"Hyuga Seigo, I never imagined you were hiding so much."
Itachi Uchiha was inwardly astonished. The man before him was actually this powerful. Could those rumors about his frailty...
"Tsukuyomi!"
The comma-shaped marks in his eyes spun rapidly, linking into a pinwheel.
"Break!"
Qingwu grinned. Using genjutsu on me?! That's fucking hilarious. I've got the Ten-Tails' Root Consciousness!
You're trying to teach a master his own craft.
Reflect.
"What?! Impossible..."
Itachi was stunned. He had never expected Tsukuyomi, his Mangekyō Sharingan's ocular technique, to be broken so easily. Instead, he was the one bound to a cross. "Genjutsu Reflection? How is that possible?!"
No, that flash of red just now—what was that oppressive feeling, as though it came from my very bloodline?!
Hyuga Seigo, what exactly are you hiding?
"Release!" Itachi Uchiha frantically worked his Mangekyō Sharingan, pouring out ocular power as though it cost him nothing, until he finally broke the genjutsu.
That was only because Qingwu wasn't skilled in genjutsu and had merely used his Rinne Sharingan to reflect Tsukuyomi by instinct. Otherwise, Itachi Uchiha would have died right then.
"As I thought, Hyuga Seigo, you're an unpredictable threat."
Itachi Uchiha decided to go all out. Red light flashed in his eyes as Susanoo gradually manifested.
"Hyuga Seigo, let me see what you're made of. Bring out that power you've been hiding..."
Qingwu felt Itachi Uchiha's powerful presence, but he didn't back down. He took a deep breath, and power surged endlessly from within him.
"What a powerful aura." Even Itachi Uchiha was taken aback.
A fierce battle was about to erupt...
Whoosh!
Bang!
Just as Itachi Uchiha prepared to charge, Hyuga Seigo pulled out a firework and set it off. A huge red blossom burst overhead, instantly drawing countless eyes throughout the village.
Itachi Uchiha froze.
After all that power Qingwu had unleashed just now...
This was what he did with it?
Qingwu grinned. "Itachi Uchiha, you wouldn't want the villagers finding out you have a Mangekyō Sharingan, would you? Especially while you're attacking a promising young member of the Hyuga Clan. You don't want a war between our clans, do you...?"
He sensed plenty of people heading their way.
"Whew..."
For the first time in his life, Itachi Uchiha had been toyed with like this. For the first time, he hated someone this much. "Hyuga Seigo, I'll remember you."
Qingwu was speechless.
"You're not a pretty girl. Why would I want you to remember me?"
Itachi Uchiha gave him a long look. "I'll be watching you. You'd better not do anything to harm the village."
"Itachi Uchiha, are you fucking sick in the head?"
"If you want to work yourself to death and be Konoha High Command's dog, that's your business. Why the hell are you sticking your nose into mine?"
"If you love serving others so much, why call yourself Itachi? Why not Uchiha Pack Mule?"
"I'm already living like a fucking slacker. How does that hurt you? Why do you have to come bothering me just to feel important?"
"Are you that starved for affection?!"
"I bet all that meddling is what aged you so fast. Those deep lines around your mouth make you look like some guy in his thirties. No wonder you don't have a girlfriend!"
"Holy shit—you don't like men, do you?"
"Are you deliberately trying to get my attention?"
"Gross!"
"You'd better not show your face around me again. Don't think the Hyuga Clan's blades have gone dull..."
Qingwu left as soon as he finished cursing him out. He had already sensed a crowd approaching, and sticking around would make things hard to explain. After that furious verbal barrage, he felt much better.
"You..."
Itachi Uchiha's face darkened. That bastard had a vicious tongue. If he hadn't still had his reason, he might have summoned Susanoo and charged after him for a fight to the death.
What was that familiar yet unfamiliar presence?
What connection did it have to the Sharingan?
How did Hyuga Seigo obtain that power?
Should I report this to the higher-ups?
But Qingwu's unfathomable strength and that flash of red that troubled him so much both left him deeply wary.
There was also the Hyuga Great Elder's Kage-Level Combat Strength.
The Uchiha were already a complete mess. He didn't want to drag the Hyuga into it too. That would truly weaken the village.
After thinking it over, Itachi Uchiha abandoned the idea of reporting it.
One wrong move...
The destruction two Kage-Level Combat Strength fighters could cause, coupled with the Uchiha Clan's rebellion, was more than the village could withstand right now.
He was a man with a Hokage's heart.
Naturally, the village's stability came first.
"Hmph!"
After that day, Itachi Uchiha never came again. At least, he never sought Qingwu out alone. Perhaps he had watched him in secret. But with the Uchiha holding frequent clan meetings, he had no time to bother with Qingwu anymore.
"Heh heh! You deadpan bastard, being caught between your village and your clan doesn't feel so good, does it? Looking at things from a Hokage's perspective? Tch!"
Qingwu took some pleasure in his misery.
