Chương 19: Chapter 17 - Return to School

In the end, my house arrest lasted for four days. Four miserable, window-staring, boredom-induced, self-training days. I mean, as much training as one can do at home... I couldn't actually do anything heavy or chakra-intensive, as I didn't want to set my own home ablaze or destroy the garden and make my Mom cry. As for my parents, they were alternating between fussing over me and Sayuri, or lecturing me about how to court a lady, even though my Dad had zero experience in it...

Which was reinforced by the facts he thought dating meant visiting the hospital Mom was training in for checkups... As for guests, Minato kept climbing in through my window like a squirrel, bringing me reports of every day, not wanting to let me fall behind, even staying over until night came, sparring with me in the backyard. Honestly, his speed was something else, because without my Sharingan, I had no chance of keeping up with him or seeing where his punches and kicks were aiming at. It was honestly scary...

By the morning of the fifth day, I was practically vibrating, because just the day before, Fugaku had visited again, telling my parents that all charges had been dropped, that I was cleared, and that Arai was now under house arrest. Well... He was still recovering, so it was more like being confined to his bed. As for his lackies, three of them confirmed what happened, affirming what I told him...

When I asked who wasn't telling the truth, it turned out to be the Inuzuka kid, who prompted his clan to step in and smooth things out. Heh... With everything settled, and apparently now me owing Fugaku one, I was finally returning to the Academy. Damn time! I never thought I would be happy to go to school again, but here I was, standing at the Academy's gates, the sun high and warm, my spirits back on top... Haaaah, yes. This was the feeling!

"Freedom," I whispered dramatically, and the moment I stepped inside, the courtyard... Everything went silent. Uh... It seems I picked up some bad juju, eh? I mean... it wasn't quiet, not whispery, or how it usually should be, even if everyone's attention was on something... Nope. It was silent like a graveyard. I was waiting for the cicadas to kick in, but... Damn. What? I didn't kill anybody, why are you all looking at me like I'm Zabuza after his graduation?!

Dozens of academy students froze mid-step when I arrived, and when I looked over them, I heard Rei Inuzuka's puppy hiccup loud enough to echo. Well... It didn't help that the other idiots were back in class, too, bandaged, some of them in casts... Heh. They didn't dare look me in the eye.

"Nice," I muttered to myself, shaking my head, and continued to walk forward.

"Perfect. Love being treated like a walking natural disaster. I am not even a Jinchūriki..." No matter where I looked, I caught someone flinching, though. Even the upper-year students stared at me, and my ears were twitching, hearing some of their whispers in the utter silence.

"Hey," Someone murmured, "Is that him?"

"Don't make eye contact," came the answer, "His eyes are dangerous...

"Not just that," And I swear I heard a third kid say, "My cousin said he used a forbidden jutsu on them." Forbidden jutsu? Really?! Please. I wish I knew some of those... The cooler ones, please, not the Death Reaper Seal or some other suicide nonsense.

"Finally back?" Minato asked as I reached the classroom, seeing his smiling face greet me. He was leaning against the corridor wall, arms folded, but relaxed.

"There you are!" I called out, walking straight over without hesitation.

"Geez, what kind of rumors are circulating around about me, eh? You didn't tell me about this one..."

"I don't pay attention to nonsense." He answered, shrugging his shoulders, "You shouldn't either."

"Well, thanks?" I answered, pursing my lips, "Easier said than done, but right."

"You look tired," he said, shaking his head, scanning me up and down.

"Tired?" I gasped, "I was brimming with energy while coming back, but the moment I stepped in, I felt like Naru- Like I was some beast in disguise. Or as if I had come without my pants!"

"Heh," He chuckled, ignoring my almost cosmic slip-up for thank goodness...

"Apparently, you were very scary. The others had told their version, too... Ahead of you coming back... In their tale, you were a red-eyed monster, like a shinigami."

"If I were," I scanned the other kids, who were, of course, looking at us, until I tried to look into their eyes, that is, "the idiots would be dead." Then Sayuri appeared, walking up to me, her hair now in a ponytail, bouncing lightly behind her. She stopped right in front of me, smiling like nothing in the entire universe was wrong, and to be honest, nothing was wrong. It was the idiots who were thinking of idiotic things.

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"Renjiro," she said warmly, "glad you're back!"

"Me too," I nodded, trying to keep my voice casual while noticing the faint pink appearing on her cheeks.

"Thanks for the cookies. They were… addictive." Naturally, that earned a tiny giggle out of her, which made half the class stare at us with suspicion. Apparently, she won't have to be worried about being harassed by anyone else... The question is: will she have trouble finding a boyfriend later in life? Or friends in general... Because of my scary aura... Eeeh... Let's not worry about that, especially because a second later, Naoto slid out of the shadows like some insect-themed cryptid. Brr.

He stood right beside me, adjusting his glasses, his expression totally unreadable, as usual.

"Good job," he said simply, monotone as always, and then... left.

"…Thank… you?" I answered, confused.

"You are now a deterrent," Minato added, nodding as if that explained everything.

"That can be useful if we ever have some competition or something..."

