Sarutobi's Scheme Against the Uchiha

Even before registration was over, when she headed to her assigned class, Kurenai Yuhi spotted Uchiha Hara at a glance among the hundred students—his pale skin, handsome features, and temperament completely unlike the others'.

It was like looking at an old class photo of celebrities as children. A beautiful person stood out remarkably in a crowd.

When she discovered that Uchiha Hara was seated right beside her, she became even happier.

She had been thinking of finding an excuse to talk to Uchiha Hara and make friends with him, but she had not expected Obito to lend her a hand.

Though she shot Obito a sharp look, she had already started giving him silent praise in her heart.

Well done, Obito. Keep it up next time.

Noticing Kurenai Yuhi's attitude toward Uchiha Hara, Obito felt unhappy, but he still sighed in relief.

Now that you have Kurenai Yuhi, you can't compete with me for Rin Nohara anymore!

As for Asuma Sarutobi beside them, he had been enjoying the commotion until he saw Kurenai Yuhi's attitude toward Uchiha Hara. It felt as though the sky had fallen.

The Yuhi Clan was a subordinate clan of the Sarutobi Clan, and the two families were extremely close. Yuhi Shinku's wife had died early, so whenever Yuhi Shinku went on missions, Kurenai Yuhi stayed at Asuma's home.

Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuhi had grown up together. He liked her very much and had long regarded her as his fiancée.

The only reason he had not sat beside Kurenai Yuhi was that he did not want to make it too obvious and give his classmates something to laugh about.

Who could have imagined that he would merely attend the Ninja Academy and watch a bit of excitement, only to lose his fiancée?

Just as he was about to stand up and say something, the bell suddenly rang. It was time for class again!

Unfortunately, the Ninja World Language lacked sufficient swear words. Asuma felt utterly stifled, yet he had no idea how to vent his frustration.

Then, when he saw the new teacher walk in, his eyes lit up. "Third Brother?"

The newcomer was named Miki Sarutobi. He was the son of Asuma's uncle, his third cousin, and they knew each other well!

He had not expected his third cousin to be their class teacher. Wouldn't it be easy now to cause trouble for Uchiha Hara?

He immediately began blinking furiously, signaling to Miki Sarutobi.

Miki Sarutobi did not rush to respond. He first wrote his name on the blackboard, introduced himself, stated that he taught the theory class for the Ninja Code, then had everyone take out their books. He led them through the first section of the code before having the students read it themselves.

Only after the students began reading did he approach Asuma and ask in a low voice, "What's going on?"

"That Uchiha Hara!" Asuma whispered. "Help me make it impossible for him to hold his head up in front of the entire class!"

Miki Sarutobi glanced up at Uchiha Hara, then nodded without asking for a reason.

Did one need a reason to target an Uchiha?

Besides, who told you to be so handsome?

There were not many good-looking members of the Sarutobi Clan. Sarutobi Hiruzen looked like a monkey, while Asuma looked mature beyond his years. Though he was only five, his face looked fifteen.

Miki Sarutobi himself was painfully ordinary. No female ninja had been willing to marry him, so he could only marry a civilian.

Seeing that this Uchiha was so handsome made Miki Sarutobi grind his teeth in anger. In an instant, he came up with a way to target Uchiha Hara.

Physical punishment was out of the question. Ninja Academy teachers were not afraid to hit students, but they could only hit civilian students.

If they dared lay a hand on a child from a ninja clan, a clan Jonin would probably come knocking the next day.

Not to mention that he was an Uchiha. Their clan oversaw the Security Force. If they found an excuse to arrest and lock you up for a few days, what could you do about it?

But using the teacher-student relationship to make trouble for Uchiha Hara could not have been easier. It was just normal teaching, after all!

Thus, five minutes later, Miki Sarutobi clapped his hands to stop the students, then said, "You should have finished reading by now. I'll pick someone and ask about their understanding of the Ninja Code!"

As he spoke, Miki Sarutobi seemingly casually, but actually with Precision, pointed at Uchiha Hara. "You handsome little fellow, you answer! Article Three of Chapter One of the Ninja Code states that when ninjas operate outside the village, whether or not they are carrying out a mission, they must wear a forehead protector. Explain why they must wear one!"

Uchiha Hara froze. He truly did not know the answer to that question. Perhaps it was meant to screen out idiots?

After all, the Ninja World probably had rich second-generation heirs, officials' children, hooligans, thugs, and the like. These people usually bullied men and harassed women, doing whatever they pleased. If they provoked a ninja one day, would that not invite disaster?

But if a ninja wore a forehead protector, it was different. The privileged children, hooligans, and thugs would recognize from the protector that the person was a ninja. Naturally, they would not dare treat them as they treated ordinary people, avoiding many conflicts.

It was a reasonable explanation, but Uchiha Hara knew it could not be the standard answer, because the standard answer involved the truth of the world and might awaken the ninja community's awareness.

