Konoha's Tatsuya

The first meeting of the new Team 31 lasted for over two hours. By the time Tatsuya returned to the Akimichi clan compound, the sun was already setting.

He walked along the familiar paths of the clan grounds, the summer evening sun casting a long shadow behind him. To be honest, Tatsuya's mood wasn't exactly cheerful.

Today, after comparing himself to Yuuhi Teru and Sakawa, Tatsuya finally realized just how lacking his foundation in ninjutsu truly was. They were all genin who had graduated in the same class, yet Tatsuya's ninjutsu foundation was somehow worse than even Sakawa's, who was a civilian-born ninja.

It was frankly embarrassing.

Even though Tatsuya was only a member of a branch family of the Akimichi clan, the resources and education he'd had access to since childhood were far beyond anything Sakawa could have experienced. At the very least, Sakawa's parents weren't ninja with the strength of chunin.

After acquiring the bio-chip cheat, Tatsuya's ambitions had soared, and he'd resolved to become the chosen one of the ninja world. But after yesterday's failed request and today's meeting, Tatsuya had to face a disheartening reality: he was still the lowest of the low among genin, a complete scrub, his strength utterly at the bottom of the ninja world's hierarchy. And it didn't seem like he'd be able to turn things around anytime soon.

The stark contrast between his expectations and reality was hard to swallow.

According to his memories, it had only been about a year since the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, had taken office, and Konohagakure would soon face another major crisis. With Tatsuya's current strength, it was practically impossible for him to make any significant contribution during the Nine-Tails' attack. His only option was to figure out how to survive the chaos!

Letting out a sigh, Tatsuya turned at an intersection within the clan compound and headed in the opposite direction from his own house. Now that he'd left the Ninja Academy, he needed to find another teacher if he wanted to master those basic ninja skills.

After walking a few dozen meters, he arrived at a small house and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" A middle-aged woman's voice came from inside.

"Aunt Kei, it's me, Tatsuya," Tatsuya replied obediently from outside.

"Tatsuya? Why haven't you come to see your auntie in so long, you little rascal!" The middle-aged woman's voice rose in a tone of delighted reproach.

"You brat, you've grown taller again! Come in, come in!" The door opened, revealing the face of a middle-aged, beautiful woman, who looked at Tatsuya with a fond scolding expression. Despite her continuous grumbling, she immediately and eagerly brought out slippers for Tatsuya to change into.

"Ah! Okay, Aunt Kei!" Seeing the woman's actions, Tatsuya felt a warmth in his heart and obediently followed her, changing his shoes and entering the house.

The middle-aged woman's name was Takahashi Kei, and she was Akimichi Rou's wife. From her expressions and actions, it was clear that Tatsuya's arrival made her very happy. Within the clan, Tatsuya's father, Akimichi Ashiya, and Akimichi Rou had been childhood friends. Although their strengths had diverged over the years, it hadn't affected their friendship.

When he was little, Tatsuya had often visited. Akimichi Rou and Takahashi Kei, who were childless, had always treated him as their own. As he grew older, the originally shy Tatsuya had rarely come to visit on his own. However, that wasn't a problem for the current Tatsuya.

It had been over two months since he'd arrived in this world. Although his time interacting with Akimichi Rou, a clan jonin, had been short, he had genuinely felt the latter's heartfelt care for him. Tatsuya truly regarded Akimichi Rou as one of his elders.

Since they were family, Tatsuya naturally wouldn't hide anything from him.

"Aunt Kei, where's Uncle Rou?" Tatsuya followed Takahashi Kei into the house without any pretense, craning his neck to look around. When he didn't see Akimichi Rou, he asked.

"Hmph! Is your Uncle Rou the only one you care about? If he's not here, you won't come to see your auntie?" Takahashi Kei turned her head to look at him, feigning anger.

"Ah! Of course not! How could I not want to see you, Aunt Kei !"

"Auntie Kei's cooking is something I've been craving for ages! I just couldn't resist coming over for a meal today, even if it meant being a little shameless!" Tatsuya declared, his voice dripping with a practiced blend of apology and eagerness. He rushed forward and took Kei Takahashi's arm in a pleading gesture, looking up at the chiding expression on the beautiful middle-aged woman's face. His survival instincts were screaming.

The whole motion felt surprisingly natural.

It wasn't that Tatsuya, an "old man" in a young body, enjoyed playing cute. It was just that Kei Takahashi held a very prominent place in his memories.

Don't let her current gentle, virtuous appearance fool you. When Kei got angry, she was terrifying. Think a rampaging Kushina Uzumaki or Sakura Haruno – that was the level of fury he remembered.

In the original Tatsuya's memories, this auntie had given him plenty of beatings when she lost her temper.

The key point was that Kei was also a chunin. If she wanted to give Tatsuya a thrashing, there was absolutely no escape.

This was one of the major reasons the later Tatsuya didn't visit as often.

The original Tatsuya, with his less-than-stellar intellect, had completely failed to understand this kind of fierce affection, the kind that came from a place of parental love.

"Hmph! You and that silver tongue of yours!" Kei's expression softened, a smile finally breaking through. "Just go have a seat. Your Uncle Rou should be back soon. I'll go get dinner started. I'll make all your favorites tonight."

She gave Tatsuya's shoulder a "gentle" pat, which almost sent him stumbling, before heading into the kitchen to get to work, leaving him alone in the living room.

Tatsuya gingerly sat down, wincing and rubbing his shoulder. Auntie Kei's affection was as powerful as ever!

He hadn't been sitting alone for long when the sound of the front door opening echoed through the house. Rou Akimichi walked in, looking utterly exhausted.

"Uncle Rou!" Tatsuya immediately jumped up, greeting him with practiced obedience.

"You're here," Rou acknowledged with a brief glance, his tone flat. It was clear he was still displeased with Tatsuya's performance yesterday.

Tatsuya, looking sheepish, stood obediently in the living room without offering any excuses.

Half an hour later, Kei had prepared a feast, filling the table with dishes, many of which were Tatsuya's old favorites.

During dinner, Rou remained mostly silent, leaving Tatsuya and Kei to chat about everyday matters.

After the meal, Kei went to the kitchen to clean up, while Tatsuya and Rou sat facing each other.

"Today was your new Team 31's first meeting, right? How was it?" Rou finally asked, breaking the silence.

Tatsuya answered dutifully, "It was alright. The new Jonin-sensei and my teammates seem pretty good! It's just... I'm the weakest one on the team. It stings a little."

"Oh? You seemed pretty confident yesterday. What's with the gloomy attitude today?" Rou raised an eyebrow, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his lips.

"I still have my confidence, of course! But growth takes time," Tatsuya declared, puffing out his chest slightly, his voice rising a notch.

Rou studied him for a moment before continuing, "Alright, out with it. What do you really want?"

"Hehe! Come on, Uncle! Can't I just come to visit you and Auntie Kei?" Tatsuya said, putting on his most charming expression.

Rou simply looked at him, saying nothing.

Tatsuya chuckled sheepishly, his expression turning a little embarrassed. "Well, okay, there is something. I heard from the Clan Head yesterday that you're really good at teaching ninjutsu. I was hoping you could help me brush up on the basics. Mine are… seriously lacking."

Rou observed Tatsuya for a long moment before nodding. "Alright. I suppose. You should be starting missions tomorrow, but they'll probably be near the village. Come here every day after your missions, and I'll carve out some time to tutor you."

"Really?! Thank you, Uncle Rou!" Tatsuya exclaimed, overjoyed. Getting private tutoring from an experienced Jonin of the clan was a privilege few could boast.