Chapter 258. Even Prettier in a Dress
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"I'm home!"
After a long day of studying, Itachi had finally returned from school.
Although attending the Ninja Academy had turned out to be somewhat different from what he had originally expected, he had gotten used to it now.
And despite being in school, he never neglected his training.
As long as he was at school, his teachers allowed him plenty of freedom to train on his own.
"Tomorrow is the weekend. I can continue my training with Duy-senpai!" Sitting at the entryway, Itachi changed his shoes while mumbling to himself. "I can't slack off on my taijutsu, and I still need to practice Uchiha Fire Release and Genjutsu."
Even though his training involved delivering takeout with Duy-senpai, it was surprisingly effective.
Ever since he started doing deliveries… he had lost weight and become… stronger.
After changing his shoes, Itachi stood up calmly. He had just turned to walk inside when—
"Onii-chan!"
A small figure suddenly pounced on him, wrapping its arms tightly around him.
The usually indifferent Itachi softened immediately at the sound of the childish voice, his face breaking into a gentle smile. "Is that you, Sasu—"
He lowered his head, reaching out to pat the small figure clinging to him.
But before he could finish his sentence—
His right hand suddenly froze in midair.
He looked in silence at the little girl staring up at him with big, sparkling eyes.
Bright and clear features, long flowing hair, slightly flushed cheeks, and… a cute black princess dress.
Wait.
Did he… have a younger sister?
…
[Sister-in-law… I underestimated you!]
Yuto stared silently at the video playing on his phone.
Such brotherly love.
What a heartwarming and harmonious scene!
Without hesitation, he saved the video and nodded in satisfaction.
If he dared to be a chuunibyo in the future, just show it!
But—
This was supposed to be a cute little princess contest… yet both first and second place were currently held by boys.
When the time came…
Wouldn't people start calling this a rigged competition?
A "little princess" competition?!
Looking down at the comments—
[Young Master Sasuke is so cute! Just like a little girl!]
[As expected from the Clan Leader's sons—both kids are outstanding!]
[Ah~ My girlish heart!]
[Um… you do know that's a boy, right?]
[So, that's a boy~]
"…"
Well, regardless, Sister Mikoto was the wife of the Uchiha Clan Leader, so the moment she posted, it instantly attracted a ton of attention.
But judging from the response… it seemed there was no need to worry.
Everyone was just having fun with it.
As long as it's cute, does it really matter?
Yuto nodded in approval, then glanced at the Hyuga Clan Leader, who had seemingly transformed into a giggling fangirl, happily spamming likes on her phone non-stop.
Where was that legendary Hyuga clan pride?
Gone?
He guessed… she was also recording these videos now. And if she ever made it back home… maybe she would face death?
Yuto sighed helplessly and chose to ignore her. After thinking about something for a moment, he turned to Hanabi. "By the way, Hanabi!"
"???" Hanabi looked up in confusion. "Do you have an order for me?"
"How about becoming a Team Leader here and training some students?"
…
Meanwhile.
Many ninjas across the world had become completely addicted to scrolling through [Ninstagram].
However—
After Uchiha Mikoto uploaded a video of her youngest son, things started taking a rather strange turn…
Not long ago.
Yamanaka-san had been enjoying all the praise for her daughter. But when she saw the video posted by the Uchiha Clan Leader's wife, her eyes immediately lit up, and she couldn't help but sigh inwardly. "As expected from the lady of a major Konoha clan—she really knows how to play the game!"
But she had to admit…
That Sasuke kid, with his soft and delicate features, did look pretty cute.
Too bad.
"My daughter is still in the top ten!" Yamanaka-san said proudly. "She has a real chance of making the top three in this cute little princess contest. How can a little boy compare to her?"
Aside from that one girl from Kirigakure, Haku, who had secured first place, who else was there to worry about?
Hmph.
It's just that she was a tiny bit older and had slightly longer hair.
You should know…
When her daughter was one or two years older, she would definitely be even cuter—even cuter than her!
However—
Moments later—
She realized something shocking.
Her daughter had dropped from 10th place to 11th place!
And first place…
It was actually the video that the Uchiha Clan Leader's wife had just posted!
She was completely stunned!
Especially when she saw… the overwhelming amount of praise in the comments.
This had to be rigged!
Was the entire ninja world blind?
That was a boy! A boy, for crying out loud!
And yet, no one seemed to see this…
Yamanaka-san fell silent. She stared at the cold and aloof little black-haired "girl" in the video. She had to admit… he was pretty cute.
No wonder people were mistaken.
And considering Mikoto-san's status as the wife of a major Clan Leader, even without rigging, the moment she posted, her clan members would have flooded in with support.
