"Uchiha Shingetsu, I like you! Marry me when we grow up!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's boyish face flushed scarlet, and his equally youthful heart pounded wildly. He bashfully shut his eyes and stood before Shingetsu, throwing caution to the wind as he confessed his feelings.
The noisy classroom instantly fell silent. Even the air seemed to freeze. Three seconds later, however, an uproar of excited voices engulfed the little classroom.
At that moment, commoners and shinobi clan children alike were all eager spectators.
The students clustered together, whispering and pointing at Hiruzen Sarutobi and Uchiha Shingetsu, the newly minted leads of this melodramatic romance. The more they talked, the more animated their expressions became and the redder their faces grew.
Even those who had been most reluctant to attend the Ninja Academy were grateful to be there now. If they had stayed holed up in their clan compounds as before, where else could they have witnessed such a spectacular scene?
Coming to school had been so worth it! There was more juicy gossip than they could possibly take in!
Almost everyone in the classroom felt that way. A student of the Senju brothers confessing to Madara Uchiha's student was simply too sensational, too riveting. Whether he succeeded or not, they were witnessing history.
This gossip wasn't just huge-it was delicious!
Naturally, the only people present who didn't share that sentiment were the members of the Uchiha Clan.
"You Sarutobi monkey! You're asking to die!"
Uchiha Miki slammed her hand on her desk, sprang to her feet, and swiftly formed six hand seals: Snake, Goat, Monkey, Pig, Horse, and Tiger. A second before she could spit out a fireball, however, her younger sister Uchiha Inari pinned her down, successfully preventing a Great Fireball from incinerating the classroom and its students.
"Big sister, even if you're angry, don't use a Great Fireball in the classroom! Hold it in for now. Once it gets dark, we can throw a sack over his head together!"
Uchiha Inari used every ounce of her strength to hold her sister down, but it barely helped. She hastily shot meaningful looks at Uchiha Kazuma and Kaen, who were still standing dumbstruck nearby. Without a second thought, they rushed over and piled on, pinning the now-rampaging Uchiha Miki at the bottom of a human heap.
Only with all three of them bringing their full weight and strength to bear was Miki firmly subdued. Even then, she still had the strength to struggle and roar, while Inari, who was lying on top of her, was exhausted to the point of passing out.
There was a curious rule in this world: people who weren't particularly bright often had great strength, while clever people often weren't very strong. Inari and her sister Miki were perfect examples.
Uchiha Kagami stood frozen, his face turning from pale to red and back again. After several minutes of being unable to process what had happened, he abruptly snapped out of it. Without a moment's thought, he rushed forward and planted himself between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shingetsu.
At that moment, Kagami's normally gentle face was icy cold, his glasslike black eyes brimming with fury. That anger wasn't merely simmering inside him; it had burned his face bright red as well.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a chill under Uchiha Kagami's silent, furious stare and retreated half a step. But inspired by love, he chose to bravely step forward again and face Kagami's intimidating gaze.
"Is there something wrong with your brain?!"
Shingetsu had felt as though someone had struck her over the head with a sledgehammer, leaving her utterly dazed. At last, she recovered from the shock of his confession. She sprang to her feet, glared fiercely at Hiruzen Sarutobi, and shouted in exasperation.
Did this guy even know what he was saying?
She had never thought about marriage, but no matter what, there was absolutely no way she would marry Hiruzen Sarutobi!
If she actually got together with this monkey, how was she supposed to show her face among the Uchiha? Madara and Hōkaku would probably die of anger, and that Tobirama Senju would definitely have her secretly assassinated!
No, if that bastard Tobirama found out about this, he would probably kill her right now.
Recalling Tobirama Senju and his exceptionally "touching" smile sent a chill down Shingetsu's back. The muscles in her face twitched with anger, and her eyes blazed with a fierce, fiery glare. She felt nothing but heartfelt irritation and disgust toward that wretched master-and-student pair who kept causing her trouble.
Damn Hiruzen Sarutobi! If he wanted to lose his mind, that was his business. Why did he have to drag her down with him?
"There's nothing wrong with my brain!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was as red as sunset clouds, whether from anger or embarrassment, he couldn't tell. Seeing how little Uchiha Shingetsu cared about his confession, he could distinctly hear his heart shattering like glass.
He finally realized that the greatest obstacle on his road to love was neither Tobirama Senju nor Madara Uchiha, but Uchiha Shingetsu herself!
If the heroine of a romance hadn't fallen in love with the hero at all, what need was there for malicious supporting men to interfere? The wicked father-in-law wouldn't even need to make an appearance. Of course, that also meant the romance couldn't go on at all.
But he absolutely refused to give up so easily.
Since Uchiha Shingetsu hadn't fallen for him yet, he would work hard to win her heart. The men of the Sarutobi Clan were very persistent when it came to love and women!
With that thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi took another deep breath. He tried to push Uchiha Kagami aside so he could stand directly before Shingetsu, only for Kagami to seize his elbow and hold him firmly in place.
