Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha is not motivated.

As Fugaku was about to leave, he happened to run into the still-naive Ino-Shika-Cho trio. Seeing the smallest of them, yet standing in the center, with the pineapple-shaped haircut, he raised an eyebrow.
"You're here to see that idiot Rope Tree again?"

"Yes, Fugaku-senpai."

Seeing the fierce-looking black-haired boy in front of him, the precocious Shikaku wisely lowered his posture and nodded very politely.

This respectful attitude greatly pleased Fugaku, and even his naturally fierce eyes softened.

Have you eaten?

"Forehead"

Shikaku was taken aback by Fugaku's question. He clearly hadn't expected Fugaku to ask such a mundane question, and he hadn't come up with a corresponding plan in his mind.

"no!"

Before he could come up with a flawless answer, Akimichi Choza, who was clutching a bag of snacks, blurted out the answer first. He hadn't even had time to eat yet.
"What about you?"

Fugaku then turned his gaze to the thin, blond-haired boy among the three, his eyes full of inquiry.

"Well!"

At this stage, Yamanaka Inoichi has not yet grown into a reliable future clan leader. With a somewhat introverted personality, he appeared timid and hesitant when faced with Uchiha Fugaku's condescending gaze, cowering behind Shikaku, who was half a head shorter than him, seeking a sense of security.
"Damn it, don't bully them!"

"idiot."

Hearing the angry roar behind him, Fugaku couldn't help but roll his eyes, then continued to scrutinize the trio in front of him with a critical gaze.

Sure enough, birds of a feather flock together. What a bunch of oddballs! No wonder they can hang out with that idiot, Rope Tree.
Gently shaking his head, Fugaku continued,

"I'm in a good mood today. If none of you have eaten, let's go get some ramen together."

Having gained a valuable new subordinate, Fugaku decided to throw a grand banquet at Ichiraku Restaurant, inviting guests from all directions.

"Oh, senior, you're too kind. We don't need to."

Unaware of Fugaku's true intentions, Shikaku decisively declined the invitation. However, his swollen-nosed teammate's betrayal followed closely behind.
"Ramen! I want some!"

Upon hearing that they were going to eat ramen, Choza suddenly lost interest in his snacks, and his eyes filled with anticipation as he looked at Fugaku.

"Shikaku~ Shikaku~ Ramen!"

"You... I just can't do anything with you."

Looking at Choza Akimichi, whose eyes were sparkling, Shikaku Nara sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Choza, didn't we come to see Nawaki-senpai?"

Hiding behind Shikaku, Inoichi mustered his courage and reminded the chubby boy who had defected at lightning speed.

"But that's ramen!"

In the mind of foodie Ding, the newly acquainted older brother is clearly not as important as ramen.

"Ding, are you alright?"

Nawaki arrived and stood alone between the two groups, looking at Akimichi Choza with concern. Such a sensible junior was a rare sight these days.

"Nawaki-senpai, Fugaku-senpai is treating us to ramen!"

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Rope Tree's tiger-like eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at his nemesis before him.
It's bad enough that they're competing with me for Mikoto, but now they're even trying to win over my underlings.
The Uchiha clan is so evil!

"I'm in a good mood today, why don't you come with me? Oh~ I almost forgot, you just said you're already full."

With a mocking wink at Nawaki, Fugaku feigned a rather regretful expression.

"Eat! How can I miss out on free ramen?"

Touching his slightly protruding belly, Nawaki steeled his resolve. He was willing to die from overeating just to take advantage of Fugaku.

"what?"

Fugaku was surprised that Nawaki actually agreed, even though he had already finished a three-person bento box. The Senju clan's reputation as gluttons was truly well-deserved.

"Are you treating us? How could we two brothers be left out?"

The Hyuga brothers, who had been lying in wait for a while, stood up. As two hidden gluttons, they naturally wouldn't let go of this rare opportunity to freeload a meal.
"Then come along, I'll introduce you to my new little brother."

Seeing so many people supporting him, Fugaku naturally wouldn't refuse. He immediately nodded, waved his hand, and was the first to walk out of the classroom.

"Shikaku, are we really going? That's the Uchiha clan!"

Haiyi tugged at his childhood friend's sleeve with some concern, a hint of tears welling up in his blue eyes.

“Uchiha Fugaku is that guy’s nephew.”

"How could I possibly know? But in this situation, how can we refuse?"

With a helpless glance at Inoichi, who suffered from some kind of curly-hair PTSD, Shikaku pointed to the chubby little boy who was already happily following behind Fugaku.
"The pig, deer, and butterfly will never part."

