After School, I Won't Beat You Anymore

"Pay attention, all of you. Especially you two, Hyuga Shin and Shikaku Nara. If you dare fall asleep again, I'll throw you out," Ueno Juri said sternly.

Those two gave Ueno Juri the biggest headache. They slept all day, yet still got perfect scores every time.

Hyuga Shin raised his head helplessly. With his incredible mental strength, he had perfect recall. He picked up theory quickly, so there was no need to listen carefully. He had already learned it all.

"Lazy good-for-nothing like you think you can become a ninja? You might as well go home and farm!" Kushina said sharply.

"Thwack!"

Hyuga Shin flicked a finger against Kushina's head, making tears spring to her eyes from the pain.

But Kushina had plenty of grit. She didn't make a sound, though her teeth ground together with a furious rasp.

"Are you going to behave now?" Hyuga Shin asked with a grin.

"You just wait," Kushina gritted out, then sprang to her feet.

"Teacher, he's bullying me! He flicked me on the head!" Kushina pointed at Hyuga Shin and complained to Ueno Juri.

Ueno Juri was in the middle of teaching when—snap!—she broke the chalk in her hand.

"Hyuga Shin, picking on the new student, are you? You're getting too big for your britches. Get outside and stand there as punishment." Then Ueno Juri turned her gaze to Choza Akimichi.

"And you, Choza Akimichi. Don't think I can't see you sneaking food. I can see everything from up here."

Hyuga Shin shot the triumphant Kushina a glare, then walked over to Nawaki and snatched the game console he was secretly playing with.

"I'm borrowing this for a bit. Choza, bring your snacks. We're going."

Under Ueno Juri's furious gaze, Hyuga Shin carried off the game console while Choza Akimichi took a huge pile of snacks, and the two of them sauntered out.

"Chen, you jerk! I saved up for ages to buy that brand-new game console. Don't break it!" Nawaki yelled.

"Senju Nawaki, you can go join them too," Ueno Juri roared.

Chapter 40: After School, I Won't Beat You Anymore

"Choza, don't be so stingy. You gave some to Chen, so how can you refuse me? You're hurting the bonds between classmates." Nawaki was begging Choza Akimichi for snacks.

Choza guarded his snacks with both hands and eyed Nawaki warily. "Chen often treats me to food. You're a cheapskate who never spends a cent. I'm not giving you any."

"It's not like I have money. My big sister took all my allowance. I only got this game console after secretly saving up for a whole year," Nawaki said, looking pitiful.

Seeing that Nawaki really did look pitiful, Choza reluctantly took out a bag of chips and handed it to him.

"Remember, you have to pay me back," Choza reminded him.

"Don't worry. Once I have money, I'll treat you to a feast," Nawaki said, thumping his chest.

"Heh. You'll have money? Maybe when you graduate and start taking missions," Hyuga Shin said, glancing up with a disdainful smile.

"Then I'm taking these back." Choza hurriedly reached for the chips.

But Nawaki was quicker and dodged his hand.

"It's just a bag of snacks. Look at how much you've still got. Don't be so stingy." Nawaki grinned as he opened the bag and breathed in the aroma of the chips with a blissful expression.

Hyuga Shin couldn't help kicking Nawaki. "It's just a bag of snacks. Do you have to make such a big deal out of it?"

Nawaki clutched his backside and grumbled, "Why shouldn't I? The last time I had snacks was six months ago."

"Haah... You guys sure are taking it easy out here." Shikaku Nara emerged from the classroom, his eyes half-lidded.

"Why'd you come out too?" Nawaki asked.

"Isn't it obvious? The fake eyes he drew got spotted, so he got kicked out," Hyuga Shin said casually. As he'd left the classroom, he'd noticed Shikaku Nara asleep, with a fake eye drawn on to fool the teacher.

Shikaku Nara nodded, then took a bag of snacks from Choza Akimichi's arms.

By the time class ended, Ueno Juri came out and saw the four of them. She was furious!

Hyuga Shin was playing a game on the console, with Nawaki watching beside him and occasionally shouting. Choza Akimichi was stuffing himself, while Shikaku Nara leaned against the wall and slept.

"You four are hopeless!" Ueno Juri snapped, then stormed off.

"Teacher Ueno seems angry."

"It's fine, it's fine! Teacher Ueno's always angry."

"Nawaki, those two transfer students who arrived today are staying with your Senju Clan, right?"

"Chen, how'd you know? They are staying with the Senju Clan, but they've been living with Grandma. I've only met them once, a few days ago." Nawaki nodded.

"The Uzumaki Clan and the Senju Clan are distant relatives. I know that much." After replying, Hyuga Shin tossed the game console to Nawaki and went back into the classroom.

"Hmph!" Kushina gave Hyuga Shin a smug look and a little snort.

Hyuga Shin glanced at her, deciding not to stoop to arguing with a little girl.

When she saw that Hyuga Shin was ignoring her, Kushina felt oddly uncomfortable and gave him a shove.

"You're so petty. Are you really mad? You hit me, and it hurt, you know!"

"I'm not going to get mad at a little girl."

"Who are you calling a little girl? What about me is little?" Kushina snapped.

"Heh. What about you isn't little?" Hyuga Shin deliberately glanced at Kushina's chest.

"Ah! You pervert!" Kushina covered her chest with both hands and stared at Hyuga Shin as if he were some kind of freak.

Hyuga Shin's lips curled into a smirk. "There's nothing there. You think I'd be interested in looking? Maybe when you grow up."

"You—you just wait!" Kushina's cheeks puffed up in anger, making her round little face even rounder.

"Now that I think about it, there's a reason they call you Tomato." Hyuga Shin spoke softly.

"You jerk!" Kushina angrily grabbed Hyuga Shin's arm and bit down.

"Are you a dog or something?" Hyuga Shin hurriedly reined in the strength he'd instinctively brought to bear. Luckily, he reacted in time. Otherwise, Kushina's teeth would have broken.

Hyuga Shin knew the Six Powers technique Tekkai, which made his body hard as iron. It wasn't as strong defensively as Armament Haki, but it would certainly have shattered Kushina's teeth.

"Ptooey!" Kushina let go and spat. Then she asked in puzzlement, "Your skin looks so soft and fair. Why's it like cowhide? I can't bite through it at all."

Kushina had bitten for ages without leaving a single tooth mark on Hyuga Shin's arm, and she was astonished.

"Chen, what's going on here?" Nawaki walked in and pointed at the arm Kushina was holding.