Under Konoha’s Shadow

Chapter 23: No Longer Single

Yamamoto Ryusei couldn't help but ask curiously, "What do your parents do that keeps them so busy?"

Komiya Yuki pouted her small lips. "They're grain merchants. When it's time for the harvest, they have to go everywhere to collect grain. They're never here for my birthday. But I'm used to it."

Looking at the sensible Yuki, Ryusei felt a pang in his heart. He gently stroked her hair and said, "From now on, we'll celebrate your birthday with you."

Yuki's face instantly turned redder than a lantern.

"He made his move! He made his move!" Yamanaka Seisen, hiding in the bushes, cried out excitedly, mercilessly squishing something she was holding.

"Seisen, don't get so excited, we'll be discovered!" Inuzuka Rō said, looking worriedly at Rōmaru in her arms. "And give me back Rōmaru!"

Seisen stroked Rōmaru's fur and said, "Just let me hold him for a bit. When I get this excited, I feel uncomfortable if I'm not holding something. Besides, when you guys came over and Rōmaru was about to bark, wasn't I the one who covered his mouth? We would have been discovered long ago."

So the yelps Rōmaru made while you were squishing him were because you were covering his mouth, huh?

Sarutobi Hiruzen said with some helplessness, "Ryusei just patted Yuki's head. What are you getting so excited about?"

"Of course she's excited! This is the first time we've seen a confession!" Utatane Koharu stared intently.

"A confession?" The boys were surprised but kept their voices down. "How do you know?"

"Because Yuki already told us," Yamanaka Seisen continued to manhandle Rōmaru. Inuzuka Rō's face turned green with worry.

"Damn it, what's so great about that guy Ryusei? I'm so handsome, how come no one has confessed to me?" Sarutobi Hiruzen grumbled indignantly.

Everyone rolled their eyes at Hiruzen in unison. Shimura Danzo said sarcastically, "Hiruzen, do you have some misunderstanding of the word 'handsome'?"

"That violent girl has great taste. She's as flat as a runway; Big Brother shouldn't be interested in her. Big Brother likes curvy older sisters with big chests and long legs, just like me." Yamashita So suddenly became excited. "The figures of the older sisters next to my house are much better. I'll take you guys to see them next time."

"Really? Let's set a time then," the boys immediately started discussing.

"Hmph... men are all the same," the girls said in unison, distancing themselves from the boys. "I just don't know if Ryusei is like that too."

"No, Ryusei isn't that kind of person," Uchiha Kagami answered. "Ryusei trains very hard; he doesn't have time for these boring things. I suspect Yuki is going to get rejected this time."

"That would be terrible," Utatane Koharu said worriedly. "With so many of us watching, how will Yuki save face?"

Yamanaka Seisen's face turned grim. "Then we have to hide well. But it would be even worse if he accepts, right? All Ryusei thinks about is training; he has no time to spend with Yuki."

"No. For a girl in love, just being able to see him every day is a great happiness," Koharu said, blushing slightly as she glanced at Uchiha Kagami.

Seisen looked incredulous. "Love can be like that? I could never accept that. What's the difference between that and not being in a relationship at all?"

"Be quiet," Shimura Danzo whispered. "If you keep talking, we won't be able to hear."

The students fell silent and continued to watch the show.

Komiya Yuki, her cheeks flushed, said, "Ryusei-nii, why are you so good to me?"

"Huh?" Ryusei looked confused. "How have I been good to you? This is just how we normally interact."

Yuki said urgently, "Of course you have! For example, you bought me medicine, cooked for me, taught me how to train, and gave me my favorite pretty dress as a gift. And you protected me when people were bullying me, which made me feel very safe."

"But Yamashita So got all those things too," Ryusei said with the sensitivity of a brick.

Yuki's excited expression froze. 'I really should have just killed Yamashita So. That way, Ryusei-nii's attention wouldn't be divided. He would only focus on me.'

Ryusei watched as Yuki's face turned from red to white, then to black, and finally back to a deep crimson. This situation was a bit off. Ryusei looked at the surroundings—under the flowers and the moon, a lone boy and a lone girl. If this were a few years in the future, it would be exactly like a confession scene.

