When he woke up, it was already the next morning.
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As soon as Shiraishi Yoshijo opened his eyes, he felt completely weak. He hurriedly pulled open his clothes. The mark where the larva had bitten his chest had already faded to a tiny scar.
He slumped onto the bed like a cat that had just been neutered.
If he could turn back time, Shiraishi Yoshijo would never have learned some Secret Technique. How could a perfectly normal person suddenly end up with one? And not just anything, but a bug.
He got dressed, climbed out of bed, and opened the door—only to see his "dear" uncle.
He wanted to say something tough, but his dear uncle simply reached out and grabbed his ear.
"Last night, were you trying to curse me?"
"Ow, ow! Let go! Shiraishi Eizawa, I'm not done with you! You said it was some kind of family Secret Technique, but all you did was put a bug inside me. Are you even human?"
"That's how the family's Secret Technique is passed down. Are you even a man? You couldn't handle a little pain and passed out. Back in the day, you'd have become the laughingstock of the family, mocked for the rest of your life."
"Don't talk to me about family. How can two people even count as a family?"
As soon as he said it, Shiraishi Yoshijo regretted it a little.
He didn't care about the family, but his uncle cared a great deal.
Strangely, Shiraishi Eizawa didn't react much. Instead, he smiled and let go.
"True. A family of two doesn't really count as a family. But you're still here. Once you're grown, put in some effort and have a few kids. We'll rebuild the family in no time."
Shiraishi Yoshijo was stunned. He stared at his uncle in disbelief, then noticed that his dear uncle was wearing the clan robes they used to wear only at family gatherings.
They were eye-catching clothes, all bright colors and butterflies, making him look rather girlish.
He had another set in his hands. It was obvious who they were for.
"I absolutely refuse to wear those clothes. This is my lifelong request, Uncle Eizawa."
"Is that so? Actually, you could raise a few more bugs. Let me tell you—"
Before Shiraishi Eizawa could finish, Shiraishi Yoshijo took the clothes and bowed. "Please, let me wear them. It's the family's honor, and mine as well."
Some people said they didn't want something, but once they actually tried it, there were only two words for it: "So good."
In his room, Shiraishi Yoshijo looked in the mirror and tugged at his hair, muttering, "I can't let it grow long anymore. Otherwise, people really will mistake me for a girl."
Shiraishi Yoshijo was quite satisfied with his looks. He was much better-looking than in his previous life—a face straight out of a protagonist's story.
Well, how did he go from being an extra to the protagonist?
That was a question worth pondering.
By the time he came out, Shiraishi Eizawa was waiting for him at the dining table.
It felt strange. Today, his uncle seemed a little like a real uncle.
"What's the occasion? Why are you wearing those clothes? And you even made breakfast and waited for me?"
"Have you forgotten? Today's the opening ceremony."
"Fine, but what does that have to do with you? I can go to the opening ceremony by myself."
"By convention, parents need to attend with their children."
Did Konoha have a convention like that?
He'd been in this world so long that he'd forgotten a lot of things. Besides, he didn't have any friends.
Some kids had wanted to play with him, but his noble soul wouldn't let him join in their childish games.
After breakfast, Shiraishi Eizawa took a bottle of pills from his robes and tossed it to him. "From now on, take one after every meal."
"What are these? What do they do?"
"Family medicine. Painkillers."
"I'm not in pain. Why do I have to take these?"
Shiraishi Eizawa gave him a strange look and narrowed his eyes with a smile.
"You have to eat. Do you think other people aren't allowed to eat?"
Shiraishi Yoshijo looked around. There were only the two of them in the room. Who else could there be?
His dear uncle pointed at his chest. Shiraishi Yoshijo sucked in a sharp breath. "It has to eat too? It eats my flesh and blood?"
"It eats your Chakra. If you don't have enough Chakra, it'll eat your flesh instead. You don't want it to turn into a dead bug inside your body, do you?"
The pill melted in his mouth, releasing a strange taste.
Shiraishi Yoshijo went pale. "Does that mean I have to take these pills for the rest of my life?"
"Not for your whole life. Two or three years at most. Once it turns into a pupa, you won't need to take them anymore."
"After it becomes a pupa, will it turn into a butterfly?"
Shiraishi Eizawa didn't answer. He stood up and said, "It's getting late. We should go."
On the way to the Ninja Academy, Shiraishi Eizawa walked in silence, holding his hand. He didn't say a word, and Shiraishi Yoshijo had no idea what he was thinking.
Shiraishi Yoshijo wanted to ask about the family Secret Technique, but the streets were crowded, so in the end, he swallowed his questions.
When they arrived at the school, the children, lined up in neat rows for the start of the school year, were waiting for the village leader—the Third Hokage—to arrive.
Shiraishi Eizawa let go of his hand and motioned for him to join the line, then turned and walked over to the crowd of parents.
Shiraishi Yoshijo picked a spot at random and looked around, hoping to spot a familiar face. Unfortunately, there were none.
That was only to be expected. Konoha didn't have that many famous ninja, while the Konoha Academy enrolled so many students every year. He'd have been surprised if he'd run into someone he knew.
