NOVEL WEB Chapter 4: Hidden test
"Oh! Look, here comes the Prince of Konoha. Wait, he's also just an orphan like us with no parents."
Hearing that, Kaida did feel embarrassed. Not because of what was said, but because there was a time when he got angry after hearing such remarks. But technically, it wasn't him, so he decided to ignore it, recalling a useful quote from his previous life: "Silence is the best answer for fools."
Kaida just went to the breakfast table, took a hearty serving, and sat at a corner table. While eating, he heard it again.
"Oh ho, look! Now the prince is also a pig, hahaha!" Kaida decided to ignore this person again, but the bully became increasingly angry and decided to push it further. He walked over to Kaida, shoved him, and said, "Hey, don't you know it's basic manners to reply when someone is speaking to you?"
'Now, to make one thing clear, I am a person who tries to keep myself out of trouble. But if trouble is unavoidable, I will completely remove that problem from my life,' Kaida thought.
Just when he was going to speak, someone came between them.
"Suri, don't you remember the old man told you to stay away from Kaida?"
Yes, she was the reason this gorilla was so hell-bent on making my life miserable. She is the cutest girl I have seen so far in my life. This gorilla likes her, and since she is my "friend," he decided to take out his frustration on me.
Just when I was thinking about these things, that gorilla suddenly pushed Yomi onto the floor. Before I could think, I lifted the iron plate I was eating from and hit him on the head. Since a similar incident had happened yesterday, where Kaida had also tried to hit him but only managed one hit, Suri was fine after taking the blow and had beaten Kaida quite badly afterward. So this time, just as he was about to turn his head, I thought, 'I am not going to repeat the same mistake twice,' and hit him on the head again at the same spot while saying that. This time, he was on the floor due to disorientation from the sudden impact. Since I was just four and he was seven, even bigger than his peers, hand-to-hand confrontation was out of the question. I am not the same fool who let his mind go wild during a fight.
I turned to his "friends" cum lackeys who were on their way to save their boss. I looked at their side, arranged my weapon (the plate), and again hit the head of Suri, but at a different spot, since I still didn't want to kill him. Seeing this, both of his lackeys stopped. With another bang, both of them turned their legs and ran in the opposite direction, calling the old man for help.
While seeing them leave, Kaida could finally release a sigh of relief. Then, remembering something, he moved toward Yomi.
(Kaida's perspective...)
"Are you all right, Yomi?" Hmm, why is she not looking at me? Is she now scared of me since I beat up that gorilla?
Oh, her cheeks are red. Is she embarrassed or shy? Hmm, okay, I agree that I do look handsome and cool, more so than in my previous life. And since I had just saved her, does she think of me as a hero?
Okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves just by beating a kid in a world full of dangerous ninjas.
"You didn't have to fight for me. What would have happened if he had beaten you again like yesterday?" Yomi asked, puffing her cheeks while still sitting on the ground.
Kaida, too, sat on the ground and said, "So why did you jump in when he was trying to pick a fight with me then?"
"Because we are friends," Yomi answered in a hurried voice.
"Exactly. Since you are my friend, how can you think that I will sit still when someone bullies you?"
Again, a blush found its way to Yomi's fluffy cheeks.
When the incident was happening, Hiroshi (the caretaker of the orphanage) was just sitting and watching the whole scene unfold. When everything settled down, he went to Kaida and said, "Kaida, come to my office." Meanwhile, a nurse applied medicine to Suri's injuries and tied a bandage around his head.
Kaida just nodded and started to walk with the old man, but suddenly Yomi came in front of Hiroshi and said, "Old man, it was not Kaida's fault. Suri started the fight and even pushed me. You can ask anyone present here. Please don't scold Kaida."
"Don't worry, I am not going to scold him. I have something important to discuss with him," the old man said while gently placing his hand on her head. Kaida smiled, seeing her trying to save him once again. At least now, I really have my first friend in both lives.
After coming to his office, the old man sat on his chair and said, "Kaida, I know I said I would train you to become a ninja, but becoming a ninja is not as simple as you think. After you become a ninja, you will be many times more powerful than any average civilian. For this reason, I wanted to decide whether it was right for me to teach you or not. That's why I didn't step in earlier. Think of it as some sort of hidden test, and you excelled in it. You didn't react to provocation even when you had the means to. You decided to fight to save someone against all odds. That's the way of a Konoha ninja. Very good."
I just smiled back at him, even though my reason for not reacting was the opposite of what he was thinking. The result was very good.
"So, uncle, can we start our training tomorrow?"
"Yes, come to the east section of the forest at 5 a.m. tomorrow. And please go and tell your friend at the door that she doesn't have to worry about you," said the old man with a smile.
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