Konoha's Tatsuya

Another month passed in the blink of an eye.

Around 10 AM, Tatsuya, Yuuhi Teru, and Sakawa strolled leisurely side-by-side through the streets of Konoha. Team 31 had just completed their assigned mission, and their sensei, Ichikawa Shin, hadn't given them any extra training for the day, giving the three genin a rare early dismissal.

In the past month, Tatsuya and his team had completed seven or eight D-rank missions. These low-level tasks, full of tedious chores, had really worn them down. "Low pay, lots of work" was the best way to describe D-rank missions.

"Hey, Pretty Boy," Tatsuya said, hands laced behind his head, a blade of grass sticking out of the corner of his mouth. He looked utterly relaxed. "It's still early. How about we head over to your place for a meal?"

The busy, yet fulfilling, life of a ninja had quickly helped Tatsuya adapt to life in Konoha. After spending so much time together, the four members of Team 31 had grown quite close.

"You can forget about that. There's no way I'm letting you set foot inside the clan compound," Teru said, glancing at Tatsuya with a flat expression. His tone was utterly cold.

Teru harbored deep suspicions and resentment towards the guy beside him. When Teru first joined Team 31, Tatsuya had immediately stuck to him like glue. Teru, a cool-on-the-outside, warm-on-the-inside kind of pretty boy, was completely defenseless against Tatsuya's over-the-top, friendly enthusiasm, and Tatsuya had quickly captured his "affections."

Who would have thought that, once they'd gotten closer, Tatsuya would immediately reveal his true colors? In their conversations, he would always, intentionally or not, steer the topic towards the clan's eldest daughter, Yuuhi Kurenai. His blatant ambition was completely undisguised. This left Teru, who felt he had "misplaced" his feelings, deeply hurt.

As soon as Tatsuya made the suggestion, Teru was on high alert, ready to defend against this guy's predatory intentions towards the clan's young lady.

"Tch! Do you have to be so dramatic? It's not like I'm dying to eat your food. A member of the prestigious Yuuhi clan, so stingy he won't even invite his teammate home for a meal. So much for friendship and trust between comrades! Sigh, I'm really starting to worry about the village's education system." Tatsuya rolled his eyes, feigning a worried expression, muttering under his breath.

Teru's face darkened, but he remained silent. Through their recent interactions, Teru had come to the profound realization that, in terms of talking someone into submission, he and Tatsuya were not even in the same league. If he couldn't win with words, it was better to say nothing at all.

Beside them, Sakawa watched their bickering with a cheerful grin, not saying a word. Perhaps it was the inherent resentment the lower class held for the wealthy, but every time Sakawa saw Tatsuya infuriate the usually aloof Teru, he couldn't help but secretly delight in it.

Teru didn't take the bait, and Tatsuya didn't press his advantage. His eyes darted around, and he quickly focused on Sakawa. This kid's a sneaky one! Every time he and Teru had a verbal sparring match, Sakawa would just stand there, looking like he was enjoying the show, without even trying to help him out.

Seeing Sakawa's cheerful expression, Tatsuya couldn't help but inwardly grumble. He stepped forward, throwing an arm around Sakawa's shoulders, and said with a winning smile, "Sakawa, we just made a nice chunk of change. How about you treat us to Ichiraku Ramen?"

"No way! You just got your share of the mission reward too! Why should I be the one to treat?" Sakawa immediately shook his head, instinctively clutching his coin purse. He looked at Tatsuya with suspicion.

He'd fallen for this trick a few times already, and he wasn't about to be fooled again. In the past month, Sakawa had lost count of how many times Tatsuya had used similar methods to mooch meals off of him. The worst part was, Tatsuya had a huge appetite! Every time they went out, Tatsuya's ordering style made Sakawa's heart pound with anxiety, fearing his wallet would be emptied.

"Tch! A bunch of cheapskates!" Tatsuya looked at them both with disdain.

Sakawa, unwilling to be outdone, retorted, "Hey, hey, hey! Out of the three of us, you're the one who's treated us the least. You've got some nerve calling us cheap!"

"What do you know? I'm giving you guys the opportunity to show your appreciation for the future Hokage. Once I become Hokage, you'll be the guys who treated the Hokage to a meal! Think of the bragging rights!" Tatsuya snorted, boasting shamelessly.

"Pretty Boy, I can't take this anymore! How about we team up and beat him up?" Sakawa felt his patience snapping.

"Hmm! That's a great idea!" Teru's eyes lit up, nodding in agreement.

"I'm not going to stoop to your level!" Seeing the tide turn against him, Tatsuya immediately took off running.

Behind him, Sakawa and Teru grinned wickedly and gave chase.

As he ran, Tatsuya continued to trade barbs with Sakawa and Teru, his mood exceptionally relaxed. This kind of playful banter had become a daily routine for Team 31 after their training and missions. After all, in a monotonous life, you had to find your own entertainment.

Among the three, Tatsuya was the most skilled at this, and he was almost always the one to start the "fights." However, thanks to Tatsuya's antics and involvement, Team 31, even with a member as aloof as Teru, had quickly bonded together.

Soon after, the three reached a crossroads and split up. Sakawa and Teru headed home, while Tatsuya continued towards the Ninja Academy.

Today was the day he was to report to the Ninja Academy's library!

For the past month, after completing Team 31's missions and training, Tatsuya had gone straight to Akimichi Rou's house, mooching meals while also receiving private tutoring from Rou. With the help of his bio-chip, Tatsuya's learning speed was astonishingly fast. In just one month, he had exhausted all of Rou's knowledge of basic ninjutsu theory.

Without the clan's permission, Rou couldn't teach him any more advanced ninjutsu. Having no other choice, and at Tatsuya's urging, Rou had secured him a part-time position as a librarian at the Ninja Academy. It was a part-time job, and Tatsuya only needed to go in the evenings.

As the village's most widely attended ninja training institution, the Ninja Academy had its own library. Although the ninjutsu scrolls and books collected there were mostly common and widely circulated, they were also the most fundamental, and much of the content was exactly what Tatsuya needed to enrich the database of his bio-chip.

Arriving at the Ninja Academy library, Tatsuya completed the simple registration process and on-the-job training, and officially began his part-time work. This part-time job would last for another three months.

During this time, the event Tatsuya was most focused on was the wedding of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Uzumaki Kushina.