The sun bathed the Academy grounds in warm golden light as a small crowd of freshly minted Genin gathered together, all proudly wearing their new headbands. Excited chatter filled the air, laughter echoing off the walls of the nearby buildings.
Naruto stood in the middle of a small circle, confidently chatting with Kiba, Shino.
Even Sasuke looked relaxed, standing a little apart, surrounded by a crowd of admiring fangirls. He said nothing, just smirked occasionally, which only made the girls squeal louder.
Off to the side, Hinata peeked from behind a column, her fingers nervously twirling together as she stared at Naruto.
Meanwhile, Tatsuya stood near the edge of the courtyard, arms crossed behind his head. Beside him, Shikamane leaned against the wall, eyes half-closed.
"Shikamane, do you think we'll end up in the same group?" Tatsuya asked, glancing at her.
"I hope not," she muttered, not even opening her eyes. "I don't want to be peeked at during missions…"
He grinned. "You wound me, truly."
She smirked lazily. "Not as much as you'd wound yourself if you ever got caught."
"Do you know what I do hope for?" Tatsuya asked, leaning in with an increasingly depraved expression.
Shikamane cracked an eye open. "What?"
"To have a beautiful, sexy kunoichi as my jōnin sensei, hehe…" he said, chuckling darkly to himself.
She sighed. "You're really stupid... Do you really think they'd let a female into the same group as a pervert like you?" she asked, smiling as if this brought her genuine joy.
Tatsuya froze in place.
His mind raced, imagining a team of a large, burly, middle-aged man giving him orders… eating pickled vegetables... calling him "lad"...
"Nooooooooooo…" he moaned, slowly sliding down the wall and hugging his knees. "Why…"
[Host, you are pathetic.]
"Shut up," he muttered at the system.
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Mizuki standing beside Iruka, calm and unbothered—just another teacher seeing his students off.
Something about that rubbed Tatsuya the wrong way.
In the original, Mizuki was already scheming with Orochimaru at this point… but now? Not even a hint of malice. Could it be… things are different here?
A wicked idea slithered into his mind.
"Let's test that…"
Without another word, Tatsuya stood and walked straight toward the two teachers.
Behind him, Shikamane cracked one eye open again. "Where are you—eh, never mind…" she muttered and yawned.
"Iruka-sensei," Tatsuya called as he approached.
Iruka turned to him with a proud smile. "Yes, Tatsuya?"
When he had reported Tatsuya's eight clones exam, the Fourth Hokage himself had complimented Iruka for having mentored such an outstanding shinobi.
"Can I talk with Mizuki-sensei alone?" he asked with a calm voice.
Iruka blinked. "Oh…" He glanced at Mizuki, who looked equally puzzled. "Of course."
Iruka nodded once and stepped away, clearly surprised.
Mizuki gave him a polite smile. "What is it, Tatsuya?"
"Can we move somewhere more private?" Tatsuya asked.
"…Sure," Mizuki replied after a brief pause, though his confusion was evident.
The two of them walked off together, disappearing around the corner of the building.
Tatsuya's eyes were calm, but inside, his thoughts swirled.
Let's find out what kind of man you really are, Mizuki-sensei…
Tatsuya leaned casually against the wall of the building, flashing Mizuki a crooked, accomplice smile.
"Mizuki-sensei… I wanted to ask you something," he said smoothly. "Do you know a way to get stronger quickly?"
Mizuki's eyes narrowed slightly, then his smile deepened into something more knowing.
"A way to get stronger quickly?" he echoed, voice low and deliberate.
'Yes… he's still the same,' Tatsuya thought, watching Mizuki's expression carefully.
"Why ask me and not Iruka?" Mizuki pressed, the friendliness in his tone twisting into something darker.
Tatsuya shrugged, still keeping his casual, mischievous front, but with a serious glint beneath it.
"Because Iruka is too good. He'd probably tell me there are no shortcuts, that it takes hard work and patience. But—I can't wait," Tatsuya said, putting up the act to avoid suspiciousness, "I cannot wait to lose my virginity anymore! I want to get strong and have a lot of women immediately!"
Mizuki froze for a heartbeat, then blinked.
He had expected Tatsuya's shameless perversion, but somehow it still managed to shock him every time.
A slow smile crept over Mizuki's lips.
"Then I happen to know the perfect way," he said quietly, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
...
Night had fallen.
Deep in the forest, near an abandoned barn, Tatsuya sat hunched over the massive Scroll of Seals, its weathered surface illuminated by a faint lantern light. His eyes scanned the forbidden jutsu inked across the parchment with awe and frustration.
The Reaper Death Seal.
Flying Thunder God Jutsu.
Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Four Trigram Seal.
And dozens more, each more terrifying and advanced than the last.
The worst part?
He couldn't learn a single one.
[Skill Books detected!]
[Skills too advanced for the host.]
[Requiring at least level 100 to unlock the weakest skill on the Scroll of Seals.]
"Come on, system..." Tatsuya started begging, beads of sweat on his forehead. "Mizuki will kill me once he finds me! I don't have Naruto's luck!"
[No, host. Please, work a bit harder and maybe you won't die.]
"I promise you I'll work harder after this... just help me this one last time," he pleaded.
[Sigh...]
[You can learn the A-rank Yin Release Jutsu, Eye of the Sleepless.]
[Would you like to learn it?]
"Yes! Of course!" Tatsuya practically screamed. "I love you, system!"
[Active skill, Eye of the Sleepless, acquired!]
Tatsuya's hand shot toward his interface. "Show me—"
Thunk!
A kunai embedded itself into the wall of the barn, just inches from his head.
"Fuck." Tatsuya's breath caught in his throat.
Mizuki had arrived.
To be continued...
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