Enrollment

The accursed month of April had finally arrived, and Nawaki was going back to school. But in this life, he'd graduate as the top student... No, no, no—a model student! He'd leave the teachers and students with wonderful memories. That was right! Just like that!

That day, Nawaki arrived at the Ninja Academy gates with Senju Hucheng and the other two, then queued up to wait.

A little while later, two groups much like theirs arrived at the gates. Judging by their clothes and clan crests, Nawaki could tell they were from the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan. Combining that with his memories of his previous life, he guessed that the groups were led by Uchiha Fugaku and the Hyuga brothers, Hiashi and Hizashi.

Among the parents of the Konoha 12 in the original story, only those three were older than him. The rest were either around his age or not even born yet, so they couldn't possibly be starting school now.

Well, this was something. The young heirs of Konoha's three great clans were all enrolling at the same time. Nawaki had a feeling his school life would be quite exciting.

The other two boys noticed him, too, and guessed his identity from the clan crest on his clothes. Their groups approached him in unison.

Uchiha Fugaku, whose long black hair bore some resemblance to Itachi's, spoke first. "You're the two-year-old brat who's the head of the Senju Clan?"

His tone was far from friendly. It seemed his family had often used Nawaki as a positive example when teaching him. Who would've thought that one day he'd become one of those dreaded "other people's kids"?

Though this boy, who was shorter than him, had called him a "brat," Nawaki's expression didn't change. He couldn't even summon any anger. After all, the person in front of him was the real little brat. For Itachi and Sasuke's sake, he'd let it slide.

Uchiha Fugaku frowned as he looked up at Nawaki, who was taller than him. Bitterness welled up inside as he silently grumbled, He's just a big dumb guy. What's so great about him?

After waiting a while, Fugaku saw that Nawaki still hadn't said a word or even shifted his gaze. Somewhat annoyed, he continued, "Being a ninja isn't a game for little kids! I'd advise you to go home and play in the dirt, brat. Being too reckless can be dangerous!"

Nawaki rolled his eyes inwardly. You're a loser who didn't graduate until you were ten. You're nowhere near as good as your two sons. What right do you have to warn me about danger? You're the one who's being reckless.

Well, Nawaki grumbled to himself, but kept his face impassive.

Seeing Nawaki's calm, carefree expression only made Uchiha Fugaku angrier. He began to blurt out whatever came to mind. "Hmph! Of the three great clans, only your Senju Clan foolishly chose to intermarry with outsiders across the board, making your bloodline no longer noble or pure. It seems you, the clan heir, have fallen into depravity too! If you're a man, answer me directly instead of cowardly avoiding the question, Senju Nawaki!"

All right, Uchiha Fugaku had finally managed to make Nawaki a little impatient. At the sound of "Senju Nawaki," he finally shifted his eyes. He looked at Fugaku with a vacant stare, as if he'd just woken up, and said, "I thought I heard someone call my name. Were you talking to me just now?"

"Ah! You...!"

Nawaki's reply completely shattered Uchiha Fugaku's composure. His face flushed red as he pointed at Nawaki, too furious to speak.

"Pfft!" "Hehe..." The Hyuga brothers standing nearby couldn't hold back their laughter. Their laughter seemed to open the floodgates, and the onlookers around them burst into laughter, too.

"That's hilarious!"

"That Uchiha kid looks so dumb!"

Young Master Nawaki is pretty clever!

"Clever? I think he's just adorable and clueless!"

"You idiot! The young master is obviously messing with that Uchiha."

"Is that so? Anyway, the young master is cute!"

Even the Uchiha guards felt embarrassed by the crowd's comments, their faces awkward. Uchiha Fugaku was so angry that his eyes turned red.

Nawaki received a notification from the system: he'd gained another 1,000 Wish Power. This time, the Wish Power was made up of a complicated mix of emotions: jealousy, anger, humiliation...

Looking at Uchiha Fugaku's red eyes, Nawaki praised him inwardly. Kakashi's trick really works. But is this kid going to awaken his Sharingan because of it? Oh, right. He's Itachi and Sasuke's father. I can't let such a perfect template go to waste.

With a concerned expression, Nawaki walked over to Uchiha Fugaku. "Why are your eyes red? Are you sick?" He reached out and patted Fugaku on the head. Thanks to their difference in height, the head pat was easy to pull off—and Fugaku himself didn't notice that he'd lost a hair.

"Stay away from me!" Uchiha Fugaku shoved Nawaki with all his strength. But the difference in their strength was too great. It felt like he was pushing against a wall; he couldn't move Nawaki at all, and instead fell to the ground.

Nawaki stood where he was and held out a hand, smiling down at Uchiha Fugaku. "Need help getting up? You're too weak. You need to work out more!"

"I don't need you meddling!" Uchiha Fugaku slapped Nawaki's hand away and quickly stood up. He gave him a long look.

"Let's go," he said quietly, then left with his guards.

The people around them watched and murmured:

"That Uchiha kid looks so pitiful."

"Serves him right! Who told him to be so arrogant?"

"So the Uchiha and Senju really are natural enemies!"

"Is the young master Nawaki really only two? He looks bigger than a six-year-old!"

"And he's so composed and graceful."

He really must be a genius. Ordinary people like us can't understand him.

"Is that Senju Nawaki of the Senju Clan? He drove away an Uchiha several years older than him without breaking a sweat. The First and Second Hokage have worthy successors..."

Amid the crowd's chatter, Nawaki received a notification that his reputation and Wish Power were gradually increasing. He hadn't expected to reach his goal so quickly. It seemed he'd have to "thank" Uchiha Fugaku properly in the future.

Just then, Hyuga Hiashi, who'd been standing to one side, walked over and held out his hand. "Hello, Senju Nawaki, heir to the Senju Clan. I'm Hyuga Hiashi, heir to the Main Family of the Hyuga Clan. This is my younger brother, Hizashi."

Nawaki shook his hand and noticed some calluses from training. Taking the opportunity, he collected a little skin.

"Hello, Hiashi. What can I do for you?" Nawaki asked with a smile.

"I just wanted to meet the genius the elders in my family keep talking about. Did you know? Word spread months ago that you'd successfully extracted chakra and started training at the age of one! I imagine Fugaku's bad attitude is because you put too much pressure on him."

"Then I'm sorry about that," Nawaki said, playing along with Hiashi while thinking, Months ago? So the higher-ups started spreading the word after Wood Release became known? No wonder my reputation has kept growing lately.