Little Meatball

Stepping into the classroom again, Class B had lost even more people. Originally only a dozen or so, now they barely scraped together ten. The atmosphere in the room had grown much heavier, no longer filled with the laughter and cheer of the first days of school.

Everyone buried their heads in their desks, studying earnestly, terrified that they might be the next one expelled. The Ninja Academy was, after all, a place to forge weapons of war like shinobi, not a charity. Those without talent wouldn't be allowed to stay and waste resources.

"Tong, you seem really tense. Did something happen?"

A slight trembling came from beside him, accompanied by near-silent sobbing. She was crying, for some reason he didn't know. What could make this originally cheerful, calm, strong-willed girl weep at his side?

At a time like this, shouldn't she be hiding instead?

"None of your business." Tong lifted her head to snap back, then quickly buried it again.

He only caught a fleeting glimpse of her reddened eyes. She'd been crying for a long time.

"Kaede... don't you know? Tong's thinking about giving up being a ninja!"

"Miko, what's going on? Fill me in."

As a member of the Uchiha Clan, Tong had already refined her Chakra. There was no reason for the school to expel her.

"It's Tong's father. Yesterday he talked about Tong's situation with Teacher Kimura, and someone overheard. Then the whole class found out. Tong was really hurt when she learned.

I don't know the exact reason for her quitting, but Tong really did work hard."

As she spoke, she glanced at Eita.

Miko was a gentle girl, though the small freckles on her face affected her looks.

Kaede looked at Eita. Eita puffed out his chest proudly, showing no remorse for spreading someone else's private matter.

"Got it."

Kaede silently finished the day's lessons, then hung far behind Tong as they headed back to the Uchiha compound. Now wasn't the time to probe for reasons.

"Don't follow me."

"Wasn't our way home always the same road?"

"Uchiha Kaede, you're so annoying."

Tong shouted and broke into a run. Though they were still Ninja Academy students, they weren't slow. Seeing she couldn't shake Kaede on the ground, Tong leaped onto the rooftops and sprinted away.

For her safety, Kaede followed anyway.

The Uchiha were all mentally unstable. If she got triggered and developed psychological issues, Tong might end up destroying herself.

It was that same forested hill again.

Tong was furiously kicking and punching a tree. Wood chips and blood scattered everywhere as she vented her frustration.

"I'm curious. What's all this really about?"

"You think everyone can be a ninja like you?" She shot a vicious glare at Kaede, who stood on a branch above. Her eyes were bloodshot.

Her low, raspy voice carried a hoarseness. She ignored her bleeding hands, as if she felt no pain.

"You think everyone has a healthy body like you?"

She covered her face and burst into loud sobs.

"Tong, maybe I can help you." He placed a hand on her soft hair, speaking reluctantly.

"You're still so annoying, Kaede. Have you already forgotten me?"

She stopped crying, but her voice turned colder, her gaze hollow as she looked at him and asked.

"Did we meet as kids?"

He was a standard shut-in. He had no friends in the clan because he almost never went out.

"Go! Pikachu~"

Tong suddenly said something that shocked Kaede.

"You... you're... that..."

"Remember now?"

He studied Tong carefully and finally caught a hint of resemblance in her eyes and brows. He recalled when he was three years old. His mother, Xiang, thought it wasn't good for him to lock himself in the house all day, so she brought home a little girl, hoping she'd play with him.

Companionship from a child his own age would give him a complete childhood.

But from the first moment he saw her, Kaede didn't like her.

Because...

She was way too fat. A three-year-old wasn't tall to begin with, and this little girl wasn't just full of baby fat—her whole body was round as a ball. Literally a ball.

When she walked, she wobbled left and right like a penguin.

Worst of all, this sudden little girl might discover his secret and interfere with his training.

So, one afternoon when his mother wasn't paying attention, driven by curiosity, he wondered if kicking this meatball would make her roll.

While she wasn't looking, he kicked her.

"Go! Pikachu."

She really did roll. Her round, pancake-like face was covered in dust, her head full of weeds. She blinked her still-pretty big eyes and looked at Kaede in confusion.

Then "Wah..."

She ran off crying. After that, she never came to Kaede's house again, which made her mother, Xiang, serve nothing but plain tea and simple meals for several days, silently blaming him.

"Are you Little Meatball?"

Kaede blurted out her nickname.

"Go die!"

Hitomi raised her hand and punched Kaede square in the eye socket, instantly turning it black and blue, giving him a panda eye.

He didn't dodge. Consider it payback for that kick back then.

Watching Kaede's pitiful and ridiculous look, Hitomi's lips twitched, as if she was about to break into a smile through her tears.

"I've been missing a piece of my heart since I was little, which made my body develop erratically. Back then, I was in the middle of an episode. No matter what I ate, I gained weight; even drinking water made me gain weight. But someone despised me and bullied me. This grudge, Uchiha Hitomi, will definitely repay."

Hitomi let down her guard and spoke clearly.

"So you're going to give up on becoming a ninja?"

A heart condition, missing a piece—that's no small problem. It might even be a question of whether she'd live to adulthood.

"I don't have a choice, Kaede. I really want a healthy body too, to become a strong ninja. But Father has already submitted the application to the Academy. My condition is starting to worsen.

Lately, whenever I refine Chakra or practice taijutsu, I often feel like I can't breathe. My heart beats so fast. With a defect like this, there's no way I can become a ninja.

Even if I insisted, Father wouldn't allow it."

The longing in Hitomi's eyes made Kaede stare at her blankly. She blushed, finally showing the behavior of a normal little girl.

"Alright, Kaede. From now on, you don't have to worry about me causing you trouble anymore. Let's go home."

She pursed her lips, pretending everything was over and she didn't care, but the beautiful longing in her eyes couldn't be faked.

"Uchiha Hitomi, are you going to give up on your vow to defeat me? Someone who gives up so easily like this—how could you ever become a strong ninja? Someone who backs down at the first difficulty—what right do you have to be my rival? This version of you is the one people really hate."

How could he allow a girl with such dreams to let her heart die right before his eyes?

"What else can I do? Do I have to pay with my life as a stepping stone for my dream? Kaede, I'm really afraid of dying. I still want to be with Father and Mother, and I still hope that one day, I can..."

Hitomi grabbed Kaede's collar excitedly, her pretty face turning somewhat frantic, leaning closer and closer to him until she realized what she was doing, stopped herself, and let him go.

"Maybe I have a way? Hitomi, trust me, we'll find a solution. Didn't we agree? We'd be each other's bond, ninjas working hard together for our dreams. Hitomi, you can't fall behind!"

He thought of the Big Fat Sheep he'd met a few days ago. Maybe she might have a way.

In the current ninja world, she should be the most skilled in medical arts, right? A simple heart repair surgery would be a piece of cake for her.

Hitomi, without you causing me trouble, how would I get through the boring six years at the Ninja Academy? Just come back to school peacefully!

Pikachu