Hiruko

"Hiruko, I think you're too scrawny. You have to eat a few more bowls of ramen later, preferably the tonkotsu kind. It's rare that a big spender like Xian Yu is treating us today, so we absolutely have to eat until we're stuffed."

Looking at the shy and insecure Hiruko, Jiraiya felt as if he were seeing his former self.

He, too, had once been someone who was constantly overlooked.

Whether it was painting strange oil paint on his face or pulling off countless seemingly silly, outrageous pranks, it was all, to some extent, a hope to gain the attention of those around him.

Therefore, ever since Hiruko was brought into this small group by Xian Yu half a year ago, Jiraiya had often looked after this shy little brother. The guy was clearly thin-skinned; it would be a huge loss if he didn't get his fill. He remembered that the last time Xian Yu treated them to ramen was already several months ago.

You're the big spender! Your whole family is big spenders!

I'm a pauper when it comes to opening treasure chests, okay? I have a Golden Treasure Chest and a Silver Treasure Chest in my Space Backpack. I've been staring at them for nearly half a year, unable to afford to open them...

Although there were 14.5 million ryo lying quietly in his Space Backpack, that money was reserved for opening chests. He only had about 20,000 ryo left in his pocket for pocket money.

I was only 500,000 ryo short of being able to open the Silver Treasure Chest. I would have had enough long ago if not for the 600,000 to 700,000 ryo spent every month on various supplies to assist Jiraiya and Orochimaru with their training. My monthly surplus of over 3 million ryo had plummeted to around 2.4 million because of that. I wondered what kind of good stuff I could get from the Silver Treasure Chest. I was so excited! Xian Yu felt a little giddy inside.

"Big spender?" Hiruko, who had been sent off by Xian Yu to bury himself in research all day, clearly hadn't heard this term before and turned to look at Xian Yu in confusion.

"I'm not, I have no money, I'm very poor... I'm just a worker for the system..." Called a big spender again, Xian Yu's face immediately soured.

"Yo. Isn't this classmate Hiruko? Oh, wait, I mean junior Hiruko?"

At this moment, a group of seven upperclassmen happened to pass by, and the tallest one among them greeted Hiruko.

It was less of a greeting and more of a mockery. Hiruko was trembling all over, but he didn't say a word.

"Hey, Big Painted Face, what do you mean by that?" Jiraiya had always considered Hiruko his little brother. Although he didn't quite understand the meaning behind the guy's words, it was obvious that his little brother was being bullied, so he naturally had to step up.

"Big Painted Face?" The tall student was stunned for a moment before he realized.

Was he talking about him?

As a member of the Inuzuka Clan, Inuzuka Takuya naturally had the signature oil paint marks on his face, but what right did this white-haired brat have to talk to him like that?

Wasn't the oil paint on his own face even more ridiculous?

"Brother, this ugly white-haired guy is Jiraiya, the dead last in our class. The one next to him with the scar on his chin is Xian Yu. He bullied me and Shikamaru before."

A girl beside Inuzuka Takuya, who had the same oil paint markings on her face, spoke up.

Hearing his sister's account, Inuzuka Takuya's face darkened: "Two dead lasts, and a bastard who dared to bully my sister—you're all truly annoying guys. It seems you don't know yet, but don't let Hiruko's small stature fool you; he's actually older than all of you. After all, Hiruko used to be my classmate."

Xian Yu had originally been very confused as to why Hiruko had transferred into the class with Tsunade.

Tsunade was the granddaughter of the First Hokage and the granddaughter of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. She had been tutored one-on-one by elite teachers since childhood and had access to the best training resources. Her foundation was solid, and she was naturally gifted.

Regardless of talent, ability, or background, it was understandable that Tsunade could be an exception to the rule and transfer in.

But Hiruko?

Although Xian Yu knew Hiruko was a talent, in the eyes of others, he was clearly a complete dead last.

His talent was average, but most importantly, his personality was cowardly, and he had no money or background. Yet, he had managed to become a transfer student. Xian Yu had been puzzled for a long time; one had to know that you couldn't just transfer into the Ninja Academy whenever you wanted.

Now he finally understood: Tsunade had transferred in, but Hiruko had been held back...

The situation at the time was like this.

Hiruko's academic grades were decent, and his taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu were all just average. The problem, however, lay in his temperament and personality!

Not only did he panic and run around uncontrollably during several simulation exercises, causing accidents, but during a practical lesson on explosive tags, he had panicked and thrown a lit explosive tag into a line of waiting students...

Fortunately, it was only a low-spec version for teaching, and the ninja teacher nearby reacted quickly enough to defend against the explosion with ninjutsu.

Even so, the accident still resulted in several students being injured, and Hiruko received a penalty of being held back for two years.

The instructor even stated that perhaps being a ninja wasn't the right path for him, and if he couldn't change, he shouldn't think about becoming a ninja anymore.

Inuzuka Takuya finished introducing Hiruko's glorious achievements with a gloating expression. Hiruko's face grew increasingly pale, and in the end, he almost shrank into his clothes.

"Hiruko, is everything this guy said true?" Jiraiya asked, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Hearing Jiraiya ask this, bean-sized tears welled up in Hiruko's eyes, and he was on the verge of crying.

He had finally made new friends during this time, and he had been truly happy these past few months! It was like a beautiful dream, making him almost forget... the past where he was isolated and mocked.

Now, the dream was about to end.

Xian Yu frowned. In his memory of the future, it was precisely because Hiruko felt his own talent was insufficient that he gradually drifted away from his childhood friends—Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru. Feeling abandoned, he slowly turned to darkness and embarked on the path of human experimentation and self-modification.

"Jiraiya, what's the point of asking? Hiruko is our companion!"

Hearing Xian Yu say this, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and carefully sized up the shivering Hiruko on the side.

One had to know that Xian Yu rarely used the word "companion" to describe people; the only ones in the class recognized by Xian Yu were himself and Jiraiya.

It seems this Hiruko is also someone Xian Yu-kun values...

Thinking this, Orochimaru also stepped forward slightly, implicitly protecting Hiruko behind him.

Jiraiya scratched his head and laughed foolishly: "Xian Yu, that's not what I meant."

As he spoke, he walked a few steps to Hiruko's side and put an arm around his shoulder, the meaning self-evident.

"Um... let's just go..."

Hiruko tugged at the corner of Xian Yu's sleeve and said weakly, "Takuya... Senior Takuya is only stating the facts..."

"Fine." Xian Yu let out a deep sigh.

Little brother, with you acting like this, you're leaving us no excuse to step in and stand up for you.

It seemed Hiruko really wasn't cut out to be a ninja. Fortunately, his timidity and cowardice didn't hinder his ability to conduct scientific research.

"Hmph, kid. You think you can just walk away so easily after bullying my sister?" Inuzuka Takuya crossed his thick arms, instantly blocking the path of the four, while six or seven upperclassmen silently closed in behind him.