The Dango shop is full of civilians and a few tired students at this hour, but I find a spot on a red bench outside, a bit away from the main bustle. The sun has almost hidden behind the Hokage monument, and the sky is turning purple.
I order three servings of Mitarashi dango (sweet rice balls in soy glaze) and green tea. I pay without blinking, pulling coins from my pocket and tossing them onto the counter with practiced indifference. I'm quite wealthy, having inherited a lot of money from the Uchiha.
Ino watches this. She likes it when she doesn't have to worry about things.
I sit across from her and lean back, spreading my legs and casually draping one arm over the back of the bench. I say nothing, just looking at her.
Ino takes a skewer of dango and takes a bite.
"Seriously, that Naruto is impossible," she starts chirping while chewing. "And Sakura? Did you see how she looked at me? She thinks just because she has a big forehead, she's smarter. But Sasuke-kun won't even notice her. By the way, do you think we'll be on the same team? I hope I'm not with Choji, he just eats all the time..."
I just nod, my black eyes scanning her continuously. My intelligence allows me to filter her words like "white noise." I'm not interested in Choji's appetite, but in the way her lips move when she speaks and how her collarbone shifts when she laughs.
My mind, though not genius, is very... detailed in this regard. Ino notices my intense gaze. She stops chewing and blushes slightly. The silence starts to get thick, but not unpleasant. It's a silence I create.
"What is it?" she asks, reflexively running a hand through her hair. "Why are you staring at me like that? Do I have something on my face?"
I tilt my head slightly to the side, the corner of my mouth rising in a faint and mysterious smirk.
"I'm just enjoying..." I make a dramatic pause, my gaze sliding from her eyes lower and then slowly returning, "... the atmosphere. Dango tastes better when one has a beautiful view."
The line was cheap and suggestive. But for a twelve-year-old girl who wants to be seen as a grown woman, it's like dynamite.
Ino almost chokes. She quickly takes a sip of tea to cover her embarrassment; I see the corners of her mouth rising into a smile.
"You're terrible, Mrož," she giggles, but she doesn't pull away. "But at least you're not boring like Shino. That guy is weird."
The rest of the outing continues in a similar spirit. Ino talks, and I play the "mysterious listener" who occasionally throws in a sentence like: "Hm, interesting," or "They wouldn't dare." My cold aura combined with the fact that I bought her food and am giving her full (albeit visual) attention works perfectly.
When it gets dark, I walk her to her family's flower shop. I stop in front of the door. Ino turns on her heel.
"So... thanks for the dango," she says, hesitating for a moment. She's waiting to see if I'll try something.
However, I stay true to my strategy and don't touch her. I just look deep into her eyes as if I know all her secrets (you know nothing; you just like her skirt).
"Tomorrow, Ino," I say simply. I turn around and walk away into the darkness without looking back.
I hear the shop door chime behind me. I've got this in the bag.
I walk home through the Uchiha district, which is quiet—too quiet. Most of the lights are out, and my house is on the edge. My cousin Sasuke lives in the main complex. I feel the weight in the air that the Uchiha name carries after the massacre, but my personality doesn't allow me to worry about it too much; I live for the present.
When the massacre happened, I wasn't home; I was somewhere in the city hitting on older civilian women. So when I returned home, there were many Konoha ninjas questioning me. When I found out that my father, Tekka Uchiha, and my mother were dead, I felt only a little bit sorry. I liked my mother well enough, but my father, not so much.
I get home and enter my room. It's Spartan, but it has everything I need. I shed my vest and pull out my "Normal" notebook. I sit at the desk by candlelight.
Entry No. 42: Ino Yamanaka.
Status: Processed.
Notes: Responds to silence and intense eye contact. Likes sweets. When nervous, she plays with her hair—cute. Next time, try physical contact, but only when the situation escalates. Maybe during a mission?
I close the notebook and hide it. I feel strong. Tomorrow is the team assignment; that will be key. If I get a bad team, my progress could stall. If I get a good team... that would be a different cup of tea.
