The early morning mist still carried the dampness from the previous day's rain.
Inoue Satoru adjusted his hair before stepping into the office. The first thing he saw was Yanshan Meimei, who had been teaching students since their first year.
Her flaxen-colored long hair was tied neatly into a crisp ponytail, and even the standard-issue ninja vest couldn't hide her curvaceous figure.
Yanshan Meimei was organizing her materials, preparing to start teaching a new batch of students again.
As teachers at the Ninja Academy, they had to guide a class from their first year all the way to graduation, and then start over again with a new batch of kids.
Inoue Satoru fiddled with his clothes, adjusted his best "charming" smile, and rushed over to Meimei.
"Yanshan-sensei, how about dinner tonight?"
"No," Yanshan Meimei replied without even looking up, her eyes fixed on her lesson plans.
Rejected, Inoue Satoru trudged back to his desk. This was their prep time anyway—classes wouldn't start for a while yet.
After finishing her organizing, Yanshan Meimei, holding a few notebooks, suddenly asked about Uchiha Gin.
"Inoue-sensei, I heard that Uchiha Gin has been transferred back to your class?"
Inoue Satoru instantly perked up.
"Yeah, I remember last year he transferred over to your class, didn't he?"
Yanshan Meimei had indeed taught Uchiha Gin for a year.
Just thinking about that kid, who always seemed like he hadn't slept a wink at night and would just nap during class, gave Inoue a headache.
It was an even bigger issue than dealing with Kushina, who at least paid attention in class even if she was a bit explosive.
Currently, Gin's evaluation in ninja combat classes was still at zero. Not because the teachers were unfair, but because Gin simply didn't care—he would just sleep through the entire day! How were they even supposed to give him a grade!?
Seeing Inoue's distressed face, Yanshan Meimei could deeply relate.
"That kid was a real headache. Not only did he sleep through class, but he also kept trying to ask me out to dinner," Meimei sighed.
She knew she was attractive to men, but being hit on constantly by a kid who hadn't even reached adulthood yet?
Was it her problem... or the kid's?
And the way Gin looked at her—it was no different from how Inoue Satoru looked at her!
He's only twelve! Kids are this precocious now!?
What was she doing when she was twelve?
Oh right, she was secretly crushing on a handsome Hyuga boy.
...Okay, maybe it's tradition for ninja kids to mature early.
But Gin still gave her headaches—he once even started bringing her flowers and constantly trying to ask her out. It felt like he was attending class just for her!
It wasn't harassment technically... but it was borderline.
"What!? That little brat actually dared harass Meimei-sensei?!" Inoue Satoru's eyes bulged out. He didn't expect the kid to have the same taste as him—wait, no! He dared to harass his goddess!
"Well, he's just a kid, so I didn't take it seriously," Meimei said lightly.
"But, Inoue-sensei, you should keep an eye on him. That kid loves to skip class."
Meimei remembered clearly: throughout the entire previous year, Gin's attendance rate was only about 50%. Especially after she firmly rejected him—after that, he barely even showed up anymore.
"What?!" Inoue Satoru's face darkened.
If Gin started skipping classes again, it would leave a permanent stain on his teaching record—even if it didn't impact his career, it would definitely hurt his pride.
Thinking of that, he rushed out of the office and sprinted toward the classroom.
When class time came and everyone had arrived, there was still one missing.
Of course—
"Uchiha Gin!!"
...
And sure enough, Uchiha Gin was boldly skipping class.
He was walking down the street, yawning lazily. Honestly, he could probably recite the entire ninja school curriculum backwards at this point.
"If we're being real, I know the material better than Inoue Satoru."
Too bad it wasn't Meimei-sensei with her amazing figure anymore, otherwise he might have had some motivation to stay.
The streets of Konoha were lively, but the number of people walking around was sparse.
Gin glanced at the few passersby—people wrapped tightly in thin clothes, faces full of anxiety as they hurried along.
The stores that were open were mostly food stalls. Besides the occasional rushed civilian, there were also grim-faced ninjas dashing by.
War hadn't officially broken out yet, but the scent of it was already creeping into the village.
Gin wandered into the commercial street, where he spotted Might Duy unloading goods for a merchant.
Bending under the weight of five or six heavy bags, Duy showed no signs of his teammates nearby.
Gin clicked his tongue in amazement.
Even though Might Duy wasn't at his peak yet, he could probably open six gates if he tried—and here he was, doing manual labor!
He walked over and called out:
"Yo, old man, fancy seeing you again."