Outside the school gate,
Somewhat absentmindedly, Minato leaned against the school's pristine white wall, gazing up at the azure sky that mirrored the look in his own eyes, quietly awaiting Fugaku's arrival.
"Come out."

Suddenly, he turned his head to look at the dark alleyway beside him, his delicate brows furrowing slightly.
“Tattoo.”

A few seconds later, a boy wearing small black sunglasses slowly walked out of the alley.

"You are... Aburame Shizumi?"

Upon seeing that the person spying on him from the shadows was actually a classmate, Minato's furrowed brows quickly relaxed.
"You actually remember my name? Minato-kun."

Aburame Shiki was also very surprised. Due to some unknown trait, their clan had an extremely low profile, and even people who were very familiar with them would subconsciously ignore their presence.

"How could I not remember? Weren't you helping that bullied freshman on the day of the opening ceremony?"

Minato blinked in confusion. Although Aburame Shiki did seem to have a weak presence, surely he wouldn't forget his comrades-in-arms?

"woooooo"

Upon hearing this, two clear tears welled up beneath Aburame Shio's black sunglasses. Even the freshman he had saved had forgotten his existence, yet Minato remembered him so clearly.

"Oh? Don't cry, it makes it seem like I'm bullying you."

Looking helplessly at the crowd coming and going, seemingly oblivious to the tearful Aburame Shimi, Minato repeatedly tried to comfort her.

"Minato-kun, you are a good person."

"Uh"

Suddenly given the "friend zone" treatment, Minato was speechless for a moment. Looking at Aburame Shiono wiping away her tears, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
"Oil Girl Classmate."

"Just call me Zhiwei."

"Okay, Zhiwei, you've been following me since lunch break. Is there something you want to tell me?"

Minato noticed from the beginning that someone was secretly following him. He initially thought it was a shy female classmate from a manga, but it turned out to be a rough, unassuming guy with a very low profile.

Is this right?

According to the usual formula of comic books, shouldn't it be a shy female classmate secretly watching him, and after he discovers her, the two begin their shameless daily love affair?
Disappointment also made him realize reality: he wasn't living in a comic book world. In reality, there were no girls like that—gentle, beautiful, with a sweet voice, and intelligent, oval-faced.

"fine."

Aburame Shiki gently shook his head. On the day of the opening ceremony, Minato Namikaze's courage in rescuing the weak had left a deep impression on him.
People are always extremely interested in what they don't have, so Aburame Shii secretly observed this cheerful boy with striking blond hair, hoping to learn from him how to improve her own weak sense of presence.

Just today, he noticed that Minato Namikaze, who is usually very serious, was daydreaming during class.

"But you seemed distracted all morning. Did you run into some trouble?"

difficulty?

Even through the sunglasses, Minato could still feel the concern conveyed by Shiki Aburame, and he was deeply moved.
"Thank you for your concern, I'm just struggling with some things."

That's right, Minato was considering how to refuse Fugaku's offer and live the youthful, school comedy he longed for.
"whats the matter?"

"Um, if someone with connections at school tries to force you to be their person, how can you refuse without seeming too offensive?" After hesitating for a moment, Minato threw this question that had been bothering him all morning to Aburame Shii.

"Who is the other party?"

Zhiwei calmly pushed up his glasses. He hadn't expected that he would have the opportunity to provide emotional counseling to others.
"It's that older student."

The story begins with a domineering senior confessing her feelings.

Is this the dilemma of being a "normie" (someone who lives a fulfilling life)?
How can it be repaired?
"...Fugaku with fierce eyes."

"."

Upon hearing that the person who wanted to take over the water gate was a powerful figure in the school's underworld, Aburame Shiki's hand, which was adjusting his glasses, suddenly froze.
Domineering senior (x)

Gangster senior (√)

The silence between them was deafening. After a few seconds, he slowly lowered his hand and offered the safest solution.

"Withdraw from school to ensure Ju's safety."

"what?"

Minato, completely unaware of the obscene rumors flooding Aburame's mind, wore a bitter expression.
All he wanted was to enjoy school life, graduate smoothly, become an excellent ninja like his father, marry a gentle and virtuous wife, have a healthy and intelligent child, and live out the rest of his life in peace and quiet.

"Isn't there any other way?"

"There's nothing I can do to help."

Aburame Shiki shook her head regretfully. "I'm sorry, Minato-kun, the Aburame clan cannot contend with the powerful Uchiha."
"Ugh"

Am I really going to become someone else's lackey?

Minato scratched the back of his head, his face full of frustration, the helplessness in his eyes clearly visible.
In the brief moment of his intense internal struggle, several tall figures emerged from the shadows and quietly blocked his path.
"You are"

Minato, who was shrouded in shadow, raised his head as if sensing something, his delicate brows instantly furrowing into a deep frown.

