After Tengen's victory over Hayate, his prowess spread like wildfire through the Academy. Many now believed he was the strongest student.
He might even apply to graduate this year.
Tengen had become famous, stepping over Hayate to do it. Poor Hayate, still stuck in Konoha Hospital, could only sulk in silence.
Even Yugao, who used to call him Hayate-senpai was now smitten with Tengen.
Hayate felt his fate was downright tragic.
...
After school.
"Tengen, I'm not letting you leave me behind! I'm aiming to graduate this year too!" Anko declared loudly.
"Oh, and Iruka, you gotta step it up!" She added, turning to him.
"Uh, I don't have your kind of talent, but I'll do my best." Iruka said with a shy smile.
"Tengen-senpai's the best!" Yugao cheered from the side.
"Anko, I never said I was graduating this year, did I?" Tengen scratched his nose. When had he mentioned that?
"You've been holding back all this time, right? Why else would you show off now?" Anko shot him a look.
"Oh, well, in that case, I'll apply to graduate this year." Tengen nodded.
With his strength, it was time to broaden his horizons. Graduating would mean getting a sensei, which could lead to missions outside Konoha and more chances to snag high-quality signal fragments.
"Hm." Tengen suddenly noticed a new signal on the system's map. "Anko, Iruka, Yugao, I gotta go. Got something to take care of."
With that, he vanished from their sight.
"He just left?" Anko blinked. "Alright, I'm heading home. Let's all keep pushing!"
...
Meanwhile, Tengen followed the system's map toward the signal.
The further he went, the stranger it felt.
"Another spot at Konoha's edge?" Tengen eyed the surrounding buildings. "And it's the Uchiha's territory again."
Passing through, he didn't need to look to feel the Uchiha's gazes, haughty, cold stares. Someone like Shisui, with his warm personality, was an outlier among them.
Good thing it was daytime. Otherwise, Tengen might've worried about being quietly taken out by an Uchiha.
Okay, maybe he was overthinking it. The Uchiha were Konoha ninjas; they wouldn't just kill randomly.
Their district wasn't off-limits, but other ninjas rarely ventured here.
It was, after all, the Uchiha's stronghold.
"Isn't it here yet?" Tengen grumbled, unnerved by the Uchiha's icy stares.
"Alright, this is it." He stopped at a grand building, clearly significant within the Uchiha.
Tengen glanced up. "Looks like it's near the entrance. Better receive it fast."
He stepped into the signal's range and began downloading the video. This was a standard-quality signal, a step above ordinary, so it took a bit longer.
"Almost done." Tengen muttered, watching the progress bar.
"Who are you? You're not Uchiha. What are you doing here?" A childish high-pitched voice interrupted as a small kid emerged from the building's gate.
"Oh, what a cute kid!" Tengen crouched and patted the child's head.
"Hey, stop that!" The kid protested.
"Seriously adorable." Tengen pinching the kid's cheeks. His hands froze as a chilling presence enveloped him. At the entrance, an Uchiha stared coldly.
"Jounin." Tengen thought, sensing the ninja's strength. A chunin wouldn't radiate that kind of pressure.
"Uh, I just remembered something urgent!" Tengen stood, ready to bolt. The signal was received anyway.
"Tengen?" A familiar voice cut through. It was Shisui, the Uchiha he'd met that morning.
"Shisui-nii!" The kid scampered to him.
"Hey, Itachi, good afternoon." Shisui said, ruffling the child's hair.
"Tengen, what brings you here?" Shisui stood, surprised. "This is Uchiha territory. Outsiders don't usually come by."
"I got lost on life's journey again." Tengen said with a sheepish grin.
"Haha, Tengen, you're a total road dunce!" Shisui laughed. "Twice in one day, that's some luck. Want me to walk you back?"
"Nah, I'll manage." Tengen said quickly. "See ya, Shisui-nii, and you too, kid!"
With that, he zipped away.
No need to linger. Besides, he was dying to check out this standard signal fragment, what could it hold?
"Shisui-nii, who was that?" The kid asked.
"That's Tengen. He's an interesting guy." Shisui smiled as Tengen disappeared.
"He's mean! He pinched my cheeks!" The kid pouted.
"Haha, maybe you need to pinch him back next time." Shisui chuckled.
Tengen, now clear of Uchiha territory, headed home. From the earlier exchange, he had a hunch.
That building was likely the residence of Uchiha Fugaku, the Patriarch of Uchiha. And that kid? Uchiha Itachi.
Only two years old, but already super cute.
"Nice squishy cheeks." Tengen nodded, recalling how modern fans adored Itachi. A mischievous grin spread across his face.
"Feels like a fun game. A nurturing game." He mused, lost in wild thoughts as he reached home.
His house was decent, not Uchiha-level, but plenty good for him.
"Alright, let's see what this video is." Tengen locked the door, settled into a chair, and opened the system's fragment.
"It's this?!"
***
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