Might Duy flinched the moment he saw Gin's face.
"Uchiha!!"
With a giant leap backward, he landed like a cat.
Clearly, Gin had traumatized him a bit the night before.
"Take it easy, will ya?"
The merchant waiting nearby scowled in annoyance.
"Sorry, sorry," Might Duy hurriedly bowed and apologized.
Gin raised an eyebrow. The merchant only glanced at the Uchiha crest on Gin's clothes and wisely chose to stay silent, even taking a few steps back.
In Konoha, the Uchiha name still carried an intimidating weight.
"Wait for me a sec," Duy whispered, then kicked into high gear—hauling multiple sacks at once to speed up the unloading.
After he finally finished and bowed respectfully to the merchant, he was allowed to leave.
Gin, who had been casually leaning on a utility pole the whole time, just raised an eyebrow.
The ninja world was messed up.
The real power belonged to the Daimyo and nobles—normal people who basically treated ninjas like tools.
They were scared of ninjas... but also looked down on them.
It was ridiculous.
Not that regular people couldn't hold power, but these guys in charge were such clowns it was unbelievable.
In any normal world, they'd have been overthrown ages ago.
"Hahaha, sorry to keep you waiting, young man," Might Duy said, wiping his hands on his pants.
He still didn't understand why this Uchiha kid sought him out.
"Old man, have you been practicing the jutsu I gave you?"
Gin looked up with a childlike look of eager anticipation.
While his power wasn't impressive yet, his acting skills were absolutely top-notch.
"I have! It was way simpler than I expected!" Might Duy laughed heartily.
And yet you still haven't mastered it, Gin thought to himself, keeping up his polite smile.
Both Minato and Kushina got it down in a single night!
"If you have any questions, I can explain it to you," Gin offered.
"You've practiced it too? But isn't it supposed to seal your ninjutsu abilities?" Might Duy looked shocked.
The scroll clearly said that when you first learn it, you lose access to normal ninjutsu.
Duy had no real talent for ninjutsu, so he thought it suited him.
But Gin... an Uchiha... unable to use ninjutsu?
"Wait, you're the Uchiha Gin?!" Might Duy finally put two and two together, pointing at Gin with wide eyes.
"Glad to see you've got some brain cells after all," Gin said lazily.
His reputation was truly legendary at this point—and not in a good way.
Why was it that being an Uchiha made his flaws so famous?
He didn't get it.
"Hahaha," Might Duy laughed awkwardly.
Was that a compliment... or an insult?
"So, old man, if you've got any questions, ask away. Otherwise..." Gin's tone suddenly turned sinister. "I might have to tell everyone you stole that jutsu."
Before he could finish, Might Duy panicked and clamped a hand over Gin's mouth, cold sweat dripping down his face as he looked around nervously.
"It was... it was payment for a mission!" he whispered desperately.
"Yeah, that's true," Gin shrugged. "But only we know that. I submitted the mission record to the Hokage's office as a paid transaction."
Gin shamelessly admitted to completely framing him.
Might Duy turned pale as a ghost, swaying where he stood.
He had been betrayed... by a fellow villager!
Was no one trustworthy anymore!?
"Here's the deal," Gin said, voice low and dangerous. "Two choices. Complete the jutsu tonight... or..."
"Defeat me."
Might Duy scratched his head, thoroughly confused.
"That's it?"
Seeing his skepticism, Gin quickly said, "That's really it."
Inwardly, Gin felt a chill—honest people could be terrifying.
Definitely not messing with them again in the future.
Might Duy thought hard for a moment, then suddenly gave a thumbs-up, eyes sparkling.
"So it's to inspire me! I'm so touched!"
He even had tears in his eyes.
Thank god he bought it.
Gin wiped invisible sweat from his forehead. He might've gotten a little carried away earlier.
"Yep, exactly."
"Don't worry, young man! I'll master the jutsu!" Might Duy declared confidently—even if it took him ten or twenty years.
"If you don't... I'll spread the word," Gin said casually.
"Ehhh!?" Might Duy's face froze in horror.
"And if you think it'll take too long," Gin said, patting Might Duy on the back (he couldn't reach his shoulder), "then you have only one option left."
"But..." Might Duy hesitated. Wasn't fighting a student basically bullying?
Seeing the hesitation, Gin grinned wide.
"Don't underestimate me. I'm really strong."
Today, Gin's real goal was simple:
To witness firsthand...
The legendary Eight Gates technique—
A single kick that could end everything.