"Those bad guys who bullied the freshmen last time."

What came into view were several grotesque faces that were completely out of character for their actual age. Minato found it hard to believe that these guys were students from the same ninja academy as him.
"Hehehe, we finally caught you, my cute junior!"

One of the tall figures, sporting a rooster-like hairstyle, grinned and licked the unsharpened training kunai in his hand.
Seeing that the group's art style was clearly on a completely different level from his own, Minato took a few steps back, leaning against the outer wall, and warily assumed a fighting stance he had just learned in theory.

"If you want to cause me trouble, then let my classmate leave first."

Even though he was in dire straits himself, he was still worried about the safety of the woman named Zhiwei beside him.

"Huh? What nonsense are you talking about, kid? There's no one here who has any of your classmates."

The rooster-headed man, who was frantically licking his kunai, paused upon hearing this. His fierce, triangular eyes swept around, and after confirming no one else was around, a look of exasperation immediately appeared on his face.

Seeing this, the fat henchman following behind him immediately and skillfully added fuel to the fire.

"Boss, does he know you're afraid of ghosts, so he made up an invisible classmate to scare you?"

"Boss, he's clearly playing you for a fool!"

The buck-toothed dwarf on the other side also chimed in obsequiously.

"Baka yarou!"

After being fanned into a rage, the man with the mohawk even made a trilled "r" sound.
"Uh……"

The innocent-looking Minato blinked in confusion, turning his head to look at the stunned Aburame Shiono, his face full of question marks.
"I've always had a very low profile."

Glancing at the trio of bullies who ignored her, Aburame Shii, who was used to this, explained softly.

"You are truly a born ninja."

Minato nodded with a complicated expression. He hadn't expected Shimi Aburame's presence to be so inconspicuous; she was perfect for infiltration missions.
"Hey! You brat, what are you muttering to yourself over there?"

From the perspective of the three rooster-haired bullies, Minato was talking to thin air, a bizarre scene that gave them goosebumps.

"Boss, is there something wrong with that guy's body?"

Fatty pointed to his bald head covered with three layers of flabby fat.
"Tsk! What a pity about this appearance that's slightly inferior to mine."

The man with the rooster-like hair shook his head, a hint of pity appearing on his fierce face.

"Should we teach him a lesson or not?"

The short, buck-toothed man scratched his head. Bullying the weak is fine, but bullying the mentally challenged is definitely against the rules of the underworld.

"Uh... well, we can't just come here for nothing, can we?"

After watching for several days, the man with the mohawk, who had finally managed to block the water gate, was unwilling to give up.

"How about we scare him a little and show him what kind of boss you are?"

The two lackeys immediately offered a good plan.

"Alright, it's decided then!"

After pondering for a minute with his walnut-sized brain, the rooster-haired man finally approved the suggestion, then glared at Minato with a fierce and brutal expression.

"Prepare to die, kid! I'll show you the terror of Mad Grass Hachiro!"

Minato's heart skipped a beat upon seeing this.
"Zhiwei, go and inform the teacher immediately!"

This is the school gate; if he can get a teacher to come, he can escape danger.

"No need, Minato-kun, I can handle them all by myself."

Aburame shook her head slightly, and without the slightest hesitation, resolutely rushed towards the trio of bullies.
"Zhiwei, could you already use the power of a ninja?"

Upon hearing Shii's confident answer, Minato's face lit up with joy.

"As expected of someone from a prominent family, to be able to do this at such a young age..."

"Boom~!"

"..."

Watching Shiki jog alongside the man with the mohawk, raising his little fist to punch the man's knee, Minato swallowed back the words of praise that were stuck in his throat.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Aburame Shii, her face expressionless, continued to unleash a series of Orbal bursts, but the effect seemed minimal.

"Do either of you feel a little itchy on your knees?"

"No, boss."

"Maybe I kicked off the blanket while I was sleeping last night."

The rooster-haired creature moved its legs in confusion, then inadvertently pushed forward, sending an unseen figure flying backward in an instant.

"Pfft!"

"?"

Did you just kick something?

"Zhiwei!"

Minato rushed forward and helped his disheveled classmate up.
"It doesn't matter to you, right?"

"Cough cough cough... As expected, I'm still too weak without refining my chakra."

No, you were so confident just now, I thought you were holding back something big!

After settling Aburame Shimi down with a dark expression, Minato looked up at the fierce-looking trio, a serious look gradually appearing in his azure eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you continue your reckless behavior." (End of Chapter)