In the quiet courtyard, Kizaru sat beside the pond in the middle.
He held a simple fishing rod made of bamboo in one hand and a cup of hot tea in the other, sitting cross-legged on a blue stone.
This courtyard was the backyard of the Great Elder's residence. The pond in the center was home to many ornamental fish, all of them the Great Elder's prized possessions.
Kizaru was fishing here not to eat the fish, but simply to enjoy the peace and quiet and pass the time.
As the village's latest hot topic, Kizaru drew attention and gossip from villagers whenever he went out, leaving him no peace.
Kizaru preferred quiet to bustle, but he had no choice. He did his best to avoid going out and stayed home, passing his days in boredom.
So fishing in the Great Elder's courtyard had become Kizaru's newest pastime.
He gently blew away the steam rising from his cup and took a small sip of warm tea. Then he set the cup down with a contented look.
After putting the cup away, Kizaru closed his eyes. A sleazy-looking, three-dimensional character card appeared in his mind.
The progress bar beneath the Character Card had risen from 10% before Kizaru enrolled to 17%. The progress was encouraging.
Kizaru clearly remembered that from the time he enrolled until the monthly exam, the progress bar had only just reached 12%. In other words, it had increased by only two percentage points in a month.
But in the week after the monthly exam, the bar had reached 17%, rising by a full five percentage points.
The rapid growth was all thanks to Kizaru's astonishing performance in the monthly exam and the tremendous publicity Danzo had given him, which had earned him a great deal of prestige.
Showing off could make you famous and stronger. What a great feeling!
At the thought, Kizaru's face broke into a delighted, satisfied smile.
"Big Brother Kizaru! Big Brother Kizaru, something terrible's happened! Zen-hiko got into a fight with someone from the Uchiha Clan!"
A familiar, urgent shout outside shattered the courtyard's tranquility.
Kizaru set down his fishing rod and turned toward the entrance.
Shimura Tanin came sprinting into the courtyard, gasping for breath.
When Tanin saw Kizaru, delight spread across his face. It was as if he had found someone to rely on, and his anxious heart settled at once.
"B-Big Brother Kizaru, Zen-hiko got into a f-fight with someone from the Uchiha Clan! H-Hurry and come with me!" Tanin panted as he spoke and ran over to Kizaru.
"Where? How did it happen?" Kizaru asked without wasting a word.
"On Tea Street. We were shopping when we ran into two people from the Uchiha Clan. They're about our age, and they were insulting you. Zen-hiko heard them and got mad, so he argued with them. Then the argument turned into a fight," Tanin quickly explained.
Tea Street, where Tanin said the fight had happened, was in the center of the village and very lively. Most of the shops there were tea houses and dessert shops. (This street really existed; the Book of Soldiers had a map and an explanation. The Yamanaka Clan's flower shop was right next to Tea Street.)
"Is Zen-hiko there alone?"
After hearing the explanation, Kizaru immediately stood and took Tanin's hand, leading him toward the courtyard entrance as he spoke.
"Zen-hiko told me to go get help. I just ran into Yuki and Shintaro, and they've already gone over there." Holding Kizaru's warm hand, Tanin no longer felt anxious. The heart he had been holding in his throat finally settled.
After leading Tanin a few steps, Kizaru felt they were moving too slowly. He bent down, scooped Tanin up in his right arm, and used the Body Flicker Technique to hurry along.
"Hold on tight!"
"Okay!"
Tanin stayed obediently in Kizaru's arms, both little hands gripping the front of his shirt tightly.
Carrying Tanin, Kizaru reached the gate of the clan compound in two leaps.
Just outside the gate, Kizaru stopped, facing in the direction of Tea Street with Tanin in his arms.
"Big Brother Kizaru?" Tanin looked up at him, confused.
"They're back," Kizaru explained.
With that, Kizaru set Tanin down.
After hearing his explanation, Tanin craned his neck and looked in the direction Kizaru was facing.
Sure enough, in the distance, Shimura Yuki and Shimura Shintaro were leading Zen-hiko toward them.
"Zen-hiko! Yuki! Shintaro!" Tanin shouted. He raised his right hand and waved it excitedly as he bounced up and down.
The three little ones heard Tanin calling and saw Kizaru standing beside him.
Smiling, the three instinctively picked up their pace and ran toward Kizaru.
As soon as Zen-hiko reached him, the boy, who had been so tough in front of Yuki and Shintaro, reddened his eyes and threw himself at Kizaru.
"Big Brother Kizaru! Waaaah!"
As Kizaru gently stroked Zen-hiko's head, he noticed the dust on the boy's clothes and a tear in the fabric.
His brow furrowed slightly. "Did you lose?"
Clinging to Kizaru's leg with both hands, Zen-hiko lifted his head, revealing two black eyes. He complained pitifully, "The Uchiha were ganging up on me!"
"Ganging up on you?" Kizaru asked.
"Big Brother Kizaru, when we got there, someone from the Uchiha side had already arrived—a senior student named Uchiha Fugaku. He pretended he was trying to break up the fight, but he kept holding Zen-hiko back."
"That bastard pinned me down and let them keep hitting me. I couldn't fight back!" Zen-hiko said angrily.
Kizaru nodded, roughly picturing what had happened.
"Come on. Let's go back and treat your injuries first." Kizaru picked Zen-hiko up and headed for the gate.
"Those Uchiha are shameless bastards! I'll get them back when I get the chance!" Zen-hiko said indignantly in Kizaru's arms.
"Don't worry. I'm here," Kizaru said calmly.
"Big Brother Kizaru, are you going to teach them a lesson?" Zen-hiko asked excitedly, looking at Kizaru.
Kizaru opened the gate and led the children into the clan compound, but didn't answer right away.
As he recalled what his uncle Danzo had told him about some Uchiha Clan ninja questioning him over the past few days, an idea came to Kizaru.
"They're too weak. It wouldn't be right for me to get involved," Kizaru said to Zen-hiko, now that he had an idea.
"Ah!" Zen-hiko cried out in disappointment.
It wasn't just Shimura Zen-hiko. When Shimura Yuki, who was walking beside Kizaru, heard his answer, disappointment flashed across her face too.
Only Shintaro understood why Kizaru had answered that way. He looked at Zen-hiko and lectured him, "You idiot, with Big Brother Kizaru's reputation these days, if he went after students at school, people would only laugh at him."
"You're the idiot!" Zen-hiko knew Shintaro was right, but he had still been insulted, so he immediately fired back.
"Tch!" Shintaro gave a derisive snort and didn't bother continuing the childish quarrel with Shimura Zen-hiko.