Who is the Protagonist?

Kyogawa caught a few more fish to repay Izuna.

After bidding Izuna farewell, Kyogawa carried the remaining fish back to the Senju clan grounds.

Kyogawa first left two fish at home, then took the remaining four or five to find Senju Butsuma.

Senju Butsuma was busy handling clan affairs when he caught the scent of raw fish. He looked up and saw Kyogawa.

"Father, these are fish I just caught. Could you have someone cook them and share them with the clansmen?" Kyogawa asked with a sweet, obedient smile.

To his surprise, instead of praising him, Senju Butsuma was furious: "Where did you catch these fish?"

"In the river outside the clan grounds."

"You are forbidden from going there again!" Senju Butsuma frowned at Kyogawa.

"Why?"

"The Naka River is the border between the Senju and the Uchiha. Who knows if there are Uchiha lying in ambush there? If you lead the Uchiha here, you will be a sinner of the Senju! I will spare you this time only because you were thinking of improving the clansmen's lives."

Uchiha? Then it seems that boy might be an Uchiha. Kyogawa ignored the rest of what Senju Butsuma said, lost in his own thoughts.

"Alright, Father, I understand." Senju Kyogawa replied perfunctorily.

Senju Butsuma told Kyogawa to put the fish down and returned to his paperwork.

Back home, Senju Kyogawa didn't say a word as he prepared the remaining two fish, braising them and serving them on the dining table.

"It smells so good! Is it time to eat?" Senju Kawarama walked to the table, rubbing his sleepy eyes, clearly awakened by the aroma.

"So fragrant! Kyogawa, how do we have fish at home? Did you cook this?" Senju Itama asked while picking up his chopsticks to taste a piece.

"It's so delicious! Kyogawa, you're amazing!" As soon as he tasted the fish, Itama's eyes lit up, and he immediately grabbed another large piece.

"Delicious, delicious!" Senju Kawarama immediately joined the fray.

"Itama, you've already eaten so much, let me have some!"

"Kawarama-nii, you're the older brother, you should let your younger brother have some!"

With one chopstick each, the two immediately launched into a "fish-eating war."

Kyogawa couldn't help but chuckle. Seeing his cooking so well-received made him very happy, though he reminded them to eat slowly so they wouldn't choke on the bones.

"Kawarama-nii, Itama-nii, eat slowly. Leave some for Hashirama-nii and Tobirama-nii."

As for Senju Butsuma, Kyogawa didn't want to save him any food at all; after all, he hadn't thanked him and had scolded him instead.

Before Kyogawa's voice had even faded, the voices of Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama drifted in from outside, sounding quite excited.

"Kawarama, Itama, Kyogawa! They're handing out fish soup in the center of the clan grounds! Come drink some!"

"Eh! Why does it smell so good in here?" As soon as Hashirama stepped through the door, he noticed the sumptuous dishes on the table.

"Haha, Kyogawa caught some fish, we're in for a treat tonight!" Kawarama called out to Senju Hashirama to come eat.

Hashirama laughed: "So the fish were caught by Kyogawa."

Taking advantage of the meal, Kyogawa asked his brothers about the Uchiha clan.

"The Uchiha clan? They are a powerful ninja clan." Senju Hashirama thought for a moment before giving a fair assessment.

"The Uchiha clan's bloodline limit is the Sharingan. They are skilled in genjutsu and are an evil clan." At the mention of the Uchiha, Senju Tobirama frowned in disgust.

"The Uchiha are the enemies of the Senju. I encountered the Uchiha the very first time I went to the battlefield," Senju Kawarama added.

His brothers discussed it back and forth, but it was all about how powerful and evil the Uchiha were; no one mentioned their appearance or specific ninjutsu.

"Do the Uchiha have any common physical traits? What are their ninjutsu like?" Senju Kyogawa pressed.

Having stayed in the Senju clan grounds for so long, Senju Kyogawa had gradually realized that most Senju clansmen were tall and shared many similar facial features. A child with delicate features like his own stood out as an outlier in the Senju clan.

Since the Senju were skilled in Water and Earth Release, the Uchiha likely had their own specialties.

"Appearance, you say..." Senju Hashirama recalled: "The Uchiha clan usually has black hair and black eyes, pale skin, and they are all very good-looking."

"The Uchiha are skilled in Fire and Lightning Release," Senju Tobirama added. "Their Sharingan can evolve from one tomoe to three. The Sharingan helps them maximize their use of genjutsu."

"When you encounter an Uchiha on the battlefield, you must never look directly into their red Sharingan. In terms of genjutsu, almost no clan can surpass the Uchiha."

Through his brothers' explanation, Kyogawa gained a basic understanding of the Uchiha clan. He was now quite certain that Izuna must be an Uchiha.

If Izuna belonged to the Uchiha clan, which was on par with the Senju, then it made sense that he could contribute so many "Affection Points" to Senju Kyogawa all at once.

System, who is the protagonist of this manga? Kyogawa finally couldn't suppress his curiosity.

The system is restricted by permissions and cannot disclose the main content of the manga, the system's electronic, mechanical voice echoed in Senju Kyogawa's mind.

It's just naming a character, that shouldn't count as leaking the plot, Kyogawa persisted.

Ding! Information error!

Ding! Host currently lacks permission! The system can only answer the host: You have already met the protagonist.

Already met the protagonist?!

Senju Kyogawa became instantly excited.

There might be a manga protagonist right by my side!

As long as I cling tightly to the protagonist's leg, wouldn't I be able to live safely until the very end of the story?

Senju Kyogawa began to take stock of everyone he had encountered since transmigrating.

Thinking carefully, the person who had contributed the most "cuddle points" in a single instance was likely the protagonist.

Currently, Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, and Izuna Uchiha had each contributed [6] points in a single instance; the protagonist was very likely one of those three.

Senju Tobirama had a rigorous personality, high intelligence, and a love for research. Most importantly, he was good-looking, making him a strong candidate for the manga's protagonist.

However, thinking it over, if this were a shonen manga, a character like his big brother Senju Hashirama—silly, dorky, yet possessing incredible strength—could also be the protagonist.

After all, the most important thing in a shonen manga is passion!

But the possibility of Izuna Uchiha being the protagonist was not small either. The setting of the Uchiha clan's Sharingan was just too versatile; it wasn't just a natural cheat code, but it could also lead to other special plotlines.

Yet, if Izuna Uchiha were the protagonist, the Senju clan, who were hostile toward the Uchiha, would be in great danger, and Senju Kyogawa, being a member of the Senju clan, would be in even greater danger.

The more Senju Kyogawa thought about it, the more he felt that the possibility of Izuna Uchiha being the protagonist was very high.

For the sake of his own life, Kyogawa decided to cling tightly to the Uchiha's leg!