Chapter 4: Youthful Rivalry

"Kiyoshi~!"

"Wow, he's so handsome..."

"Kiyoshi, do you have time after school? Let's train together!"

"Kiyoshi, this is a special gift I prepared just for you!"

"This is a bento I made myself. Please, you have to try it!"

"Kiyoshi-san, I have one too..."

"Hey, you! Move aside!"

"Yeah, you're blocking the way..."

At the entrance of the Ninja Academy, in less than half a minute, Kiyoshi's presence was noticed.

Not only his classmates, but even girls from other classes, both lower and upper grades, gathered around him.

One by one, they approached him eagerly, their eyes sparkling as if they'd just found something irresistible.

In small groups, they surrounded him, faces flushed with excitement, hearts in their eyes.

In just a moment, poor Lee was pushed aside, ending up bruised and battered.

Not far away, Neji turned back.

Looking at the swarm of girls, he couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth. 

"That guy is really popular, huh!"

Although Neji wasn't interested in those girls, he couldn't help but feel a little envious of Kiyoshi's popularity.

"As expected from my eternal rival, Kiyoshi!"

Lee got up awkwardly, rubbing his bruises.

Looking at Kiyoshi, who was surrounded by a crowd of girls, he felt a surge of admiration rather than jealousy, something he'd long since grown used to.

Clenching his fists, his spirit burned brightly. "But youth never gives up... I've decided! I'll run an extra ten laps around the village after school!"

"Neji, want to join me?"

"Idiot..."

Neji walked away, expressionless, heading toward the classroom. "Not interested!"

"Thank you, everyone. I appreciate your kindness... but there's no need for bentos or gifts!"

Kiyoshi finally managed to escape the crowd of girls.

Turning down their overly direct confessions, he quickly slipped back into the classroom.

"Kiyoshi, over here, over here!"

Wiping away cold sweat as he stepped in, Kiyoshi hadn't even greeted Lee, who was already seated.

A girl with her hair tied in double buns, sitting on the right side of the third row, waved to him energetically, completely ignoring Lee beside her.

"Good morning, Tenten."

Seeing his desk mate, Tenten, Kiyoshi gave a light smile.

Patting Lee's shoulder, he picked up his books and took his seat in the middle of the right side of the third row.

"Kiyoshi, this is a bento I prepared for you today. Please, you have to try it!"

With a sweet smile, Tenten placed a beautifully prepared bento in front of Kiyoshi.

Her large eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Her face blushed faintly, but as a girl raised in her family's weapon shop, she was cheerful and straightforward, showing no sign of shyness.

"Thank you!"

Taking the bento, Kiyoshi smiled warmly.

He noticed the envious expressions from some of the boys around, but he didn't mind much.

Unlike other girls, he held a soft spot for Tenten.

So, he rarely turned down her kindness.

"Hehe..."

Tenten rested her chin in her hands, sitting there quietly, ignoring the murderous glares from the other girls in the classroom, her smile radiant.

Watching Kiyoshi's face, she found him increasingly attractive, her gaze lingering on his peaceful demeanor.

A sweet smile naturally appeared on her lovely face.

"These puppet books..."

Then, her eyes caught sight of the books Kiyoshi had placed on his desk.

For a moment, she was at a loss.

This wasn't the first time she'd seen these.

Kiyoshi had been reading books related to puppetry for some time now.

Curiously, she asked, "Kiyoshi, didn't you say you wanted to be a medical ninja? Do you actually want to become a puppeteer?"

"What makes you say that?"

Seeing Tenten's curious expression, Kiyoshi replied earnestly, "As a competent medical ninja, learning some Puppet Jutsus for self-defense seems quite necessary and reasonable, don't you think?"

With his precise chakra control, being a medical ninja came naturally to him.

Mastering basic Puppet Jutsus wouldn't be challenging for him.

With his imagination shaped by the information and different ideas of the 21st century, plus the knowledge he'd accumulated over the years by borrowing books from the library, and his innate talent, he was confident.

Even if he didn't plan to invest all his energy in puppetry, he believed he could still make significant strides.

He might not be able surpass the S-class rogue ninja from the Sand Village, the genius puppeteer who assassinated the Third Kazekage and sparked the Third Ninja War, Sasori, in a short time.

But he was confident he wouldn't be too far behind.

Tenten: "..."

She couldn't argue with such a solid reason.

"Is there even a medical ninja like that?"

"There is—your idol, Lady Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin, who's not only skilled in medical ninjutsu but also incredibly powerful in combat..."

"Fine, as long as you're happy!"

She shrugged.

...

Around noon.

The day passed quickly.

When the teacher dismissed them, announcing a break in the afternoon and a two-day holiday, the class of eager young ninjas cheered, excitedly heading home or teaming up for plans.

Bidding farewell to the reluctant Tenten and ignoring the other girls' attempts to chat, Kiyoshi didn't join Lee for training as usual.

Instead, he declined Lee's invitation and went straight home.

Compared to the prominent clans like Uchiha, Hyuga, and the Ino-Shika-Cho families, Kiyoshi's home wasn't very big.

But it was far from small compared to an orphan like Naruto.

It was a three-room apartment on the second floor that the village had provided to him and his grandmother after reconstruction.

He and his grandmother shared the home, which was cozy enough.

To his surprise, his neighbor was a highly skilled Chunin named Kurenai Yuhi.

She often looked out for Kiyoshi, as a gentle big sister figure, she had also lost her family during the Nine-Tails attack years ago, much like Kiyoshi.

She frequently visited his home, joining them for meals, though joining usually meant she brought groceries and cooked for them.

Over time, Kiyoshi grew close to Kurenai, and the two developed a sibling-like bond.

"I'm home!"

---

[PS: In the original Chunin Exams, it was mentioned that Kurenai had only recently been promoted to Jonin. Since this is set five years before that, with the Uchiha Clan still around, Kurenai is likely not yet a Jonin.]