"Don't come any closer."
Uchiha Kagami enunciated every word. His voice was low, but everyone could hear the threat and sharpness in his tone. Hiruzen Sarutobi refused to back down, gripping Kagami's hand in turn and trying to break free. Neither yielded, and their furious gazes nearly struck sparks in the air.
Realizing he wouldn't be able to break free anytime soon, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to look at Shingetsu behind Uchiha Kagami. A stubborn obsession flashed through his black eyes, and he simply raised his voice and shouted:
"Uchiha Shingetsu, I really do like you! Marry me when we grow up!"
"Brat, what did you just say?"
Teaching materials and books were casually discarded on the floor as Madara Uchiha, dressed in black civilian clothes and radiating a dark aura, suddenly appeared behind Hiruzen Sarutobi.
A large hand clad in a black leather glove clamped firmly onto the top of Hiruzen Sarutobi's head. Driven by its owner's anger, that elegant, long-fingered yet powerful hand slowly tightened, as though it would crush his skull like a piece of fruit at any moment.
The searing pain in his head kept reminding Hiruzen Sarutobi of one thing: if this continued, the enraged Madara Uchiha might actually kill him!
"I-aaagh!"
The greatest obstacle on Hiruzen Sarutobi's road to romance, the terrifying dragon named Madara Uchiha, had appeared!
"It's over, it's over! Hiruzen's dead for sure!"
Hiding in a corner of the classroom, Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu had originally joined the spectators with great enthusiasm. But upon seeing Madara Uchiha suddenly appear, all three were frightened into trembling all over, their faces ashen and their voices gone.
Only then did they remember that Hashirama seemed to have told them earlier that Madara Uchiha would also be teaching at the academy.
Good heavens, so it was actually true! They had thought Hashirama was only joking!
"Quick, go get Teacher Tobirama!"
Seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi looked moments away from being killed, Shimura Danzō hurriedly scrambled up from his seat, trembling, and struggled to run outside. Utatane Koharu caught him by the arm.
"No! At a time like this, we should get Lord Hashirama!"
"Yes, Koharu's right! Only Lord Hokage can stop him now!"
Mitokado Homura agreed with Koharu. Besides, he had just remembered that Teacher Tobirama should be working in the Hokage Building right now.
"Then what are we waiting for? Hurry!"
Before the trio could act, however, the classroom door was kicked open with a bang. Having taken off his Hokage Robe and wearing only civilian clothes, Hashirama Senju appeared in the doorway just in time. Seeing that Madara Uchiha looked determined not to stop until he had crushed Hiruzen Sarutobi to death, poor Hashirama broke out in a heavy sweat.
"Madara, please spare his life!"
Hashirama wept inwardly. He deeply regretted it now. He should never have switched jobs with Tobirama. He should have drowned in that ocean of paperwork and government affairs.
If he hadn't switched jobs with Tobirama, he wouldn't have come to the classroom to see his best friend teaching the children. If he hadn't come to the classroom, he wouldn't have witnessed his best friend trying to crush his student to death.
Sage of Six Paths! That little brat Hiruzen actually liked Shingetsu, and he'd even dared to confess in front of Madara! How was he supposed to save this outrageously bold little monkey from Madara's clutches?!
"Madara, I promise Hiruzen will never bother Shingetsu again! If he dares, I'll break his legs myself!"
Hashirama desperately tugged at Madara's hand, which was clamped around Hiruzen Sarutobi's head. Even under the Senju Clan's monstrous strength, Madara Uchiha's hand didn't budge, showing just how angry he was.
Madara Uchiha's gaze was frighteningly sharp and cold. He looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi as though he were an insignificant insect courting death. But under his best friend Hashirama's repeated pleas, Madara finally loosened his grip and spared the monkey who had repeatedly tested his limits.
"Hashirama, keep a close eye on this monkey. Don't let him go into heat wherever he pleases."
With a thump, Madara Uchiha released his hand completely, and Hiruzen Sarutobi fell into Hashirama's arms. Amid a series of coughs, his extraordinary vitality and Hashirama's Medical Ninjutsu soon brought him back from his half-dead state.
Of course, that was also because Madara hadn't actually intended to kill him. If he truly wanted to kill this annoying little monkey, it would only take an instant. He had merely given the boy who kept troubling Shingetsu a small lesson.
Yet no one expected that the first thing Hiruzen Sarutobi would do upon recovering was climb out of Hashirama's arms, glare at Madara Uchiha-the evil dragon in his eyes-and shout hoarsely:
"I-I won't give up so easily!"
After saying that, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his gaze back to Shingetsu. The instant their dark eyes met, she glimpsed resolve and determination in his.
"The men of the Sarutobi Clan are very persistent about the women they choose!"
"Will you just shut up!"
Hashirama Senju could stand it no longer. For the first time, he understood just how infuriating a brat could be. He clamped a hand over his student's mouth and stopped him from speaking.
Before you continue