Still—
"Damn it! She actually fell out of the top ten! Even though my Ino is so cute!" Yamanaka-san fumed as she glanced at Ino, who was happily playing nearby. "If I lose, people are going to laugh at me!"
Oh, your daughter is pretty?
Well, she's not even cuter than the Young Master of the Uchiha clan, so how "pretty" can she be?
That's right! The Young Master of the Uchiha clan looked even prettier in a dress!
"…"
This… is such a huge blow to a girl!
A girl who is cute and pretty… actually lost to a boy?!
That was practically a divine punishment!
Yamanaka-san leaned on the table, hands gripping the surface as if she had just suffered a major emotional blow. Her expression darkened.
At that moment—
Ino came skipping over, holding a handful of flowers in both hands. She smiled and happily presented them to her mother. "For you, Mom!"
"Argh!" Yamanaka-san took the flowers, looking at her precious daughter, then back at the bouquet.
My daughter was so thoughtful!
How could she lose like this?!
Absolutely not!
Thinking of this, Yamanaka-san's heart seemed to burn with fire, and she held the flowers tightly. "Our Ino is the cutest!"
Sure, Mikoto-san had the entire Uchiha Clan behind her, but the Yamanaka Clan… wasn't weak either!
As for filing a report…
A Little Prince appearing in a Little Princess Competition?
If she reported it, others would probably think that her daughter wasn't as good as the others, and that's why she reported it!
So—
Clenching her fists with the spirit of a housewife on a mission, she stood up and took a bold step forward. "I will definitely win!"
Just as she declared this—
Ding Dong! Ding Dong!
The doorbell rang.
…
After a long day of work, Yamanaka Inoichi returned home. His wife, who usually greeted him at the door and arranged his shoes, was nowhere to be seen.
Not that he minded.
She was probably just tired from looking after their daughter all day. So, with a small shrug, he happily changed his shoes himself.
Then—
He stepped inside.
At that moment—
All his exhaustion vanished, replaced by excitement as he called out, "I'm home! My little princess! Did you miss Daddy?"
He hadn't seen his precious daughter all day.
Did she miss him?
However—
As he walked into the living room, eager to bond with his daughter, he was taken aback by the sight before him. His wife was kneeling at the table, arms crossed, looking at him seriously.
Next to her, their daughter sat in the exact same pose, arms folded, mirroring her mother's stern expression.
He hesitated. "What… What happened?"
Before he could process the scene—
His wife extended a hand toward him, her face solemn. "Sit!"
"O-Okay!" Yamanaka Inoichi immediately straightened up, sat properly, and looked at his wife. "What happened?"
"Our daughter lost!"
"???"
Lost? Lost what?
"This!" Yamanaka-san angrily shoved her phone in his face. "She dropped out of the top ten! This is unacceptable! Our daughter is so cute!"
"Ohhh, that competition thing!" Inoichi relaxed. So that was what this was about.
When he had first seen them both sitting so seriously, he had nearly had a heart attack, thinking something major had happened.
Taking the phone, he scrolled through the rankings, then chuckled. "Wow! Ino made it to eleventh place? That's amazing! She's my daughter, after all! She is so cute!"
"Argh! What are you saying?! This is a disgrace!"
"That's too much! Eleventh place is pretty great!"
"Look at first place! That video was posted just now, and it already shot up to number one!"
"???" Inoichi glanced at his furious wife but still obediently listened to her and scrolled to the top-ranking video.
Moments later—
"Uchiha Clan's? Well… she is pretty cute~" He had to admit it. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Then, looking at his daughter, he smiled warmly. "But of course, my daughter is still the cutest! No need to be upset. In my heart, she's number one!"
However—
Yamanaka-san ignored her husband's words, still staring at him seriously. "Do you know who her father is?"
"Her father?" Why was she suddenly asking that? Inoichi furrowed his brows, puzzled. "I don't know. I remember Clan Leader Fugaku's most recent child was another boy, so it's probably not his—"
Before he could finish—
"It is his!" Yamanaka-san cut him off, nodding seriously. "This is definitely Clan Leader Fugaku's child!"
"???"
Excuse me?
Inoichi frowned, rubbing his chin in thought. "Did Fugaku actually have a daughter? But why would he say it was a boy?"
"No!" Yamanaka-san shook her head. "This is a boy!"
"A… boy? What are you talking about? Haha…" Inoichi looked at the video again, at the girl named Uchiha Sako. "This is obviously a—"
His words trailed off.
A moment of silence.
Then hesitation.
Finally, he turned to his wife.
"Wait… are you saying… this is actually Uchiha Sasuke?"
Silence.
Yamanaka-san sighed, nodded, and said bitterly, "Now you understand! Our daughter… actually lost to a boy!"
"…"
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