I head out and walk around the Uchiha district; I have nothing to do and don't feel like training since my stomach is full of dango. My steps lead me back toward the Academy. It's quiet here, only the wind rustling in the leaves. And then I see someone.
On the swing under the tree, in the shadow of a street lamp, sits Naruto Uzumaki. His head is hung low, his goggles glistening in the moonlight. He looks like a pile of misery. He has no one to be with.
I stop; my arrogance and boredom tell me this is the perfect opportunity to "play" a little or just kill time. Besides, Naruto is a grateful listener when someone gives him even a shred of attention, even if it's an Uchiha.
I approach him. My steps are silent thanks to my perfect body control, so he only notices me when I'm standing right next to him.
"Uzumaki," I say in a voice that isn't harsh but carries my typical superiority. "You look like a drowned rat."
Naruto snaps his head up. There are tears in his eyes that he tries to hide quickly.
"Mrož? What do you want?! Did you come to mock me like the others?" he snarls, gripping the swing ropes tighter. "Get lost! I... I'm going to be Hokage, you'll see! Even without that stupid exam!"
I cross my arms over my chest and lean against the tree next to the swing.
"Calm down, loudmouth. If I wanted to mock you, I'd use my clones for it," I say dryly. "I was bored. My date with Ino ended, Sasuke is... Sasuke. So I was left with you."
Naruto stares at me, not knowing whether to take it as an insult or the presence of company.
"You were with Ino?" he asks suspiciously, his sadness momentarily giving way to envy.
"How do you do it? Why do girls fall for you Uchihas? It's that look, isn't it?" Naruto continues, looking at the ground.
I smirk; this is a topic where I feel right at home.
"It's about the approach, Naruto," I say instructively, like a master speaking to a student. "You run after them like a puppy. Girls don't want a puppy. They want a wolf. You have to be cold, direct, and a little dangerous. And most importantly..." I lean closer to him, "...you have to have style. That orange jumpsuit of yours screams 'please, notice me.' It's desperate," I whisper.
Naruto looks at his clothes and frowns. "But orange is cool! And Sakura-chan..."
"Sakura has a big forehead and a small brain; if she likes Sasuke just because he ignores her, you have to ignore her too," I interrupt him.
"But you have a different problem. You don't control your chakra. I saw you at the exam. Your clone looked like it had been run over by a wagon." I pivot the subject.
"Hey!" Naruto jumps off the swing, ready to argue, but there's no real anger in his voice.
He's glad someone is talking to him as an equal (more or less) and not like trash. "Just you wait! I'll learn a technique that'll make everyone's jaw drop! Then they'll give me a headband and Sakura-chan will go on a date with me, not you or Sasuke!" he shouts.
I'm just about to tell him his chances are slim when a figure steps out from the shadow of the building. It's Mizuki-sensei. He's wearing the standard Chunin vest and has a large shuriken on his back. His smile is friendly, but my high instincts pick up something strange in his posture.
"Naruto?" Mizuki says softly, then his gaze falls on me and hardens for a fraction of a second. "And... Mrož Uchiha. What are you two doing here so late?"
"Giving life lessons to our future Hokage, since he's on his own," I reply, casually running a hand through my hair.
Mizuki gives a fake laugh.
"That's... noble of you, Mrož. But I think Naruto needs to be alone for a bit now to gather his thoughts. Or..." Mizuki turns to Naruto and winks.
"Maybe I have some advice for him on how he could pass after all. But it's a secret between teacher and student."
Naruto's eyes widen. "Really, sensei?!"
Mizuki places a hand on Naruto's shoulder and looks at me with a clear hint to leave.
"Mrož, you should go home. This is Academy administrative business."
I stand there and think. My mind doesn't allow me to fully grasp Mizuki's treacherous plan, but my arrogance hates being sent away. I feel that something important is happening here. Why would a sensei want to be alone with someone everyone considers trash?