Left hand holding right hand

"This is so Bored... What's he even talking about..." Dave sprawled over his desk like a total slacker, watching his dear old father give an impassioned lecture at the front of the classroom. His heart sank into despair... When would these days ever end...

I finally slogged through nine years of compulsory education in my last life, plus six years of advanced, elite-level slacking, and now I have to start all over again...

"Hiruzen, don't you think his lecture is Bored?" Dave asked, looking speechlessly at the excited Hiruzen Sarutobi beside him.

"No, I think Teacher's lecture is excellent! I'm going to put all my energy into studying! I absolutely can't let him down!" Hiruzen declared, overflowing with the Will of Fire.

"You're beyond saving. Danzo, what do you think?" Duy rolled his eyes at him, then turned to ask Danzo on his other side.

"Hmph! Teacher's working so hard to explain these problems to us. How are you supposed to Protect Konoha someday with that attitude?" Zang snorted, wearing an expression that said everything he did was for Konoha.

"Aah!! You two are hopeless!!" Duy banged his head against the desk and roared in exasperation.

"Danzo, switch seats with me. I want to sit next to that Young Lady." Dave's eyes suddenly lit up. Spotting a very pretty Young Lady sitting beside Danzo, he hurriedly made his request.

He had no desire to sit with these two bromance buddies. He was genuinely afraid that one day they would brainwash him, leaving him holding hands with the Will of Fire on his left and "it's all for Konoha" on his right. His life would be ruined...

"Hmph, no!" Zang snorted.

"Tch! You! Damn it! You're getting in the way of my future!" Duy said indignantly.

"Danzo, just switch with Dave," Hiruzen said from beside him, looking at Danzo with hope-filled eyes.

Whoa! The power of bromance was off the charts!

"All... all right." Since his best buddy had spoken up, Danzo could only agree.

After they switched seats.

"Hello, Young Lady. My name's Senju Dave. What's yours?" Dave asked the Young Lady beside him with a smile.

"Ah... h-hello. My name's Tsukimi Uchiha. You... you don't hate me...?" The young lady noticed that her seatmate had suddenly changed—and her new seatmate was the teacher's son from earlier, no less. After her initial surprise, she asked shyly and fearfully.

"Why would I hate you...? You're so cute. Don't mind that stone-faced guy who was sitting next to you before. That's just how that bastard is. I'm not like him," Dave said, waving a hand.

Duy felt a headache coming on. Had that bastard Danzo already learned the essence of his dear old father's hatred for the Uchiha at such a young age? Wow, how could he bring himself to hate such a cute girl...

"Ah... um... let's listen to Teacher's lecture." Realizing that her new seatmate did not dislike her the way her previous one had, she felt relieved. But when he called her cute, Tsukimi's cheeks flushed again.

"Tsukimi, don't you think his lecture is Bored?" Dave asked, still slumped over his desk like a Salty Fish.

"Not at all. I think Teacher's lecture is really interesting," Tsukimi said with a smile.

"Come on, what's so great about listening to a rambling old man lecture... Sigh." Duy gave her another look that said she was beyond saving, then said.

"Heehee, you're the only one who would dare say something like that, Dave." Tsukimi giggled.

This time, Dave said nothing. He simply watched Tsukimi as she laughed.

"Um... Duy... w-why are you looking at me like that...?" Tsukimi asked, blushing again under his gaze.

"Well, you look so pretty and cute when you smile," Dave said with a smile, even reaching out to pinch Tsukimi's soft cheek.

"Eep..." Tsukimi's face instantly went from cherry Kurenai to lava Kurenai. Dave could practically see smoke rising from her head.

On the other side.

"Awesome!! Dave's incredible! He only just sat down, and he's already won that girl's heart!" Hiruzen noticed what was happening on Dave's side. Seeing how quickly Dave had gotten to pinch her cheek, he exclaimed with stars in his eyes.

"Huh? Hmph! He's neglecting his studies! Hiruzen! Pay attention to the lecture! You have to protect Konoha someday! How can you do that acting like this?" Zang noticed his best buddy's reaction and followed his gaze toward Dave and the girl, then addressed Hiruzen with a disdainful expression.

"Yes, yes, yes!" That was what Hiruzen said, but his Kakuzu of an eye kept drifting toward Dave. He wanted to learn how Dave had done it, too.

Just then, Tobirama noticed his son from the lectern.

Veins instantly bulged on Tobirama's forehead. Switching seats was one thing, and flirting with a girl was another, but how the hell could the boy flirt with an Uchiha girl? No! Once they got home, he would have to drill the evil of the Uchiha into him!

That hateful Madara Uchiha must have brainwashed this child! I can't let those two see each other again! My poor boy!!

That damned Madara Uchiha!

That damned Tobirama Senju!

At the same time, Madara Uchiha was inwardly cursing Tobirama.

Dave is such a good kid. If that damned father of his turns him into someone just like himself, Madara Uchiha will regret it to death. No, I have to go see Dave again! I have to keep him away from his father!

In the Hokage's office, Hashirama was still miserably working through documents, thinking about how Madara Uchiha had looked earlier. Based on how well he knew his buddy, Madara was bound to do something. Yet Konoha remained peaceful even now, which was very strange.

But the longer things stayed that way, the more worried Hashirama became...

When classes ended that afternoon.

Dave and Tsukimi's relationship had already progressed to the point where Dave was lying in her arms while she fed him.

The sight nearly made Hiruzen Sarutobi cry out, "Teach me, my idol!" He was practically dying of envy. Meanwhile, Danzo kept harrumphing and saying that, at this rate, Dave would never work hard to Protect Konoha.

Watching them gave Tobirama an even worse headache. It had only been one day of classes, and his boy had already gotten this far with that evil little Uchiha girl...

But he could hardly interfere, because he thought of his older brother's son.

Back then, his older brother's son had also fallen for a girl. But to ease relations with the Daimyo, Hashirama had forcibly separated the boy from her and arranged a marriage with the Daimyo's daughter. The boy was still living at the Daimyo's Residence and had not come back to see Hashirama or Mito even once in five or six years. He was only about ten now, wasn't he...? What a precocious child...

He did not want to end up like his older brother. It had been hard enough to have a son at all. If something like this drove a wedge between them, he would be finished.