"Ah?"
As they watched the white-haired boy approach—a bespectacled youth who looked utterly ordinary and somewhat friendly, someone who inspired neither dislike nor much memorability—the nine newcomers all turned their heads. In an instant, their gazes fell on the white-haired boy who had told them to quiet down.
"You're the nine rookies who just graduated from the Ninja Academy, aren't you? Nine freshly minted newcomers? You all look so cute, so stop making such a racket. Honestly, this isn't a field trip."
Faced with the gazes of the nine, the bespectacled white-haired boy showed no fear. Instead, he frowned in mild annoyance and spoke in as calm and gentle a tone as possible.
"Who are you? Why are you acting so high and mighty?"
Ino Yamanaka, ever blunt, was the first to voice her displeasure, speaking the thoughts currently on all nine of their minds.
"I'm Kabuto Yakushi. More importantly, take a look around."
At that, the bespectacled white-haired boy honestly introduced himself before offering a reminder.
This was—
Hearing that, the nine instinctively shifted their gazes and swept their eyes around the room. The moment they did, all their faces changed drastically.
They suddenly realized that, at some point, everyone's eyes had turned toward them.
Those gazes were filled with ill intent.
Or rather, with displeasure and resentment! For a moment, aside from Second Pillar, whose expression had changed only because he had been caught off guard before quickly returning to normal, the changed expressions of the others stiffened.
Obviously! Those looks were aimed at them! They had offended these people!...
Oh? He was quite capable. He had deliberately used those words to lure out the dissatisfaction and hostility of those who held a grudge against the newcomers but were still calculating enough to hold themselves back.
And, incidentally,