When choosing a seat, Kaito naturally gravitated toward the back row by the window.
But that spot was already taken by a black-haired boy with a pineapple-like hairstyle.
Propping his chin on one hand, the boy stared out the window, yawning every few seconds. He looked even more exhausted than Kaito, his entire demeanor listless, as if nothing could possibly interest him.
Nara Shikamaru, huh…
Kaito muttered to himself before sitting down beside Shikamaru without asking.
Since Nara Shikamaru was reputed to have the highest IQ in the village…
Maybe he could help Kaito figure out his mission?
Ever since entering the school, Kaito had been puzzling over the connection between Martial Soul awakening and the start of the semester.
He had even sneaked into the bathroom when no one was around and whispered "Martial Soul awakening" a few times.
But the result…
Aside from the disgusting stench of the bathroom, there had been no response whatsoever.
It was seriously frustrating.
"You…"
"You're the older brother, right?"
Shikamaru's lazy voice drifted over, so drowsy-sounding that it nearly put Kaito to sleep.
Shikamaru studied the Uchiha sitting next to him, genuinely curious.
After all…
Twins were rare in Konoha, and even rarer among the Uchiha clan. Shikamaru wanted to see what made these twins different from ordinary people.
Besides, he had heard rumors that both sons of the Uchiha clan head had… certain issues with their heads.In short, all sorts of rumors and gossip had even piqued the curiosity of Shikamaru, who usually regarded everyone as idiots.
Kaito didn't answer but instead followed Sasuke's line of sight. Shikamaru also remained silent—he wasn't one for socializing to begin with—and turned back to gaze out the window.
Sasuke, seemingly afraid of getting beaten up or losing face, gave up on sitting next to Kaito and instead took a seat in the very front row.
Once seated, the kid propped his chin on his hands, lowering his head slightly in an exaggerated display of brooding.
Meanwhile, Kiba Inuzuka relentlessly bombarded him with attempts at conversation from behind.
"Hey, Sasuke."
"You've been acting weird lately. Why haven't you come to the kennel?"
"Oh, how's that Ninjutsu of yours coming along?"
"Sasuke, why aren't you saying anything?"
"Woof woof—"
Sasuke's head sank even lower. From the back, Kaito could practically see the kid's eyelid twitching violently.
"You. Shut up."
"You're annoying."
Kiba Inuzuka: …?
The icy words doused Kiba's enthusiasm like a bucket of cold water.
At that moment, Kiba looked as if he'd been betrayed. He slumped back into his seat, visibly dejected and a little irritated.
"Ahhh—Ino, look at him! He's so cool!"
Sakura Haruno trembled with excitement at the sight of Sasuke, squirming into Ino's arms as if her best friend had magically transformed into Sasuke himself.
Ino smiled without a word, her gaze drifting repeatedly toward Kaito's direction.
She had entered the classroom with Sakura and had already spotted Kaito sitting there, filling her with a pang of regret.
Sasuke, who had been trying to mask his awkwardness, immediately noticed the blonde girl sneaking glances at his brother. The unpleasant memories from before resurfaced, and he let out a cold snort.
"Hmph."
The sound instantly triggered a mix of shrieks and cheers from several girls in the class.
"Hey! What's with the attitude, you jerk?!"
"Is it so hard to talk to people with basic manners?!"
Naruto Uzumaki had initially held a decent impression of this arrogant guy, but seeing him coldly dismiss Kiba was the last straw.
Seriously… the guy was just trying to be friendly…
Why did he have to talk like that?
Naruto seethed inwardly. Everything Sasuke scorned was something Naruto could only dream of having.
And besides…
Naruto thought the guy was just putting on an act.
He vaulted onto Sasuke's desk, sticking his rear out and leaning his face uncomfortably close to Sasuke's.
Today, he was determined to see how long this guy could keep up the act.
Meanwhile, Kaito remained oblivious to the commotion around his brother, already engaged in conversation with Nara Shikamaru.
"Kaito Uchiha."
"Nara Shikamaru."
Their introductions were brief, devoid of greetings or pleasantries, cutting straight to the point.
Kaito studied the back of Shikamaru's head for about thirty seconds before finally speaking. "I heard… you're pretty smart?"
"I guess. Smarter than some idiots, at least."
As he spoke, Shikamaru cast a sidelong glance at the noisy blonde causing a scene before turning his attention to the unusual Uchiha before him.
Though his answer sounded modest, the pride beneath it was unmistakable, even from a distance.
Still, it put Kaito at ease.
After organizing his thoughts, Kaito continued, "I… have a friend who's been dealing with a problem lately."Shikamaru was taken aback by the words, then gave Kaito Uchiha a rather peculiar look.
Being stared at like that made Kaito's hair stand on end, but he managed to force out an explanation.
"Of course! I said that person wasn't me!"
Kaito was thoroughly embarrassed.
Sometimes making friends with highly intelligent people wasn't necessarily a good thing—it felt like you had no secrets left in their eyes.
Shikamaru leaned back in his chair, resting his hands behind his neck lazily. "So? You came to ask for my help?"
Kaito nodded seriously.
Though he didn't particularly enjoy the feeling of being seen through by Shikamaru at any moment, the mission still had to be completed.
Of course.
Even if he was seen through, it didn't matter. His level of absurdity was probably enough to make this smart kid question his own life.
"Let's hear it."
"If it's too troublesome... I might not help."
In the end, Shikamaru agreed to his new desk mate's request. Despite the annoyed expression on his face, his ears were perked up, and he was genuinely curious inside.
"Ahem."
Seeing this, Kaito cleared his throat twice and began explaining to Shikamaru in a slightly less abstract way.
He hoped this would help the other figure out a way to complete the mission.
"So, my friend suddenly received a mission from a certain jonin one day."
"Supposedly, as long as he completes this mission, that jonin will give my friend an enormous benefit..."
Shikamaru's expression turned peculiar again.
But he didn't interrupt Kaito, merely tilting his chin slightly. "And the mission... what's it about?"
Kaito glanced around, worried that saying it out loud would be embarrassing. He even checked their surroundings to make sure no one was paying attention before speaking.
"It's... it's..."
"Coming to school to find a way to awaken a special Bloodline Limit."
Shikamaru: ????
Hearing this, Shikamaru rubbed his nose, then his ears. After that, he narrowed his eyes slightly, taking deep breaths in and out.
Kaito almost wondered if the guy was about to perform a set of "eye exercises" right in front of him.
"Could you repeat that?"
Shikamaru's tone carried a mix of confusion and disbelief. He'd sooner doubt his own hearing than admit his desk mate might be out of his mind.
Coming to school... to awaken a Bloodline Limit...
Are you out of your mind?
What kind of mission is this nonsense??
Even if you're from the Uchiha clan and have the Sharingan, it's not something you can just "awaken" by coming to school!
"It's awakening a Bloodline Limit... and then that jonin will give my... my friend an enormous benefit."
Kaito himself could barely keep a straight face while saying this, his toes curling inside his shoes from the sheer absurdity.
After hearing this, Shikamaru fell silent. He stared blankly at his new desk mate, his emotions reaching peak complexity.
His expression might as well have been screaming, "Are you fucking kidding me?"
After a long stare-off, Shikamaru finally spoke.
"You... what's your friend's Bloodline Limit called?"
"Martial Soul."
Shikamaru: ????