A Girl's Feelings

It had to be said that Itachi was a good person right now.

Perhaps he had always been a good person. His ideals simply differed from Gua's.

But Gua still couldn't accept wiping out a clan over a difference in ideals. If the lives of Konoha's villagers mattered, then the lives of his fellow Uchiha mattered too.

Anyway, he could never accept anyone killing his parents.

Another week passed in the blink of an eye.

It had been a fairly productive week-for the other students, at least. They practiced throwing shuriken with great enthusiasm, every pair of wide, innocent eyes brimming with longing to become a ninja.

"I want to become a ninja!"

That was the phrase Gua had heard most often over the past week.

The runner-up was, "I want to become Hokage!"

When he heard that, Gua tilted his head slightly to look at the classmate beside him. Finding a not particularly familiar face, he looked away again.

For a moment, he had thought it was that little brat Naruto.

But it was only Year 52 of Konoha, and Naruto was just two and a half. In another couple of years, he would probably turn into a little demon.

Later still, he would become the hero who saved Konoha and the shinobi world.

Gua really didn't care who became a hero and who became a zero. What mattered far more was that he finally had a day off.

Another week of idling under his belt.

I really am amazing.

Feeling his body grow stronger by the day, Gua acknowledged his own hard work.

Why shouldn't working hard at idling count as hard work?

"Gua! Let's meet at the Back Mountain tomorrow!"

After school, Itachi made plans with Gua, then dashed home as quickly as ever.

He wasn't nearly as withdrawn as in the original story, nor was he so "philosophical."

For a while, this had made Gua suspect that someone else had reincarnated into Itachi's body before birth.

But that wasn't very likely. Gua thought he himself was probably the reason. Not that he believed he had changed Itachi's personality. He simply did nothing but stand around blankly, idling, so Itachi naturally became a little livelier.

If someone wasn't good with words, put him among a group of people who were even worse with words, and before long, he would become much more outgoing.

Likewise, if someone was "philosophical," all you had to do was put him in front of someone even more "philosophical," and the first person would seem less so.

Gua walked on by himself, each step striking the ground with exceptional steadiness, neither too long nor too short.

He had grown accustomed to the 2,322 steps it took to get home.

So every step was just right.

"Gua!"

Someone called his name.

Gua turned around. It was Izumi.

School had been in session for quite a while, and apart from Itachi, Izumi was his only friend.

Although stealing someone else's girl was a little hard to stomach, when he thought about it, he hadn't done anything out of line. What was he feeling guilty about?

Gua dismissed his wandering thoughts and looked at Izumi as she ran toward him.

Izumi ran so fast that her little face was flushed by the time she reached him. Gua recalled one of the first similes he had learned in elementary school in his previous life: a face as red as a ripe apple.

Gua had always wondered how a person's face could be as red as a ripe apple.

Now that he thought about it, whoever first came up with that simile had probably transmigrated out of an anime world.

"Gua! Are you free tomorrow during the day? I wanted to ask you to go into town with me to buy Three-Color Dango."

Izumi panted, her shoulders rising and falling as she gazed earnestly at Gua.

She really doesn't give up.

That was what Gua thought.

"Tomorrow during the day, I'm going to practice Fire Release with Itachi."

As usual, Gua turned down Izumi's invitation again. This time, however, he had a legitimate reason, which made him sound much more sincere.

But Izumi was clearly a little angry this time, glaring at Gua with puffed cheeks.

"Eat Three-Color Dango with me, or practice Fire Release with Itachi! Which is it, Gua?"

"Practice Fire Release with Itachi."

Gua answered without hesitation.

He could eat Three-Color Dango anytime, but if Itachi massacred the clan, there wouldn't even be a funeral feast. He would wipe out the whole clan in one go.

So he had to make training a priority now.

He absolutely couldn't keep slacking off like this.

"Gua! I'm never inviting you to eat Three-Color Dango with me again!"

Izumi roared at him.

Gua felt spit hit his face. Hmm... no, those seemed to be tears...

Izumi ran off just like that.

Gua stood where he was, turning to watch her retreating figure.

Being a shut-in really is a headache.

Gua didn't want to offend Izumi. Treating others kindly was a fine virtue of his homeland, and besides, Izumi was a good girl.

Gua wanted to think of something to salvage the situation.

But although he opened his mouth, not a single word came out. He realized that his knowledge of communicating with girls seemed rather lacking.

He didn't even know why Izumi was angry.

Hadn't she told him to choose one of two options?

He had chosen one. There was nothing wrong with that.

Gua thought he might be doomed.

Perhaps he had lost his good friend Izumi. Did he have to create a world with only Izumi in it too?

What kind of logic is that?

Gua pulled his wandering thoughts back because he noticed that Izumi had actually stopped.

It seemed he still had a chance.

Izumi turned around.

"Gua! Tell me again! Do you want to go into town with me tomorrow to buy Three-Color Dango?"

Izumi was breathing hard, staring at Gua from far away. His eyesight was excellent, and he could see her deeply hurt expression.

"Oh, but tomorrow I'm going to practice Fire Release with Itachi..."

Before Gua could finish, Izumi had turned and run again, even faster this time.

"Idiot!"

"Idiot!"

"Idiot!"

"You'd better stay with Itachi for the rest of your life!"

"Gua is a huge idiot!"

Izumi disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Gua was left standing there alone.

Looks like my chance is gone?

Gua calmly turned around and prepared to head home.

I could ask Father for advice. Maybe he's good at cheering girls up.

With that thought, Gua slowly made his way home alone.

2,324 steps. Two more than usual: one to turn back toward Izumi, and another to turn around and head home.

Great job, Gua.

Gua silently gave himself a mental thumbs-up.

Gua slid open the door.

His father, Dashan, seemed to have come home particularly early today. He was actually busy in the kitchen alongside his mother, Nai.

It looked like he was in for a treat today.

Men cooking was a rare sight in a ninja village, especially in a chauvinistic clan like the Uchiha. Every Uchiha man carried himself with a hotheaded sort of pride.

His father, Dashan, was an exception.

Gua smiled at the thought.

His father, Dashan, wasn't like an Uchiha, and neither was his mother, Nai. That was precisely why their little family was so warm.

Were the Uchiha really evil?

Gua didn't dwell on that for long before stepping inside.

Neither Dashan nor Nai came out of the kitchen. They seemed hopelessly absorbed in cooking.

"I think the beef stew would taste better with some sweet soy sauce!"

"Listen to me! Add salty soy sauce and sugar! That's my secret recipe!"

"Sweet soy sauce would still be better!"

"Better, my ass!"

"..."

His parents seemed to be flirting in the kitchen. Gua felt he should have come home a little later.

Perhaps, as they kept fooling around, the topic would shift from whether sweet or salty soy sauce was better to whether a daughter or a son was better.

It wasn't impossible.

Gua sat cross-legged beside the low table in the living room and began idling while pulling Icha Icha Paradise from his schoolbag to read.

His parents' muffled voices drifted from the kitchen, occasionally accompanied by the sound of a Wooden Staff striking a head.

Judging by the sound, it was a fine head.

But every time the Wooden Staff struck that fine head, his father, Dashan, let out a groan of pain.