Wait a minute. A flash of inspiration hit Ryusei. 'Could it be that Komiya Yuki likes me and is about to confess? No, this must be one of life's three great illusions: 'I think she likes me.' That's right, when a girl confesses, her best friends should be nearby to back her up. Wait... what's that in the bushes? It looks like our classmates.'

"I like you. Can you be my boyfriend?" Yuki said, her face beet red but her eyes firm.

Ryusei was a bit stunned by her words. 'Are kids these days so precocious? When I was seven or eight, I just wanted to play with pretty little girls and hold their hands. How does she even know about the concept of a boyfriend and girlfriend?'

Yuki watched as Ryusei remained silent. Her face turned a little pale, and tears welled up in her eyes, but she continued to stare at him, waiting for his final answer.

'Komiya Yuki is a budding beauty; she'll definitely grow up to be gorgeous. But she's too young right now, and I don't want to be a lolicon. Besides, I need to train. How could I have so much time to spend with her? I have to reject her.' Ryusei looked up, preparing to refuse her, but then he saw her pale face, her shimmering, tear-filled eyes, and her trembling body staring at him. His heart trembled, and he couldn't help but say, "Okay. From now on, you're my girlfriend."

Yuki's tears immediately started to flow, and she threw herself forward, hugging him.

Ryusei hugged her back and said, "I have to train a lot in the future, so I might not have that much time to spend with you."

Yuki pouted with dissatisfaction. "Why are you saying something so unromantic at a time like this? But... I can just train with you from now on."

"Yay! It happened!" The peeping students, seeing Ryusei and Yuki hugging, couldn't help but cheer and rush towards them.

Hearing the cheers, Yuki immediately pushed Ryusei away, her face bright red as she was surrounded by the other girls.

"Congratulations, Ryusei! You're finally off the market!" Uchiha Kagami said with a smile.

"Yeah, now you're different from us single dogs. I'm so jealous," Sarutobi Hiruzen said through gritted teeth.

"Don't lump me in with you guys," Hyuga Natsuki said with a smug tone. "I already have a fiancée."

"What...?" The other boys looked on in disbelief.

"What's so strange about that?" Uchiha Kagami said nonchalantly. "I have one too."

"To prevent the bloodline from being diluted and to maintain its purity, we generally marry within the clan," Hyuga Natsuki said with a brilliant smile. "In other words, we never have to look for a girlfriend; the clan provides one. It's a family tradition."

Hiruzen looked dejected. "Why doesn't my family have a tradition like that?" He then perked up. "I'll definitely find a girlfriend next semester!"

Shimura Danzo said with disdain, "You might as well save it. With your looks, you'll probably only find a girlfriend after you become Hokage."

Whether Hiruzen only married Biwako after becoming Hokage is uncertain, but it's certain that the scar on Danzo's chin was definitely his doing.

Ryusei saw Yamashita So standing there with a confused, life-doubting expression on his face. "Yamashita So, what's wrong?"

So said with confusion, "Big Brother, the way you look at the older sisters next to my house is clearly the same as me. Why would you agree to date a runway like Yuki?"

Ryusei's face darkened. Who has the same look as you? Mine is appreciation; yours is just lechery. But thinking of Yuki's teary-eyed face, he replied, "Because when I saw her just now, I agreed without thinking."

By the time the night grew late and everyone had dispersed, Yuki and Ryusei hadn't had any time to themselves, having been swept away by their classmates.

Back home, seeing his shadow clone still training, he couldn't help but marvel at his own diligence. He sat down at his desk and prepared to design the "moe outfits" his classmates wanted.

The classmates' outfits were easy to design; it was just a matter of recreating cute clothes from his past life. The difficult part was designing clothes for Senju Miyuki, Uzumaki Mito, Uchiha Madara, Hashirama Senju, and Tobirama Senju, the five people who had taken such good care of him. The clothes had to be beautiful and match their respective auras.

Two hours later, Ryusei finished the designs, just waiting to hand them over to Auntie Eeko tomorrow.