Naruto: Reincarnated as a Demon King

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By the time Raiden finally made his way toward the Ninja Academy, it was nearly noon. A piece of dry bread hung loosely from his mouth as he trudged forward at a slow, lazy pace.

He had stayed up late the previous night, training until deep into the night to familiarize himself with his Black Flames. Naturally, that meant he wasn't waking up early.

"Wasn't there something important happening today?"

Raiden glanced at the academy gates in the distance. He vaguely recalled Izumi mentioning something about an exam yesterday.

The first full-grade evaluation since enrollment...

'Tch, how annoying!'

'Training would be way more productive!'

That being said, Raiden didn't want to be separated from Izumi. Her strength might not be top-tier, but as a member of the renowned Uchiha clan, her placement in the elite class was guaranteed.

At this point in Konoha's history, the name Senju was barely heard anymore. Meanwhile, Uchiha clansmen were still everywhere.

The Konoha Military Police Force was under Uchiha's control.

However, after the Nine-Tails incident last year, distrust toward the Uchiha had grown. The village's higher-ups had completely marginalized them.

Even so, the Uchiha remained the largest and strongest clan in Konoha a dying camel was still bigger than a horse.

In modern Konoha, only two clans were truly considered noble houses the Uchiha and the Hyūga.

The Hyūga Clan was also formidable, a prestigious ninja family with a legacy spanning generations.

After the Senju Clan's decline, the Hyūga were strategically pushed forward by Konoha's leadership to counterbalance the Uchiha, preventing them from dominating the village.

To Raiden, both the Uchiha and Hyūga were powerful, untouchable figures. If not for Izumi, he likely wouldn't have ever interacted with either of these great clans.

Finishing off the last of his dry bread, Raiden stepped into the classroom.

It was between lessons, and the room was filled with noise small groups of three or five chattering loudly.

Raiden glanced around, searching for someone.

"There you are at last, Little Rai!"

Izumi's sharp eyes immediately spotted him standing at the doorway, scanning the room. It wasn't surprising, after all; the horns on his head made him impossible to miss.

Most of the students in the class noticed him, but other than Izumi, who greeted him with a smile the rest either glared coldly or simply ignored him in disgust before turning away.

If an ordinary kid were treated like this, they'd either break down or turn bitter.

But Raiden wasn't an ordinary kid.

He couldn't care less about their attitudes or gazes. To him, they were just a bunch of bratty kids who hadn't seen the real world yet.

What kind of adult would take a bunch of immature kids seriously?

"Mm." Raiden gave a small smile and took the seat next to Izumi.

No one else in the class wanted to sit with the "monster," so his seat was at the farthest corner, right beside Izumi.

In fact, there was an entirely empty seat right in front of him!

"You're practically skipping lunch you must not have eaten yet, right?"

Izumi pulled out a carefully wrapped large bento she had prepared just for him.

"Here, eat something first."

"Mm-mm!"

At the sight of food, Raiden instantly perked up. Having trained overnight, his stomach had long been emptied.

"Oh, by the way… do you remember what I told you yesterday?"

Izumi tilted her head, watching him closely, barely holding back her curiosity.

"Mmmf… Yesterday?"

Raiden's mouth was stuffed to the brim, and at the mention of yesterday, he looked momentarily confused.

Tilting his head, he put on a deep-thinking expression.

Izumi's face darkened instantly!

"I knew it! You idiot! Don't tell me you forgot everything? If you dare nod, I swear I'll beat you up!"

She lifted her small but surprisingly fierce fist and shook it threateningly. So all the words she'd spent last night were wasted, huh?!

"No way! I remember everything!"

Raiden pounded his chest in a show of confidence.

What did she say again?

Yesterday, he had been too busy staring at her *cough* too focused on eating. Apart from the word exam, everything else had completely slipped his mind!

"You…"

Izumi rolled her eyes dramatically.

She seriously didn't know what to do with this idiot.

"…Does your injury still hurt? Yesterday… sorry."

Raiden's voice was almost a whisper so quiet it was barely audible.

"Huh?"

Izumi thought she was hearing things But when she saw Raiden's slightly flushed face from the side, she knew she hadn't misheard.

Only those who truly knew Raiden understood how proud he was. For him to say those three words was nothing short of a miracle.

"…Nothing. You misheard."

Raiden turned away, stuffing more food into his mouth, leaving Izumi with only the back of his head.

Pfft!

A light giggle escaped Izumi's lips, making Raiden's ears turn even redder.

"You're so awkward."

Izumi made up her mind.

If Raiden ended up in the bottom-tier class, then she'd go with him.

Raiden had no other friends but her.

She wouldn't let him be alone.

"Well, well, if it isn't the gluttonous bull-head freak!"

A mocking voice suddenly broke through the peaceful moment. Three kids approached their desks in the farthest corner by the window.

No one else ever came near this part of the classroom except troublemakers looking for a fight.

These three were clearly looking for trouble.

"Don't push it, Shuu Hyūga!"

Izumi's expression darkened as she glared at the white-eyed boy leading the group.

Raiden, on the other hand?

He just kept eating.

This was a special bento made by Izumi!

Not a single grain of rice could go to waste.

Besides… he still wasn't full.

'Hmm..How should I use the Black Flames' Raiden didn't even spare them a glance.

Just a bunch of bratty kids.

Not his problem.

He wasn't their dad, why should he care?

Being completely ignored and scolded by Izumi?

Shuu's mood instantly soured.

The rest of the class turned their attention to the scene, eager to watch the drama unfold. The surrounding stares felt like mockery like they were laughing at him.

That was the final straw.

He was a Hyūga prodigy and yet, this ugly freak dared to ignore him?!

Izumi's scolding?

Shuu brushed it off completely.

She was cute, sweet, and adored by everyone from old men to little boys.

The school idol.

Even though the Uchiha and Hyūga were rival clans, that didn't stop Hyūga Shuu from liking her. But he wasn't about to fight Izumi. He didn't want to end up jumping in the bathroom after class.

So who was the perfect target for his anger?

Raiden.

"Hey, kid, gonna hide behind a girl forever?"

"That's enough, Shuu!"

Izumi stood up coldly, glaring at him. This annoying brat followed her around like a fly all day long.

That was bad enough But now, he was insulting her friend right in front of her?!

Laughter erupted from the class.

Shuu's face flushed red with rage.

He didn't care about anything anymore he just wanted to beat this brat!

"Move aside, this isn't your business!"

In a fit of anger, he shoved Izumi aside!

Thud!

She fell, her elbow slamming against the hard wall. Pain flashed across her face as her eyes welled up.

For a moment everything went silent.

Even Raiden, who had been stuffing food into his mouth, froze.

…