How to Survive a Naruto Reincarnation

Step 18: Be prepared to make sacrifices.

"Hey, uh Iruka Sensei? If you see that Neji brat, can you send him over to me? I need to give him a good scolding. Thanks so much." 

*****

The following morning after the preliminaries, I woke up from my sleeping bag, hearing some clatter and noise outside. The walls are literally crumbling, so I could hear someone messing around my yard. 

What is it now? 

I rolled out of my sleeping bag and stumbled to the broken window to check. 

And why am I surprised anymore. It's Sasuke and Shino. 

I squinted. Why do they have six giant green buckets? 

"What are you two doing now?" 

"Sensei! We are discussing the plans we have so far. Why? Because we both have the same goal for the same sake." 

"...Great, Shino. But Sasuke, what are you doing?" 

"He's working." Shino explained. 

Sasuke grunted in confirmation. 

"Is he now." 

"Uchiha said that he thinks best while working. Why? Because he previously channeled his emotions into training. But he said that you have been trying to convince him to try other ways of channeling his emotions." 

"Did he now." 

Actually, that is true and Sasuke's coping mechanism isn't all that bad. I looked back to see Sasuke mixing soil, wood chips, and other things for well-draining soil. He had lined up the six buckets into two rows and was now filling and leveling each bucket. 

Although, I have no idea where he even got all that soil stuff. 

"Right then. Carry on." 

*****

"Iruka Sensei told me to come see you."

Enter: Neji, one of the Problem Children.

"Have a seat please."

It was exactly at this moment the two middle schoolers in my yard made a huge clatter. I closed my eyes and counted to ten. Nothing exploded, so I breathed out and glanced tiredly at the door. 

"And let's hope I still have a house standing by the end of the day." 

"Huh. Never thought I see the last Uchiha survivor gardening," Neji sneered. As he sat down on the couch near my kitchen table (it's also my coffee table now), I collected tea and snacks for him before joining him across the table. 

(The crate that was once my coffee table, now is my chair). 

I scoffed at the tiny pretentious middle schooler. "Oh get off your high horse, mister. Nobody's above tilling soil."

He merely scoffed at me and drank his tea with the most stoic expression he had.

"And don't pretend you're better than him. At least he knows how to deal with his anger issues and has a peer to talk to. You? You have a lot of resentment for your family, especially for your cousin Hinata. Your solution to dealing with your anger is to just be violent." 

Pretentious Middle Schooler was not too happy with my retort and glared at me, pale eyes boring into mine. "She's weak, weaker than me."

"Annnnnnd you're annoying! Way more annoying than her. Now, you're both equally terrible!"

"She doesn't deserve to be part of the main branch!" 

"And you deserve to be part of the main branch because...?" 

"I'm stronger. I'm not weak! She couldn't surpass me during the preliminaries!" 

"Brute strength doesn't mean--" 

"I'm better at the practical arts. I can carry the clan's legacy, nobility, and pride. I am a better candidate to be the head of the family!" 

I laughed. "Do you know what your weakness is?" 

"I don't have any weaknesses. If there is any, I immediately put an end to them." 

I grinned saccharinely. "You do have a weakness and it's so obvious too." 

"This is a futile, pointless conversation." He stood up to leave. 

As he walked towards the door, I said, "You have a bias. Every person you see is either weaker or stronger than you." 

"I don't have a--" He began, turning around to face me. 

"You do." 

I held his gaze. 

"You think that those people will never defeat you or measure up to your accomplishments. You think that you don't need to concern yourself with the matters of weaklings.

"So, in short, you're a bigot." 

Neji left. 

*****

"Hinata, your cousin Neji is the most annoying student I have talked to! I thought dealing with Sasuke was bad enough, but then Shino came along and made me worried for different reasons. At least now Sasuke and Shino share the same goal and work together. Neji is just a nightmare." 

I stared at her. Hinata slept with so many medical appliances attached to her person. Sakura was dozing off in a plastic folding chair in the corner to keep Hinata company. 

"But he's not as bad as Hatake or Lord Third. I won't go that low, don't worry."