The watcher

Dawn broke.

Jin Uchiha yawned and climbed out of bed. He pushed open the door and took a deep breath of the cold air outside, shaking off most of his drowsiness.

All right, the day was off to a decent start.

After a quick wash and a rinse of his mouth, he ambled toward the Ichiraku Ramen Shop again.

His stomach was growling. Feeding himself came first.

"Fuck, running into him first thing in the morning."

“Can't this useless Uchiha piece of shit just go die somewhere?”

"Forget it. Just stay away from him."

"..."

As he walked along, the usual snide remarks from his clansmen poured into his ears.

Still.

Not a single person rushed up to challenge him.

It wasn't that they didn't want to fight him. They simply had no way to do it.

Jin Uchiha had a face thicker than a fortress wall. They could curse themselves hoarse, and he wouldn't give a damn.

Walk right up and pick a fight?

Before they could even raise a fist, he would open his mouth and surrender, without the slightest concern for his dignity.

It was fucking unreal.

They couldn't just beat him up without saying a word first, could they?

With all that Uchiha pride at stake, none of them could bring themselves to do something so disgraceful.

And so they remained at an impasse.

They could throw a few insults from a distance to vent, but anything beyond that was a waste of breath.

Even the insults had grown less frequent.

Jin Uchiha: “...”

He narrowed his eyes.

As he scanned his fellow clansmen, the smile on his face grew more pronounced.

He loved seeing them seethe with hatred, knowing they couldn't do a thing to him.

It was downright satisfying.

Since no one actually approached him, he couldn't be bothered to stir up trouble himself. With that same unconcerned smile, he turned and entered the Ichiraku Ramen Shop again.

“Uncle Teuchi, I'm here.”

"Anything to eat will do. I'm starving to death."

Jin Uchiha didn't stand on ceremony at all.

He sat down at a table, called out to Teuchi in the back room, then slumped in his seat.

Teuchi answered with a smile and headed into the kitchen to get busy.

Ayame, on the other hand, came storming out.

“Jin Uchiha, don't push your luck.”

"My dad only agreed because he felt sorry for you, but that doesn't mean you can come freeload here first thing every morning!"

"I've had enough."

That was right.

The Ichiraku Ramen Shop only served lunch and dinner.

It wasn't open in the morning.

But when Jin Uchiha had first transmigrated here seven or eight years ago, he had shamelessly approached Teuchi with a proposal.

In exchange for eating lunch and dinner there every day, he wanted Teuchi to make an extra portion for him whenever he cooked breakfast for his own family.

He had offered to pay.

Back then, Teuchi had felt that a child with neither a father nor a mother had a truly hard lot in life.

An orphan who could come to his door and negotiate had some courage, too.

The Uchiha name might not have had the best reputation, but he was still just a pitiful child.

So Teuchi had waved away the breakfast charge entirely.

He only charged enough to cover the cost of lunch and dinner, too.

He kept a running tab to settle at the end of the month, and even then, Teuchi would knock a fair amount off the bill.

Jin Uchiha was practically eating and drinking there half for free.

Because of that, Jin Uchiha really couldn't hold his head high in front of Ayame's furious face.

With a couple of awkward chuckles, he hurried to speak.

"Ayame, don't get worked up."

"I've graduated now. I'm a proper ninja, so I can take jobs and earn money."

"From now on, Uncle Teuchi is my own dad, and you're my little sister. I promise I'll look after you both for the rest of my life."

"Leave his retirement to me."

Jin Uchiha spoke with complete confidence.

And he meant every word.

He had never forgotten how Teuchi and his family had treated him all these years.

He wasn't some ungrateful bastard. He would absolutely repay their kindness.

As he spoke, his words truly came from the heart.

Ayame: "..."

His shameless speech made her roll her eyes in exasperation.

Seriously?

She couldn't be bothered to beat around the bush and shot straight back.

"You're getting ahead of yourself, brat."

"My dad has me, Ayame, to look after him when he's old. He doesn't need a shameless freeloader like you worrying about it."

"Wait, hold on."

"I'm a few months older than you. You should be calling me your big sister! How did I become your little sister?"

Jin Uchiha burst out laughing.

He traded several rounds of banter with Ayame, filling the ramen shop with laughter and noisy bickering.

Only at moments like this did Jin Uchiha relax a little and find the faintest trace of the home he had known in his previous life.

As for the Uchiha clan?

Heh. Forget that.

"All right, all right, stop arguing." Teuchi came out carrying the food. "Both of you, wash your hands. It's time to eat."

With Teuchi stepping in, the two bickering youngsters exchanged glares.

Each gave a snort, then obediently went to wash their hands.

An hour later.

The three of them finished eating, but Jin Uchiha stayed.

He helped Teuchi and his daughter bustle about, getting everything ready for the shop's lunchtime opening.

He stayed until they were almost ready to open at noon.

Jin Uchiha ate lunch there as well, then rubbed his stomach and strolled home.

To be honest.

He had wanted to keep helping.

Before, he had left as soon as he finished eating because his system had yet to appear, and he had to train desperately on his own to gain the strength to survive.

Now things were different.

With the system at his side, he no longer had to work himself to death.

Unfortunately, Uncle Teuchi wouldn't hear of it.

He felt that now Jin Uchiha was a ninja, especially with his departure for the front lines only a few days away, he ought to go home and use what little time he had to prepare properly.

So there was nothing he could do.

Jin Uchiha shrugged. There were too many things he couldn't explain, so he could only obediently head home.

However.

As he walked down the street, his brow still furrowed.

When he had first arrived at the Ichiraku Ramen Shop that morning, he had vaguely sensed someone watching him.

Even now, that feeling hadn't faded.

Whose man was it?

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi?

Or that scheming old bastard, Danzo Shimura?

Or Orochimaru?

Those names cycled through his mind several times, but he reached no conclusion.

He thought he had kept as low a profile as humanly possible. He shouldn't have attracted anyone's attention.

After thinking it over for a long time, he finally made up his mind.

Just do nothing.

As far as anyone knew, I was just a useless Uchiha. I'd act like I hadn't noticed.

If he had been watched in the past, he really would have panicked.

Back then, he had trained nonstop every day, afraid someone would discover he was hiding his abilities.

Now things were different.

With the Slacking System, he didn't need to train at all.

Even if someone watched him, they wouldn't learn anything.

Once he figured that out, a faint smile rose to his lips.

He yawned and headed straight home.

Ten minutes later.

Jin Uchiha arrived home and flopped onto the couch.

He closed his eyes, ready for an afternoon nap.

It had been a good habit in his previous life. He hadn't dared spare the time these past few years, but now he could pick it back up and keep it going.

Whoosh.

Outside the courtyard wall, a shadow flashed into view.

He wore a black combat uniform with a green vest over it, and the Uchiha clan's fan crest was embroidered on his sleeve.

Red and white—the Flame Fan.