12. Unable to Stop Caring About Her

Sasuke had been in rather good spirits lately, because he had made a new friend.

A girl named Uzumaki Kotono, who was utterly unlovable.

They had a relationship much like that between his elder brother and Shisui—sparring with each other and improving together.

Kotono’s taijutsu, however, was always rather strange.

He had never seen Shisui pin his elder brother beneath him during a spar, yet Kotono loved doing exactly that. Then she would knead his cheeks or poke him in the waist.

At times like that, regardless of whether Sasuke had the upper hand, and no matter how proud and overbearing he had been moments before, all his imposing momentum would collapse in an instant.

Despicable. Utterly despicable!

—Though he was always fond of criticizing her tactics, for some reason, whenever Kotono challenged him, the young master of the Uchiha clan would agree at once.

Naruto: ?

He despised people like Sasuke, who secretly tried to steal Kotono’s attention.

But back to the matter at hand. Sasuke was especially happy today.

His father had finally come home for dinner, and he could share his good news.

He had won far more often than he had lost, defeating Uzumaki Kotono again and again.

Kotono was undeniably a genius. But precisely because his opponent was her, this proved beyond doubt that he was the most outstanding student in the Ninja Academy!

He had kept the news hidden for half a month, all so he could tell both his father and his brother at the dinner table.

Lately, his brother and father had both grown increasingly busy, and the atmosphere had become rather strange as well. It was rare for all of them to gather for a meal.

“Uzumaki...”

Unfortunately, with an even more exceptional eldest son before him, Uchiha Fugaku remained unmoved. He did not praise his younger son. Instead, he wore a thoughtful expression at the girl’s surname.

“Sasuke did wonderfully.” Itachi was never stingy with praise for Sasuke.

“Sasuke has improved.” Uchiha Mikoto praised her younger son first, then continued, “Speaking of that child, Uzumaki Kotono... hasn’t her name been coming up rather often lately?”

Her husband and eldest son were not always around, but she had heard Sasuke complain about Kotono every single day.

“So Sasuke has made a good friend at school.” Mikoto drew out the words with a teasing smile. “A genius, too.”

Sasuke muttered, “I’m not friends with some dumb redhead. She’s my rival.”

“Oh? Is your good friend the child named Kotono?”

Sasuke flushed with frustration. “Mother!”

“That girl named Kotono is indeed quite remarkable.” The increasingly taciturn eldest son suddenly spoke as well.

“Hm?” Even Fugaku looked surprised this time.

Ever since his eldest son had entered the Anbu and become the clan’s spy, his temperament had grown so inscrutable that even his father could no longer understand him.

Even at family meals, he answered only what he was asked. The sole subject capable of drawing his attention was Sasuke.

“She works part-time at the Eishindo Bookshop. Many of our seniors have seen her there,” Itachi said. “She is clever and diligent. Though she only recently celebrated her seventh birthday, she has an extraordinary memory and a wealth of knowledge. She can always answer customers’ questions with ease.”

Sasuke protested, “I can do that too!”

“She’s only just turned seven?” Mikoto asked in surprise. “She’s half a year younger than Sasuke.”

Uzumaki Kotono had indeed become a modest sensation at the Eishindo Bookshop.

The heartwarming story of how she and the shop’s owner had turned hostility into friendship had spread throughout the village.

In that tale, Kotono—fearless before authority and thoroughly familiar with the Fourth Hokage’s exploits—was the embodiment of the Will of Fire. Brave and clever, she had valiantly resisted a ninja clerk who had used his strength to bully a child.

As for the shopkeeper, he was portrayed as an admirable mentor who recognized a hardworking and gifted junior, allowing her to work part-time on weekends and read books after her shift.

This stirring tale of the Will of Fire being passed down had driven up sales of books related to the shop considerably.

Naturally, some busybodies went to test Kotono themselves, only to discover that the little red-haired girl truly was remarkably intelligent. She was articulate, cheerful, lively, and possessed a brilliance far beyond that of her peers.

