The Virtue of a Gentleman

"He's coming, he's coming!"

"What do we do, what do we do?!"

The entire classroom was watching Yuki Yuichi and Yuhi Kurenai, but two boys who looked like troublemakers were cowering in a corner.

"Is he going to beat us up right here?"

"Probably not, right?" One of the boys couldn't help swallowing, his legs trembling with fear.

Whenever they saw Yuki Yuichi, they were reminded of what had happened before.

They had been playing with their friends when they saw Might Guy and made fun of him.

Then this guy caught them at it and came right over to beat them up without a word.

The worst part was that he could take on all four or five of them by himself.

From then on, their lives had been a nightmare.

Whenever they ran into this guy called Yuki Yuichi on the road, no matter what they were doing, he dragged them off and beat them up.

Going to their parents was no use. Their parents even told them to thank him when they found out.

How was anyone supposed to make sense of that?

Yuki Yuichi led Yuhi Kurenai forward step by step, and the two boys' fear grew with every step.

"Long time no see, classmates," Yuki Yuichi said with a smile as he looked at them.

"Uh... long... long time no see..."

"It's been so long. What are you two doing in our seats?" Yuki Yuichi said, walking over to them and furrowing his brow.

"Did you forget the virtue I taught you?"

The two boys swallowed, then answered shakily, "No, we haven't!"

With that, they fled from their seats. Yuki Yuichi nodded in satisfaction.

Those two really knew what was good for them. He'd only said one thing, and they'd already left. His earlier lesson in "the virtue of a gentleman" hadn't gone to waste.

See? They'd learned fast.

When Yuki Yuichi had come in and realized there weren't any seats, he'd spotted his two "old acquaintances." What a coincidence.

He'd once seen them making fun of Might Guy and couldn't help giving them a beating. And they'd actually gone running to their parents to complain.

What a joke. Did complaining help?

Obviously, it didn't.

When their parents came to pick a fight, Yuki Yuichi naturally brought up Yuhi Shinku, who was away on a mission at the time, and told them with complete confidence:

This was the ninja training method Yuhi Shinku had devised for him. Anyone who wanted to become a ninja had to endure hardships like these and bear training beyond what ordinary people could withstand.

That way, they wouldn't easily die during missions after becoming ninjas.

In Konoha, there was hardly a civilian who didn't want to become a ninja.

Even if they couldn't become one themselves, they hoped their children would.

When Yuki Yuichi told them this was a training method specially designed by Yuhi Shinku, an elite jonin, the parents who had come to pick a fight had actually thanked him with delighted smiles.

"Yuichi, is this really okay?" Yuhi Kurenai looked at Yuki Yuichi timidly, her little face full of worry.

"Dad told us not to cause trouble."

"It's fine." Yuki Yuichi ushered Yuhi Kurenai into the seat by the wall and sat beside her.

"Uncle Shinku told us not to cause trouble."

"But we didn't cause any trouble. Those two gave us their seats willingly."

"You two agree, right?" Yuki Yuichi said, looking up at the pair who hadn't gone far and smiling.

"I didn't force you, did I?"

At Yuki Yuichi's words, the two boys who had just given up their seats hurriedly shook their heads, afraid they'd get beaten if they took too long to answer.

"No, absolutely not!"

"You're a good person who taught us to cultivate virtue. You'd never do something like steal someone's seat!"

"See? They gave us their seats of their own accord." Yuki Yuichi patted Yuhi Kurenai's little head.

"There are plenty of good people in Konoha."

"Not everyone is as hot-tempered as Uncle Shinku."

"Oh." Yuhi Kurenai nodded, seeming to understand.

She didn't argue when Yuki Yuichi said her father had a temper. She thought it was true, too.

He was always smacking Yuichi on the head. She hated it.

While they were whispering, a middle-aged man wearing glasses walked in from outside.

Looking at everyone beneath the podium, he couldn't help clearing his throat. Then he tapped on the podium a few times to signal for everyone to quiet down.

Once the classroom had fallen silent, he introduced himself. "Hello, everyone. I'm your homeroom teacher."

"I'll be teaching you all about being a ninja from now on."

"My name is Umino Ikkaku. I like eating Three-color Dango, I hate butterflies, and my dream is to become a responsible teacher."

"Hello, teacher!" Yuki Yuichi was the first to stand and greet him.

Kakashi rolled his dead-fish eyes amid the crowd. For a moment, he couldn't figure out why he felt so speechless.

When Umino Ikkaku saw Yuki Yuichi stand up, he looked over, and their gazes met.

From that first glance, Umino Ikkaku could tell from his years of teaching experience that this was a troublemaker.

Yuki Yuichi, meanwhile, hadn't given it nearly as much thought.

The moment he heard Umino Ikkaku's name, he thought of the Seventh's mentor, Iruka.

This had to be Umino Iruka's father.

"Ahem." Umino Ikkaku exchanged a glance with Yuki Yuichi, then cleared his throat twice. "There's no need to welcome me like that."

"Let's move on to introductions!"

Umino Ikkaku looked around and asked, "Who wants to go first?"

"Anyone volunteer?"

"Me!" As soon as Umino Ikkaku finished speaking, a boy wearing goggles, with the Uchiha Clan Crest on his back, dashed up to the podium.

Umino Ikkaku: "..."

This class seemed to have a lot of troublemakers...

"My name is Uchiha Obito. I hate green peppers, and I like..." Uchiha Obito paused, then continued, "I like ramen."

"My dream is to become the Fourth Hokage!"

"I'm going to be Hokage, no matter what!"

"Hahahahaha!"

Uchiha Obito laughed uproariously in front of the podium, but then a piercing voice rang out through the classroom.

"Don't get ahead of yourself! You can't become Hokage just because you say you will!"

A boy who looked like a monkey stood up to argue. "I'll be the next Hokage!"

"My name is Sarutobi Asuma. I'll prove how strong I am!"

Watching from the back, Yuki Yuichi clicked his tongue. Asuma was such a rebellious, edgy kid at this age.

"Damn you! I'll prove it to all of you. I'll be the first Uchiha Hokage!" Uchiha Obito hopped angrily in place.

"Okay, okay, Obito, go back to your seat," Umino Ikkaku said, his head aching.

They'd barely been in the classroom for five minutes, and he'd already found three troublemakers.

Guys, can you believe this?