The Next Day
Uchiha Mikoto led a group of young girls to the location specified by Haruki.
Oh no, Uchiha Obito doesn't count as a little girl.
Haruki suppressed a laugh.
Walking at the back of the group, Obito wore a sullen expression.
He almost had the words "I am very unhappy" etched on his forehead.
But he didn't dare not to come.
"Have you all had breakfast?" Haruki asked Uchiha Mikoto.
"Yes," she replied.
"Good."
Haruki clapped his hands to attract the attention of the young girls.
He recognized a few familiar faces among them.
They were all students from the ninja academy.
"I've asked you here today to teach you a very cute dance," Haruki announced, summoning a storage scroll and setting up a television.
As the TV turned on, the screen displayed a pink-haired girl in a black dress and white stockings lying on a desk, with the lyrics modified for the ninja school. The dance was the famous "Chika Dance" from Haruki's previous life.
After the video finished playing, the young girls' eyes sparkled with excitement.
Cuteness always wins hearts.
Except for Uchiha Obito.
Seeing that he was the only boy today, Obito had a bad feeling.
Watching the video confirmed his worst fears.
The thought of performing this dance at the festival made him want to die.
But he didn't foresee the even worse fate ahead.
"Do you like her outfit?" Haruki asked.
"Yes!" the girls replied.
In the fixed aesthetic of Konoha, such a uniform had never appeared before. Combined with the cuteness of the "Chika Dance," they were already imagining themselves like Chika Fujiwara.
"I've specially made this outfit for you all," Haruki said, taking out the clothes from the storage scroll and distributing them.
"No, I won't wear it! I'd rather die!" Obito protested desperately, his entire being rejecting the idea.
"Don't run," Haruki said, using a bit of chakra to catch Obito. "Why won't you wear it?"
"I'm a boy!" Obito struggled.
"Boys can wear it too."
"You're lying. I've never seen that."
"You'll see it once you wear it."
Obito's face turned red, looking at Haruki as if he were a devil from hell.
"Do you like any girls?" Haruki asked suddenly.
"Huh?"
Caught off guard, Obito thought of Rin Nohara. "No!"
Haruki glanced at him. Children's emotions are too easy to read; even if he didn't like someone, he might have a crush.
"Do you want girls to like you?"
Obito hesitated.
At school, not only did girls not like him, but few even talked to him. He was unattractive, always late, a low achiever, and had no status.
How could he be liked?
"You... you have a way?"
"Of course."
Haruki looked at the girls and asked, "Do you like this dance and outfit?"
"Yes!"
Haruki spread his hands and said to Obito, "See?"
"But... I..."
Obito felt confused, thinking something was off.
Haruki didn't give him time to sort it out and continued, "Your current image isn't popular with girls. Why not try changing it? It's just once. If it works, great. If not, I promise to help you."
Haruki paused, raising two fingers.
"By the honor of one of Konoha's finest, I promise to make you liked by girls. Remember, I'm Tsunade's boyfriend."
Perhaps it was the last sentence that convinced him.
Obito stared at the black uniform, seriously considering it for the first time.
After a while, he took a deep breath and said, "Just once, just this one time."
"Alright. Trust me, would I lie to a kid?"
Haruki handed him the clothes, seriously and sternly saying, "Go change."
Soon, Obito appeared in the dress.
Suppressing his laughter, Haruki took out a pink wig from the scroll.
Finally, the discordant element vanished.
With a bit of dressing up, it's impossible to tell a young child's gender.
"Stop laughing!" Obito snapped.
"I'm not laughing," Haruki denied immediately.
"You've been laughing at me nonstop!"
Haruki touched his face, realizing he had laughed out loud, and quickly coughed to cover it up.
"Mikoto, tell me, doesn't Obito look lovely now?"
Uchiha Mikoto was slightly taken aback.
Catching Haruki's hint, she looked at Obito and nodded. "I don't think any girl would refuse such cuteness."
"Really?" Obito's stern face finally showed some happiness.
"Yes, I promise," Mikoto said, feeling a pang of guilt and silently repeating, "I was coerced, not voluntary."
Haruki patted her shoulder and whispered, "For Uchiha, this is a necessary sacrifice."
Mikoto's eyes widened.
She didn't see the sacrifice but Haruki's twisted sense of fun.
Haruki averted his gaze and said, "I have other matters to attend to. I'll leave this to you."
Before she could react, he vanished.
Reappearing on Konoha's streets, Haruki had prepared seven programs for the festival.
The Uchiha and ninja cat "Chika Dance" was one of the main attractions, so he personally oversaw it.
Other acts were simpler.
For instance, the Nara clan's shadow mimicry technique for shadow puppetry, featuring a fight scene from Jiraiya's new book; the Aburame clan's firefly "drone" performance.
To ensure participation, Haruki had the New Konoha Bookstore issue high-value tasks.
Ninjas might not be interested in other things, but they have a unique sense of responsibility for completing tasks.
It's like players in his past life with a compulsion to fill out the Pokedex or achieve all achievements.
Almost all of Konoha's famous clans were involved.
Tasks that didn't harm their interests and offered rewards were welcomed.
After all, no one could guarantee they wouldn't need Tsunade and Haruki's help someday.
Top medical ninjas naturally garnered connections.
"Rinka."
Haruki stopped at a flower shop.
"Good morning, Haruki-sama," Yamanaka Rinka greeted, putting down her watering can and wiping her hands on her apron. "Are you here to buy flowers for Princess Tsunade?"
"No, I want to order ten thousand roses for the festival," Haruki replied.