"Great," I rolled my eyes at Minato, "Please, do use me accordingly, O Captain! My Captain!"

"Does he always talk like that?" Sayuri whispered, leaning towards Minato now, watching me with a raised brow, receiving a swift answer.

"Yes," He whispered back, both of them looking at me, "Apparently, he was born this way." I was about to shoot back with something witty and funny when I noticed that my previous victims were strangely clustered at the same spot, looking at us. At me. Huh. The Inuzuka kid was hobbling with a shin brace, his little dog perched miserably atop his bandaged head, trying not to whimper when I looked at them.

As for Koji Tanaka, his arm was strapped tightly against his torso in a sling, probably prompting a scar where I lodged the kunai into him. As for the other idiots of the four, Kenta Suda's knee was wrapped so thickly that walking looked like agony. Not that I was feeling sorry about them at all. Lastly... towering behind them… Taro Akimichi looked the least bandaged, but his forehead still had a stitch while his nose was prompting a bandaid going over it.

We just stood there, looking at each other, probably thinking what would happen next. Would I finish them off? Heh... But there was one of them who looked... different. The Akimichi kid held my gaze, and I could not see much anger, if any, in it... nor fear. Then, as if given permission, he stepped forward and began walking up to me. Oh? This is going to be interesting.

Of course, when he did so, Sayuri stiffened beside me, getting closer to me while Minato also shifted his position, ready to intervene if something stupid happened. In the end, Taro stopped two steps in front of me, swallowing loudly, before finding his voice.

"Renjiro," he said, bowing his head slightly.

"Can I speak with you?"

"Hm?" I raised a brow.

"Sure. I'm all ears."

"I… wanted to apologize." He said after a short pause and another inhale, followed by another bow, which was deeper this time.

"For what happened. Arai told me it would be just... Nothing. He said his girlfriend was being harassed and that he wanted to make sure she is fine..."

"Girlfriend?" Sayuri yelped, almost like a shriek, "Of that idiot?! When?! Hmph! Not in a century! Never!"

"I..." Taro gulped, looking back and forth between her and me, "I didn't know he was lying... And that he planned to… gang up on you. Or Sayuri. Or anyone." His voice cracked a little, "I thought we were friends. And… thank you. For not… killing us."

"I wouldn't." I shook my head, "We are of the same village, and I am not going to go overboard with it. There are fights within families, between brothers." I added with a half-smile.

"It happens."

"The medics said if you had hit harder, any of us... Then some of us wouldn't be walking again. You held back, I realize that. I know that you showed restraint, not using any ninjutsu, not even when we pulled weapons on you. And… I respect that." Huh... I didn't expect something like this... I like this guy. I really do. So, with a grin, I put a hand on Taro's shoulder, barely reaching him, and gave it a firm pat.

"It's fine," I said honestly, looking into his eye, "You made a bad choice, not a malicious one. I'm not angry anymore. I was at the moment... And hearing you say this, I say we can sweep the table clean and start anew!" His eyes widened, listening to me, "And if anything else happens, anything, with Arai or anyone else, trying to go after you," I added, glancing behind him, at the others who did not come forward, "You can come to me. I'll help. We all make mistakes..."

Standing there, Taro looked stunned, then relieved, and then he even smiled.

"Thank you." He said and bowed again before rejoining the others. As Taro and the rest of them dispersed, Sayuri leaned close to me, examining my face... coming so close I could smell her sweet fragrance that smelled like a flower garden... Seeing me blush, she suddenly began smiling.

"That was… really nice of you."

"Don't sound so shocked," I muttered, looking away, pursing my lips.

"Renjiro is not a bad guy," Minato just nodded, as if this had been evident from the start.

"That was exactly what I expected from you." He added, looking at me, "The others will see it, too... In time. And then, the rumors will die down."

"Will they?" I shrugged, looking at them, "Haaah... whatever. Let's focus on what's happening now... What's for today?"

"Genjutsu." The two said at once, Sayuri adding to it, "Which means you two will probably be put in the advanced class again..."

"Well, you should be good at that, no?" I asked, looking at Sayuri.

"I am not like you two," She shot back, her shoulders dropping, "I couldn't even deal with the one in the forest. But," she smiled, regaining her spirits, "I will be fine. Not everyone can be like the Yin-Yang of the Academy."

"Wait, what?" I asked, looking at Minato, who just shook his head, showing he had no idea what Sayuri was talking about.

"It's your two's nickname." She giggled, watching us as we were lost in the sudden revelation.

"Yin," she pointed at me, "Because you already have black hair and now the black aura..."

"Pft, thanks?" I grunted, crossing my arms, but she just continued.

"Yang." She then pointed at Minato, who was blinking his eyes like he wasn't getting it at all, "Because you are warm and bright."

"He is more like a yellow flash," I interjected, nudging Minato, "He is the quickest one of us."

"That's true..." Sayuri murmured, crossing her arms, being thoughtful about it, "And while he is the flash, you can be his thunder."

"Eh..." We looked at each other, but I just shrugged. It was better than changing Minato's future monicker, "Sure," I added before Minato had a chance to protest, "Why not?"