Little Sister, I'm still young!~

Ring-ring-ring!~~

The sharp, crisp sound of the class bell jolted the stunned crowd back to reality.

"Hand in your papers!!" Furuya Daisuke barked, and the quiet classroom instantly boiled over like a pot of water coming to a roiling boil.

Then, he whipped his head around and glared at Tōka.

"You. Wait for me in the office."

"Oh..." Tōka furrowed his brow slightly and glanced at Gai, whose face had gone pale. He'd actually been planning to butter up Gai-sama.

Slow on the uptake, Tōka seemed to finally sense the crisis—the crisis coming from Furuya Daisuke-sensei.

How to put it? Daisuke-sensei had a pretty deep grudge against him.

Tōka strolled down the hallway, looking utterly unconcerned about whatever punishment Furuya Daisuke had in store for him.

To be precise, he didn't care at all.

As a teacher at the Ninja Academy, as long as Furuya Daisuke didn't defect from the village, there was no way he could do anything too extreme to Tōka.

Sitting in Furuya Daisuke's office, Tōka was bored out of his mind, hands shoved in his pockets, staring up at the ceiling in a daze.

By this time, Furuya Daisuke had probably collected all the papers and was heading this way.

Sure enough, the thought had barely crossed Tōka's mind.

The office's wooden door creaked open, and Furuya Daisuke walked in with a grim expression.

Slap!!

Furuya Daisuke slammed the stack of papers onto the desk with force, successfully grabbing Tōka's attention.

Seeing that calm, unruffled look in his eyes, Furuya Daisuke felt a surge of anger, mixed with a wave of helplessness.

Was this brat really only six years old?

Why did it feel like he was facing some ancient monster who'd lived a thousand years?

No childish mischief, innocence, curiosity, or thirst for knowledge.

Nothing fazed him; he was always as steady as a mountain.

"Tōka, since the Third Hokage didn't mention your surname, I won't pry into it either." Furuya Daisuke's face was cold, and he deliberately shot Tōka a glance as he said this.

Tōka was listening, but he still wore that same unflappable expression.

Furuya Daisuke frowned slightly and muttered under his breath, "A six-year-old brat, what a pain."

If any of the brats in the Elite Class dared to show such disrespect to their elders, he'd have dragged them out and given them a good beating long ago.

But with Tōka—first, he was younger and looked scrawny, and he didn't even have any Chakra yet.

Furuya Daisuke wasn't sure if, after one punch from him, Tōka would live to see the next day's sun.

Beating him was out of the question—at least for now.

So the only option was to lecture him sternly and win him over with virtue.

"No matter how you got into the sixth-year Elite Class, you need to have a sense of class pride." Furuya Daisuke spoke with earnest gravity.

"Don't worry, Daisuke-sensei. I definitely won't do anything to harm the class's honor!" Tōka straightened his little face and answered solemnly.

"That's the best way. Remember to come to class on time from now on, and respect your teachers..."

...One hour later...

"Don't get into conflicts with your classmates..."

...The sun was setting...

"Be polite to your elders, and know how to yield to younger kids..."

...Ring-ring-ring~...

The school bell rang, and Tōka, who had been nodding off, perked up instantly.

"Oh? It's already this late!"

Furuya Daisuke glanced out the window in surprise, belatedly marveling.

Time really did flow like water, gone in a flash.

"School's out. You should head home early too."

When those words rang out, Tōka felt like he was hearing heavenly music.

He silently gave a thumbs-up in his heart: Furuya Daisuke was indeed from Konoha—his Talk-no-Jutsu was incredibly powerful!

He'd almost fallen asleep, and he was a guy who could withstand the hypnotic barrage of math and science teachers!

"Looks like I'll have to keep a low profile from now on," Tōka thought to himself. He absolutely did not want to step into Furuya Daisuke's office again!

"Go on. Get some rest early tonight. Don't be late tomorrow!" Furuya Daisuke waved his hand and bent his head to start looking over today's papers.

He'd gotten carried away talking, and now he'd have to work overtime again tonight...

Tōka didn't dare make a sound, terrified that Furuya Daisuke might launch into another round of Talk-no-Jutsu.

He rose silently, bowed slightly, and retreated with measured steps.

Just as Tōka reached the office door, Furuya Daisuke's voice suddenly rang out.

"Wait!!"

Tōka's heart leaped, the calm in his eyes finally shifting.

He turned his neck mechanically, a bead of cold sweat hanging at his temple as he looked at Furuya Daisuke.

Then he heard...

