Shin, Who Wants to Drop Out

Nishinodera began lecturing Shin and Nawaki: "Teacher knows, kids these days mature so early..."

"Making friends—teacher's been through it too."

"Who'd ever be friends with a guy like that!" x2

Shin and Nawaki glared at each other, their gazes dripping with murderous intent.

Uchiha and Senju becoming friends?

Asura thought it was a great idea and gave a thumbs-up.

Indra's face was blank as he opened his mouth and spat out an ancestral fireball.

As a transmigrator, Shin felt that with how these kids were gossiping, by nightfall the whole of Konoha would know about his and Nawaki's twisted, distorted relationship.

That big schemer who'd always had it out for the Uchiha would probably find another excuse to crack down.

And once the human mind latched onto something, no amount of explanation could undo it.

They all just wanted to watch the drama and eat popcorn.

You're telling the truth? But I don't believe it.

That's how most people think.

The truth doesn't matter—people mostly believe what they want to believe. Other people's business isn't theirs, so does the truth even matter to them?

Even if all the evidence shows it's not true, the gossip-hungry crowd will double down, using rumors to keep smearing you.

What can you do then?

Rumors stop at the wise. What you see is just what others want you to see.

Nawaki felt deeply wronged: "That Uchiha Shin guy—nothing good ever happens when I run into him..."

"This unlucky bastard Senju Nawaki—I'm afraid he's infected me..."

Shin resolved never to deal with him again in this life.

"Classmates, I have something to say." A chubby kid in red, snacking away, raised his hand to speak.

He looked at the two focal points in the classroom and spoke his wisdom with gravity: "If you like something, go for it boldly. Like me, I love grilled meat—if I don't have it for a day, I feel awful!" (The last line delivered in a tough-guy tone.)

"It's over!"

Even if that transmigrator hired the best PR team from his past life, he couldn't wash this clean.

The chubby kid's words seemed fine at first, but thinking about it...

As an adult, even Nishinodera, single for over thirty years, would jump to certain conclusions.

"Ahem..." He cleared his throat to refocus the students' attention on himself.

"Classmates, time is running out..."

He turned to Nawaki, who stood at the classroom door with a flushed face, and instructed: "Be more careful next time. Ninja Academy starts at 8 a.m..."

"Now, go take your seat."

Nawaki, like an angry mountain, kept glaring at Shin with hostility.

Hearing Nishinodera's words, he stomped over to the corner where that guy sat.

As the chubby kid would put it: "Even my dad's weight couldn't walk with that kind of presence."

Shin frowned, looking at Nawaki in front of him: "What do you want?"

"Hmph!"

Nawaki plopped down into the empty seat next to him, the murderous intent in his eyes burning even brighter.

"..."

Shin couldn't find words to describe his mood.

All that remained in his mind was one tempting thought: dropping out.

Yes, this transmigrator, whose reputation was ruined right after enrollment, only wanted to go home.

This Ninja Academy—he didn't need to stay.

Seeing Nawaki so fixated on Shin, Nishinodera didn't feel like saying much more.

"Alright, everyone, please introduce yourselves. The content..."

He looked toward the corner, his head aching, and continued: "No limits—say whatever you like."

Soon, a student from the front row stood up and walked to the podium. It was a girl with a good figure and refined features.

She wore white clothes, with a neat straight fringe across her forehead, and her jet-black, silky hair reached down to her waist.

A white ribbon tied the ends, and her pale white eyes were clear and pure, like a full moon hanging in the night sky.

The girl stood gracefully on the podium, giving a slight bow to the students below—the very picture of a proper young lady.

"A Hyuga girl..." Shin felt no hostility toward her.

"Good morning, everyone." A somewhat cool voice came from her lips.

"The name is Hyuga Nao..." The girl's gaze carried no emotional fluctuation. "My interests and hobbies are nothing special..."

"I hate people weaker than me. My dream is to become the strongest in Konoha."

After a slight bow, Nao returned to her seat with an air of ease.

"Good upbringing, and a cold aura is fine too..." Shin evaluated inwardly. "She's an ice-cold beauty."

He continued dissecting her personality with meticulous detail: "She dislikes the weak, which means she'll be especially hard to get along with..."

Glancing over at Nawaki next to her, he immediately felt she'd be easier to deal with than him.

And so, Shin's mind began to wander.

A long while later.

It was the turn of the red-clothed chubby boy, who stepped forward to introduce himself: "I'm Akimichi Heiji. Grilled meat is my favorite..."

"The thing I hate most is spiders. My dream is to have an endless supply of grilled meat!"

Shin snapped back to attention slightly.

Though his focus had been scattered earlier, his ability was enough that he hadn't missed anyone's self-introductions.

But extras weren't worth caring about.

Flowing students come and go, but the Ino-Shika-Cho stands ironclad.

That phrase was deeply etched into his mind.

Soon, the new generation of Ino-Shika-Cho had all taken turns introducing themselves.

Next came Shin's future sister-in-law, Uchiha Mikoto.

She wore the same black Uchiha windbreaker and gave the classmates a gentle smile as she stepped onto the stage.

"I'm Uchiha Mikoto. What I like might seem strange to you all..."

"Hmm..." After a pause of a few seconds, she smiled again. "It's doing housework."

"My dream is for the village to remain at peace forever."

Shin finally understood why his "idiot brother" at home had married Mikoto and stayed so deeply in love with her.

Same world, same dream.

And the next person to step up for self-introduction was him.

As Shin slowly stood, he instantly drew the attention of everyone in the classroom.

"Damn, why are they all staring at me? They didn't do that when Hyuga Nao went up..."

Already set on dropping out, he figured that even if he talked tough and acted like a delinquent, the Ninja Academy would still tolerate him.

If he stayed in this place for five years, what kind of reputation would he end up with?

Might as well throw caution to the wind. Shin activated the Uchiha clan's hereditary "Acting Skill."

He also strutted toward the podium with the swagger of Conor, the famous UFC fighter from his past life, his steps radiating "no regard for kin or friend."

If "See It Again" started playing right now, it would definitely make the scene even more electrifying.