“Even Senior Kakashi knows of her,” Uchiha Itachi added. “He said she’s quite good.”

Fugaku nodded. “If Kakashi says she’s good, then she must truly be a genius.”

In truth, even without Senior Kakashi’s approval or the rumors surrounding her, Uchiha Itachi had already formed a favorable impression of Kotono.

He had witnessed her intelligence in the hills behind the village long ago.

Then, the previous week, when he went to collect Sasuke, he saw her again.

On the field beneath a crimson sunset, the ponytailed girl challenged the high horizontal bar again and again.

The bar was very high, but failure never discouraged her.

He could see it clearly in her expression.

Her vitality was as bright and lively as her red hair, brimming with such force that it seemed capable of scorching away every obstacle—a quality the Uchiha, forever steeped in the damp chill of rainy days, could never possess.

Her precocious intelligence resembled Shisui’s, yet her resilience and brilliance were entirely different from his.

She kept jumping for a very long time.

Uchiha Itachi found himself standing there, watching her for quite some time.

Kotono never managed to clear the bar that day, but Itachi had no intention of making fun of her.

“It seems it’s been a long time since news from the village reached the clan compound,” Mikoto remarked with a smile. “How could I not have heard such an interesting story?”

She loved the long-lost warmth that had returned to the family because of that story.

An eldest son sharing what he had seen, a younger son pretending not to care while unable to stop worrying about his friend, and parents listening with smiles.

This was the family Uchiha Mikoto cherished with all her heart.

“Spend more time with that Uzumaki Kotono. If you like her, you may even invite her home,” Fugaku said after a moment’s thought. “As for the others... if they are not geniuses, keep your distance for now.”

Listening to his parents’ discussion, Itachi’s brows and eyes gradually darkened once more.

Yes.

Between clan and village, between one person and another—understanding was impossible after all.

Even between parents and their own children.

*

Eishindo Bookshop.

The largest and most comprehensive bookshop in Konoha Village, Eishindo always carried the newest publications from the Five Great Nations.

Recently, it had acquired a new attraction.

She appeared only on weekends: a little red-haired girl with her hair tied in twin buns.

The girl always wore a sweet smile and a Chinese-style vest with a white base and red trim. Most importantly, she possessed an astonishing memory and exceptional intelligence.

Whatever questions customers asked, she could provide a satisfactory answer.

Even when she truly did not know something, customers would often rub their noses sheepishly upon seeing the little girl’s shy, apologetic expression, then give up.

Someone with too much time on their hands had nicknamed Uzumaki Kotono “the Little Professor.”

As her number of shifts increased, the Little Professor’s gift for speaking became sharper as well.

“If you’re looking for an introductory text on sealing techniques, Section C has Lord Uzumaki Ashina’s informative Guide to Sealing Arts. If you want something more advanced, I recommend...”

The young genin who had come to buy a book listened in stunned silence.

Never mind how much theoretical knowledge she possessed. Her ability to express herself, together with her calm and composed air, completely overwhelmed him.

Who, exactly, was the academy graduate here?

The shinobi world was not lacking in prodigies who had gone to battle and killed at the age of four—Itachi of the Uchiha clan was one such example. But geniuses who, at seven, could summarize and explain things fluently, effortlessly recalling the contents of all kinds of books, were exceedingly rare.

Even rarer was one who was so eager to learn.

Kotono had worked at Eishindo for half a month, and nearly every customer in the shop now knew the story behind this diligent and cheerful Little Professor.

“Kazutomo, you’ve discovered a prodigy of a shop assistant,” a familiar shinobi joked after receiving his book. “Little Kotono is far more conscientious than you are, and you’re the owner!”

Sagawa Kazutomo usually responded with a smile. “I merely saw that she truly had talent. If one insists on putting it grandly, perhaps the Fourth Hokage has returned from beyond and entrusted me with passing the Will of Fire on to a younger generation.”

This was usually met with a chorus of admiration.

