Back at her seat, Yuhi Kurenai cautiously glanced outside the classroom, then asked in a worried whisper, "Yuichi, are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Yuki Yuichi shook his head. "Ikkaku-sensei's really nice. I apologized, and he let me come back."
"Oh." Yuhi Kurenai nodded. Then, looking at Kakashi's empty seat in front of them, she asked curiously, "Has Kakashi still not come back?"
Thinking of Kakashi Hatake getting chewed out, Yuki Yuichi tried to hide his awkwardness and said as casually as he could, "He didn't apologize. He made excuses, and the teacher caught him."
"So the teacher's still lecturing that delinquent."
Looking at Yuki Yuichi, Yuhi Kurenai didn't want to admit it, but she still thought her own Yuichi-kun seemed more like a delinquent than Kakashi Hatake.
The two of them chatted quietly at their desks. Uchiha Obito watched them enviously. When would he ever get to be like that with Rin?
He wanted to cuddle up with Nohara Rin like that, too.
What a winner at life!
He was already strong, had awakened his Sharingan by using eye drops, and even had a childhood sweetheart for a girlfriend.
Uchiha Obito was officially jealous.
People's joys and sorrows were never shared.
While Yuki Yuichi and Yuhi Kurenai were cuddling up together, Kakashi Hatake sat with his head drooping, feeling utterly hopeless.
When Umino Ikkaku had lectured him, he'd even tried to argue back.
But one question from the man had left him speechless.
"Lord Hokage had something to ask you, you say? Then do you have any proof?"
Those words had left Kakashi Hatake completely at a loss for words.
He didn't have a shred of proof.
Lord Hokage had given the scroll to Yuki Yuichi.
Damn it! One day, I'll get back what I lost today! Kakashi Hatake thought.
Umino Ikkaku and Kakashi Hatake talked for a long time. By the time they returned to the classroom, half the afternoon lesson had already passed.
He looked at the students studying at the front of the room and those slacking off in the back.
Umino Ikkaku cleared his throat and began quizzing them on their understanding of the Will of Fire.
"Class, what have you learned from studying the Will of Fire?" he asked with a warm smile, looking nothing like the teacher who had just scolded Kakashi Hatake.
When no one raised a hand, Umino Ikkaku frowned and prepared to call on someone.
But just then, Yuki Yuichi raised his hand.
"Me! Me! Me!"
Umino Ikkaku was taken aback, then smiled with approval.
He'd initially thought this kid was a troublemaker, but now he realized Yuki Yuichi was actually pretty good.
"Good! Then let's hear what Yuichi has learned from the Will of Fire!"
At that, Yuki Yuichi stood up.
Beside him, Yuhi Kurenai gazed at him with wide, admiring eyes.
She hadn't found anything worth mentioning in the book herself.
"Wherever the leaves dance, the fire burns on!"
"The First passed down the Will of Fire, and the Second and the Lord Third carried it forward!"
Before saying anything else, Yuki Yuichi began with three glowing compliments. Then he paused and continued, "I saw the stories of many heroes in this book."
"Ninja who willingly sacrificed themselves for the village and its people!"
"They were all ninja who embodied the Will of Fire!"
"Mm." Umino Ikkaku looked at Yuki Yuichi with a smile.
These ideas were simple, and they were all mentioned in the book, though scattered throughout it.
The fact that Yuki Yuichi could bring them up showed that he really was trying to understand the Will of Fire.
"Anything else?"
Yuki Yuichi nodded. "There is."
"This morning, I met Big Brother Minato and Uncle Hokage."
The moment he said that, a stir ran through the classroom. Even Umino Ikkaku looked at him in surprise. Then, as if something had occurred to him, he glanced at Kakashi Hatake.
Yuki Yuichi continued.
"This morning, Copy Ninja and I went to train on top of Kage Rock, and we ran into Big Brother Minato."
"We asked him to teach us, and he agreed right away. After he finished helping us, he even paid for our ramen."
"Maybe that's an example of the Will of Fire described in the book?" Yuki Yuichi said, looking at Umino Ikkaku.
Umino Ikkaku nodded for him to continue, his smile growing even warmer.
Yuki Yuichi didn't hesitate. "While we were eating, we ran into Uncle Hokage."
"Uncle Hokage was really kind. He even gave me a ninjutsu scroll. And when Big Brother Minato found out I hadn't tested my chakra nature, he gave me a sheet of Chakra Induction Paper."
"None of it was earth-shattering, but I saw the Will of Fire described in the book in those little things!"
"Selfless help, and kind elders and big brothers!"
As Yuki Yuichi spoke, stars seemed to sparkle in his eyes.
"I want to become a ninja like that one day!"
Umino Ikkaku was the first to cheer. He clapped his hands and said, "Yuichi's understanding is profound."
"They may be small things, but recognizing the Will of Fire in them means you've grasped its true meaning!"
At Umino Ikkaku's words, the classroom burst into applause.
Yuki Yuichi sat back down.
Did he really have the Will of Fire?
He knew the truth about himself better than anyone. He didn't have a shred of the Will of Fire.
If he could help it, he wouldn't even want to read this kind of brainwashing material.
But he had no choice. If he wanted to get by in Konoha, and especially since he'd awakened the Sharingan, he had to show that he had a strong Will of Fire.
He could scorn the Will of Fire in his heart and look down on it, but he had to keep proclaiming it out loud.
Ideally, his dream should be to become Hokage.
That was Konoha's political orthodoxy.
Umino Ikkaku quizzed a few more students, and then the afternoon lesson came to an end.
Yuki Yuichi and Yuhi Kurenai walked down the street, both of them dragging their feet as if they'd lost the will to live.
Yuhi Kurenai, on the other hand, was excited as she walked beside him.
"Yuichi, Ikkaku-sensei praised you!"
"Dad will be so happy when he hears!"
Yuhi Kurenai skipped along, delighted and full of energy.
Yuki Yuichi walked beside her, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Yuhi Shinku wouldn't be happy.
Anyone who could say something like "use genjutsu to save your life" didn't strike him as someone with the Will of Fire, either.
Or maybe anyone with a bit of sense wouldn't blindly believe in the Will of Fire.
Of course, there were exceptions.
Like Hatake Sakumo and Minato Namikaze.
They were both examples of the Will of Fire.
"We're home!"
Yuki Yuichi pushed open the door and said in a lifeless voice.
Yuhi Kurenai darted inside ahead of him, calling out excitedly, "Dad! Dad, we're home!"
"You're back?" Yuhi Shinku came out of the kitchen wearing an apron. Seeing the two of them, he smiled and said, "Dinner will be ready soon. You two go rest for a bit."
Before you continue