Konoha High Command made no moves either, and the village remained peaceful and tranquil. On the surface, anyway. The village and the Uchiha were ready to explode; perhaps all they needed was a spark.
"All the better if you leave me alone. Go make whatever trouble you want."
It worked out perfectly. No one was paying attention to him.
Qingwu returned to his life of leisure. Happy times passed in a flash, catching him off guard. In the blink of an eye, another six months and more had hurried by.
"Guys, let's go have a feast!"
"Yeah! Yeah! Come on, let's go!"
"Shikamaru, go get the seasonings ready. Choji, you and Naruto catch some fish. Kiba, take Akamaru and hunt some pheasants and rabbits..."
"Shino, Sasuke, go gather firewood..."
"Ino and Hinata—oh, and Sakura—get the tableware ready..."
"What about you?"
"I'm cooking. Unless you want to do it yourselves?"
"No, this arrangement is great," they all said in unison.
Their old group of four had grown again, with Kiba and Shino enthusiastically joining in.
They had become friends through fighting.
"One weakling, one lazy bum, one dead-last, and one fatass."
"A bunch of Dead Lasts. Out of my way! Lord Kiba's coming through!" Kiba had taunted them during a break, looking at the boys standing as punishment.
"Oh, now you've pissed me off. This dog keeper's getting way too cocky. Guys, get him."
"Yeah, yeah, I agree."
"Great! Count me in! Count me in!"
"Aaah! I'm just plump, not fat!"
As a result, Qingwu had led Shikamaru, Choji, and Naruto in throwing a sack over Kiba and beating him up eleven times in a row, yet he still refused to give in. He was stubborn as hell. In the end, Qingwu subdued him with a pair of socks Naruto hadn't washed in three years.
Most importantly, Qingwu's remark that "one simmering pot of dog meat could bring even the gods to their knees," along with Choji and Naruto's drooling stares, had scared him. In Kiba's words, they could mess with him, but not his dog. Akamaru: "Woof, woof!" (I could cry. Kiba, you've suffered for me!)
As for Shino, that was purely because Qingwu was bored out of his mind and kept taking Shino and Shikamaru along to count ants. They were all slackers, and could spend an entire afternoon counting. What a bunch of fools!
Cricket fights, beetle fights... they even pioneered new forms of gambling. Then there were deep-fried centipedes, deep-fried grasshoppers, ant wine... they opened up new ways for the Aburame Clan to make a living...
To Shino, anyone who liked bugs was a friend, let alone a great benefactor like Qingwu, who had contributed so much to his entire clan's livelihood.
And so Qingwu gained two little followers.
Even Ino and Hinata, those two shy, bashful girls, occasionally skipped self-study periods or came over on weekends to join the fun. As Ino's close friend, Sakura naturally received a warm welcome from Qingwu and the others too.
"You did that the other day, didn't you? Someone saw you."
Sasuke, meanwhile, challenged Qingwu to a one-on-one fight.
To everyone else, Qingwu could barely hold his own before fleeing with his hands over his head, looking utterly pathetic. In truth, he was completely fine.
In the end, Sasuke exhausted himself and collapsed.
"Well, well, well! You talked such a big game, Sasuke, but you fell over before I even made a move..."
Qingwu knew how to taunt someone.
"You bastard! You just have good stamina. Next time, I won't lose to you. I'll finish you with ninjutsu!"
"Is that the impotent rage of a sore loser?"
Unsurprisingly, the prideful Sasuke went home crying again.
After that, Sasuke challenged him over and over.
And exhausted himself over and over.
Then, after one of those challenges, Qingwu and the others invited him to share a meal, and their friendship began.
"Hmph! You were the ones who shamelessly kept inviting me!" Though Sasuke still sounded reluctant and awkward, he actively took part in plenty of their activities. His mouth said no, but his hands never stopped reaching for food. A classic tsundere!
"Stuck-up Sasuke, don't eat it if you're so tough!"
"Mind your own business!"
In the midst of those seemingly peaceful days, an unexpected upheaval shattered the tranquility...
It began that day when Iruka-sensei actually required the entire class to stay after school.
"Everyone, we'll be having a class quiz today. Please get ready."
"I've already spoken with all your parents, so you may have to go home a little later tonight." The instant he finished, the classroom erupted. Students whispered among themselves as complaints rose from every corner.
Qingwu turned solemn. It's here.
Shikamaru: "Qingwu, do you know something?"
Fortunately, Qingwu was lost in thought and didn't notice. Otherwise, he would have marveled that the Nara Clan really did live up to their reputation for intelligence.
As President Ye would put it...
Being friends with someone as smart as you leaves me with no secrets.
Still...
Even if Shikamaru figured it out...
Qingwu wouldn't have cared. The Hyuga Clan had the Byakugan. Wasn't it perfectly normal for them to notice a few clues?
It would be easy to explain.
Even the village wouldn't dare do anything to him.
His old man was still around.
Anyone unafraid of dying was welcome to try.
Besides...
Shikamaru was one of his own. He wouldn't betray him.
Before you continue