Even customers who knew nothing of the matter would be told by those around them the heartwarming tale of a seven-year-old girl outwitting a ninja clerk, and of an erudite shopkeeper recognizing a brilliant child from a difficult background.

Six o’clock in the afternoon.

After seeing the final customer out, Sagawa Kazutomo handed Kotono an envelope at the counter.

“This is your pay for today. You may read whatever you like before closing.”

“Thank you, Mr. Sagawa.” Kotono answered with a radiant smile.

Looking at the adorable girl before him, her hair tied in little flower-shaped buns, Sagawa could not help sighing inwardly.

His daily wage of two hundred ryo had certainly not gone to waste. (Approximately one hundred yuan.)

Before this, Eishindo had always employed genin as shop assistants. Since many of its customers were shinobi, having ninja clerks made communication more convenient.

But shinobi demanded at least ten times the wages of ordinary people, to say nothing of their often rough and brusque manner.

Then, two weeks ago, this little girl had used the Will of Fire as her weapon to make both him and that foolish genin clerk lose face terribly—only to seek him out afterward and recommend herself for the position.

She had convinced Sagawa Kazutomo with the commercial cleverness of packaging the incident as a story and using it to build a reputation.

That was not all. On her second day of work, the little rascal had bought herself a Chinese-style outfit and hair ribbons. Her adorable appearance was instantly eye-catching, adding considerable charm to the bookshop.

Her attitude toward work and her intelligence were beyond criticism.

At first, Sagawa had hired her merely to save face, expecting to dismiss her after a few days. Now, however, he genuinely admired Kotono.

He had heard that her grades at the Ninja Academy were among the very best as well.

Without question, Uzumaki Kotono was a genius worthy of the reputation of her Uzumaki ancestors.

Sagawa had even begun wondering whether he ought to sponsor the education of this Little Professor, whose future was clearly destined to be limitless.

After all, shinobi spent no small amount of money on explosive tags, shuriken, and other ninja tools.

Just then, the bell above the door rang.

A blond boy in a black coat and red scarf stood hesitantly outside, clutching a small bag.

He looked uncertainly at Mr. Sagawa.

Sagawa sighed inwardly. “Come in. There are no customers left.”

“Thank you, Mr. Sagawa!” The blond boy answered with a dazzling smile.

Sagawa was now familiar with Naruto Uzumaki, whom the villagers called the Demon Fox, but who was in fact Kotono’s close family—a sunny and cheerful child much like her.

Ever since Kotono had begun working, Naruto had brought her meals twice every day, never once arriving late, no matter the wind or rain.

At first, Sagawa had thought Naruto an ill omen as well. But after getting to know him, he realized that he was simply an unfortunate but otherwise perfectly ordinary child.

The previous week had been Naruto’s birthday. Yet because it fell on the day of the Nine-Tails’ rampage—a day of mourning for many families in the village—the two children had not dared to celebrate.

It was just that...

Sagawa Kazutomo glanced at the poster of the Golden Flash directly opposite him and sighed again inwardly.

“Navuto, you don’t have to come all the way here like this anymore.”

Naruto, who had been speaking with Kotono, went pale and stood frozen in place, utterly at a loss.

Kotono was just about to speak when Sagawa Kazutomo continued, “You two live quite far away, don’t you? From now on, the shop will provide lunch and dinner. If you really want to spend time with her, could you come before we open in the morning?”

“During the day, she’ll be working while you study upstairs. When we close, you can come down and help her clean. You may read the books in the shop, too.”

“If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask either Kotono or me.”

The eyes of both children lit up.

Naruto could not help cheering. “Shopkeeper Uncle, you’re a really—great person!”

Sagawa Kazutomo gave a wry smile, hoping none of the other customers had seen that.

As for why he had done such a thing on impulse... he would simply regard it as gratitude for the Fourth Hokage’s service to the village.

Kotono spoke of the Will of Fire to customers every day, explaining it while recommending those finely bound books.

A shop that made its living selling the Will of Fire could hardly turn a blind eye to the hero’s son.