Naruto: Konoha’s Trickster, Starting as the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki

[Ding! Detected host attempting to cheat. System penalty applied: One Thousand Years of Death enhancement reduced by 1%!]

[Host! All rewards must be earned fairly! Exploiting system loopholes is impossible. This system is flawless! You'll never get away with it! Give up!]

Kazuyama's laughter died instantly. His face twisted with frustration.

"Hey, system, that's not fair."

"How's that cheating? Wasn't One Thousand Years of Death invented by Sakumo Hatake?"

"I'm just going straight to the source—you can't seriously call that an exploit?"

[Hmph! Don't think I don't know what you're up to! No chance! Just go stab people properly with One Thousand Years of Death.]

[Don't even dream about shortcuts!]

Kazuyama was dumbfounded. He never thought that even bug exploits wouldn't work anymore.

Fine. If this path's blocked, he'll just find another way. It's not like bugging the system was his only option.

Shrugging it off with a "profits are profits" mindset, Kazuyama strolled home with a bounce in his step...

Completely forgetting about Sakumo, who was still breathing fire from the chili prank.

Sakumo: Kid! You're done for! Completely done!

Kazuyama: Huh? I don't know what you're talking about. Careful or I'll call the security squad on you! You're framing me!

He hadn't thought much of it.

But the next day, when he showed up for ninja roll call, he realized... today was going to be rough.

...

At the training ground, Sakumo stepped onto the platform wearing a mask identical to Kakashi's.

In front of him stood all the sensei and students.

No one had any idea what he was up to.

Only Pakura seemed to pick up on something, leaning in close to Kazuyama and whispering,

"You didn't piss off the principal, did you?"

"His vibe's off."

"Look at his eyes. They keep sweeping this way, and they're not aimed at me. It's gotta be you."

Kazuyama didn't need Pakura to tell him. He could already feel Sakumo's gaze locking on like a predator.

It wasn't direct eye contact—but those cold, scanning glances were even worse.

His heart thudded. That old man was definitely out for revenge. No one pulls a stunt like this without a reason.

Since Sakumo became principal, scenes this formal had happened maybe five times total.

But this? No warning, and suddenly everyone's called to the field? No way it's unrelated.

Kazuyama's danger sense was sharp—it never failed him.

Sure enough, Sakumo began to speak.

"Sensei, students, everyone."

"I've gathered you here today for one simple reason."

"As you all know, the Third Shinobi World War has ended. Konoha has secured a resounding victory."

The moment his voice fell, everyone's expression lit up with excitement and pride.

Every single one of them shared the same thought: their village had not only withstood the combined assault of the other four great villages, but repelled them head-on.

It was a clear display of Konoha's strength.

"And one of the heroes of that war... is a teacher right here in our academy."

"The instructor of the Covert Ops class—Kazuyama Gekkō, one of the Twin Stars of Konoha."

"Come, share your glorious history with us."

Sakumo's tone was slow, his emphasis heavy when mentioning Kazuyama's name—and especially his "glorious history."

Those who knew his personality—like Taijutsu instructor Master Chen—immediately caught on.

A legendary fighter who'd risen to fame even before Sakumo, Chen knew him well.

The Hatake clan was a warrior family, and Sakumo stood for justice and discipline. But that didn't mean he lacked a temper.

In fact, his temper was fierce. Anyone who dared provoke him got the same treatment—one clean slash.

And judging by today's setup, the one who'd provoked him... was that punk Kazuyama.

Which meant a good show was about to start.

Chen smiled and settled in to enjoy the fallout.

In the war just past, even he had returned to the battlefield, delivering a solid blow to Kirigakure's arrogance in the Land of Hot Water.

He'd even taken on two disciples—one older, one younger. Suddenly, living a bit longer didn't seem like such a bad thing after all.

Kazuyama looked at the sea of eyes focused on him, silently cursing Sakumo.

That old man knew he hated the spotlight, yet here he was—forced to give a speech.

He had no doubt this was just the beginning. Sakumo definitely had something more planned. But for now, all he could do was get on stage.

Everyone was watching.

He stepped up to the platform, taking the same spot Sakumo had stood in before, while the latter had already retreated to the side.

Even as he walked up, Kazuyama stayed alert. Something about this felt off.

"Everyone, please don't take the principal's words too seriously."

"I'm just a regular ninja. Maybe a little stronger, maybe a little luckier, that's all."

"If we're really talking about merit, then Lord Jiraiya, Lady Tsunade, and even the current Lord Hokage have contributed far more than I have."

He smiled as he spoke, the picture of calm humility. Kazuyama was a master at hiding his true self—he'd never willingly expose himself under so many watchful eyes.

But the crowd wasn't buying it. Even Pakura, standing among them, covered her face—she couldn't bear to look.

That nonsense was about as fake as it got.

A weakling taking on Hanzō of the Salamander? Even kids knew how strong that man was.

There was no way anyone could face him without serious strength.

And the story of the Five Serpents of the Land of Rivers had already spread through every corner of Konoha. No matter how much Kazuyama tried to downplay it, the facts couldn't be erased.

"Kazuyama-sensei! Don't downplay yourself like that!"

"Everyone's seen your strength!"

"Exactly! Stop being so modest!"

Kazuyama saw that no one was buying his act. Left with no choice, he pressed on.

"Honestly, when I fought Hanzō, it was all a fluke. The Five Serpents showing up? Just a lucky summon, nothing more."

That drew a wave of laughter from the crowd. Meanwhile, Sakumo's lips curled into a slight grin—this was only step one of his plan.

Damn Kazuyama, making him eat that cursed chili. His lips had swollen so badly he'd been forced to wear a mask today.

There was no way he wasn't getting payback for that.

Konoha's White Fang swallow his pride? Never. Absolutely never.

"Kazuyama-sensei, please—enough with the fake modesty. It's just showing off in disguise."

"Everyone here knows how strong you are. Say something real for once, will you?"