The Sin of Privilege

"..."

A few moments after Yuehua Ai finished his self-introduction, the classroom remained deathly silent.

Regarding the contents of Yuehua Ai's introduction, not only were the students in their seats bewildered, but even Yamazaki Kazuna standing to the side was completely baffled.

What... exactly did he just say?

Instructor Yamazaki and the students in the class stared at Yuehua Ai, all of them stunned.

Since when did self-introductions follow this kind of routine? You were right to introduce your name and age, but did you really need to state your gender? We aren't blind! Although you look a bit delicate, you aren't exactly androgynous!

Fine, even if the gender part was a bit redundant, that was trivial.

The real question was, what on earth is this "ethnicity" you mentioned?

Ethnicity? You should have said "clan"! As for "Han," is there any clan called Han? Everyone looked confused...

Fine, let's assume you mistook "clan" for "ethnicity," but what about your place of origin being the "Celestial Empire"!?

Yamazaki Kazuna was completely lost.

Tsunade clearly said you were Jiraiya's disciple and that he brought you over from Amegakure. Shouldn't you have said the Land of Rivers or Amegakure?

Celestial Empire?!

It was a strange name; it sounded impressive, but what exactly was this so-called Celestial Empire?

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

Sigh, so many logical inconsistencies and unclear terms in just two sentences. Could it be because he is still young?

Instructor Yamazaki tried to find excuses for Yuehua Ai in her heart.

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

Outsiders are easily ostracized in any environment. Yamazaki Kazuna understood this principle well, and she guessed that Yuehua Ai was being vague and substituting concepts to hide his origins.

But... even if you are mature enough to deflect questions about your background, what was that last part about?!

"The most annoying kind of brat"?

Is that something someone your age should say? In the eyes of others, aren't you a brat yourself?

Yamazaki's mouth twitched, and the smile on her face stiffened. Looking at Yuehua Ai's small figure, she realized that everything she thought she knew about him was completely false!

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

Yamazaki Kazuna truly suspected she had been given a fake student!

Just as Instructor Yamazaki was grumbling to herself, the students in the classroom finally stirred and began to whisper among themselves.

These students were still quite young and simple-minded. They didn't overthink Yuehua Ai's introduction; they just felt that he was a person with a very strange background!

As for the "brat" comment Yuehua Ai made at the end, they didn't relate to it at all. After all, he was younger than them, so they naturally assumed the "brats" he spoke of were children even younger than himself.

Yuehua Ai was dressed in cyan and white, his shoulder-length black hair long and elegant. Although his posture was slightly casual, his spine was exceptionally straight. The faint smile on his lips gave him a touch of approachability, but those clear, calm eyes filled him with an air of indifference!

Even if his temperament didn't match his age, he... he really looked quite cute!

Most of the people in the classroom shared this sentiment.

Seeing that the students weren't bothered by Yuehua Ai's words, Yamazaki Kazuna breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ai, why don't you sit next to Shizune?"

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

"Mm."

Yuehua Ai walked straight over, placed his bag to the side, and sat down.

He had been curious earlier why the front rows were packed full yet one seat remained empty; he hadn't expected it to be reserved for him!

He had to admit that the seat was quite good. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly—this was the benefit of having connections!

He took out his notebook and placed it on the desk, finally having the time to observe his desk-mate for this lifetime.

Shizune?!

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

Without feeling the least bit embarrassed, Yuehua Ai turned his head and stared at the girl, looking her up and down.

Shizune was about ten years old right now. She looked very pure, and that cute baby face already showed hints of the beauty she would possess in the future.

Just like in the anime, the Shizune before him was a gentle and quiet girl. She sat there silently without looking around, appearing a bit introverted.

Shizune wore a Konoha forehead protector, and her ear-length short hair made her small face look even more petite.

She wore a simple, dark blue long-sleeved shirt and trousers, keeping herself quite covered—unlike the other girls in the class, she appeared somewhat traditional and conservative.

A cute little girl! Not bad, a feast for the eyes!

Yuehua Ai mentally tagged her and felt satisfied.

Sitting next to a "familiar" cute girl was definitely better than sitting next to anyone else. While feeling content, he thought back to a few days ago, when he met Tsunade and Kato Dan in the Hokage Office.

Shizune was Kato Dan's niece, and Kato Dan had specifically mentioned her when he suggested that Yuehua Ai come here. Coming to class today to find a seat reserved and being placed next to Shizune, Yuehua Ai didn't need to guess to know that Tsunade or Kato Dan had specifically pulled some strings.

