Chapter 22: I, Your Father, Can Also Scheme

With the weekend coming to an end, Wu awoke the following day, finished his regular routine, and headed for the Academy. He found Ino waiting for him a few blocks away from where her family's flower shop was located, so the two of them walked together as the ever-pepper blonde recounted the events of her weekend.

Upon reaching the Academy, Wu parted ways with the bubbly Yamanaka, greeted a few of his classmates, and then sat at his desk. They were even earlier than usual, but instead of making the usual rounds, Wu crossed his arms atop his desk before setting his head down and pretending to sleep.

Unfortunately, while others doing the same would have been ignored, Wu's 'dispirited' state was noticed by several people. He had intended to be left alone for a bit, but it didn't even take a full minute before someone came over to check on him. What surprised him was the fact that it was Sasuke, asking, "What's your deal? Aren't you usually full of energy in the mornings...?"

Feigning a tired smile, aided by the fact he was mentally exhausted, Wu lazily replied, "I had an eventful weekend..." before asking, "Did you need something?"

Instead of answering Wu's question, Sasuke snorted through his nose and returned to his desk. The former followed his departure for a few seconds before attempting to put his head down a second time. It was marginally more effective than before, as the next person to disturb Wu's rest was Kaia, shouting, "Good morning, Aniki~!" in her usual, high-spirited tone.

Raising his head, Wu feigned a sincere smile as he asked, "How was your weekend, Kaia? Did you get any training in back at the compound...?"

Thumping her chest, eliciting a sound similar to a bag of sand being hit, Kaia replied, "Of course~! Kaa-chan said it's great that I'm trying to get stronger, so I train a lot!"

Nodding his head in approval, Wu reiterated, "It is a good thing." before giving the excitable Inuzuka a fleeting pat on the head. Her expression melted into a somewhat stupid-looking smile, but Wu didn't particularly mind it. Kaia was the hardest working of all his 'students,' so, even if she was an idiot, she was more tolerable than most...

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After a fairly uneventful morning, Wu sat at his usual table with Naruto, Kaia, Sakura, Ino, and Hinata. The latter was her usual demure self, but after receiving several 'warning' looks from Wu, she surprised everyone else at the table by sitting straighter and smiling.

As Hinata was sitting across from him, Naruto's eyes widened slightly as he confusedly remarked, "Huh? Hinata-chan...?"

Though her cheeks became noticeably ruddy, Hinata narrowed her eyes slightly and replied, "Yes? Did you need something, Naruto-kun...?"

With Hinata's smile dealing mental and physical damage, an embarrassed smile adorned Naruto's face as he looked away, scratched the back of his head, and exhaled a nervous laugh. He couldn't recall the last time Hinata had looked directly at him, but instead of feeling creeped out by it, he felt a strange, fluttery feeling and a hint of...pressure?

Seeing Naruto's reaction, the smile on Hinata's face became even more prominent before she covered her mouth and giggled softly. This caused Naruto's face to immediately turn beet-red as he rose from the table and stammered, "I...I'm gonna go see what Kiba and the others are up to..."

Without waiting for anyone's response, Naruto turned around and ran off as if his life depended on it. Hinata's behavior was so drastically different from what he was used to that he couldn't process the change in front of his crush and other girls.

Misinterpreting Naruto's reaction, Hinata was about to hang her head and shoulders when Wu gave her a thumbs up, saying, "Good job." in a sincere yet no-nonsense tone.

Before Hinata could refute and say she did a terrible job, Ino looked at her as if she was witnessing some alien creature, questioning, "What the hell? Since when did you grow a backbone, Hinata-chan...?"

Interrupting Hinata's bashful response, Sakura furrowed her brows and said, "Don't be so rude, Ino-chan." Then, while directing her gaze to Wu, she added, "Besides, it's pretty clear it has something to do with Wu-kun. I mean, who else could convince someone to change so drastically in a short period?"

Looking at Wu, Ino retorted, "Seriously?" before realizing the implication of Sakura's words, furrowing her brows, and asking, "Does that mean you and Hinata hung out this weekend? Weren't you supposed to be spending time training with the boys?"

Though Hinata started to panic slightly, thinking she may have exposed her and Wu's secret, the latter was comparably relaxed as he replied, "It just kind of happened. Hinata's path crossed with mine, so I offered her some advice on how she could get closer to Naruto. It's not like I haven't done the same for you and Sakura. Isn't that the reason you're pestering me to train you?"

Furrowing her brows, Ino ignored everything else Wu had said, asking, "What do you mean, 'pestering?' I know it's an inconvenience for you, but you should be grateful to have a bunch of cute girls relying on you. I know you've noticed all the envious looks other boys give you when we come to school together."

Shrugging his shoulders, Wu retorted, "With the exception of Kaia here, the rest of you girls have someone you like. I don't exactly view you as 'eye candy,' or whatever, so why should I be grateful? None of you have done anything for me besides consuming my free time. If anything, you've made it harder for me to interact with other boys in the class."

