Not noticing Kurenai's horrified shiver—if he had, Obito might have reconsidered—the boy was now entirely focused on the phrase "practice problems." He looked at Ren, curiosity overtaking his earlier dejection. "Practice problems? What do you mean?"
So, the secret to Ren and Kurenai's academic excellence was… more studying? He was intrigued. He wanted to improve his grades, too!
Ren answered truthfully, though his terminology slipped into a past-life vernacular. "A student's essential toolkit: three years of mock exams, five years of college entrance tests… ah, sorry, off-topic. In short, it's a powerful tool for improving academic performance!"
For his little sister Kurenai, Ren was genuinely concerned. How could the academy's top scorer have a younger sister with merely above-average marks? It was unacceptable!
Kurenai had to keep up.
The Third Great Shinobi War was a Sword of Damocles hanging over them all. Just because Kurenai had survived until the Boruto era in the original story didn't guarantee anything now. His mere presence was a butterfly flapping its wings. The stronger Kurenai was, the safer she would be.
"…" Kurenai, listening with perked ears, gave another full-body shudder. If only I'd never asked him how to improve my grades back then, she thought miserably. Then I wouldn't be living in this daily hell.
Now, every day after school, she was buried under mountains of practice problems. Her grades had risen, true, but only she knew the suffering behind that red ink. Uchiha Obito was a brave warrior willingly stepping into the inferno. She was deeply impressed.
"That…" Uchiha Obito's eyes sparkled. He rubbed his hands together in an unconscious gesture of eager anticipation, his expression one of hopeful embarrassment. "Ren… could you let me take a look at these 'practice problems'? I want to improve my scores too…"
Ren deliberately put on a troubled expression. "Well… those problems were meticulously compiled by me, word by word, stroke by stroke. A lot of effort went into them…"
Uchiha Obito got the hint immediately. He waved a hand with the practiced nonchalance of someone from a wealthy clan. "Don't worry, I'm not someone who expects something for nothing. Learning advanced ninjutsu costs money. Something that can boost academic performance naturally has its price. Just name it. How much?"
"As expected of a scion of the esteemed Uchiha clan, so forthright!" Ren gave an approving thumbs-up. After a moment of faux contemplation, he said, "It's nothing exorbitant. How about… the standard market price for a C-rank ninjutsu scroll? We're classmates, after all. Consider it a friendship discount."
Even civilians had avenues to learn ninjutsu—borrowing scrolls from the archives (for a fee) or hiring private tutors. Such things cost money. E and D-rank techniques were common enough to be borrowed freely, but C-rank and above required payment. Money made the world—and the shinobi world—go round. Ren believed in starting his wealth accumulation young.
Uchiha Obito considered it. The price of a C-rank scroll wasn't trivial, but it wasn't prohibitive for him either. He still had a respectable inheritance left by his parents. He could afford even a B-rank scroll's price if needed. "Deal!" he agreed. Ren wouldn't cheat him—the results were right there. They were all peers of similar age and intellect. He refused to believe he was inherently inferior; he just hadn't found the right method!
Business had come knocking. Ren greeted it with a radiant smile. "Excellent. I'll organize the materials and bring them tomorrow. Satisfaction guaranteed."
Uchiha Obito nodded gratefully. "I'll be counting on you then!"
"Hmm…" Kurenai rested her chin on her hand, observing the grateful Uchiha Obito. Her eyes held a complex mix of pity, a touch of awe, and deep curiosity. Someone was actually paying money for that? Was his life so carefree he needed to seek out suffering? How bizarre!
Ren, Kakashi Hatake, Asuma Sarutobi, Might Guy… and now Uchiha Obito. They all seemed to operate on a wavelength she couldn't quite tune into. Was she simply behind the times? Yet… a stubborn part of her insisted this wasn't how normal people behaved.
At that moment, Asuma Sarutobi sauntered over. He'd overheard the conversation. A hint of accusation colored his tone. "You've been holding out on us? I knew there was a trick to your scores! So there's a secret weapon!"
He, the dignified Hokage's son, was languishing in fourth place academically. It was preposterous. His family had employed numerous private tutors, yet he still trailed behind Ren, Kakashi, and even Kurenai! It was an embarrassment. How was he supposed to impress Kurenai Yūhi like this?
"Asuma, are you interested as well?" Ren's eyes lit up again. This kid was the real moneybags, the Hokage's son. His salesperson smile returned in full force. "You're already in fourth place without it. With diligent practice, you could easily surpass me and take the top spot!"
"No! I will rely on my own efforts!" Asuma's gaze kept darting toward Kurenai. Seeing her looking his way—though he couldn't decipher the strange pity in her eyes—he instinctively puffed out his chest. He adopted a stance of noble self-reliance. "In the next written exam, I will defeat you fair and square and claim first place!"
"…" If you don't want it, why butt in? What a waste of a sales pitch. Ren's demeanor shifted instantly to one of bland indifference. "Very well. Then I suggest you go study. I have high expectations for you."
"Hmph!" Asuma's lip curled. Ren's attitude shift was faster than a Transformation Jutsu. With a displeased sniff, he declared, "You might be top of the class on paper, but this afternoon's practical session is a different story. I will be first!"
For nearly a month, every time he tried to strike up a conversation with Kurenai, Ren would materialize with some excuse or simply watch him with those unsettlingly vigilant eyes. It was infuriating. Even more galling was Ren's sheer popularity, especially with the girls. He, the Hokage's son, didn't command that kind of attention!
So what if Ren was handsome and book-smart? He, Asuma, would reclaim his rightful glory. The afternoon's practical class was his arena. Written exams meant nothing. Good looks meant nothing. A shinobi spoke with strength. He would show all the girls, and especially Kurenai Yūhi, that he, Sarutobi Asuma, was superior!
Ren: "Oh."
"Just you wait!" Asuma took a deep, steadying breath, fists clenched at his sides. The sheer, casual dismissal was maddening. He swore inwardly that he would crush Ren in the practical session. With a final, frustrated snort, he turned on his heel and stalked back to his seat.
"Oh, right, we have practical class this afternoon…" Mention of the practical session seemed to deflate Uchiha Obito's newfound confidence. He'd heard the topic was basic shurikenjutsu. "Ren, are you confident?"
Ren let out a world-weary sigh. "Not really. I'm not much of a practical person. Tool throwing especially… I often miss the target. It's quite difficult…"
"Tell me about it!" Obito found a kindred spirit in misery. "I miss all the time during home practice too. It just takes relentless training to improve…" He did, however, feel a secret flutter of relief. So Ren wasn't perfect at everything. He inexplicably gained a sliver of confidence, determined to perform well that afternoon and finally catch Rin's attention!
Ren continued his sighing performance. "It's a struggle, truly."
Uchiha Obito offered some peer encouragement. "Just do your best this afternoon. I'm sure you won't be terrible!"
Ren nodded solemnly. "I'll try."
"…" Listening to this entire exchange, Kurenai Yūhi simply stared, her mouth slightly agape, utterly speechless. The "missing the target" in Ren's vocabulary and the "missing the target" in Uchiha Obito's were celestial bodies apart. For Ren, "missing" meant failing to hit the absolute, pin-point center of the bullseye. Was that even fair?
Ren was such a bully.