He guessed that the standard answer would involve mysterious, intangible things like honor and faith.

After all, the more mysterious it sounded, the farther it was from the truth!

Of course, whether it was the standard answer or not, he could not possibly answer correctly.

He stood up in "panic," stammering in broken phrases. "I-I don't know. Maybe it's to protect the pagehead and prevent assassination?"

The moment he said that, the students burst into laughter.

"What is a pagehead?!"

"You mean forehead! Forehead!"

The teacher sighed helplessly. A foolish Uchiha like this was truly rare.

He did not know how this boy had offended Asuma, but he would have to tell Asuma later that bullying an idiot would make people look down on him. "First, it's forehead, not pagehead. Second, some people don't wear their forehead protectors on their heads, but around their necks or on their arms. Are they protecting their foreheads too?"

Uchiha Hara's face turned pale. Then he scratched his head awkwardly, unable to think of anything to say.

Miki Sarutobi sighed theatrically, had him sit down, and called on Kakashi to answer.

Though the answer was in the book, the books had only just been handed out. Probably no one knew it yet.

If anyone could answer it, it had to be Kakashi.

Sure enough, Kakashi rose sharply to his feet and answered calmly, "Forehead protectors are symbols of ninja villages. With one on us, we can always tell others that we are Konoha ninjas. Our brave figures while carrying out missions can also serve as advertising, letting more people learn about Konoha and come to the village to issue missions!"

Miki Sarutobi began applauding, then guided the other students into applauding as well.

After the applause died down, Miki Sarutobi gestured for Kakashi to sit and praised him, "As expected of White Fang's son. Your talent is far too outstanding for this class!"

After saying that, he added, "In contrast, another student in the class falls somewhat short!"

Everyone knew whom he meant.

Although many students did not know the standard answer either, that did not stop them from looking down on Uchiha Hara.

After all, they believed they would not mistake "forehead" for "pagehead."

Besides, who told him to be so handsome that the girls in class no longer looked at them?

Feeling the open and hidden contempt all around him, Uchiha Hara remained completely unmoved. He even wanted to give himself a silent thumbs-up.

Praise, genius, reputation—such things were completely meaningless.

Uchiha Hara only cared about tangible things, such as strength!

"First attempt at controlling my score: successful."

However...

Something about Miki Sarutobi's words felt off to him.

Was he trying to praise Kakashi Hatake to death?

How would a child react upon hearing a teacher say that his talent surpassed his classmates' by too much?

Furthermore, he seemed to be deliberately suppressing the Uchiha.

Thinking of how Uchiha Obito had been labeled the dead last—

Uchiha Hara seemed to see Sarutobi Hiruzen's methods clearly:

Praise talented Uchiha as geniuses and make them graduate early.

Label mediocre Uchiha as dead last and demean the Uchiha.

As for ordinary Uchiha, neither promote nor belittle them. Let them fade into the crowd.

In short, do not let the Uchiha build any reputation at the Ninja Academy.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen really is a bastard. He's using schemes on elementary school children without caring whether those labeled dead last might be ruined for good!"

Fortunately, Obito was thick-skinned. If an ordinary person were called dead last every day, not jumping off a building would already be a blessing.

Sasuke had not suffered such schemes, but by then the Uchiha Clan was already gone, so there had naturally been no need for this.

Classes did not officially begin on the first day, so they only attended for half the day.

Once this lesson ended and the bell rang, school was dismissed.

Uchiha Hara slowly packed his belongings. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Kurenai Yuhi seemingly wanted to come over and say something, but he deliberately sped up his packing—though he still appeared slow—then lowered his head and "fled" the classroom.

From Kurenai Yuhi's perspective, he was a boy who had embarrassed himself in class and did not wish to lose face before the woman he loved, so he deliberately avoided her.

"But I don't care about any of that at all!"

Little did she know, this too was a pursuit strategy called push and pull.

One could not rush things. One had to leave the fish room to reminisce and take the initiative.

As for embarrassment, that was even less of a problem.

It was like idol fans confronting damaging rumors spread by rival fandoms about their favorite celebrity. Not only would it fail to make fans leave, but it often made them even more loyal.

Kurenai Yuhi was just like that now. Facing Uchiha Hara, who lacked knowledge and physical ability, she never once considered leaving him. Instead, she only wanted to face it together with him!

Meanwhile, Uchiha Hara walked home, the setting sun stretching his shadow long behind him.

He recalled everything from that morning. He had confirmed the timeline, successfully established his first impression as a weak dead last, and... formed an initial positive connection with his target, Kurenai Yuhi.

"Agent Uchiha Hara's first day of infiltration has been completed rather perfectly, hasn't it?" He lowered his head, but the corners of his lips curled ever so slightly. Deep within those seemingly dull eyes flashed the satisfied gleam of a hunter.