Building a Persona, War Ends

The next day, Uchiha Tunan arrived at the Ninja Academy in a white shirt and gold-rimmed glasses.

Although someone had tried to assassinate him yesterday, he had also obtained a very useful piece of information.

Hatake Sakumo had returned.

That meant his next major target had appeared.

Hatake Sakumo would commit suicide in Konoha Year 44, which meant there was still a little over a year left.

As long as he could earn Hatake Sakumo's approval in advance, once Sakumo died, Uchiha Tunan would be fully confident in surviving the dangerous Third Shinobi World War.

A Kage Level powerhouse... how many Chunin parents would he have to sacrifice to reach that level?

The moment he entered the classroom, Uchiha Tunan's appearance deeply attracted the girls' attention.

A wave of lovestruck squeals rose through the classroom.

It had to be said that the Uchiha Clan had good genes. Their looks were hardly inferior to anyone else's.

Except Obito.

The reason he had never caused such a huge reaction before was simply because his clothes had been too ordinary to bring out Uchiha Tunan's temperament.

Actually, given Uchiha Tunan's own personality, he did not want to be so high-profile.

But he had no choice. This persona had to be established.

When an ordinary person suddenly gained great power, he was bound to change in some way.

Just like the Uchiha clansmen—many of them had been innocent and cute as children, but the moment they gained a little strength, they became unbearably cocky.

Arrogant and conceited.

Naturally, Uchiha Tunan could not use that kind of personality as his persona.

After all, someone who had been thoroughly indoctrinated to stand with the Third Hokage had to be different from the other clansmen. It would be best if he went completely against them.

A refined, graceful, gentle, and easygoing persona suited him best.

Personality was expressed through appearance, words, and actions.

But appearance was undoubtedly the most important. A first impression would make others put a label on you.

"Good morning, everyone."

With a humble expression, Uchiha Tunan greeted the female students, whose eyes were filled with hearts.

Then, wearing a tranquil expression, he returned to his seat and casually unbuttoned the top button of his shirt.

"Gulp~"

A chorus of swallowing echoed through the classroom.

Were children in this world really this precocious?

Uchiha Tunan thought to himself, yet he did not so much as lift his gaze, treating everyone around him like air.

He simply flipped open his textbook and began preparing for class.

His eyes conveyed focus and seriousness.

That manner only vaguely raised Uchiha Tunan's charm by several levels.

"Ding, Hyuga Senrin's approval acquired."

The sudden notification jolted Uchiha Tunan out of his thoughts.

The corner of Uchiha Tunan's lips lifted slightly.

So it really worked. Using his own charm to gain emotional approval was not a bad method either.

Uchiha Tunan turned around and looked behind him.

A little girl in white had been secretly observing Uchiha Tunan from behind her textbook.

The instant she saw him looking at her, she reacted like a startled rabbit and hurriedly covered her face tightly with the book.

He was looking at me... and it seemed like he even smiled at me...

Uchiha Tunan looked over the trembling Hyuga Senrin before withdrawing his gaze.

Hyuga Senrin...

He did not remember that name.

Either she had died young, or she had gotten married after growing up and stopped being a ninja.

Still, speaking of which, most of the people here would probably die in the Third War.

Uchiha Tunan remembered just how brutal the Third War had been in the original story.

Konoha had been pushed all the way to its doorstep. As long as someone was a Genin, they would be dragged onto the battlefield as cannon fodder.

There were still a few years left. He hoped they would learn more ninjutsu and cultivate more Chakra before they died.

That was what Uchiha Tunan thought.

At the same time, a white dove flew in from the horizon and landed on Uchiha Tunan's desk.

Uchiha Tunan reached out and gently stroked the dove's head.

The dove rubbed against his hand with an expression of enjoyment.

Beneath the golden sunlight, the scene looked exceptionally warm.

"Even little animals like being close to Tunan-kun."

"He's so warm~"

"I used to think he was as stupid as Obito, but I never expected him to be so caring."

The girls gathered together and whispered among themselves.

"Ding, Matsushima Mai's approval acquired."

"Ding, Uchiha Mina's approval acquired."

"Ding, Inuzuka Gami's approval acquired."

"Ding, Aburame Kaede's approval acquired."

Listening to the system notifications in his mind, Uchiha Tunan glanced from the corner of his eye at the girls huddled together and whispering.

Maybe... I could become a scumbag.

If I started a harem and had a bunch of little Uchiha brats...

My descendants should naturally approve of me, right?

Then I could raise them properly before crushing them one by one...

Ahem. Even a tiger would not eat its cubs. That would be far too inhuman.

Besides, time was tight. Even by the Fourth Shinobi World War, there would only be a little over twenty years left.

He was six years old now. If he waited another ten years to marry and have children, his children would still be too young to be useful.

Uchiha Tunan dismissed that unrealistic idea and gently patted the dove on the head.

The dove spread its wings and flew out of the classroom.

Had that Anbu come to take my diary again?

Hiruzen Sarutobi, people who casually peeped into others' privacy would not come to a good end.

Just then, Mizuki Uno walked into the classroom.

The students all hurried back to their seats and sat down.

With an excited expression, Mizuki Uno said:

"I have some good news for everyone. The localized war between Konoha and Kirigakure has ended.

"To celebrate peace, the school is giving everyone three days off."

"Awesome!"

"A holiday!"

"We can go out and play!"

"Also, the bodies of the fallen heroes have been brought back from the front lines and will be buried the morning after tomorrow."

As Mizuki Uno spoke, he shifted his gaze toward Uchiha Tunan.

At that moment, Uchiha Tunan appropriately showed a silent expression, as though he were grieving inwardly.

"Their names will forever be engraved upon the Memorial Monument for future generations to honor. Konoha will not forget them."

Mizuki Uno's tone was rather heavy. Then he took a deep breath and forced a smile at the wildly excited students below.

"Well then, class is dismissed."

"Charge! Time to play!"

"Yuta, wait for me..."

"Kakashi, want to burn the flames of youth with me!"

"No."

Kakashi simply turned down Might Guy's invitation, then stood and headed out of the classroom.

As he passed Uchiha Tunan's seat, he slowed slightly and said softly:

"Are we still sparring these next few days?"

Uchiha Tunan looked up at Kakashi with a lonely expression, took a deep breath, and then smiled.

"Of course we are. Father and Mother wanted me to become an outstanding ninja.

"I'm going to work hard to catch up to you."

The corner of Kakashi's mouth beneath his mask curled slightly. Feigning laziness, he walked outside and said:

"I hope your strength has improved."

In Kakashi's eyes, even Uchiha Tunan, who had awakened the Three Tomoe, was no match for him.

Of course, that was because Uchiha Tunan had been holding back in all their many sparring sessions.

Only by narrowly losing to Kakashi every time could he have a good enough reason to visit Kakashi's house every day.

He could not exactly beat Kakashi senseless every time and still shamelessly go there every day.

That would not be sparring. That would be showing off and bullying someone.