The Most Hated Privilege

"..."

A few seconds after Yuehua Ai introduced himself, the classroom remained completely silent.

Everyone was baffled by what Yuehua Ai had said—not just the students, but Yamazaki Kazuna as well.

What... had he just said?

Yamazaki and the students stared at Yuehua Ai, all equally dumbfounded.

Since when had self-introductions become like this? There was nothing wrong with giving your name and age, but did he really need to mention his gender? We're not blind. Sure, you're a little pretty, but you're not that androgynous!

Well, the gender part was a little unnecessary, but it wasn't a big deal.

The real question was: what was this "ethnicity" he'd mentioned?

Ethnicity? You mean clan, right? And what kind of clan was Han? Everyone looked utterly confused...

All right, let's say he'd mixed up clan and ethnicity. But what was this Celestial Empire he'd named as his place of origin?

Yamazaki Kazuna was completely at a loss.

Tsunade had clearly said that he was Jiraiya's student, and that Jiraiya had brought him from Amegakure. Shouldn't he have said the Land of Rivers or Amegakure when asked where he was from?

The Celestial Empire?!

It was a peculiar name. It sounded impressive, but what exactly was this so-called Celestial Empire?

Could it be some unknown little village in the Land of Rivers?

Sigh, he'd managed to make several things unclear in just two short sentences. Was it because he was still so young?

Yamazaki tried to make excuses for Yuehua Ai in her mind.

Perhaps he didn't want others to know he came from Amegakure!

Outsiders were easily shunned, no matter where they were. Yamazaki Kazuna understood that well, and guessed that Yuehua Ai had been vague and changed the subject to hide his origins.

But... even if you're mature enough to dodge questions about where you came from, what was that last bit about?

You hate brats who are blank-faced and clueless the most?!

Was that really something a child his age should say? In other people's eyes, wasn't he a brat himself?

Yamazaki's mouth twitched, and her smile grew stiff. Looking at Yuehua Ai's small figure, she realized that everything she'd thought she knew about him was completely wrong!

Thinking back to what Tsunade had told her yesterday, was this really the well-behaved, obedient, quiet, and shy child her close friend had described?

Yamazaki Kazuna couldn't help wondering if she'd taken on a fake student!

While Yamazaki silently grumbled to herself, the students finally stirred, whispering among themselves.

They were still young and innocent, so they didn't think much about Yuehua Ai's introduction. They just thought he was a strange person with an even stranger background!

As for his remark about brats, it didn't resonate with them at all. After all, he was younger than they were, so they naturally assumed that the brats he was talking about were even younger than him.

Yuehua Ai wore a blue-and-white outfit, and his long, dark hair fell to his shoulders, light and flowing. His posture was somewhat casual, but his back was remarkably straight. The faint smile on his lips made him seem approachable, while his clear, calm eyes gave him an air of composure!

His demeanor didn't match his age, but... he really did look adorable!

Most of the people in the classroom felt the same way.

Seeing that the students hadn't reacted strangely to Yuehua Ai's words, Yamazaki Kazuna finally relaxed.

"Ai, you can sit next to Shizune!"

Yamazaki pointed to the only empty seat in the front row.

"Okay."

Yuehua Ai walked over, put his backpack to one side, and sat down.

He'd wondered earlier why there was an empty seat in the front rows when all the others were taken. He hadn't realized it had been saved for him!

He had to admit, Yuehua Ai had landed a pretty good seat. He couldn't help thinking that this was one of the perks of having connections!

He took out his notebook and set it on the desk. Now he had time to observe his deskmate in this life.

Shizune?!

The one who'd be by Tsunade's side in the future!

Without a trace of embarrassment, Yuehua Ai turned his head and looked the girl over.

Shizune looked about ten years old. She had a pure, sweet appearance, and her adorable baby face already hinted at the beauty she'd grow into.

Just like in the anime, the Shizune before him was gentle and quiet. She sat there without turning her head, seeming a little shy.

Shizune wore Konoha's Forehead Protector, and her short hair, cut to just above her ears, made her face look even smaller.

She wore an ordinary dark blue outfit with long sleeves and pants, covering herself up more than the other girls in class. She seemed quite traditional and modest.

A cute little girl! Nice, easy on the eyes!

Yuehua Ai mentally gave her that label and felt pleased.

Having a familiar cute girl as his deskmate was definitely better than sitting beside someone else. As he enjoyed the thought, he recalled meeting Tsunade and Dan Katō at the Hokage Office a few days earlier.