Privilege, the root of all evil! But I love it!

Yuehua Ai secretly grumbled to himself.

Yuehua Ai had originally been resting his head on one hand while observing Shizune, and he hadn't changed his posture even after his thoughts began to wander.

At first, Shizune felt very embarrassed that the new boy was staring at her the moment he arrived, so she lowered her head slightly to avoid his gaze.

However, she hadn't expected her new deskmate to be unimaginably thick-skinned; he had actually kept staring at her without even blinking.

The blush on Shizune's face deepened, and when she felt her face burning unbearably, she finally couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Why are you staring at me!"

The young girl covered her face with both hands, her voice trembling with a hint of indignation.

"Uh..."

Shizune's accusation suddenly brought Yuehua Ai back to his senses.

Seeing the girl's face flushed red, as if it were about to bleed, Yuehua Ai subconsciously felt a bit bewildered, but then he recalled his own behavior and felt a bit embarrassed himself.

"Sorry, I was just lost in thought about something else."

Yuehua Ai gave a sheepish laugh, and before the girl could react, he asked:

"Shizune, is your uncle named Kato Dan?"

When she heard that he had been lost in thought, Shizune had been mortified, but the following question instantly overshadowed her previous embarrassment.

"Yes, my uncle is Kato Dan, and I am Kato Shizune. I've heard my uncle mention you!"

Shizune wasn't surprised that Yuehua Ai knew her name, because even if he hadn't paid attention to Yamazaki Kazuna's introduction, he could easily have learned it from her uncle.

Yesterday, her uncle had specifically instructed her that a new student named Yuehua Ai would be reporting today. Worried that Yuehua Ai hadn't been exposed to medical studies before and might fall behind, he had specifically asked her to sit with him and help him catch up on the previous month's curriculum.

It wasn't just her; Yamazaki Kazuna must have been notified as well, as the teacher had even moved her original deskmate to the back to accommodate the transfer student she hadn't even met yet.

"He mentioned me?"

"Yeah, my uncle said you missed a lot of lessons, and as your deskmate, I should help you if I get the chance!"

"Uh—that's so kind of you..."

"It's fine, it's what my uncle asked me to do, and helping you will also help me review."

Shizune offered a smile that said, It's no trouble, don't worry about it.

Thinking of her uncle's specific instructions, Shizune knew that the two of them had a bit of a connection behind the scenes. Therefore, even though they had only exchanged a few words, Shizune lost the introversion she had initially displayed.

From chatting about tutoring to talking about her family, under Yuehua Ai's deliberate guidance, the conversation quickly turned to Kato Dan.

In the original story, Kato Dan died quite early, and his appearances were limited to Tsunade's memories; his only real appearance was during the Fourth Ninja World War when he was summoned via Reanimation.

Although his screen time was brief, his Spirit Transformation Technique was truly eye-catching. The ninjutsu, which allowed him to turn his spirit into a living soul and traverse distances to kill enemies, made Yuehua Ai extremely curious. After all, it was one of the few ninjutsu in Naruto that involved the soul.

Driven by his fascination with the Spirit Transformation Technique, his curiosity about Kato Dan was no longer limited to his identity as Tsunade's lover. So, now that he could learn a thing or two from Shizune, he certainly wouldn't pass up the opportunity.

Yuehua Ai's conversational skills were decent, and Shizune had no guard against him, so she quickly spilled everything she knew about Kato Dan.

After listening to Shizune, Yuehua Ai was a bit disappointed; she knew a lot about Kato Dan's daily life, but she didn't know much about her uncle's position in the village or other information, and she had never paid attention to his ninjutsu.

Although he didn't get what he wanted, Yuehua Ai didn't mind.

Yuehua Ai continued to chat with Shizune in low voices, talking about the village, the school, and the Medical Corps, and the two grew more familiar with each other through their exchange.

It wasn't until Yamazaki Kazuna caught their attention with a look that they sheepishly stopped talking.

Seeing Yuehua Ai settle down, Yamazaki Kazuna felt a sense of relief; although he wasn't the "good student" her friend had described, at least he wasn't a troublemaker!

After being secretly warned by the instructor, Yuehua Ai focused all his attention on the lecture.

Just as Yuehua Ai was listening intently, constantly comparing the medical knowledge of his past life with the medical system before him, he failed to notice that in the back row of the classroom, a slightly roguish-looking boy was glaring at him with intense hostility.