Are You Lying to Me?

Once life started going smoothly, the days just flew by.

Counting it up, Uzumaki Hayashi had been in Konoha for two or three months already.

And those two or three months had been pretty good.

Every morning, Naruto still chattered around him, making a racket all the way from the school gate to the classroom door. Sasuke came to challenge him to a spar after school every few days, never missing a session.

Sakura and Ino invited him out from time to time, too. Whether it was shopping or visiting the flower shop, he had tagged along several times.

As for his other classmates-

Shino Aburame had the least presence in the class, but Linshi could always pick him out and get his name right on the first try. By the third time, the boy in sunglasses had given him several extra looks from behind those lenses.

Kiba Inuzuka treasured his dog Akamaru like the apple of his eye. Linshi praised Akamaru a few times in front of Kiba, saying how clever he was and how well he had been raised. Kiba got so excited on the spot that he nearly dragged Linshi into becoming sworn brothers.

After making the rounds, he had more or less raised his favorability with all the young standouts in this year's class, plus the few from the year above.

But, well.

For all that progress, a few things had been bothering him lately.

First up was Grandpa Third.

It had been a month or two since he left the Hokage Building that night, and the old man hadn't sent anyone to see him even once.

What happened to "Grandpa will find a way for you"? I'm not trying to rush him, but... isn't this taking a little too long?

Second was that lousy system in his head.

Two or three months had passed without a single new quest popping up. That long-term quest still sat on his panel, immovable as ever, with no change in its progress.

Whenever he asked, he got the same old line-

[Host, please explore actively.]

Explore what? How am I supposed to explore when you won't tell me anything? Come on, get your beginner tutorial sorted out!

Third, and pretty much the only good news: after two or three months practicing the basic Three Body Technique with Iruka-sensei, he had finally ground it up to "proficient."

Sigh.

Two or three months, and this is all I've got to show for it. It's embarrassing to even mention.

After school that day, Uzumaki Hayashi returned to his little house, flopped onto the bed, and gave a silent mental command.

The familiar panel unfolded before his eyes.

[Host: Uzumaki Hayashi]

[Age: 12]

[Bloodline: Uzumaki Clan (87% purity)]

[Chakra reserves: Elite Chunin Level]

[Affinities: Wind, Water]

[Kekkei genkai: Ice Release]

[Abilities: Mind's Eye of the Kagura (beginner), Chakra Refinement Technique (proficient)]

[Ninjutsu: Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere (perfected), Three Body Technique (proficient)]

[Current quest: Save Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha from long-term bullying and soothe their hearts (in progress)]

He scanned it line by line from top to bottom.

Hmm. Compared to when I first transmigrated, this panel finally looks halfway decent-a kekkei genkai, and two entries under ninjutsu instead of one.

Even if the new addition was the most basic of basics, the Three Body Technique.

It was still pretty bare-bones, but at least he was moving forward.

He was just about to close the panel-

Knock, knock, knock.

A sudden knock came from the door.

Who could that be at this hour?

Uzumaki Hayashi rolled out of bed, slipped on his shoes, and went over to open the door.

Kakashi Hatake stood outside.

He looked as laid-back as ever, his forehead protector tilted and one hand tucked into his pocket.

"Yo." Seeing him, Kakashi lifted his eyelid slightly by way of greeting.

Then he reached inside his clothes with his other hand and casually tossed something over.

Uzumaki Hayashi raised a hand and caught it cleanly.

It was a scroll, and it felt fairly heavy.

"What's this...?" he asked, puzzled, holding the scroll.

"It's from Lord Third." Kakashi sounded perfectly casual. "It took quite a bit of effort to gather it for you."

Uzumaki Hayashi's eyes lit up at once.

Wow!

Well, damn. After a month or two without a word, I thought the old man had forgotten all about it. Turns out he hadn't-he'd just been quietly working on it for me!

Sure, it took a while, but he really came through.

This old man's someone I can count on!

Delighted, Uzumaki Hayashi looked up with the scroll in hand, about to thank him-

But the words caught in his throat.

Kakashi was still standing in the doorway, backlit. Only then did Linshi notice something off about the jonin's appearance.

One cuff was worn through, and several bright red scratches crossed the back of his hand, clearly fresh. There was even a little dirt along the edge of his forehead protector that hadn't been brushed off properly.

That didn't look like someone who was just "dropping something off on the way."

"Um, Jonin Kakashi." Uzumaki Hayashi pointed at the back of his hand. "What's with all those scratches?"

"Ah, these?"

Kakashi glanced down at the back of his hand, barely lifting his eyelid.

"Nothing much. Got scraped on the way."

Got scraped on the way?

Uzumaki Hayashi nearly lost his composure.

Scraped? Look at yourself. Your cuff's torn, your hand's scratched up, and you've even got dirt on your forehead protector. You call that 'getting scraped'?

Who do you think you're fooling?

The smile slowly faded from his face.

"Jonin Kakashi."

Uzumaki Hayashi tipped his head back and looked at Kakashi. His expression turned serious for a moment before he spoke slowly.

"Did you know?"

Kakashi blinked his dull, fish-like eye. "Know what?"

"The Uzumaki Clan has its own unique bloodline ability."

"Sure." Kakashi answered readily. "The Uzumaki Clan has more chakra than most people."

Uzumaki Hayashi shook his head.

"That's not it."

He paused, then continued.

"It's the Mind's Eye of the Kagura. The Uzumaki Clan's sensory ability-it lets us sense things around us."

Kakashi Hatake looked at the red-haired child in front of him, his thoughts racing.

The Uzumaki Clan's bloodline ability?

The only member of the Uzumaki Clan he had ever known was Kushina, his teacher's wife. She certainly had a lot of chakra, and her Sealing Jutsu was formidable, but she had never gone into detail about any "bloodline ability."

Was I just poorly informed?

No.

Kakashi's eyelid drooped halfway.

This kid could have brought it up anytime, but he chose the moment he asked about my scratches. He's clearly dangling a lead, waiting for me to ask more.

I can't let this conversation go any further.

"Oh, so that's how it works."

Kakashi put on an expression of sudden understanding and reached out to pat that red-haired head.

"Well, it's an ability of your Uzumaki Clan. It's only natural I wouldn't know about it."

After that pat, Kakashi was just about to withdraw his hand when he realized something was wrong.

Uzumaki Hayashi stood motionless, head tipped back, staring straight at him.

Those eyes stayed fixed on him, unwavering.

The stare made Kakashi uneasy.

"...What's wrong?"

"Jonin Kakashi."

Uzumaki Hayashi spoke very, very slowly.

"You were obviously just trying to brush me off."

Kakashi froze on the spot. He had been about to offer some explanation, but Uzumaki Hayashi's next words cut him off.

"I wasn't finished yet."

The red-haired child looked up at him, smiled, and leisurely added another sentence.

"The Mind's Eye of the Kagura has another ability-it can sense other people's goodwill, ill intent, and emotions."

"So, Jonin Kakashi, I sensed it just now."

"You're lying to me, aren't you?"