You Might Mean Well, But You're a Nuisance to Me! (Seeking Follow-ups, Seeking Votes!)

"Alright, then Naruto, you're up."

Naruto stepped forward a few paces and took the kunai Iruka handed him.

Aimed.

Threw!

And then there was nothing.

Naruto's kunai didn't even hit the target—it completely missed.

Naruto: "..."

This left Naruto, who had high expectations for himself and wanted to perform well, instantly deflated.

"Iruka-sensei, can I try one more time?"

"It's fine."

Iruka said, "Naruto, it's okay that you failed. This is just your first attempt; failure is normal. Even I wasn't very good at it back then."

"You'll get better with practice over time."

"Today is mainly about letting you give it a try."

Naruto looked at Iruka.

"Iruka-sensei, did you miss the target too?"

"Not exactly."

Naruto showed a disappointed expression and stepped back.

"Next."

Uchiha Sasuke stepped forward.

"Sensei, I'll go."

"Alright."

Uchiha Sasuke took the kunai from Iruka's hand.

"Whoosh!"

The next moment.

"Clink!"

Uchiha Sasuke's kunai struck the bullseye with precision.

Before entering the Ninja Academy, Uchiha Sasuke had already undergone relevant training—kunai, shuriken, all of it.

What Uchiha Sasuke loved most was pestering Uchiha Itachi to teach him shuriken techniques.

"Amazing!"

"Sasuke is the best!"

A group of girls led by Sakura cheered.

One by one, the students stepped forward.

A small portion missed the target.

Many could hit it.

But few could hit the bullseye.

Uchiha Setsuna hadn't expected these students to be this poor.

"Uchiha Setsuna."

Iruka called out Uchiha Setsuna's name.

Uchiha Sasuke couldn't help but look over.

So did Yamanaka Ino and Hyuga Hinata.

But beyond them, no one else paid attention.

The rift between the Uchiha clan and Konoha had grown quite deep; most people subconsciously harbored resistance toward the Uchiha. On top of that, Uchiha Setsuna hadn't shown the same excellence as Uchiha Sasuke.

By now, there were even people in the class who couldn't recognize Uchiha Setsuna.

Uchiha Setsuna stepped forward and took the kunai.

"Don't aim for the bullseye—aim for the third ring, at one o'clock."

Uchiha Setsuna flicked his wrist.

"Whoosh!"

The next moment, the kunai shot out.

It hit with precision.

The spot it struck was exactly where Uchiha Setsuna had aimed.

"Hit it. Good work, Setsuna."

Iruka flashed an encouraging smile.

"Keep it up."

"Yes, Iruka-sensei."

Uchiha Setsuna stepped back.

Originally, Setsuna had planned not to hold back during the kunai-throwing lesson, but he hadn't expected the other students to perform so poorly.

Most of the class had already completed their first throw, yet only Uchiha Sasuke had hit the bullseye.

That meant if Setsuna hit the bullseye, he would stand out immediately.

"Hyuga Hinata."

Iruka called out Hyuga Hinata's name.

Hinata stepped forward.

"Whoosh!"

Bullseye.

Like Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuga Hinata had undergone extensive ninja training before entering the Ninja Academy.

That was the advantage of birth.

Many students didn't have such conditions.

"Good work. Keep it up."

"Yes, sensei."

Hinata stepped back, standing not far from Uchiha Setsuna.

A voice so low only Setsuna could hear reached him.

"Setsuna-kun, do you want to practice kunai throwing? I can help you."

Setsuna glanced at Hinata and shook his head.

"Thanks, but no need."

Setsuna didn't need anyone to teach him kunai throwing. He hadn't hit the bullseye, but the spot he had aimed for was smaller than the bullseye itself, making it harder to hit.

Especially not from Hyuga Hinata.

In the real world, Setsuna absolutely did not want to get close to anyone from the Hyuga Clan.

The amount of Chakra in his body—the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan would spot the irregularity with just one look.

"Alright."

A hint of dejection flickered in Hinata's eyes.

Setsuna said nothing more.

He was well aware of the goodwill Yamanaka Ino and Hyuga Hinata held toward him.

If not for the Night of the Uchiha Clan Downfall, if not for the Uchiha Clan's relationship with Konoha being so strained, if not for the Konoha High Command targeting the Uchiha, if not for Uchiha Itachi...

Setsuna would have been happy to interact with them.

But Setsuna knew what was coming, so he couldn't do that.

He could only refuse their kindness.

He could only keep his distance from their favor.

"This is... fate."

Setsuna couldn't help but look toward the Hokage Office Building.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu... not a single one of them is any good."

"Uchiha Itachi—calling him an animal isn't an exaggeration."

"Uchiha Fugaku—weak and incompetent to the extreme."

"I wanted to live a normal life too."

In the Life Simulator, Fugaku's performance had deeply disappointed Setsuna.

Setsuna no longer cared about the fates of Fugaku, Mikoto, and the others.

But Uchiha Sagiri, Uchiha Kayan, Uchiha Riko...

Setsuna would never allow them to die at the hands of Uchiha Itachi or Konoha.

Setsuna looked at Uchiha Sasuke.

Right now, Sasuke knew nothing, so he could live happily.

That made Setsuna a little envious.

The bell for the end of class rang. Setsuna walked out of the classroom and quickly headed home.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Uchiha Sasuke caught up.

"Hm?"

"You're training on your days off, right? Next time, how about we train together? If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me—I'll tell you everything."

Uchiha Setsuna: "..."

"Let's talk another time."

Uchiha Setsuna didn't say much to Uchiha Sasuke.

Uchiha Sasuke opened his mouth, watching Uchiha Setsuna's back, and had no choice but to forcibly swallow the words already on his lips.

Arriving home.

"Grandfather, I'm back."

Faced with Uchiha Sasuke's invitation to train together again, Uchiha Setsuna refused once more.

But this gave Uchiha Setsuna a sense of urgency.

The more times Uchiha Sasuke approached him, the greater the chance that Uchiha Itachi would notice him.

Uchiha Setsuna didn't dare guarantee what Uchiha Itachi might do.

If Uchiha Itachi ever found out that he was hiding his strength, he might strike directly.

"I'll have to avoid Uchiha Sasuke as much as possible from now on."

"Hyuga Hinata and Uchiha Sasuke both want to help me, and they mean well."

"But for me, the two of them are nothing but trouble right now."