On the playground.
Jiro Egami and his little gang were sprawled across the stairs, sulking.
Every time Egami thought about the disaster that was this morning, his face fell even deeper into gloom.
The more he dwelled on it, the angrier he got. And the angrier he got, the more he thought about it, which only made him angrier...
"Damn it!"
"Getting bullied by Uchiha Ren is one thing!" he huffed. "We couldn't beat him even if our dads showed up. That's nothing to be ashamed of."
After all, they weren't the first ones to be stomped by the Uchiha clan.
"But then that new transfer student bullied us too. What the hell are we even going to school for?!"
Weren't they here to train as ninjas? To rise above the rest?
A snot-nosed kid nearby sniffled, the mucus that had slid past his lips sucked right back into his nose with a snort.
He mumbled, "Boss… should we get revenge?"
Egami gave him a sideways glance and kicked him in the butt. "No shit we should! My ninja way is to be someone important—this morning was a disgrace! I just don't get it!"
A spectacled kid with a "wise guy" look asked cautiously, "But her last name's Uzumaki… She's from some big-time clan, right? If we mess with her, won't her family come after us?"
Just last time, when they tried to one-up Uchiha Ren, their parents ended up being scolded like kids by Ren's father. Then those same parents came home fuming and whipped them again with bamboo sticks. Just thinking about it made their butts sting.
Egami clicked his tongue and shook his head. "I told you to actually listen in class, but nooo—you had to sleep through it. The teacher clearly said the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed years ago. Who's left for her to call for backup?"
The wise guy blinked, then nodded in agreement. "Right. That's true."
The snot-nosed kid raised another point. "But boss… we can't beat her. Wouldn't charging in just get us wrecked?"
That made Egami pause.
Yeah, they couldn't take her head-on. That redhead was a freak. Strong as hell. Her strength alone could probably wipe the floor with all of them tied together.
He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Don't worry. I'll let my brother handle it."
"Uh…"
The rest of the crew exchanged worried glances.
Let the boss's brother step in again? Really?
The last time he tried that—trying to save face for Egami—he got hospitalized by Uchiha Ren. It was a total disaster.
Egami clearly remembered that too, but he brushed it off with a scoff. "That was an exception. Don't worry. Uzumaki Kushina might be tough, but she's not that strong. She's no match for my brother."
The other two nodded, persuaded by his certainty. Yeah—Ren was just a freak. Kushina wouldn't be that hard to handle.
But just then, a quiet voice chimed in, "I still don't think it's a good idea."
"Huh?"
Three pairs of eyes turned to the smallest boy.
Egami frowned. "What do you mean?"
The boy stood up with conviction. "What happened to your brother probably lit a fire under him. Wouldn't it be better if we trained harder ourselves? That way, we'd be the ones to get revenge!"
He clenched his fists, lifting them to the sky with fierce determination.
"I believe that if we work hard, we'll improve! We might even defeat Uchiha Ren one day and erase the shame of our past!"
The sun blazed brightly above, as if cheering for his passionate declaration.
But Egami and the other two stared at him like he'd grown another head.
Who the hell invited this idiot?
Egami smacked the boy hard on the head. "Work hard and you'll gain something? Are you stupid or just full of yourself? You think you can beat Ren or Minato?"
The kid clutched his head, yelping in pain. But Egami wasn't done.
He yanked the poor guy up by the ear and pointed off toward the trees.
"You see that grove over there? I guarantee you those two are over there right now training!"
The wise guy nodded. "Yep. Every day, ever since we started school, Ren and Minato head to that same grove to train like maniacs."
The snot-nosed kid's voice was filled with resignation, "I'm not scared of talented people. I'm scared of people who are talented and work that hard…"
He choked up, his nose leaking again.
"You think we can get revenge without working ten times harder than them? You think we're enough to handle it?"
The passionate boy wilted under their glares. "I-I was wrong! It was stupid! Please stop pulling my ear!"
Even as he cried, he cursed that green-skinned weirdo he met last night who told him "hard work can beat genius." Damned guy filled his head with nonsense.
Egami let go at last and dropped back onto the stairs. "Since you're so full of stupid ideas, you can do my homework tonight."
"Wha—?!" the boy practically shrieked. "Noooo!! ∑(ﾟДﾟノ)ノ"
He wanted to slap his own mouth. Why'd he open it in the first place? And wait—again?! Why did he say "again" like this wasn't a one-time thing?
Oh… right… The boss never did his own homework…
Panicking, he crawled over to Egami and tried to bargain. "Boss… hehe… How about we trade? Just this once?"
Egami immediately narrowed his eyes and stood up, towering over him. "What was that? Say it again?"
The boy stepped back in terror. "N-Nothing! I didn't say anything!"
Egami smirked. A chill ran pleasantly down his spine. Ah… sparasi… That feeling of absolute control—of being the top dog and everyone else just playing by your rules.
"Ahhh… feels good—"
Before he could finish that thought, something massive rammed into him from the side and sent him sprawling.
"Oh crap!"
Luckily, Egami had some chakra training from school. He barely managed to stumble twice before finding his footing again.
Shocked, he spun around to see what—or who—had hit him.
"You—"
But his anger dimmed when he got a proper look.
She was clearly from the Akimichi clan. Round and big.
When she saw his face, she bowed her head and apologized immediately.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't realize anyone was sitting at the corner. I wasn't paying attention!"
Her voice was a bit deep, but definitely that of a girl.
Egami and the others glanced back and realized they were sitting in a blind spot, blocked by the wall. It was no wonder someone might miss them.
But Egami didn't care about that. His mood had already been ruined earlier—and now this?
He was already pissed about being smacked around by Uchiha Ren and Kushina. And now even a fat girl dared to knock into him?
Did everyone think he was just a weak little kitten now?!
Without thinking, he raised a hand and slapped her hard across the face.
Smack!
"You blind or something?! Can't even slow down at a corner? What's next—you gonna try riding on my head and taking a dump?!"
The girl hit the ground from the force. Her hand flew to her cheek, and although her bangs covered most of her face, it was clear her expression wasn't pretty.
Still, she lowered her head and apologized again. "I'm sorry…"
"If saying sorry fixed everything, what the hell do we need the village guard for?" Egami snapped.
And just like that, his mind made the jump—from the word "guard" to the Uchiha, then to Uchiha Ren.
His rage spiked again.
He raised his foot for a brutal kick—
—but just as it came down, another foot suddenly appeared out of nowhere and intercepted him mid-strike.
Wham!
The force stopped him cold.
"What the hell?!" Egami shouted, stumbling back.