Ultimate Secret Technique: Mutual Backstabbing

Ultimate Secret Technique: Mutual Backstabbing

"My name is Sakurai Miyoshi. I like small animals... slurp My dream is to become a gourmet."

"I'm Ezakki Shigeki. My hobby is..."

The self-introductions had finally gotten back on track... or so Yagami Kei thought, before he saw a stern-looking boy in the back row stand up and say, "My name is Mori Ibiki. My hobby is interrogation, and my dream is to one day interrogate the Kage of other villages!"

Yagami Kei's mouth twitched slightly. Were kids these days really having such dangerous thoughts?

At last, it was Soseki's turn to speak.

Already the center of attention, he had become even more closely watched after the earlier incident, with every move he made drawing notice.

With all eyes on him, Soseki seemed to feel not the slightest pressure. Unhurried and calm as a gentle breeze, he said, "I'm Shimizu Soseki. My hobby is making lots and lots of friends. As for my dream, I hope to become a Medical Ninja and use Medical Ninjutsu to erase the pain from our world."

Quite a few people were inwardly surprised. It was not because Soseki's introduction had been especially stirring—quite the opposite. What he said was simply too ordinary.

So ordinary that it was hard to understand.

In the systems of the major ninja villages, Medical Ninjas were generally women. This was not only because women paid greater attention to detail, but also because one of the three cardinal rules for Medical Ninjas stated that they must never be on the front lines of the battlefield.

And any man with even a little pride would never allow himself to hide in the rear.

Had it been anyone else, they might have been "mistaken" for wanting to be a deserter. But Soseki was different.

When people held a favorable impression of someone, they instinctively idealized them. Through that filter, not only did no one think Soseki was a coward, they instead secretly sighed to themselves that Soseki was truly such a gentle person!

"Practical and grounded... Only someone with that kind of disposition can go farther on the path of a ninja!" Yagami Kei found himself growing more and more satisfied with Soseki.

He did not actually dislike those children who shouted about becoming Hokage. What child did not have lofty ambitions? It was only after growing up that they gradually came to understand the gap between fantasy and reality.

And it was precisely because of that that the excellence and humility of people like Soseki stood out all the more.

After Soseki, quite a few more students introduced themselves.

When they reached the final few seats, everyone's gazes once again converged on someone.

It was hardly surprising that he received such attention, since he was the Hokage's son—Asuma Sarutobi.

Seeing everyone looking his way, Asuma was not the least bit intimidated. He did not even stand up, merely crossing his arms coolly and leaning back in his chair. "I'm Asuma Sarutobi. I have lots of hobbies, and my goal is... to surpass the Hokage!"

He did not call it a dream, but directly called it a goal. His arrogance was plain to see.

Unfortunately, the response was lukewarm.

What children lacked least was imagination. It was not that they thought Asuma could not achieve his "goal"; they simply thought, Oh, that dream's nothing special.

When everyone's attention immediately shifted toward seats farther back, Asuma's body stiffened.

Hey, at least give me some kind of reaction!

Even more awkwardly, everyone was looking at the person behind him. If he lowered his arms, it would make him seem cowardly; if he kept them crossed, it felt as though everyone was watching him make a fool of himself.

This was unbearable!

Fortunately, there were only a few people left behind him. Once they had finished introducing themselves and everyone's attention returned to the podium, Asuma hurriedly lowered his somewhat stiff arms.

Looking at Soseki's back, he could not understand it. Why had Soseki caused such a commotion just by saying he wanted to become a Medical Ninja, while his earth-shattering declaration that he would surpass the Hokage had failed to draw everyone's attention?

Was this the world of adults?

Yeah, everyone was already a five-year-old adult. They were no longer as innocent as before... Asuma suddenly felt strangely world-weary.

"Ahem." Yagami Kei cleared his throat twice, drawing everyone's attention back. "Since everyone now has a basic understanding of one another, we'll proceed to the final item of today's lesson—electing a Class Leader!"

Seeing the puzzled expressions on some faces, Yagami Kei explained, "A qualified group must have its own leader. Just as a nation needs a Daimyo and a ninja village needs a Kage, our class should also have its own Class Leader."

The moment he finished speaking, the class instantly came alive.

"Teacher Yagami, can the Class Leader have their own title? Like, Class Kage?"

"Teacher, can being Class Leader earn bonus points on the graduation exam?"

"Teacher Yagami, if I become Class Leader, will my parents stop hitting me?"

The corner of Yagami Kei's eye twitched furiously as he looked at the chubby boy, Kamizuki. Just how much did this kid's parents hate him?

Taking a deep breath, Yagami Kei said solemnly, "Class Leader is not an official position. You cannot have a title, you cannot earn extra points, and it cannot stop your parents from hitting you... Well, there might actually be a little hope for that last one. In any case, the original purpose of electing a Class Leader is to serve everyone, not to let you do a bunch of random nonsense."

Hearing Yagami Kei say that, the excitement stirring through the class immediately deflated.

"Tch, boring!"

"Uh, I can barely take care of myself. I'd better not serve everyone else."

Seeing this, Yagami Kei felt a little awkward. Had he gone too far?

Before he could say anything to salvage the situation, Soseki raised his right hand.

Yagami Kei's eyes lit up. "Soseki, go ahead."

"Teacher Yagami, I want to run for Class Leader!"

Everyone in the class focused on him once more.

"Huh? Soseki wants to?"

"Even though I don't want to be Class Leader, I also don't like being managed by someone else. But if it's Soseki, then... I guess it wouldn't be impossible to accept."

"Mm-hmm, I support Soseki too."

In the corner at the back, Asuma awkwardly curled his lips. "In the world of shinobi, strength is what matters. Spending time helping others is simply stu—"

Before he could finish, however, he gloomily discovered that the girl he had been watching had actually revealed an admiring expression toward Shimizu Soseki.

"Mm, just as expected of Soseki!" Red Eye sat to Soseki's right, her eyes sparkling with little stars.

Since Soseki had chosen a seat in the middle of the classroom, and those drawn to him had gathered around him, most of those unwilling to join his "little" group sat in the corners.

Hearing Asuma mutter under his breath, Mizuki, who sat in front of him, nodded subconsciously. "Exactly. Knowing it'll be thankless and difficult but still doing it—people like that are either stupid or bad. Hypocritical!"

Like Soseki, he was a victim of the Second Shinobi World War. Orphans like them desperately hoped to gain recognition from others.

So, seeing Soseki so easily obtain what he had always dreamed of, an emotion called jealousy continued to grow within his young heart.

But he also knew that such feelings were bad, so he buried them deep inside. Now that he saw Asuma, the Hokage's son, felt the same way, he could not help opening up, hoping to stand on the same side as this "lofty" son of the Hokage.

"I, Asuma Sarutobi, will also run for Class Leader!"

"Him doing this, I think it's just to please—"

At once, their meeting gazes froze!

Ultimate Secret Technique: Mutual Backstabbing!

Mizuki was bewildered. He had finally opened his heart—why had this "noble" son of the Hokage betrayed the revolution so quickly?

Asuma also became wary. Damn it, this guy actually saw through the fact that I wanted to please that red-eyed girl!