Chapter 45. Dye Your Hair

Chapter 45. Dye Your Hair

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"???"

Young Shisui was stunned, staring at the book in his hands.

[The Tale of Ninja Perseverance] - Author: Traveling Toad

"This was written by Lord Jiraiya?"

"Yes," Yuto nodded with a smile. "I was deeply touched by it, and I believe Shisui can also gain some insights from it."

What's the point of reading those meaningless books? It's better to read these meaningless books. At least they're fun to read!

Like Kakashi... Thanks to the Icha Icha series, he had an outlet for his solitude during the quiet of the night, which probably kept him from turning dark!

"Thank you, Yuto-senpai," Shisui said with a smile, clearly moved. "I'll treasure it!"

A book by Lord Jiraiya… I have to read it with great care!

"Good! You're truly worthy of being Shisui! With you and Itachi… the Uchiha Clan's future is bright!"

Amid his joy, Yuto felt someone tugging at him. Turning his head in confusion, he saw Minato, wearing his peculiar sun mask and smiling faintly.

"What's wrong?"

"Letting such young kids read Jiraiya-sensei's books..." Minato lowered his voice, sounding uneasy. "It's not good!"

As Jiraiya's student, he knew all too well the kind of content his teacher's books contained. Don't be fooled by the serious title—the contents… were anything but serious.

"Don't worry, this one's a serious novel!" Yuto assured him with a smile. "I've reviewed it."

Sure, it had a tiny bit of... indescribable material, but it wasn't a big deal.

The little brats in the ninja world matured faster! By the age of four or five, they were already pondering world peace. What's wrong with reading something different?

Perhaps it could help speed up mental growth?

As he said that, Yuto pulled out another copy and handed it to Minato. "Here, I saved one for you!"

It was published by his company - Yuto Bookstore. So, he had plenty of copies printed.

His current businesses included a system-supported milk tea shop and a barbecue joint, as well as his self-built bookstore and a soon-to-open mahjong parlor.

While the non-system businesses didn't have special abilities, expanding his ventures wasn't a bad idea. These things didn't cost much money, and who knew? Maybe one day they'd catch the system's attention.

As Minato glanced at the book, his eyes widened, and the tips of his ears turned red.

Yuto said with a smile, "How about it? Jiraiya-sensei's book this time is good, isn't it?"

Minato's face… He was behind the mask, making his expression unreadable. But…

"Yes… Yes!" Minato's exposed eyes flickered. He glanced at Kushina beside him, nodded, and said calmly, "Right… Yes, right! Jiraiya-sensei's books are getting better and better."

Though the protagonist, at such a young age... touched girls' bodies and peeked at them during baths… I, Namikaze Minato must criticize him!

But… can kids really read it?

...

Meanwhile, Obito stepped onto the stage, facing his opponent. And then… under the watchful eyes of the audience, the opponent... bowed slightly and quickly ran off.

"The Kusagakure ninja surrenders! The winner is Uchiha Obito of Konohagakure!"

"..."

The audience was stunned.

That Kusagakure ninja… Why did he surrender without a fight? Is he still a true ninja? And... why was his posture so strange as he left the stage?

Did he walk stiffly with his buttocks tightly clenched?

It seems his body was still trembling.

Could it be that Uchiha Obito was some kind of very powerful ninja?

Of course... those who understood the situation sighed and said nothing about it. There was no need to say anything.

It's the Chunin Joint Exams, after all.

If you were publicly humiliated here… wouldn't that be a case of social death?

...

And so, the pattern continued. Every time Obito entered the stage, his opponents surrendered without hesitation, leaving with clenched movements. Even some Konoha ninjas followed suit.

Many spectators were surprised at first, but now they were shocked! They looked at the proud, black-haired ninja standing in the center of the stage with disbelief in their eyes!

A Konoha genius!

Even Kakashi, another of Konoha's geniuses, had surrendered to him! It seems he is not just an ordinary genius ninja!

Could it be… he is a genius on par with the Sannin?

"Konoha… is really the cradle of geniuses~"

Many people immediately sighed with sincere admiration.

Kushina couldn't help but laugh when she understood what was going on! Minato beside her… laughed awkwardly, seeming to feel uncomfortable all over, but also a bit relieved in his heart.

It's good this way. It's good this way. At least there won't be any accidents.

He remembered what the medical ninja had told him a few days ago… He sighed inwardly and muttered to himself, "Could it be that Obito really has some mental issues?"

It seems like I need to find some time to have a good talk with Obito!

...

"What's wrong? Has the clan taken a fancy to him?" Uchiha Yuto asked, glancing at Fugaku, who was frowning as he watched Obito with a serious expression. "Are you planning to train him?"

Yuto's words brought Fugaku back to his senses. He glanced at Yuto calmly, then turned back to the stage with a complicated expression. After a sigh, he shook his head. "No!"

"Huh? Why not?"

The Uchiha Clan wasn't known for shying away from nurturing talent—just look at Itachi and Shisui later on. Though… those two turned out to be a bit of an exception.

Now that Obito had awakened his Sharingan, that alone made him a genius among the Uchiha!

However…

This time, Fugaku didn't turn around. He crossed his arms, his face as stoic as ever. "It's too easy to make enemies!"

"..."

True enough!

Uchiha Yuto chuckled awkwardly, though a hint of worry crept into his mind about the future. What if Obito turned out like Uchiha Madara, walking a dark and terrible path because he wasn't understood?

Madara: I want to create a peaceful world without ninjas!

Obito: I want to create a world where I can be free!

The momentum dropped several notches.

Everyone around fell silent.

It seemed…

Today would be the day Obito gained fame!

And if he achieved merit on the battlefield through his unique methods… this era might truly belong to Obito and his teacher, Minato!

"Minato has trained an extraordinary student!"

Minato shot him a side-eye glare. "Hehe."

This is not what I taught him!

At that moment, it was Obito's turn again.

His opponent was Nii Yugito from Kumogakure—a young, energetic girl with yellow-greenish hair, whom he'd once seen outside Yuto's BBQ shop.

However…

Just when everyone assumed this girl would follow the others' example, fearing the strength of the "Uchiha genius" and retreating with a clenched posture…

Something unexpected happened.

"Shameless! Pervert! Degenerate!" Nii Yugito glared at Obito with fiery eyes. "I, Yugito, will definitely defeat you!"

And…

The audience erupted into cheers.

While others had backed down, here was a ninja willing to stand her ground. How amazing!

Even the other Kumo ninjas were stunned, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Meanwhile, the so-called Uchiha genius—Obito—was momentarily taken aback by the girl's courage. But, having recently cleared up misunderstandings, his heart was now wholly focused on Rin.

With a scoff, he declared, "You are just a Kumo ninja! I can defeat you with just one finger!"

One finger...

This made Nii Yugito's face flush red with anger. "Shameless! Have the Konoha ninjas fallen so low? I will never lose to someone like you!"

And, at that moment…

Obito's friends on the Konoha side started to panic.

"Lord Obito, please don't fight with a girl. If you really have to, please use all your fingers!"

If he pulled that move in front of a crowd—especially against a girl—it'd spell disaster.

They'd all suffer the fallout!

Uchiha Yuto sighed, glancing at the silent Minato next to him. Looking at Minato's bright, sun-like golden hair, Yuto hesitated before patting his shoulder.

"If it gets too bad… dye your hair!"

"…Get lost!"