Asuma Sarutobi

"Your complexion doesn't look so good, Kazashiro."

At the meeting spot, Obito looked at Kazashiro curiously.

If you got whipped every day, your complexion wouldn't look good either.

Kazashiro grumbled inwardly, but said something entirely different aloud. "Yours doesn't look much better either. Your face is swollen like a pig's head."

"That can't be right. I looked in the mirror this morning—it should've gone down by now." Startled by Kazashiro's words, Obito frantically felt his face and began looking for somewhere to check his reflection.

"Enough already. Do you know how long Kakashi and I waited for you, you bastard?" Kazashiro lightly punched Obito on the head, gaining his first real understanding of Obito's talent for being late.

"Well, how should I put it? There were always times in life when one felt lost..." Obito clutched his head and tried to explain.

"Hmph. You just overslept, didn't you?" Kakashi voiced his guess.

"I didn't, damn it, Kakashi!" Obito vehemently denied Kakashi's accusation. If he could beat the guy, he would've punched that smug bastard long ago.

Not far away, a girl with two streaks of face paint on her cheeks watched their interaction with a smile.

"Ah, it's all your fault—I completely forgot to introduce you. Rin, these are my friends, Kazashiro and Kakashi." Hearing the girl laugh, Obito finally remembered the important matter and introduced the two to Rin.

"Kazashiro, Kakashi, this is Rin. Rin Nohara."

"Hello, my name is Rin Nohara." Rin Nohara generously extended her hand.

"Hatake Kakashi." "Shimura Kazashiro." Kakashi did not shake her hand, while Kazashiro, worried she might feel awkward, gently took it.

So this was Obito's first love. She really was a good girl.

Kazashiro sighed inwardly.

He had officially stepped into the main storyline now, hadn't he? No, it should be called a prequel. After all, Naruto Uzumaki, the protagonist, was still nowhere to be found.

Heh. If he could stop Obito from being struck by that falling boulder during the battle at that-whatever bridge, could he prevent the Nine-Tails incident?

Kazashiro began letting his imagination run wild again.

He also had no idea when that old bastard Madara had first noticed Obito. Well, he was not even a Genin yet, so why should he worry about things years away?

"An-Anyway, let's go have fun together! Let's go!" Seeing Kazashiro hold Rin's hand without any sign of letting go, Obito grew a little anxious.

"Ah, oh, right. Yeah, let's go have fun." Snapping out of it, Kazashiro hurriedly released Rin's hand. He wanted to explain himself, but worried that would only make things worse, so he could only echo Obito.

I'm screwed. Obito won't hold this against me, will he? When the Night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre comes, he won't specifically carry a sword over and hit me with an Eternal Night, right?

Kazashiro cautiously glanced at Obito's expression, feeling a little guilty. Heaven knew that in his previous life, he had been a devoted believer in pure love. He had merely zoned out just now—he absolutely had no improper thoughts.

"Hm? Isn't that Kakashi? What, heading off to train again?" As they passed a dango shop, a dark-skinned boy leaning beside its entrance greeted Kakashi.

Kakashi merely nodded coldly and gave an indifferent "Mm."

"You really are something." Shaking his head with a smile, the boy pushed himself off the doorframe and straightened up. "That guy is a new face. Where did you meet him?"

The unfamiliar face the boy referred to was naturally Kazashiro.

"Come to think of it, I think I saw him yesterday, walking alone down the street." A child sitting nearby with a long toothpick in his mouth seemed to recall something and spoke up.

Kakashi stopped helplessly, preparing to introduce Kazashiro to them, but before he could, the boy had already run over to Kazashiro and introduced himself. "Hello, I'm Asuma. Asuma Sarutobi."

Asuma Sarutobi...

Holy shit, Old Horse!

No, he should be Little Horse now. In the future, he would gradually become the errands guy, the romance guy, the burial guy, the guy Shisui inexplicably cuckolded...

"My name is Shimura Kazashiro." This was the second time Kazashiro had introduced himself today.

"Shimura?" Upon hearing Kazashiro's surname, Asuma's expression became a little strange.

Mentioning Shimura inevitably brought a certain Hokage Assistant to mind...

Asuma knew Danzo. Sometimes, Danzo would visit his father to discuss work matters.

But compared to Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, Danzo's attitude was much colder.

"Yes, that Shimura you're thinking of." Seeing what Asuma was thinking, Kazashiro nodded.

"A member of the Shimura clan? That's pretty rare..." The boy with the toothpick in his mouth was naturally Shiranui Genma.

He held toothpicks in his mouth as a child and senbon as an adult. Even more amazing, he could still talk with something in his mouth. That really was impressive.

"What? Someone from the Shimura clan?" At the table deepest inside the dango shop, a girl suddenly poked her head out, still holding a skewer of dango. "Where? Let me see."

"Anko, you eat so much dango every day. Aren't you afraid of getting fat? Come to think of it, haven't you already put on a little weight..." Beside Shiranui Genma, Ebisu pushed up his round sunglasses and teased Anko.

"You bastard, Ebisu! Do you want a beating?!" Anko raised her fists and moved to punch Ebisu.

Kurenai Yuhi, sitting beside Anko, hurriedly tried to stop her.

"Well, since you're here, let's eat some dango together. My treat." Amid their banter, Asuma stopped dwelling on Kazashiro's surname and patted his chest generously.

"Then... I'll have some?" Even as he spoke, Kazashiro's feet had already carried him into the shop.

"Thank you so much!" Seeing this, Obito pulled Rin into the shop as well.

"Thank you very much." Rin politely thanked Asuma too.

Seeing that all three had entered the shop, Kakashi could only grit his teeth and go along with them, taking the seat closest to the entrance.

"That's more like it, Kakashi. Ma'am, four more plates of dango!" Asuma patted Kakashi on the shoulder before calling out to the shop owner.

"Come to think of it, you're really cute." While they waited for the dango, Mitaraishi Anko curiously came over to Kazashiro. Looking at skin even fairer than her own, she seemed a little envious.

"Uh, maybe I just have good genes?" Kazashiro had no idea how to answer, so he could only make awkward small talk.

"Really..." Anko merely continued sizing Kazashiro up from head to toe, occasionally stuffing another skewer of dango into her mouth.