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"..." x3

Flabbergasted by Wu's remarks, Ino, Sakura, and Hinata were left utterly speechless. Kaia, contrastingly, was all smiles as she refuted Wu's earlier words, excitedly claiming, "That's wrong, Aniki! I have lots of people I like! I like my Kaa-chan, my Tou-san, all of my friends...!"

Feigning a wry smile, Wu silenced the puppy-like girl with a head pat. He half-expected her to say she liked him, so he was relieved to hear such an 'innocent' response. He had no doubts that Kaia 'did' like him, but she had associated that affection with kinship. More specifically, she regarded him as her 'ever-reliable' big brother, her Aniki.

Recovering from her shock, Sakura's expression became awkward as she asked, "Do you not want us to come over anymore? If I had known it was such an inconvenience for you..."

Shaking his head, Wu lied through his teeth, stating, "I was the one who initially proposed training at the Sarutobi Estate. I also had you ask your parents for permission, so it would be irresponsible of me to assign blame to others. The point I was trying to make is that there's no reason for me to be 'grateful.' You aren't doing me any favors by simply stopping by, so if you expect me to be 'enthused' about receiving the envy of others, you're just wrong."

"..." x3

Hearing Wu speak and trying to view things from his perspective, the trio of eight-year-olds was seized by the notion that they may, just possibly, be taking advantage of his friendship. Ino, in particular, had weaseled her way into the group for selfish reasons, so she became uncharacteristically meek as she hung her head and lowered her gaze.

As his intent was simply to get the girls to work harder, Wu interrupted the trio's pity party, stating, "No need to beat yourselves up. It's not as though I hate spending time with you. If I did, I wouldn't have invited you over in the first place. Just don't mistake my kindness for infatuation. I'm trying to help you reach your goals, not ingratiate myself to you in pursuit of some kind of reward. If you try to take advantage of me like that, then we're not friends."

"..." x3

Though they only understood about half the things Wu said at times, the trio of girls could understand that Wu was being 'genuine.' He really had been doing his best to help them improve, and, thus far, he hadn't asked for a single thing in return. He just expected them to 'make an effort.'

Realizing she might have wronged Wu quite a bit in the past week or so, Ino combed back her bangs, her expression lacking her usual confidence as she attempted to apologize, saying, "I'm-" before being interrupted by Wu stating, "You don't need to apologize or change who you are. So long as you do your best and continue striving toward your goal, that's enough. Leave the sentimental crap for when you and Sakura invariably reach the conclusion you can 'both' have your beloved Sasuke-kun..."

"Eh...?"

Inserting herself back into the discussion, Sakura asked, "What do you mean?" despite being fully aware of Sasuke's 'unique' status. After all, it was literally the only reason she and the other girls had been able to get along despite pining after the same guy.

Realizing what Wu was referring to, Ino's expression became somewhat neutral as she flatly replied, "He's talking about the Clan Restoration Act. It gives people with unique bloodlines a protected status, allowing them to forgo the usual responsibilities of a Shinobi and prioritize replenishing their numbers. Sasuke-kun is the last remaining member of the Uchiha, so he can apply for the status whenever he wants."

Though he nodded in affirmation, Wu added, "The only reason he hasn't is because he has yet to fulfill his purpose. He seeks power with the obvious intention of avenging his Clan. Until he can achieve that, there is no future for the Uchiha Clan. At least in Sasuke's mind. Things like love? Romance? They are just distractions."

Furrowing their brows, Ino and Sakura lowered their heads and fell into a deep, contemplative silence. They were well aware of the destruction of the Uchiha, but neither had considered the possibility of Sasuke seeking revenge. In hindsight, it was 'very' obvious he would want to, so the real question was, how could they help him?

Realizing the answer at nearly the same time, Ino and Sakura looked at one another with increasingly resolute expressions on their faces. They now fully comprehended why Sasuke was so seeking strength, so if they truly wanted to be with him, they would first need to help him achieve his dream of vengeance...

Recognizing the conviction in the duo's eyes, Wu gave an approving nod and said, "Now you're starting to see why I keep telling you that building a foundation is essential. The greater your capabilities, the easier it is to fulfill your goals. If the two of you are around the same level or 'stronger' than him, Sasuke will have no choice but to acknowledge you. Just steel your hearts, as the moment he views you as a rival, he will do everything in his power to surpass you..."

Imagining Sasuke being the one to pursue them, Ino's and Sakura's eyes widened before becoming starry. If they worked hard, there was a good chance that Sasuke would willfully approach them. He may even join in on their training sessions, allowing them to spend more time together as they worked toward a mutual goal. Then, when they finally avenged the Uchiha Clan, they would be the obvious choices to help him restore it...

As a blush gradually crept up the necks and into the faces of the two girls, a smile not all that dissimilar to Hiruzen's developed across Wu's face. He initially didn't care if Ino or Sakura achieved their goals, but after the fiasco with Hinata, he wasn't taking any chances. If the duo changed the target of their affection to him, he might just smash his head against a wall until he was a vegetable...

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