Who Was the Main Character?

Jingchuan caught a few more fish to repay Izuna.

After saying goodbye to Izuna, Jingchuan carried the remaining fish back to the Senju Clan Territory.

Jingchuan left two fish at home, then took the other four or five to find Senju Butsuma.

Senju Butsuma was dealing with clan affairs when he suddenly caught a whiff of fish. He looked up and saw Jingchuan.

"Father, I just caught these fish. Have someone cook them and share them with the clan!" Jingchuan said with a sweet smile.

To his surprise, Senju Butsuma didn't praise Jingchuan. Instead, he flew into a rage. "Where did you catch these fish?"

"In the river outside the clan territory."

"Don't go there again!" Senju Butsuma said, frowning at Jingchuan.

"Why?"

"The Naka River is the border between the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan. Who knows if Uchiha are lying in wait there? If you lead them here, you'll be a disgrace to the Senju! I'll let you off this time since you only went fishing to give the clan a better meal."

[Uchiha? Then that boy might be an Uchiha.] Jingchuan ignored the rest of Senju Butsuma's lecture and continued thinking to himself.

"Yes, Father. I understand," Senju Jingchuan replied perfunctorily.

Senju Butsuma told Jingchuan to put down the fish, then went back to his work.

As soon as he got home, Senju Jingchuan turned the two remaining fish into braised fish and carried them to the dining table.

"That smells amazing! Is it time to eat?" Senju Kawarama shuffled over to the table, bleary-eyed. The smell had clearly woken him up.

"That smells amazing! Jingchuan, how did we get fish? Did you make this?" Senju Itama asked as he picked up his chopsticks and took a bite.

"This is so good! Jingchuan, you're incredible!" Itama's eyes lit up as soon as he tasted the fish, and he immediately picked up another big piece.

"So good!" Senju Kawarama joined in at once.

"Itama, you've already had so much. Leave some for me!"

"Kawarama, you're the older brother. You should let your little brother have some!"

They each grabbed a piece with their chopsticks, and a "fish-eating battle" broke out.

Jingchuan couldn't help laughing. He was delighted that they liked his cooking so much, but he still reminded them to eat slowly so they wouldn't choke on a fish bone.

"Kawarama, Itama, slow down. Save some for Hashirama and Tobirama."

As for Senju Butsuma, Jingchuan had no intention of saving him any. He hadn't thanked Jingchuan—he'd scolded him instead.

Before Jingchuan had even finished speaking, Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama's excited voices came from outside.

"Kawarama, Itama, Jingchuan! They're handing out fish soup in the center of the clan territory! Hurry and get some!"

"Huh? Why does it smell so good in here?" Hashirama stepped through the door and spotted the feast on the table.

"Ha ha, Jingchuan caught fish, so we're in for a treat tonight!" Kawarama called Hashirama over to eat.

Hashirama smiled. "So Jingchuan was the one who caught the fish."

While they ate, Jingchuan asked his brothers about the Uchiha Clan.

"The Uchiha Clan? They're a powerful ninja clan," Senju Hashirama said after thinking it over, giving them a fair assessment.

"The Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai is the Sharingan. They specialize in genjutsu and are an evil clan." At the mention of the Uchiha Clan, Senju Tobirama frowned in disgust.

"The Uchiha are enemies of the Senju. I fought them the first time I went to battle," Senju Kawarama added.

His brothers took turns weighing in, but all they talked about was how powerful and evil the Uchiha were. Not one of them mentioned the clan's appearance or techniques.

"What do Uchiha usually look like? What kinds of techniques do they specialize in?" Senju Jingchuan pressed.

After spending so much time in the Senju Clan Territory, Senju Jingchuan had gradually realized that most Senju were tall and had similar features. A child as delicately handsome as Jingchuan looked completely out of place among them.

The Senju Clan usually specialized in Water Release and Earth Release, so the Uchiha must have their own specialties too.

"As for their looks..." Senju Hashirama recalled, "Uchiha usually have black hair and black eyes. They're very fair-skinned, and they're all quite good-looking."

"The Uchiha specialize in Fire Release and Lightning Release," Senju Tobirama added. "Their Sharingan can evolve from one Tomoe to three, and it lets them use genjutsu to its fullest."

"When you encounter an Uchiha on the battlefield, never look directly into their red Sharingan. When it comes to genjutsu, almost no clan can match them."

Thanks to his brothers' explanation, Jingchuan now had a pretty good understanding of the Uchiha Clan. He was certain that Izuna must be an Uchiha.

If Izuna belonged to the Uchiha Clan, a clan powerful enough to rival the Senju, then it made sense that he'd given Senju Jingchuan so many Cuddle Points at once.

[System, who's the main character of this manga?] Jingchuan finally couldn't resist asking.

[The system is restricted from revealing the manga's main plot,] the system's electronic voice sounded in Senju Jingchuan's mind.

[Just naming a character doesn't count as revealing the plot, does it?] Jingchuan kept pressing.

[Ding! Error!]

[Ding! The host does not have permission. The system can only tell the host that you have already met the main character.]

He'd already met the main character?!

Senju Jingchuan instantly grew excited.

There could be a manga protagonist right beside him!

If he just stuck close to the protagonist, he'd make it to the end of the story alive!

Jingchuan began going over everyone he'd met since coming to this world.

Thinking it through, whoever had given him the most Cuddle Points in a single interaction was probably the protagonist.

So far, Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, and Izuna Uchiha had each given him [6] Cuddle Points at once. The protagonist was likely one of those three.

Senju Tobirama was meticulous, highly intelligent, and loved research. Most importantly, he was handsome. He could very well be the protagonist.

But on second thought, if this was a hot-blooded shonen manga, then his eldest brother, Senju Hashirama—a somewhat silly, absent-minded character who was still very capable—could be the protagonist too.

After all, hot-blooded spirit was what mattered in a shonen manga!

But there was a good chance the protagonist was Izuna Uchiha as well. The Uchiha Clan's Sharingan was such a versatile ability. It was a natural cheat, and it might come with other special plotlines too.

But if Izuna Uchiha was the protagonist, then the Senju Clan, as the Uchiha's enemy, would be in danger. And Senju Jingchuan, a member of the Senju Clan, would be in even greater danger.

The more Senju Jingchuan thought about it, the more likely Izuna Uchiha seemed to be the protagonist.

For the sake of his own life, Jingchuan decided he'd better cling to the Uchiha's coattails!