"Not bad poetry." Furuya Daisuke grinned, his eyes full of appreciation.

A six-year-old brat with such literary talent was definitely a genius.

Tōka's tense nerves relaxed, and he quietly let out a breath.

"Thank you for the praise, Daisuke-sensei."

With those words, Tōka turned into a gust of wind and shot out of the office...

On the Ninja Academy playground, the wave of students leaving had already passed, leaving only scattered groups heading out.

Tōka patted his chest, glancing at the western sun with lingering fear.

"To still see today's sun—truly a great joy in life!~"

Like a lifetime away, a narrow escape from death.

All that Sharingan, Rinnegan, Impure World Reincarnation, Eight Inner Gates, and other messy stuff were nothing.

In Tōka's view, the strongest thing in this world was the Talk no Jutsu!!

"Hmph, a kid should act like a kid, not all old and weary."

"What's so great about the sun? Isn't it the same every day?"

Hearing the voice, Tōka turned to see Kurenai, Asuma, Rin, Obito, and the rest of the Elite Class walking out of the teaching building.

Seems the last class of the sixth-grade Elite Class ended a bit late.

Spotting that flash of green among the flowers, Tōka's eyes lit up.

He thought Gai had already left after school, but heaven was helping him!

Tōka completely ignored the others, weaving through the crowd toward Gai, who was at the back.

"Hey, kid, I'm talking to you!" Asuma, ignored, darkened his face and stepped sideways to block Tōka.

He sneaked a glance at Kurenai beside him—how could he lose face in front of his goddess!

Today, he'd teach this transfer brat a lesson and show him who the real boss was!

"Oh, I heard you." Tōka looked up slightly, glanced at Asuma, and tried to go around him.

Night was falling, and he didn't want to waste a day.

He had to meet Might Duy today!

But Tōka's action only seemed like disdain to Asuma.

A six-year-old brat dared to—

As the Third Hokage's son, Asuma was still just a little punk, far from the steady adult he'd become.

"Bastard!!" Asuma fumed, swinging his fist at Tōka.

"Watch out!" Cries of alarm rose from the crowd.

Most were just watching the show, but a few kind-hearted little girls were worried.

Feeling a gust of wind near his ear, Tōka ducked instinctively.

Asuma's punch missed, and with too much force, he stumbled forward off-balance.

But Asuma wasn't a weakling like Obito.

In the Elite Class, Asuma might not be first, but he could at least make the top three.

Losing balance, Asuma twisted his waist hard, flipping a full one-eighty in the air to right himself.

Pfft, shh shh shh...

Asuma crouched, one hand behind his back, the other clawing at the ground.

He held that pose, sliding backward until he stopped ten paces away.

Such recoil showed just how much power Asuma had put into that blow.

Tōka squinted as he looked up. If this body weren't so fit and agile, he'd never have reacted in time.

That heavy punch from Asuma would have hit.

It might not have killed him, but he'd definitely be injured!

"Brat!" Tōka shot Asuma a glance, wanting to teach him a lesson.

But he realized that aside from All-Killing Ash Bones, he had no other way to beat Asuma.

And the All-Killing Ash Bones technique was absolutely useless against Asuma.

"What? How is that possible?"

"Asuma's punch was dodged?"

"Looks like Tōka beating Obito last time wasn't a fluke!"

A burst of exclamations rose from the crowd. Even though Tōka had conceded defeat in yesterday's match against Obito, everyone felt Tōka was the real winner.

In a child's worldview, whoever got knocked down lost.

"Damn it, kid, I challenge you to a duel!" Asuma stood up indignantly, his anger flaring even more at the crowd's murmurs.

"Asuma, don't go too far. Tōka is only six years old—are you really going to duel him?" Kurenai shot Asuma an unhappy glare.

The girls in the crowd glared at Asuma too. His sneak attack earlier had already rubbed them the wrong way.

And now he wanted to duel Tōka?

Such an adorable little brother—they couldn't bear to let Asuma bully him!

The boys' gazes, however, were completely different, all united on Asuma's side.

At the same time, they silently cursed Tōka for being a pretty boy.

If only he were a little sister—what a waste of a face! Many felt a pang of sour jealousy.

"Kurenai..." Facing his goddess, Asuma's arrogant flame was like a spark meeting a flood—snuffed out in an instant.

Kurenai snorted coldly, then turned to comfort Tōka. "Little brother Tōka, don't be scared. Big sister will take you to eat some dumplings."

The goddess smiled, a beauty that could topple cities—but not aimed at Asuma.

