Time passed quietly, the years slipping by like a shuttle.
The little brats from before had slowly grown taller. No one knew whether it was because they trained often or simply because of their physiques, but some people just stood out during their teenage years.
Literally stood out.
"We're both ninja from the Senju clan, so why the hell are you so tall?!"
Third-year Senju Nawaki complained nonstop.
Looking at his own height of 1.5 meters, he really wasn't short.
But then he looked at the cousin beside him who was already 1.7 meters tall.
His face turned green.
They were both from the Senju clan—so why was this guy so outstanding?
"You idiot, Nawaki. It's because you never train properly. If you worked on your body like I do, one day you'd look like this too."
Hideki Senju said this while striking a perfect bodybuilding pose.
"Get lost! I'm telling you, the essence of being a ninja is stealth—moving unseen. You're already 1.7 meters tall, and you'll definitely grow even taller later. You're going to suffer because of that, you know!"
"You idiot, Nawaki. Do you know the highest secret of stealth?"
"It's killing everyone who sees you. If no one sees you, then naturally no one can discover you. Isn't that perfect stealth?"
"Bastard! That's crooked logic! Totally unreasonable!"
"Who cares? Black cat, white cat—if it catches mice, it's a good cat."
"You—you—Grandma Mito wants to see you. After school today, don't you dare run off."
"Grandma Mito? Got it. I'll come pick you up after school."
"Get lost! I'm older—I should be the one picking you up!"
"Oh right, my older who's a whole head shorter than me."
"You bastard! Damn it! I'm going to kill you!"
Childhood friendships were always this innocent and beautiful.
Senju Nawaki: "Who's innocent with him? Who's friends with him? Watch what you say."
...
At the Ninja Academy, a group of kids stared at two ninja dogs—one large, one small—and couldn't stop clicking their tongues in amazement.
"See? I told you that guy Ryoha isn't normal. How can someone's ninja dog grow to twice the size of others from the same year in just one school year?"
"True. At first Ryoha was the only one in class who brought a ninja dog, so it wasn't obvious. But this semester Rinko also brought hers, and now the comparison is way too clear."
"Exactly! Rinko's dog is only a little bigger than her head, but Ryoha's is almost as big as an adult ninja dog already. I just wonder if he'll still be able to balance Eimaru on his head in the future."
"Hahaha!"
Everyone imagined Inuzuka Ryoha with a ninja dog bigger than himself sitting on his head, and they couldn't help bursting into laughter.
"What are you all laughing at?"
The tall Inuzuka Ryoha walked in through the crowd with the timid Rinko Inuzuka.
"Woof! Woof!"
"Woof! Woof!"
Eimaru, along with the smaller Sumimaru, quickly ran over to their owners.
Sumimaru jumped straight into Rinko's arms.
Ryoha and Rinko both started playing with the little dog.
"Rinko, Sumimaru really is cuter. Unlike Eimaru—he's grown so big that he's not cute at all anymore."
"Woof! Woof!"
Eimaru rolled around wildly on the ground, venting his dissatisfaction like crazy.
Ryoha and Rinko burst out laughing.
Nothing special—this kind of scene was already completely normal.
"Ryoha, Rinko, you're teasing Eimaru again."
A handsome blond boy slowly walked over.
He seemed extremely popular, because people around him kept greeting him.
"Morning, Minato!"
"Classmate Namikaze looks even more handsome today!"
"Ah—no, no…"
"Good morning, classmate Murashita."
After greeting people all the way over, he finally reached Ryoha.
Ryoha immediately punched him without ceremony.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"You should go work at that place. With your popularity, you'd definitely make a fortune. I bet plenty of ladies would specifically request you by name."
"H-Hey, Ryoha, what are you saying?! We're ninja—we have to follow the three prohibitions of ninja, okay?"
Namikaze Minato's face turned completely red.
How could Ryoha say something like that here?
And Rinko was right here too!
Wait—
Even if Rinko wasn't here, he still shouldn't be saying stuff like that!
"Inoichi, Chōza, look. I told you Minato definitely isn't a good guy either. Ryoha didn't even say anything, and he's already blushing like that. He must be thinking about something he shouldn't."
The Nara Shikaku trio arrived right on time.
"That's right. Minato definitely isn't a good guy."
"No wonder Minato is so good at making girls happy. Looks like the signs were already there."
Seeing the situation, Ryoha quickly added another stab.
"The place I was talking about is the women's clothing shop on Commercial Street. If Minato worked there as a greeter, lots of ladies would definitely ask this sunny little pretty boy to explain the products. I wonder what our cheerful little boy was thinking just now?"
Rinko and Ryoha had perfect teamwork.
She naturally knew what to say at this moment and delivered the strongest blow.
"Ryoha, Namikaze doesn't seem like a good person. You're not allowed to play with him anymore."
A giant sword stabbed straight into Minato's heart.
"Ryoha, Rinko, Shikaku, Inoichi, Chōza…"
Minato tried helplessly to explain.
For a good person, the hardest thing was proving you were actually a good person.
"Well well, who's bullying our future Hokage again? Don't you know the future of the Uchiha depends on Minato to survive?"
An arm suddenly hooked around Minato's shoulder.
Uchiha Kamito had heard everything just now.
Had he come to save Minato?
No.
He had come to add another stab.
"Minato, I can recommend a few good lady for you. The service is absolutely excellent—this time you're guaranteed to be satisfied."
"Kamito, what are you saying?!"
Minato hurriedly pushed Uchiha Kamito away.
At the same time, he looked at the others with hopeful eyes.
Come on, hurry—did you hear what he said? You should attack him now!
But how could a bunch of villains bully another villain instead of the one and only good guy?
"Minato, 'this time you'll definitely be satisfied'? So last time you weren't satisfied?" Shikaku said.
Minato: I didn't! Don't talk nonsense!
"Ah, did I expose you? Sorry about that, Minato."
Minato: He's slandering me! He's slandering me!
"Hey, what interesting thing is happening here? Why are you all gathered?"
Hiyasu Hyūga had just arrived with Hyūga Hiashi and Hyūga Hizashi.
Behind them, Shiken Aburame and Aburame Shibi also followed.
Uchiha Kamito, loving the chaos, repeated the whole story again.
Minato's face turned even redder.
Hiyasu Hyūga immediately nodded in understanding.
"The Uchiha really don't handle things carefully. How could something like that be exposed? Come on, I'll arrange it for you. I guarantee with the Hyūga clan's reputation that absolutely no one will find out."
Minato: Wow, thanks a lot.
The two Aburame didn't say anything.
Talking about things like this didn't fit their personalities.
But honestly—it was really funny.
Finally, Hideki Senju arrived and heard the whole story.
He delivered the final blow.
"Wow… Minato is basically a pervert."
Minato vomited five liters of blood and died on the spot.
It was said that his final wish was—to leave his innocence behind in this world.