Reincarnated in Naruto World with a System

Nawaki, dragging Tatsumi by the arm, was determined to investigate the suspicious shop. Tatsumi had already extracted the vital intel Nawaki had been hiding from him, however, he was having a serious rethink about Nawaki's supposed innocence considering what it took to loosen his lips. So much for the 'honest man' label, he thought. Jiraiya's influence is clearly stronger than I realised.

He pictured tomorrow's Konoha Daily headlines: Shock! Jiraiya Corrupts Senju Clan Prodigy! Or perhaps: Senju Heir Exposed! Revealing Revelations! It wasn't impossible. After all, look at Kakashi. He started out so serious, so disciplined, and now… well, now he was rarely seen without one of Jiraiya's ahem "research materials." Anything was possible. Even Tatsumi himself had a theory that the Third Hokage's penchant for Crystal Ball Jutsu peeping was a direct result of Jiraiya's influence.

Mikoto, walking beside them, chuckled softly. It was a sweet sound, but Tatsumi noticed the distinct lack of warmth in her eyes. Her smile was present, but her gaze was… chilling. Like winter, Tatsumi thought, despite it only being May.

He quickly intervened, pulling Nawaki to a halt. "Nawaki, we're going to be late for school."

"But… the spies!" Nawaki protested. "I can't just ignore a potential threat to the village!"

"If you hesitate any longer, you'll be the threat to your own safety," Tatsumi muttered under his breath. Then, raising his voice, he added, "Besides, I heard your sister is arriving this morning. Imagine what Lady Tsunade would say if she found out you skipped class to chase after imaginary spies…"

"Right! School!" Nawaki's resolve crumbled instantly. "I… I suddenly miss Nishimura-sensei."

Tatsumi sighed. Some things never change. Tsunade's childhood influence was clearly still a force to be reckoned with. After offering Mikoto a reassuring smile, the trio continued towards the Academy.

During their walk, Tatsumi tried to lighten the atmosphere using what he'd learned from Nawaki. "So," he began casually, "you said your younger sister is coming to Konoha?"

"She's not exactly my sister," Nawaki clarified. "She's a clansman. More like a cousin, technically."

"Ah," Tatsumi replied, drawing the word out slowly. So that's it. Uzumaki Kushina. Naruto's mother. The next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Her arrival meant one thing: Mito Uzumaki's time was coming to an end. The last vestige of the First Hokage's era would soon fade away.

An era is ending, Tatsumi thought, a sudden wave of melancholy washing over him.

"Tatsumi? You've gone quiet," Mikoto observed, her sharp eyes noticing his change in mood.

"Just thinking about school," Tatsumi mumbled, offering a weak smile.

Nawaki, oblivious to the deeper implications of Kushina's arrival, remained cheerful. Even Tsunade was likely unaware of the true significance. He just hoped Nawaki wouldn't be too devastated when the time came.

They arrived at the Academy, the grounds still mostly deserted. But as Tatsumi entered the classroom, a sudden commotion erupted.

"Did you see it? It was…"

"I know! Incredible!"

"But how…?"

"It couldn't be… Uchiha Tatsumi? Not a Transformation Jutsu?"

Tatsumi, overhearing the whispers, was momentarily taken aback. I know I'm handsome and popular, he thought, but this level of astonishment is a bit much. He focused on the conversation, trying to glean what had caused such a stir.

"How could Uchiha Tatsumi…?"

"Be so early…?"

Tatsumi bit back a sarcastic retort. You're all lucky I'm feeling generous today, he thought. But your names are going in my notebook. You'll be the first to contribute to my ninja point fund next time.

A little later, Minato arrived.

"Hey, Minato! Good morning!" Tatsumi greeted cheerfully. Minato, my best friend, would never fall for such nonsense, he reassured himself. He knows me.

"Uh… hey, Tatsumi," Minato stammered, looking confused. "Am I late?"

Tatsumi's heart sank. Well, looks like Minato's joining the ophthalmology waiting list. Anyone who claims to be friends with me from now on is on their own.

"Uchiha Tatsumi," Nishimura-sensei called out hesitantly from the stage. "Could you… perhaps visit the medical room? There's a medic-nin there who'd like to see you."

The Sannin were due to train the class today, and Nishimura-sensei had arrived early to prepare. Seeing Tatsumi already in the classroom had clearly thrown him for a loop.

Is it really that strange that I'm here early? Tatsumi wondered. "Seriously," he muttered, loud enough for Nishimura-sensei to hear, "it's not like the Clan Head himself summoned me yesterday and put all this pressure on me. I'm stressed, okay? I just wanted to get here early for once. No need to act so surprised."

He glared at Nishimura-sensei, feigning hurt and indignation. No one understands me, he thought dramatically. Is this what loneliness feels like?

Tatsumi settled down with his notes on Chakra Nature Transformation, waiting for the Sannin to arrive. But the morning dragged on, and they were nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, Nawaki," Tatsumi asked, "isn't your sister supposed to be here this morning? Did she get arrested at the casino again?"

"Well," Nawaki stammered, trying to defend his elder sister's reputation, "you know, jonin… they're usually very busy."

Tatsumi raised an eyebrow. "Right. Especially when they're not on a mission and are known to frequent casinos until the early hours of the morning, losing all their mission pay, along with Jiraiya and Orochimaru's share."

"Nawaki, I'm telling you, Konoha's been cracking down on crime lately," Tatsumi continued, launching into another rumour-mongering session. "I suspect Orochimaru was arrested by ANBU for drug trafficking. And Jiraiya… well, he's probably been assigned guard duty at the women's bathhouse."

"That's… that's research!" a voice boomed from the doorway. Jiraiya, his head wrapped in bandages, stood there, glaring at Tatsumi. "It's all for the sake of my art!"