More and more students arrived. After nearly half an hour, the Third Hokage finally showed up.
Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't alone. A group of people followed behind him.
Shiraishi Yoshijo recognized only Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, two advisers from the Konoha High Command. He didn't know anyone else.
High-level cannon fodder. Shiraishi Yoshijo silently mourned them in his heart.
As for Danzo, a ninja who would later be known as Shinobi no Yami didn't belong at such a public event. He definitely wouldn't show up here.
On the platform, the Third Hokage began his speech about the Will of Fire, the most important principle of the Konoha Ninja Village.
Shiraishi Yoshijo was half asleep as he listened, silently wondering why the Third Hokage was so long-winded even when he was young. The world really was going downhill.
Just as Shiraishi Yoshijo was about to fall asleep, a strange commotion suddenly broke out at the back of the line.
When he turned around, a white-haired boy with spiky hair had already run up to him and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Jiraiya. I hope we get along."
Shiraishi Yoshijo was completely bewildered. When he saw Jiraiya, he hadn't even had time to react.
Even after Jiraiya held out his hand, he still hadn't figured out what was going on.
He was surprised that one of the Konoha Sannin was his classmate. But even more surprising was the situation unfolding right in front of him.
Shiraishi Yoshijo pointed at himself and opened his mouth to speak, then suddenly realized what was happening. He was furious.
Today was an important day, and thanks to his dear uncle, he was wearing bright, flashy clothes that made him look girlish.
So that was why Jiraiya had brazenly come over to flirt with him?
And he'd even openly reached out with his gropey hand?
The opening ceremony fell quiet after Jiraiya's stunt.
Up on the platform, the Third Hokage didn't seem angry at Jiraiya's outrageous behavior. Instead, he said with a smile, "That outfit must mean this is a child from the Shide Clan. What a pretty little girl."
Mitokado Homura nodded in agreement. Utatane Koharu said irritably, "That's a boy."
The two old men began coughing violently.
What should he do? Shiraishi Yoshijo's mind raced, but he couldn't think of a solution. He wanted to speak, but didn't dare.
If he opened his mouth, his identity as a boy would be exposed for sure.
Being mistaken for a girl was annoying, but it was still better than being mistaken for a freak.
A boy dressed like a girl—within a day, his name would be all over Konoha, and his whole family would become a laughingstock.
As for fighting, never mind whether he could win. This was completely the wrong place for it.
Picking a fight at the opening ceremony wouldn't end well.
His little face flushed red, which only looked like shyness to the people around him.
Unable to think of anything else, he could only glare at Jiraiya with murderous eyes, slap his hand away, and silently turn his gaze to the Third Hokage on the platform.
The Third Hokage gave a small cough. A teacher soon came out to restore order, taking Jiraiya to the back of the line and giving him a lecture.
After Jiraiya's interruption, the Third Hokage wasn't in the mood to continue. He said a few perfunctory words, and the awkward opening ceremony was over.
Next came the class assignments. Shiraishi Yoshijo was placed in Class 1-A, and a teacher sent him to the classroom to wait for his homeroom teacher.
He found his class and pushed open the door. Jiraiya's detestable face appeared right in front of him.
"So we're in the same class! Let me introduce myself again. I'm Jiraiya. I hope we get along!"
Jiraiya reached out with his gropey hand again.
Shiraishi Yoshijo's face darkened. He glanced around the classroom and, seeing that there weren't many people, reached out to shake Jiraiya's hand.
As their hands met, Shiraishi Yoshijo tugged hard. Jiraiya didn't react—or perhaps he simply didn't want to resist—and Shiraishi Yoshijo pulled him into his arms.
Leaning close to Jiraiya's ear, Shiraishi Yoshijo spoke in a hoarse voice that deliberately sounded a lot like Orochimaru. "Shiraishi Yoshijo. I hope we get along."
Hearing that voice for the first time, Jiraiya shuddered, then shouted, "You're a boy?"
Laughter filled the classroom. Shiraishi Yoshijo's face turned ashen. He didn't want to deal with an idiot any longer, so he found a seat by the window.
Even after Shiraishi Yoshijo sat down, Jiraiya still couldn't believe it. It took him a while to recover.
The quiet didn't last long. Jiraiya soon started getting restless, leaning against the window and gazing eagerly down the hall.
Whenever a girl walked past, he'd immediately run to the door and stand ready to give her his special first-meeting greeting.
After a few tries, he actually got away with touching quite a few of them. Shiraishi Yoshijo muttered, completely exasperated, "What an idiot."
Another girl pushed open the door. Her name was Senju Tsunade.
Jiraiya reached out with his gropey hand as usual, but halfway through, he glanced over at Shiraishi Yoshijo.
He suddenly noticed that the girl standing before him looked a little like Shiraishi Yoshijo.
His mind went blank, and he blurted out, "Are you a boy too?"
Tsunade had been about to shake Jiraiya's hand. In an instant, she turned her palm into a fist and slammed it into his forehead.
The world fell silent.
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