At last, the bell for recess rang.
"Alright, that's it for the morning." Teacher Ibuki closed his textbook and reminded them, "Nohara Shinnosuke, don't forget to turn in your reflection on the Will of Fire tomorrow. Over three hundred words."
Shin-chan lay sprawled over his desk like a puddle of melted wax.
"Three hundred words. I'm going to die."
Uchiha Toru was packing up his books beside him. He glanced over and couldn't help laughing.
"Three hundred words actually isn't that much. It's only a few sentences."
"A few sentences?" Shin-chan lifted his head. "Then if I write, 'The Will of Fire means not eating bell peppers,' how many words is that?"
Uchiha Toru counted. "Ten."
"Then how many times do I have to write it?"
"Thirty times."
Shin-chan fell silent, then collapsed back onto the desk.
Looking at his utterly lifeless expression, Uchiha Toru suddenly remembered something. He pulled out a small paper packet from his school bag and placed it in front of Shin-chan.
"For you."
Shin-chan looked up at the packet.
"What's this?"
"Open it and see."
Shin-chan opened it curiously.
Inside was a chocolate stick.
"Chocolate stick!" Shin-chan's eyes lit up instantly.
"Yeah." Uchiha Toru turned his face away a little awkwardly. "Yesterday, didn't you say you liked chocolate sticks? We happened to have some at home, so I brought one for you."
Shin-chan stared at the chocolate stick, almost drooling, then looked at Uchiha Toru.
"Toru."
"W-What?"
"You're my best friend!"
Uchiha Toru's face flushed slightly. "D-Don't make it sound so dramatic."
"I mean it." Shin-chan threw his arms around him. "Toru is the best. Ten thousand times better than bell peppers."
"Don't compare me to bell peppers!"
"Then ten thousand times better than natto."
"That's not much better!"
Shin-chan let him go and picked up the chocolate stick with a solemn expression, as if performing some sacred ritual.
Then he took a bite.
"Mmm."
Uchiha Toru watched him nervously. "How is it?"
Shin-chan closed his eyes and chewed slowly, a blissful expression spreading across his face.
"It's good. So good. This is the best chocolate stick I've ever had."
"Really?"
"Yeah." Shin-chan opened his eyes and looked at him. "Toru, you should have a bite too."
"No, it's for you."
"Nope. Half each." Shin-chan snapped the chocolate stick in two and handed the bigger half to Uchiha Toru. "Here."
Uchiha Toru stared at the half in his hand, stunned.
"That's yours."
"Friends are supposed to share." Shin-chan had already stuffed the other half into his mouth. "And besides, you treated me, so of course I have to share half back with you."
Looking at the half chocolate stick in his hand, Uchiha Toru suddenly felt something strange well up inside him.
Something warm, like sunlight shining over him.
He took a bite.
"Is it good?" Shin-chan asked.
"Yeah." Uchiha Toru nodded. "It's good."
Shin-chan grinned, then suddenly remembered something else. "Oh right, Toru, do you like koala cookies?"
"They're okay."
"Then next time I'll bring you some. My mom bought a lot."
"Okay."
The two of them sat together, eating the same chocolate stick.
Outside the window, the sunlight was perfect.
Guy happened to pass by and saw the scene. His eyes instantly grew misty again.
"Youth—this is the youth of friendship!"
Shin-chan and Uchiha Toru both turned to look at him.
"Guy, do you want some?" Shin-chan held up the tiny last piece in his hand. "There's only a little left."
Guy froze for a second, then tears burst from his eyes.
"Shin-chan!"
He lunged forward and wrapped Shin-chan in a hug.
"You really are my best friend!"
"L-Let go, I can't breathe."
At the front of the room, Teacher Ibuki was tidying up his things. Just as a smile began to lift the corners of his mouth—
"What did you say?!"
Obito's shout exploded from the corner of the room, startling everyone.
Teacher Ibuki's smile froze on his face. He turned toward the sound and saw Obito spring to his feet, face flushed red, glaring at a boy in the back row.
"I said," Asuma repeated lazily, "what's so great about being Hokage? He's always so busy you never see him. He doesn't even bother with his own son."
Obito clenched his fists. "The Hokage is the greatest ninja of all. He protects the village. How can you say that?"
"That's my old man." Asuma rolled his eyes. "I know better than you do. All he ever does is work, work, work. He never cares about what's going on at home. So what if he's great? He doesn't even have time for his family."
Obito was trembling with anger. "And that's because he's doing it for the village. The Hokage sacrifices himself for everyone."
"Sacrifices himself?" Asuma stood up and glared right back at him. "Who asked him to? I'd rather he wasn't Hokage at all—just a normal dad."
"You don't deserve to be the Hokage's son!"
"You think I asked for this?" Asuma's voice rose too. "No matter where I go, people stare at me. No matter what I do, I have to watch my image. It's a pain."
The two of them stood face to face, their eyes practically shooting sparks.
The children around them all went quiet, watching nervously.
The moment Teacher Ibuki saw where this was headed, he panicked and hurried over. "Hey, hey, what are you two doing?"
But neither Obito nor Asuma paid him any attention.
"Apologize," Obito shouted. "Apologize to the Hokage."
"Why should I? I'm telling the truth."
"You—!"
Obito threw a punch. Asuma twisted aside and dodged, then shoved him back, and the two of them instantly grappled with each other.
"Stop it! Both of you, stop!"
Teacher Ibuki rushed in to pull them apart, but he was just a teacher in his early twenties, and this was the first time he'd run into something like this. He had no idea what to do.
He had barely grabbed Obito's arm when Asuma's leg flew out and nearly kicked him too.
"Stop fighting!" Teacher Ibuki's voice was full of panic and helplessness.
But the two boys had already gone red-eyed with anger and weren't listening at all. Some of the other kids had shrunk back in fear, while others excitedly started egging them on.
Kakashi sat in his seat, expressionless, watching the whole scene with no intention of interfering.
Rin got to her feet anxiously. "Stop it, you'll get hurt!"
Guy also tried to step in and break them apart, but the two boys shook him off.
The scene was getting more and more chaotic.
At some point, Shin-chan suddenly appeared between them. "Why are you fighting? Is it because you're fighting over a chocolate stick?"
"No," both boys said at the same time.
"Then is it because you're fighting over a pretty big sister?"
"No."
"Then is it because you're fighting over who gets to use the toilet first?"
"Of course not."
Shin-chan tilted his head, looking baffled. "Then why are you fighting?"
Obito pointed at Asuma. "He insulted the Hokage."
Asuma sneered. "I just told the truth."
Shin-chan blinked, looked at Obito, then at Asuma, and asked, "Your dad is the Hokage?"
"Yeah."
"Then is your dad really strong?"
Asuma froze for a second, then turned his face away. "What's it to you whether he is or not?"