The damage from that blow was equivalent to taking a Void Dog Cannon head-on. Asuma's entire face turned green.

Under the envious stares of the crowd, Tōka expressionlessly shuffled a small step backward.

Beauty was right in front of him, but his spirit was willing while his flesh was weak.

"Big sister, we're still young... dates and stuff... wait until I grow up..." Tōka's little face flushed red as he spoke with a "shy" expression.

Seeing Tōka's coy demeanor, everyone seemed struck by a spell, turning to stone.

The west wind rolled in, shattering them into pieces.

Kurenai, "..."

Dong!~~

Annoyed, Kurenai blushed and flicked Tōka on the forehead.

"You idiot, what are you saying!"

But then she saw the small red mark left on his smooth little head.

A flash of guilt crossed Kurenai's face.

"Sorry, did that hurt?"

"..." The corner of Tōka's mouth twitched slightly. Why did that sound so weird?

Suddenly, Tōka noticed something.

The green figure that had been trailing at the back of the crowd was gone!

What now?

He quickly looked around...

And spotted Gai at the school gate!

Gai was turning a corner, and soon only half his back was visible.

"Big sister, it was nice meeting you." Tōka gave Kurenai a sweet smile, then nimbly slipped out of the crowd and dashed after Gai.

The crowd was first stunned by Tōka's words, then watched him chase after Gai.

In an instant, it felt like ten thousand wild horses stampeded through everyone's hearts.

The sound of a thousand hooves thundered in their ears.

"Is this kid stupid?"

"Turning down a goddess, and instead..."

"And instead chasing after a kappa?!!"

"Someone gouge out my eyes—I can't bear to watch..."

In the dense forest of Konoha's rear mountain.

Gai hadn't chosen to run home as usual. Not only was he walking home, but he was deliberately slowing his pace.

This behavior was very abnormal—yet also perfectly normal.

Although Gai only knows taijutsu, Tōka's completely undisguised footsteps were naturally easy to detect.

Gai was deliberately waiting for Tōka, but Tōka had no idea about that.

Tōka just hoped Gai would hurry home so he could meet that genin with Kage-level strength—Might Duy.

After climbing over a small hill, he could faintly make out a narrow field path wide enough for one person.

But Gai stopped right there, his back to the forest behind him.

"You've been following me the whole way. Come on out."

Found out? Tōka was briefly stunned, then let it go.

Gai's grades might be at the bottom of the Academy, but his actual strength surpassed even Asuma's.

If not for the impending war and the Third Hokage deliberately suppressing the budding new leaves, causing two or three graduating classes to repeat, those guys in the Elite Class would have graduated long ago.

Besides...

Next year, Rin and Obito would be promoted to Chunin, and Gai would become a Chunin the year after that.

"Is there something you need?" Seeing Tōka appear, Gai was a little surprised.

He'd sensed someone following him, but he didn't know who it was.

That's why he called out when he was close to home.

Gai might be a bit offbeat, but he wasn't stupid.

Tōka hesitated. He couldn't just say, I hope your dad will teach me the Eight Inner Gates, could he?

Even though Tōka's real goal wasn't to train in the Eight Inner Gates, since he had the chance, he ought to at least get a look at it.

"Uh... I think your clothes look great, so..." Tōka said against his conscience. That should be enough to bluff his way through, right?

"Oh?!! Really?!" A flash of joy crossed Gai's face. He put his hands on his hips and wriggled his body like a noodle.

Tōka: "..."

Damn it. He shouldn't have said that!

A cold sweat dripped down Tōka's forehead. If this guy decided to give him a set of green spandex...

Just thinking about it made Tōka shiver with dread!

Right then, a tall figure suddenly appeared, as if he'd been there all along.

So fast!!

Sensing the newcomer's presence, Tōka looked up.

Sure enough!

A bigger, green-skinned, watermelon-headed, kappa-looking man stood behind Gai.

"Gai, who's this?" Might Duy asked in a low voice.

"Dad, this is my new classmate." Gai grinned, showing a single white tooth, and said proudly.

Just as he was about to introduce Tōka's name, his expression froze.

"Uh... what was it again?"

Tōka's eye twitched. So you don't even know me!

"Uncle, my name is Tōka."

"So you're Gai's classmate!" Might Duy looked at Gai with an emotional face. "It's great that you've found a friend!"

"Dad!!"

"Gai!!"

Under the setting sun, waves crashed against the shore as two kappa of different sizes hugged each other tightly.

Tōka: "..."

Did you guys even remember my name? (To be continued)