Shizune was Dan Katō's niece. When Dan Katō had suggested that Yuehua Ai come here, he'd mentioned her specifically. Today, not only had the class saved him a seat, but he'd also ended up sitting next to Shizune. Yuehua Ai didn't have to guess who'd arranged it—Tsunade or Dan Katō had put in a word for him.

Privilege—the root of all evil! But I like it!

Yuehua Ai grumbled to himself.

At first, Yuehua Ai had rested his chin on one hand while looking at Shizune. Even after his thoughts wandered, he didn't change his pose.

When the boy who'd just arrived started staring at her, Shizune had felt rather embarrassed and lowered her head slightly to avoid his gaze.

But she hadn't expected her new deskmate to have such a thick skin. He just kept staring at her without looking away.

The blush on Shizune's face deepened. When her cheeks grew so hot she couldn't stand it any longer, she finally spoke up.

"Why do you keep staring at me?!"

The girl covered her face with both hands. Her voice trembled slightly, with a trace of annoyance beneath it.

"Uh..."

Shizune's reproach brought Yuehua Ai back to his senses.

Looking at the girl in front of him, her face red as if it might start bleeding, Yuehua Ai couldn't help feeling confused. But then he remembered how he'd been acting and felt a little embarrassed.

"Sorry. I got distracted thinking about something else."

Yuehua Ai gave an awkward smile as he replied. Then, before the girl could react, he asked,

"Shizune, is your uncle named Dan Katō?"

Shizune had been mortified when she heard that he'd been distracted thinking about something else. But his next question quickly pushed her embarrassment aside.

"Yes, my uncle's name is Dan Katō, and I'm Kato Shizune. I've heard him mention you!"

Shizune wasn't surprised that Yuehua Ai knew her name. Even if he hadn't noticed how Yamazaki had addressed her, he might have heard it from her uncle.

Her uncle had told her yesterday that a new student named Yuehua Ai would be joining the class today. He was worried that Yuehua Ai hadn't studied medicine before and might struggle to keep up, so he'd asked her to sit with him and help him catch up on the past month's lessons.

He hadn't just informed her; Yamazaki had probably been told as well. To make room for the transfer student she hadn't yet met, Yamazaki had even moved her original deskmate to the back.

"He mentioned me?"

"Yeah. Uncle said you'd missed quite a few lessons. Since I'm your deskmate, I should help you when I can!"

"Uh... that's really kind of you..."

"It's fine. Uncle asked me to do it, and helping you will give me a chance to review, too."

Shizune smiled as if to say she didn't mind and he didn't need to worry.

Thinking of her uncle's specific instructions, Shizune knew that the two of them were connected in some way. So, even though they'd only exchanged a few words, she was no longer as shy as she'd been at first.

They went from talking about catching up on lessons to discussing their families. With Yuehua Ai carefully guiding the conversation, they soon began talking about Dan Katō.

In the original story, Dan Katō died fairly early. At first, he only appeared in Tsunade's memories, and his only appearance in the flesh came when he was brought back to fight in the Fourth Shinobi World War through Impure World Reincarnation.

His appearances were brief, but his Spirit Transformation Technique had been striking. The ninjutsu let him turn himself into a living spirit, travel anywhere regardless of distance, and kill his enemies. Yuehua Ai had been fascinated by it, since it was one of the few techniques in Naruto that involved the soul.

His curiosity about the Spirit Transformation Technique had made him interested in Dan Katō as more than just Tsunade's lover. Now that he had a chance to learn more from Shizune, he wasn't about to let it pass.

Yuehua Ai was fairly good at chatting, and Shizune wasn't wary of him, so she soon told him everything she knew about Dan Katō.

After hearing Shizune out, Yuehua Ai felt a little disappointed. She knew a lot about Dan Katō's everyday life, but not much about his position in the village. As for his ninjutsu, she'd never paid attention to it.

He hadn't gotten the information he wanted, but Yuehua Ai didn't mind.

Yuehua Ai kept chatting quietly with Shizune, a few words here and there. They talked about the village, then the school, then the Medical Corps, growing more familiar with each other as they went.

They only stopped when Yamazaki Kazuna reminded them with a look.

Seeing Yuehua Ai quiet down, Yamazaki Kazuna felt relieved. He wasn't the well-behaved child her close friend had described, but at least he wasn't a troublemaker!

After his instructor's silent warning, Yuehua Ai focused entirely on the lesson.

As Yuehua Ai listened intently, comparing the medicine of his previous life with the medical system in front of him, he failed to notice the slightly thuggish boy glaring viciously at him from the very last row of the classroom.