinho-kun," Ino asked with a smile, though her eyes darted toward Hinata, "Whose grilled meat tastes better?"
"Hinata's meat was more carefully prepared," Shinho answered without much thought.
Then he realized his mistake. Hinata smiled gracefully, while Ino's smile froze.
"But yours was good too, Ino," Shinho quickly added.
Ino bit down on a piece of meat, her frustration showing. I lost by a small margin. How was she supposed to compete with that? Ino's face filled with uncertainty. Should I just give up?
No. She couldn't. Not yet.
"Ino," Shinho interrupted her thoughts, gently wiping the corner of her mouth with a napkin. "You had some oil on your face."
Ino's cheeks turned pink, her cute blush softening her expression.
Hinata, on the other hand, puffed out her cheeks slightly, resembling an adorable hamster.
Fight, fight, fight,
Shino muttered in his mind, enjoying the drama. Watching his brother get caught in awkward situations was one of life's greatest pleasures.
Too bad it didn't last. Shinho casually picked up a piece of grilled meat and placed it in Hinata's bowl, delivering a one-two knockout to both girls.
This guy's unstoppable, Shino sighed inwardly, shaking his head.
"After the break starts, what are you guys planning to do?" Kiba asked after gulping down a drink.
"Training, of course!" Naruto exclaimed with enthusiasm. "I'm gonna wake up at 4 a.m., run 300 laps, then do handstand laps…"
"Stop, stop, stop!" Kiba crossed his arms in an X-shape. "Naruto, that's not even funny."
"I'm serious," Naruto replied, scratching his head.
"You're insane," Sakura couldn't help but comment.
Sasuke instinctively tightened his grip on his chopsticks. I thought I was working hard, but Naruto's dedication is on a whole other level.
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