Chapter 158 The Development Path of the Thrilling Ninja
Unable to come up with a solution, Haruko gave up and began to rest her head on the table with her eyes closed.
I only meant to take a nap, but I actually fell asleep. When I opened my eyes again, I was all alone in the classroom.
Haruko rubbed her eyes, a little disoriented by the current situation. Where was her simple-minded son?
It seemed the orientation meeting was over. Knowing that Obito Uchiha wouldn't abandon her, Haruko got up to go out and look for him.
She hadn't seen anyone along the way, but just as Haruko was about to leave the school, she spotted a figure at the gate.
"Mask-wearing man?"
Haruko looked at Kakashi Hatake, who was standing against the wall in front of her, and blurted out his nickname.
"Huh?" Kakashi Hatake looked at her, puzzled. "Are you calling me?"
Realizing what she had said, Haruko's eyes shifted slightly. "No... I meant, uh, that the weather is really nice today."
"..." Kakashi Hatake was certain that she was calling him.
I had seen this girl from afar in the classroom before. After all, among the students whose goal was to become ninjas, she stood out not only for her exquisite kimono but also for her thick, dark hair.
Despite feeling offended, Kakashi Hatake didn't want to get involved with her. If his father hadn't said he would pick him up today but was late, he would have left long ago.
When Haruko saw that he turned his head away and ignored her, she looked around as if she had confirmed something, and then stood next to him.
"What are you doing?" Kakashi Hatake realized that she hadn't left but had moved closer to him, so he immediately took a few steps back to the left.
Haruko countered, "What are you doing here?"
"Me? I'm waiting for my dad." Although he didn't understand, Kakashi Hatake still answered her.
“Then I didn’t stand in the wrong place. I’m waiting for Obito to pick me up, since I’m a child waiting to be picked up,” Haruko affirmed.
Kakashi Hatake was taken aback. What he said seemed to make sense, but why did it sound so strange?
Immediately labeling her as a strange person, Kakashi Hatake silently moved a little further away.
Feeling bored, Haruko started making conversation, "What's your name?"
Kakashi Hatake didn't really want to talk to her, but since it was just the two of them standing together, it would be even more awkward if he didn't respond, so he simply replied, "Kakashi Hatake."
"My name is Haruko." Having laid the groundwork with her name, Haruko cut to the chase, "Is there any particular reason why you're wearing a mask?"
"It's none of your business, is it?" Kakashi Hatake replied rudely, his hands in his pockets.
"Are you unhappy? I'm sorry, I was just curious because we were both wearing masks..."
Haruko lowered her eyes, her tone becoming pitiful, and added insult to injury when he looked over, "Because I'm not well, I have to wear a veil to protect myself from the wind."
Looking at her pitiful appearance, Kakashi Hatake inexplicably felt like a great villain.
Having never encountered such a person before, the naive Kakashi Hatake stiffly replied, "I wear a mask only because ninjas should conceal their true faces when on missions."
"I see, it's not because of sausage lips." Haruko said regretfully.
Kakashi Hatake suddenly gave him a deadpan look, wishing she would apologize to his aching conscience.
Just as crows were flying overhead, Hatake Sakumo finally arrived, albeit late.
"Sorry Kakashi, the mission ended a little late." Sakumo Hatake scratched his head apologetically at his son's reproachful gaze, then noticed the girl standing next to his son. "Is this your new friend?"
"She's not a friend." Kakashi Hatake immediately went to his father's side, distancing himself from Haruko.
Haruko wasn't angry at his attitude; instead, she looked at Sakumo Hatake curiously and asked, "Are you Kakashi's father?"
"Yes, little one." Hatake Sakumo gently patted her head.
"It looks so familiar." Haruko uttered quietly, her hand involuntarily tugging at his sleeve.
With a gentle expression, Hatake Sakumo squatted down and asked her, "It seems I have a bad memory; I actually forgot about such a cute little girl."
