Chapter 19: Sparks in the Classroom
Watching Mikoto's gentle, flustered demeanor, a genuine smile touched Hyuga Shinra's lips. As expected of the Naruto world's quintessential wife material. While Uchiha Mikoto had little screen time, her popularity wasn't low. This classic Yamato Nadeshiko archetype was exactly to his liking.
He had already decided it in his heart: Mikoto would be his from now on. As for Uchiha Fugaku? He could go fly a kite. Whether future legends like Uchiha Itachi or Sasuke would ever be born was none of his concern.
To be honest, Shinra had little respect for the so-called "Itachi God." It wasn't a matter of right or wrong, but a fundamental clash of ideologies. Itachi was a man of "great love," who valued the village above all else (except, perhaps, Sasuke). Shinra was a man of "small love," fiercely protective of only the few he held dear. He would never sacrifice himself or his loved ones for the sake of strangers.
Your heart is vast enough to hold the world, he thought. Mine is small, only big enough to hold those who belong in it.
His distaste for Uchiha Itachi extended to Uchiha Sasuke as well; he found the brooding avenger equally unappealing.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Mikoto asked, a note of shy exasperation in her voice.
"Because you're beautiful," Shinra said without a hint of shame, his tone playful yet sincere. "One look at you and I was captivated. You stole my heart the moment I saw you."
Mikoto's face flushed a brilliant scarlet. She quickly turned her head away, staring fixedly at the front of the classroom, too flustered to meet his gaze.
Shinra continued to watch her unabashedly, making her heartbeat thunder in her ears. Yet, she didn't truly dislike the attention; a small, secret part of her was thrilled.
"Shinra, you traitor! Abandoning me for a girl!" Senju Nawaki cried out, dramatically breaking the intimate atmosphere that had begun to form.
"Nawaki, be reasonable," Shinra retorted, not taking his eyes off Mikoto's profile. "Sitting with you can't compare to the comfort of sitting with a beautiful girl. And look, your deskmate is quite the handsome fellow himself. I'm sure he'll suit your tastes just fine. No need to keep staring at me."
He gestured toward Nawaki's deskmate, who happened to be the future Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.
"What?" Nawaki looked utterly confused. Despite the general precociousness of clan heirs, they were still children, and the subtle insinuation flew right over his head.
"I'm saying I don't like men. You should find someone else," Shinra stated flatly.
"I DON'T LIKE MEN EITHER!" Nawaki roared, his face turning red with indignation.
"Really? My mistake," Shinra said, though the blatantly disbelieving look on his face suggested otherwise.
Nawaki sputtered, too furious to form a coherent defense. Namikaze Minato, caught in the crossfire, wore a dumbfounded expression and subtly inched his seat further away from Nawaki. If he weren't afraid of provoking him further, Minato would have already changed seats.
"Hmph! Just you wait! I'm telling my sister you're flirting with other girls!" Nawaki threatened before plopping back into his chair in a huff.
Shinra remained unperturbed, returning his attention to making Uchiha Mikoto blush. Her face was so hot he fancied she could fry an egg on it.
"You're so easily flustered, Mikoto."
"If... if you keep bullying me, I'll ignore you," she stammered, her voice barely a whisper, her eyes fixed on her desk.
Knowing it was best to quit while he was ahead, Shinra relented. Pushing too far could leave a bad impression. To his slight surprise, he detected a flicker of disappointment in Mikoto's posture when he stopped.
As the classroom filled up with the rest of the A-class students—the future Ino-Shika-Cho trio, the Hyuga brothers, an Inuzuka—the dynamic shifted. When Hyuga Hizashi spotted Shinra, a flash of anger and fear crossed his face before he quickly looked away, having learned the hard way not to provoke him. Hyuga Hiashi merely shot Shinra a cold glance before steering his brother to their seats.
Shinra shrugged and laid his head on the desk, appearing to nap but in reality focusing inward on the tedious process of purifying his chakra.
The relative peace was shattered by a loud, arrogant voice.
"What did you say?" Nawaki was on his feet again, his fists clenched.
"I said everyone in this class will answer to me. I am Uchiha Ken!" declared a boy with the Uchiha fan emblem proudly displayed on his back, staring down Nawaki.
The atmosphere in the classroom instantly grew tense. Every student, from civilian-born to clan heir, looked at the arrogant Uchiha boy with clear hostility. Senju Nawaki and Hyuga Hiashi were the most visibly affronted.
The grudge between the Senju and Uchiha was ancient and ran deep, impossible to resolve with words. The Hyuga, as the other famed dojutsu clan, were in a constant, unspoken competition with the Uchiha over which was superior. Adding to the tension was the Uchiha clan's current role as the Konoha Military Police Force—a position of authority that, in the hands of the notoriously prideful Uchiha, had managed to alienate nearly every other clan in the village. Their inflexible enforcement had earned them a reputation as insufferable and has made them widely disliked.
Uchiha Ken, it seemed, was determined to continue this tradition by offending his entire class on the first day.
Even Shinra, who had been focused on his chakra, lifted his head from the desk, watching the scene unfold with keen interest. Seeing the crowd's angry reaction, he didn't mind adding a little fuel to the fire. This Uchiha Ken rubbed him the wrong way.
"Do you know this guy?" Shinra asked, gently tapping Mikoto's shoulder.
She blushed at the contact before answering in a hushed tone. "He's considered a genius in our clan... but he's very arrogant. He's also an elder's grandson, so he thinks he has the right to compete for the position of clan head."
"No wonder he acts so entitled. He has some backing," Shinra mused.
"Mhm," Mikoto nodded, a faint frown on her face. "He bullies people all the time. It's really unpleasant. Even within the Uchiha clan, he's not very well-liked." For the gentle Mikoto to show such clear distaste spoke volumes about Uchiha Ken's character.