Was the Person He Liked Uchiha Mikoto?

"I'm looking for the pajamas you left behind.

"If you won't repeat a year, then just live at my house from now on.

"Anyway, you said when we were kids that once I grew up, you'd marry me. You can't go back on your word."

"..."

You still remembered something from when they were playing house as children?

And you were taking it seriously?!

"If you walk out of the living room, tomorrow I'll go to your classroom and tell everyone I'm looking for my wife."

Uchiha Mikoto, who had quietly tiptoed to the living room entrance, froze completely.

She had wanted to just leave, but not only had she been caught, she had even been threatened.

If Chiyue really ran to her classroom looking for his wife, how was she supposed to show her face at school afterward?

I give up...

Looking at Chiyue leaning against the bedroom doorframe with her pajamas in hand, grinning smugly at her, Uchiha Mikoto's little face turned red with anger.

Helplessly, she turned around, took the pajamas, and headed for the bathroom.

Fine, I won't leave. It's not like this is the first time I've stayed at your house.

Her little brother had grown up and become disobedient. He had even started threatening his big sister. What was she supposed to do now?

Uchiha Mikoto was deeply troubled. She thought about it all night but still couldn't come up with a good solution.

"Skipping a grade!"

The next day, on the way to the Ninja Academy, Chiyue reminded Uchiha Mikoto.

"Sister Mikoto."

The moment they stepped outside, they ran into Minato. Wearing his trademark smile, Minato greeted Uchiha Mikoto.

"Sister Mikoto, why do you seem so worried today?"

"She's got a headache over repeating a year."

Chiyue smiled as he watched Uchiha Mikoto hurry ahead, secretly chuckling to himself.

"Repeating a year?"

Minato's voice suddenly rose, his face full of astonishment.

He had nearly thought he'd misheard.

Uchiha Mikoto was a famously talented girl. She was beautiful, excelled in every subject, and had countless admirers at school.

If someone with her grades had to repeat a year, then how many students in this class could graduate smoothly?

Even Tsunade's younger brother, Nawaki, would have to repeat the course.

Nawaki was somewhat like the future Uchiha Obito—excellent in practical combat, but a complete disaster in theoretical subjects.

"Why?"

Scratching his head, Minato truly couldn't understand why Uchiha Mikoto wanted to repeat a year.

It wouldn't be easy to convince the teachers, either.

They would probably be furious.

"Because of me."

Chiyue said, "Minato, I'm planning to skip a grade. That way, I can graduate with Sister Mikoto and be assigned to the same team as her. Once we get to school, I'll apply to the teacher."

Minato: "..."

Were you planning to abandon me?

Sister Mikoto was repeating a year, and Chiyue was skipping one. That way, they could become students in the same year, graduate together...

Then what about me?

You were just going to leave me behind like that?

No, I want to skip a grade too!

Anyway, he had already learned everything he needed to learn. Skipping a grade was no big deal.

Though he was not as outstanding as Chiyue, Minato's grades were good enough that he could pass an early graduation application.

It was only skipping a grade. Totally normal.

Chiba had not expected to lead Minato's thoughts astray.

After arriving at the Ninja Academy, he headed straight to the teachers' office and told Kamimura Ichiki that he wanted to apply for a grade-skipping exam.

"Teacher, I want to apply for a grade-skipping exam too!"

Minato hurriedly raised his hand.

Kamimura Ichiki stared at the two of them in utter confusion, looking from one to the other as he thought:

You two little brats came here just to make fun of me, didn't you?

You can apply to skip grades as a group now?

"Teacher, I want to apply to repeat a year and not take today's graduation assessment."

After arriving at school, Uchiha Mikoto hesitated for a long time. In the end, she was still afraid Chiyue would run to her classroom door and call out for his wife.

So she went to the upper-grade teachers' office to apply to repeat a year.

For a while, the entire teaching area of the Ninja Academy was thrown into chaos.

Chiyue and Minato from the lower grades wanted to skip grades, while Uchiha Mikoto from the upper grades wanted to repeat one.

What was going on?

In the end, the three of them were brought to an empty classroom. The teachers who had not started class yet came over after hearing the news, all eager to watch the spectacle.

"Tell us. What is going on with you three?"

Kamimura Ichiki and Ono, the upper-grade homeroom teacher, rubbed their throbbing temples.

The two teachers exchanged glances, each seeing the other's shock and frustration.

"I want to skip a grade so I can be in the same class as Sister Mikoto."

Chiyue raised his hand and announced it loudly.

Oh no, I have a bad feeling about this!

Uchiha Mikoto covered her face with one hand.

Chiyue answered, "Because too many people are pursuing Sister Mikoto."

"???"

Other people were pursuing Uchiha Mikoto. What the hell did that have to do with you?

You wanted to skip a grade because of that?

Holy shit!

No way.

Minato was stunned too. Then why had he joined in?

For fun?

"Sister Mikoto promised that once I grew up, she'd marry me. But she's too outstanding, and I'm afraid she'll run away, so I want to skip a grade and follow her!"

"Pfft~~~"

"Cough, cough!!"

A burst of violent coughing erupted around them.

Uchiha Mikoto's face burned red. She stepped on Chiyue's foot and did not dare lift her head.

Were kids these days really this brazen about dating early?

Or had they already gotten old?

Quite a few of the surrounding teachers wore expressions of existential doubt. As teachers, they were still single.

Yet students barely a few years old had already begun looking for wives.

They had lost right at the starting line.

"Minato, what about you? Why are you applying to skip a grade?"

Kamimura Ichiki pulled a long face as he looked at the uneasy Minato beside him.

Minato felt like crying. Could he say that he had only come to join the fun?

"Teacher, I think the lower-grade curriculum is too boring, so I also want to skip a grade and take on something more challenging."

"You really want to skip a grade?"

Kamimura Ichiki felt that he needed a bottle of fast-acting heart medicine. He could feel his blood pressure soaring.

The two best students in his class both wanted to skip grades. It looked like his bonus was gone.

"And you? You want to repeat a year too?"

The upper-grade teacher was in much the same mood as Kamimura Ichiki.

Seeing that Chiyue and Minato were determined to apply for grade-skipping assessments, he could only hope Uchiha Mikoto was acting on a momentary impulse and would not foolishly follow Chiyue's lead.

"Teacher, I still have many shortcomings, so I would like to apply to repeat a year."

Though she was embarrassed and wanted to beat Chiyue up, Uchiha Mikoto still respectfully explained her reasons.

News of the three applying to skip grades and repeat a year quickly spread throughout the entire school.

When Kushina learned the news, she was completely stunned.

Lord Chiyue wanted to skip a grade?

Minato wanted to skip a grade too.

For some reason, Kushina felt uncomfortable.

Listening to the surrounding students chatter, she began imagining what would happen afterward.

Once Chiyue and Minato skipped grades, she would be the only one left.

I don't want to be left alone.

Kushina got up and ran toward the teachers' office.

My bonus!!

Kamimura Ichiki clutched his chest, his face full of pain.

"Teacher, I want to apply for a grade-skipping assessment."

Kushina ran into the office and shouted.

"..."