After getting scolded harshly by the teacher, Tōshirō returned to his seat, only to be greeted by the scorn and ridicule of those around him: "You've got a lot of nerve, sleeping in the hallway."
Yawning, Tōshirō ignored them and pulled a pillow out of his bag, leaving his seatmate dumbfounded.
"Why do you even come to school?"
Tōshirō replied bluntly, "To sleep."
"Hey, Shikaro, say something too."
The boy named Shikaro placed his finger on his chin, thought for a moment, then raised his eyelid and spoke calmly: "When I sleep later, let me borrow your pillow."
"Get lost."
One cannot allow others to snore beside one's bed.
This boy named Shikaro, full name Nara Shikaro, was a childhood friend of Tōshirō, sharing the same habit of sleeping during class.
"Looks like I'll have to bring my own pillow from now on," Shikaro said, scratching his pineapple-shaped hair. "But if my mom finds out I'm secretly bringing a pillow to school, she'll probably scold me badly..."
Tōshirō lay down on his pillow: "Wake me up when class starts."
Shikaro looked at Tōshirō, who had quickly fallen asleep, and admired him: "Among all the people I know, there's no one who can sleep as much as you. I, Shikaro, acknowledge you as the strongest."
"Thanks, I appreciate it," Tōshirō replied drowsily.
A white-haired boy nearby listened to their conversation and looked at the sleeping Tōshirō with narrowed eyes, seemingly plotting something.
Before long, the bell rang for class.
Tōshirō was awakened by the noise, quietly stuffed the pillow back into his bag. Though he dared to sleep during class, using a pillow would be too audacious.
He muddled through the class, and when it was time for lunch break, the students took out their carefully prepared bento boxes, filled with balanced and nutritious meals.
As an orphan and a lazy person, Tōshirō didn't have the luxury of a homemade meal. He headed to the shop to buy some bread.
Upon entering the shop, he found a long queue. The shop periodically introduced new products, and today's highlight was red bean bread, which was selling like hotcakes. Tōshirō had tried it once and found it mediocre.
In his previous life in a land of food enthusiasts, Tōshirō had developed a discerning palate.
If his family hadn't insisted on him attending school, he would have dropped out and opened a restaurant.
To engage in high-tech pursuits, money was essential, and starting a business seemed like a good option.
By leveraging some culinary delights from his previous life, he could make a lot of money, then hire trustworthy people and become a hands-off boss, dedicating his free time to training.
Then, he could use the profits to become a benefactor to the Konoha ninjas, making them work for him.
The idea was so delightful that he couldn't help but tremble with laughter, attracting strange looks from those around him.
"Ahem..."
Tōshirō pretended to cough to calm down.
He bought a couple of rice balls, eating them on his way back to his seat. By the time he returned, he had almost finished. Without saying a word, he took out his pillow and lay down to sleep, rejecting any classmates who wanted to play ninja games with him.
"Why do you even ask him? He's always sleeping."
Taking his companion's advice, the classmate glanced at Tōshirō and agreed, walking away.
Tōshirō spent his days at school sleeping and barely interacting with anyone, making everyone consider him a weirdo.
He didn't enjoy interacting with people because he didn't have the time and didn't want to form strong bonds.
Considering that most of his classmates would become ninjas and likely die on missions, he didn't want to experience the emotional pain of losing them.
Even if it meant potentially awakening his Sharingan...
Tōshirō suddenly felt someone standing in front of him. He opened his eyes to see a spiky-haired, white-haired boy.
Though he had white hair, his appearance was quite ordinary.
"My name is Jiraiya," the boy introduced himself. "You're Tōshirō, right?"
"Do you need something?" Tōshirō asked cautiously.
As one of the legendary Sannin from the original story, Jiraiya was someone Tōshirō wanted to recruit. He had been pondering how to meet them, but Jiraiya came to him on his own.
Jiraiya looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then leaned in mysteriously: "Can I have a word with you?"
Tōshirō was puzzled: "I don't understand what you mean."
Jiraiya insisted: "I know what you've been doing at night."
Tōshirō's eyes widened. Did Jiraiya know about his secret training sessions? How could that be? Who would spy on him in the middle of the night?
Tōshirō's plan was to appear lazy and useless in front of everyone, then seize a moment to reveal his true strength.
But if anyone knew about his nighttime training, his plan would fail, especially if it was someone like Jiraiya, who couldn't keep a secret.
Tōshirō felt anxious and asked weakly: "What do you know?"
Jiraiya grinned mischievously: "You've been secretly reading erotic books at night, right?"
Huh?
Tōshirō was stunned. What was he talking about? How could he be that kind of person?
Jiraiya continued: "Don't try to deny it. Why else would you always look so tired?"
Tōshirō covered his face with his hand. How could he have feared exposure by this idiot?
Jiraiya was projecting his own behavior, and it seemed he had been interested in such things from a young age.
"What's the title of the book you've been reading?"
Jiraiya used a term unfamiliar to Aokiji.
Tōshirō felt exasperated and said: "I really haven't been reading erotic books."
"Don't worry, we can trade books. I like beautiful women in fancy lingerie. It's very alluring."
Tōshirō said: "You don't understand. The real allure is in maid outfits and white stockings."
As a scholar, Tōshirō felt compelled to offer his academic opinion.
"Oh~~~" Jiraiya teased.
"Ah..."
Tōshirō had spoken too candidly. He tried to find an excuse to explain himself, but at that moment, a blonde girl returning to her seat heard him and called him a pervert.
Tōshirō tried to explain seriously: "I, Uchiha Tōshirō, have not been reading erotic books."
The girl didn't respond.
Tōshirō had already planted the idea in her mind that he was reading those books, and no amount of explanation would change that.
Tōshirō felt like crying.
"Oops, it seems I've caused a misunderstanding," Jiraiya said, scratching his cheek.
Misunderstanding your sister!
Tōshirō was furious, grabbed Jiraiya by the collar, and shook him violently: "Damn it, clear my name!"
(End of Chapter)
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