"Boys being with boys... Well, you're still young and don't really get these things yet. Personally, I have no problem with it at all. What you two do when you grow up is none of my business. But while you're in school, I hope you can show a little restraint."
Nishinodera started lecturing Shen and Nawaki. However, what he said sounded kinda ridiculous to them—was this really how the Naruto world worked?
"As if anyone in their right mind would end up with someone like Shen Uchiha!" Hearing the conversation spiraling into misunderstanding, Nawaki quickly objected.
But his current reaction, combined with his ever-present "mystery blush cheeks," naturally had everyone jumping to conclusions.
Sitting alone in the corner, Shen was in an extremely sour mood. He felt like the whole school was ganging up on him. Judging by how much these kids loved gossiping, he was convinced that by tomorrow morning, the entire Hidden Leaf would know about this twisted rumor between him and Nawaki.
When he heard what Nawaki just said, Shen seriously wanted to kneel down and beg "Master Rope Tree" to stop causing trouble. This kind of remark could only deepen the misunderstanding even further.
So he denied it immediately with a triple denial: "I'm not! I didn't! Don't make things up!"
"Ohhh..."
The students immediately turned their gaze toward Nawaki and murmured, "So it's one-sided affection!"
"Pfffthaha!" x2
Right now, both Shen and Nawaki were ready to spit blood. Given how these students' minds worked, there was absolutely no way to explain clearly anymore.
Once people latch onto an idea, there's no reasoning with them. All they care about is watching the drama unfold—"You say it's true, but I just won't believe it!" Most people think exactly like this. You could say the truth doesn't matter—it's just that most people choose to believe whatever they want. What does the truth mean to others anyway? Even if all the evidence proves the facts, bystanders will still twist the truth with rumors. What can you do then? Guess all you can do is hope wisdom kills rumors before they spread. Because what you see is exactly what someone wants you to see.
Inside, Nawaki felt deeply wronged: "That damn Shen Uchiha! Every time I meet him, nothing good ever happens."
"This unlucky fellow, the unlucky guy named Nawaki Senju—I'd better keep my distance from him for now, or I might catch his bad luck."
Shen made up his mind not to exchange another word with this idiot until graduation: "So annoying. Just because I beat him in a duel—does he really need to take revenge?"
Seeing that Nawaki didn't seem to deny anything, everyone else began looking at him with teasing smiles.
This made Nawaki so angry that blood rushed to his head, turning his face completely red.
"Just look at that face—he's redder than his hoodie! What a total softie," teased the chubby kid in red, crunching on chips as he watched from below, pushing Nawaki past his breaking point.
Nawaki clenched his fists tightly, his nails nearly digging into his palms. His chest heaved violently, lips whitening, seemingly about to faint from sheer rage any second now.
Watching Nawaki gasping for breath, the little boy inwardly applauded himself for hitting the mark perfectly.
With deep life wisdom, he earnestly gave Nawaki some heartfelt advice: "If you like someone, just go for it already! Me? I'm crazy about barbecue—if I don't eat it for a day, I can't sit still!" (wise-guy street style)
"That's it. We're doomed!"
Even if Shen had summoned his golden PR team from a past life, this situation couldn't be salvaged. The chubby kid's words had sealed the fate of the matter, defining its nature once and for all.
From this moment onward, everyone in Konoha would know that Nawaki Senju had a crush on him—Shen Uchiha.
"Erm, erm," Nishinodera coughed twice, interrupting the chubby kid mid-sentence. He then addressed the students below: "Alright, we don't have much time left. This student—" He turned to Nawaki, who stood red-faced and trembling by the classroom door, and said, "Please pay more attention next time—the Ninja Academy starts at 8 a.m. Now quickly return to your seat."
Like a furious mountain, Nawaki kept glaring at Shen with ill intent. After hearing Nishinodera's words, he stomped toward Shen's corner with such heavy steps it seemed as though the earth shook beneath his feet.
In the chubby kid's own words: "Not even my dad could walk with that much power, even carrying his own weight."
"What are you doing?" Shen lightly frowned as Nawaki approached.
"Hmph!"
Nawaki huffed once before plopping himself onto the empty seat beside Shen and glaring fiercely at him.
Shen remained silent for a moment—words couldn't even begin to describe how he felt right now. In his mind, there was only one thought: dropping out of school.
Yes, barely enrolled and his reputation was already ruined. Internally, he could only think, *Forget this rotten school!*
Seeing how fixated Nawaki was on Shen, Nishinodera found it awkward to urge him to restrain himself. Instead, he simply spoke to the class: "Then, everyone, please start by introducing yourselves. As for the content—" He glanced toward a certain girl in the far corner who was still staring intently at the male protagonist, prompting an inward sigh before he continued, "There's no restriction, so just say whatever comes to mind."
Soon, a student rose from the front row and stepped up to the stage. She was a girl of exquisite appearance and elegant demeanor. Dressed entirely in white, she wore a neat, straight fringe across her forehead, while jet-black hair cascaded down to her waist, tied neatly at the end with a white ribbon. Her pale eyes were clear and bright, like full moons hanging beneath the night sky.
The girl stood poised on the podium, giving a slight bow to the students below—a truly graceful sight, fitting the image of a well-bred young lady.
[Clouds yearn for silken robes, flowers long for beauty's face; spring wind caressing drenched railings.] That was exactly how Shen described the girl in his heart—only older now.
"Good morning, everyone," she began in a cold tone. "My name is Hyuga Nayou. I enjoy sparring with my two older brothers using Taijutsu. I dislike people weaker than myself, and my dream is to become the strongest ninja in Konoha." After speaking, she gave a small bow and returned gracefully to her seat.
Her manners are perfect, but her aura is icy, Shen mused. Definitely one of those hard-to-approach types.
What followed were mostly self-introductions from background characters. Shen chose to ignore Nawaki, who hadn't stopped staring at him, and let his mind wander elsewhere.
After a long while—
Akimichi Heiji also stepped forward to begin his introduction. "I'm Akimichi Heiji! My favorite thing is grilled meat, and what I hate most is spiders. My dream is to eat unlimited grilled meat without limits!"
After finishing his introduction, Heiji walked offstage and back into the crowd.
"Oh, it's that Akimichi fatty again!"
Shen slightly regained focus upon hearing the chubby boy's self-introduction. Although he hadn't been fully focused back then, his abilities were more than enough to catch everything from the earlier round of introductions. Background characters simply weren't worth paying attention to anyway.
"So another Ino–Shika–Cho trio shows up this year, huh? New students come and go, but Ino–Shika–Cho live forever."
Soon enough, all three members of the new Ino–Shika–Cho had finished their introductions. Next came Mikoto Uchiha, who would become Shen's future sister-in-law. Then it was finally his turn to introduce himself.
Shen slowly stood up, immediately drawing everyone's gaze.
"Gan, why are they all staring at me like this? Nobody stared at Hyuga Nayou like that when she went up!"
Right now he just wanted to drop out. No way would the school put up with both throwing shade and acting like a delinquent. Staying here for five years—who knows what damage would be done to his reputation?
Screw it! Abandoning all restraint, Shen activated the Uchiha clan's legendary [Acting No Jutsu]. He strode toward the podium stone-faced, channeling the iconic steps of UFC legend Kongo. If someone cued up "See It Again" right now, it'd add some serious drama.
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~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!