Chapter 4: Academy, Anomaly, and Whispering Girls
"He's weird." - "He's smart." - "He scares me." - "I wonder..."
Konoha. Age 6.
Ninja Academy.
For many kids, it was a normal first day of school.
For Hirito, it was the beginning of an experiment called "How far can I hide in a crowd without becoming boring."
Naruto ran around the hallway, shouting, setting off firecrackers, and loudly promising to become Hokage.
Hirito sat quietly in the corner of the classroom, watching.
On his desk were a pencil, a notebook, and a neatly folded lunch.
In his mind, he made a list:
"Key goals:
- Don't attract the attention of the teachers
- Don't expose yourself as a "genius"
- Don't let yourself be bullied
- Find a point of influence on others
- Find out the behavior of the girls"*
Classes
- Okay, kids, - Iruka boomed, - who knows what chakra is?
- THIS IS WHAT I ACCIDENTALLY PUT ON THE PUSH AND IT EXPLODED! - Naruto shouted happily.
The class laughed.
Iruka tiredly put his palm to his face.
Hirito raised his hand:
- Chakra is a fusion of physical and spiritual energy. With it, we can use jutsu.
If you control your breathing and body balance, chakra becomes more stable.
Iruka blinked:
- Um... right. Very... technical. Well done, Hirito.
- Curse. Too smart. - Hirito mentally crosses out item #2 on the list.
Physical training
At the stadium, children are running, throwing shurikens, doing push-ups. Naruto falls off the log and laughs loudly.
Hirito does everything - accurately, but not very well. He deliberately falls to his knees, pretending to miss the target, although he himself knows exactly where and how to throw.
- I shouldn't be the first. But I shouldn't be the last either. The center is the perfect cover.
First meeting
Hinata was sitting under a tree, holding lunch on her lap. It was obvious - she was shy, not eating, her eyes darting.
Hirito came up, put a box of onegiri next to her and sat down next to her, without saying a word.
- ...uh... uh... you... do you want to...?
- Quiet. We're both introverts. Let's just eat next to each other and pretend we don't notice each other.
Hinata nodded. Her cheeks flushed.
- Cute. And she doesn't yell in your face. That's a plus.
Across the yard, Ino was loudly arguing with Sakura.
- Have you seen how weird he is?! He sits there, keeps quiet, wears a black sweater, and looks at us like we're an equation!
Sakura:
- But he's cute... well... in his own way...
Ino rolled her eyes:
- Damn, another mysterious guy. I don't need a second Sasuke!
Hirito, passing by:
- "A second Sasuke"? Insulting. At least I smile when I want to run away from the country.
Evening. System
The system reappears:
🌀 Congratulations! Hidden stat: "Social Manipulation" increased to level 2.
🌀 Invisibility has been rolled back. Ready for use.
🌀 Analytical ability improved: now you are faster at assessing behavioral patterns (up to the level of a 6-year-old child).
— Well, at least something. At least I will know who is lying and who is just stupid.
Naruto drives the three teachers into the trash bin. Hirito looks at him from the roof.
— You know, brother, sometimes I think — you will either be Hokage...
...or the first one to be put in the village isolation ward for moronic shinobi.
— Why are you such a bore?! I am cheerful!
— Yeah, yeah. You are like fireworks in a cellar. Beautiful... but dangerous.
They both laugh.
Because, despite everything — they are still brothers.
Hirito continues to act covertly.
He is not a hero. He is not a villain. He is an observer who is waiting for the moment to intervene.
But there are already two glances that catch him more often than others:
— Embarrassed, but interested — Hinata's.
— And suspiciously curious — Ino's.