Shindai used Kakashi's reputation to intimidate the goldfish stall owner.
Although the owner had never heard of Kakashi Hatake before, the Konoha forehead protector on Shindai's head was definitely real.
Hikaku Uchiha gave Shindai a strange look. "Aren't you Shindai? Since when did you become Kakashi Hatake?"
Since Hikaku wanted to try, Shindai stepped aside.
Originally, Shindai only wanted Hikaku to give it a try, but ended up getting caught up in it himself.
Hikaku casually dipped the paper net into the water.
Shindai mocked, "If you actually catch one like that, I'll eat every single goldfish here myself!"
Then Hikaku casually lifted the paper net out of the water, and there lay a goldfish inside.
Shindai's mouth opened wide in disbelief.
"No, impossible! I don't believe it! It must be luck—you just happened to get it while I was testing it earlier. You're just lucky! Try again!"
On the next nine tries, Hikaku didn't miss once—every net had at least one fish, and two of them even had two.
Stunned, Shindai stared at Hikaku. "No way—you're kidding me, right?"
Hikaku placed the caught goldfish into the bucket and said, "I followed the method you just used. Seems pretty simple."
Shindai felt as if he'd been struck by lightning—his confidence had been directly hit, leaving him completely numb.
The stall owner rubbed his hands nervously. "Ah... Each goldfish sells for twenty silver taels individually. There are about two to three hundred here. If the customer wants to buy them all, I can offer a discount."
Shindai snapped angrily, "Discount? I'll eat these fish, then I'll eat you whole! Are you giving them or not?"
The owner flinched. "Th-that's impossible!"
Shindai muttered stubbornly, "Today was just my bad luck, not because my skill is bad. Done playing? Then let's go already!"
"Yep, had enough fun. Let's go."
Hikaku Uchiha walked away followed by Shindai.
Noticing that Hikaku had left all the caught fish behind in the bucket, the owner muttered to himself with glee, "What luck! I hope another couple of suckers like this show up every day. Huh, that's 960 silver taels earned for nothing."
Just as the owner was about to pour the goldfish back into the pool, Shindai's cold voice cut through, "What do you think you're doing? Those are our fish!"
"Haha, I just thought you two might have forgotten, so I was gonna pack them up and chase after you to give them back, you know?"
The owner grabbed a plastic bag and shoved all the goldfish inside. "I'll also throw in a complimentary pack of fish food."
Shindai snatched the bag and the fish food. "Another pack of food! I spent so much money—I deserve it!"
"Of course, of course! Here you go, sir."
"Good thinking. I, Kakashi Hatake, won't forget this!"
Afterward, Shindai left with Hikaku Uchiha.
Walking down the street, Shindai handed the bag of fish and the fish food to Hikaku Uchiha. "Here, try not to mess up next time. If you catch one, it's yours. If you don't take it, that greedy boss will just dump it back into the pond to trick another sucker."
Hikaku Uchiha stared blankly at the goldfish bag Shindai offered her.
"What're you waiting for?" Shindai urged impatiently. "It's still yours, right? You think I'm gonna hold it for you?"
"Oh... Right."
Hikaku Uchiha took the bag and the fish food, then quietly said, "Thanks."
Shindai waved his hand dismissively and sighed.
He came back empty-handed despite spending over a thousand ryō. Worse still, he'd ended up fuming from trying to fish for goldfish. How frustrating!
Suddenly, Hikaku Uchiha spoke up, "Umm, I have a question."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"You said the boss was cheating suckers… So then, what about you…"
Shindai's face darkened instantly. "You look so innocent, yet you know just how to hit below the belt! I'm definitely not a sucker. If it weren't because I saw you wanted to play, I would never fall for such a trick. I'm super sharp normally!"
"So it was because you thought I wanted to play..."
Hikaku tightly held onto the goldfish bag, a strange warmth stirring in her chest.
"Alright, let's go."
Shindai and Hikaku Uchiha continued walking forward together.
Just as they exited the main gate of Ōmaki Village, Shindai suddenly stopped, narrowing his eyes toward the front.
"Well well, fate sure brings enemies together~"
"Heh, seems like my luck isn't too good today."
In front of Shindai stood Asuma Sarutobi, who had run away from home.
Mockingly, Shindai remarked, "Little run-away brat, better watch out or your parents'll catch you and tan your hide."
Asuma's forehead bulged with anger. "Do you want a fight?"
Shindai straightened his posture and snorted, "Who's afraid of whom? Loser!"
Asuma glared furiously. "You sneaky bastard! Dare you come with me to the nearby grove?"
"Gladly!"
Shindai turned to Hikaku Uchiha and said, "Nameless, I'm going to teach this rebellious brat a lesson."
Looking curiously at Asuma Sarutobi, who had already begun heading toward the grove, Hikaku asked, "Is he your enemy? But didn't you both wear the same forehead protectors from the same village?"
"Not an enemy. He's my comrade from the same village, but we've never gotten along. I've got him completely under my thumb. Just sit back and enjoy the show, okay?"
Then Shindai headed off toward the grove.
Shindai raised his hand tauntingly. "Whenever you're ready, bring it on!"
Asuma Sarutobi proposed, "To prevent certain disgraceful cowards from pulling dirty tricks, I suggest we fight in straightforward Taijutsu combat—no Ninjutsu or Genjutsu allowed!"
"This..."
Shindai immediately seemed reluctant; his Taijutsu wasn't all that great.
Mockingly, Asuma Sarutobi said, "Scared? Just apologize if you are. Big guy like me's feeling generous and might even forgive you."
Asuma Sarutobi's provocation instantly succeeded. Shindai sneered, "Afraid of you? What a laughingstock. Doesn't everyone in Konoha know I'm a Taijutsu Prodigy!"
Hikaku Uchiha, who was watching nearby, twitched slightly upon hearing Shindai's words.
Social Prodigy indeed—turns out he's socially awkward around strangers.
Goldfish Scooping Prodigy—ended up losing his composure over something about himself.
Now there's this Taijutsu Prodigy...
It seemed like Shindai's 'prodigy' titles came with a heavy dose of sarcasm.
Seeing his provocation had worked, Asuma Sarutobi became extremely excited, "Then it's settled. Whoever breaks the rules later must walk with his head down whenever he sees the other!"
"Sure thing!"
Just then, a leaf drifted to the ground. Shindai and Asuma Sarutobi charged at each other simultaneously.
Shindai and Asuma's fists and kicks flew as they exchanged blows furiously.
Watching from the sidelines, Hikaku Uchiha frowned. Is this truly the standard of Taijutsu among today's ninja?
Once regarded as a 'weapon,' Hikaku Uchiha had been sealed by the combined efforts of the Senju and Sarutobi clans due to fears over his power.
Therefore, watching Shindai and Asuma Sarutobi's battle, Hikaku Uchiha felt it was no different from watching children bicker.
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