Haruko shook her head and let go of her hand. "My name is Haruko. I'm very good at psychological counseling, so you can come to me if you're unhappy."
Standing behind her, Kakashi Hatake found her really strange. "How could a child like you be good at psychological counseling?"
"You actually question me?" Haruko's eyes showed shock.
"That's how it is..."
Kakashi's unfinished words were interrupted by Sakumo Hatake, who pressed his head down and looked at Haruko apologetically, "This kid doesn't know how to talk, I hope you won't be angry with him."
"I won't be angry. Kakashi can come to me too, since you look like you really need some counseling," Haruko retorted with a forced smile.
Hatake Sakumo stood up with amusement. "Haruko, we'll be leaving now. You should go home early too."
As Haruko watched their receding figures, she was lost in thought. Why did it feel so familiar?
"Haruko!" Obito Uchiha ran towards her from inside the school, panting.
"Has Obito gone off to play the good Samaritan again?" Haruko was already used to his frequent lateness and disappearances.
Obito Uchiha calmed his breathing for a moment, "Because the teacher said that the equipment needed to be moved over, so I..."
"Alright, I'll punish you by making you give me five candies."
"No, Uncle Fugaku said you can't eat too much!"
"Obito has absolutely no sense of remorse!"
"I'm not...I...Okay, okay, but you can only eat two!"
*
A month has passed since the start of the school year, and Kakashi Hatake's reputation is growing. Many girls come to his class specifically to see him, which is quite an eye-opener for Haruko.
“I can understand, after all, wearing a mask makes him stand out.” Haruko carefully analyzed the types of children’s preferences.
"He's just putting on an act!"
Obito Uchiha turned his face away indignantly, refusing to look at Kakashi Hatake, who was surrounded by girls.
Haruko, propping herself up with her hands, asked in confusion, "Following this trend, I'm also wearing a veil, so why aren't any girls coming to find me?"
Shouldn't they be looking for a boy? Obito Uchiha thought to himself. It was all thanks to him being by Haruko's side that those boys couldn't bypass him when they came to find Haruko.
Obito Uchiha said with a hint of smugness, "There's nothing to be envious of, after all, the one by your side is me, the genius Uchiha!"
"..." Haruko looked at his smug expression and began to wonder if it was because he was accompanied by an idiot that no girl wanted to play with her.
As a popular contestant, Kakashi Hatake is indeed impressive. When demonstrating his Shadow Clone Technique in class, he and Obito Uchiha were paired together. While Obito Uchiha conjured up a strange, wobbly mud figure, Kakashi Hatake conjured up two Shadow Clones in one go, once again eliciting screams from the girls.
This made Obito Uchiha, who had lost face in public, even angrier, and he remained silent from the moment he returned to his seat next to Haruko.
Haruko gently nudged him, and seeing that he still didn't speak, she whispered, "But I prefer Obito's shadow clones."
Hearing her say that, Obito Uchiha looked at her with a wronged expression, "You're just trying to comfort me."
"I'm not lying, because it's a unique shadow clone created by Obito, which is why I like it so much!"
It was so ugly it was funny! This piqued Haruko's curiosity.
Obito pursed his lips, but a wave of joy surged within him at her words. He whispered again, confirming, "Really?"
Haruko nodded, "It's so ugly I want to keep it as a keepsake to scare Fugaku!"
"..."
Obito's initial感动 (feeling of being moved) shattered instantly. He wasn't sad anymore, because he was so angry he laughed and grabbed the end of her hair.
Feeling a gentle tug, Haruko added seriously, "I meant that Obito could develop into a horror ninja in the future."
Having truly grasped the sincerity emanating from her eyes, Obito Uchiha resolved to return and diligently practice the Shadow Clone Technique, and to create the most handsome Shadow Clone Technique in the world!
******
Thank you for reminding me of the update reminder charm a dear friend sent me before! Your bonus chapter has been delivered (●°u°●)
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