Q: How miserable can life get if you live like a background character?
A: Parents killed in the Nine-Tails attack.
Declared to have no ninja talent at age 6.
Forced to take on odd jobs at 13 just to survive.
And now... being choked by a drunk, one-eyed Chūnin in an alley.
That NPC-like figure was Sora.
His face had turned red. Eyes bulging.
His clenched fists, veins pale from strain, beat uselessly against his attacker's body — a Konoha Chūnin, blinded in one eye.
"I bet he's a Cloud Village spy. Just look at that shady face!"
The one-eyed shinobi hiccupped, belching directly in Sora's face.
He laughed, reeking of alcohol.
He had lost his eye to a Cloud ninja on a prior mission. Ever since, his personality soured.
He believed everyone mocked him behind his back.
Just moments ago, he'd seen Sora yawn — with one eye closed — and took it as mockery.
The brat had asked for death.
"Don't kill him," said the shinobi's teammate around a mouthful of grilled meat.
"There may not be any more of those uptight Uchiha around policing everything, but murder still lands you in the Konoha holding cells."
"Tch. It's the middle of the night. Who the hell's gonna file a complaint?" the one-eyed shinobi scoffed.
He even had the nerve to shout toward the kitchen:
"Hey, boss lady! Something interesting's happening here. How about a drink?"
A shaky woman's voice answered from the back:
"N-no need! I still need to prepare dishes for the honored shinobi! I won't disturb you!"
The shinobi turned back to Sora like a cat toying with a dying mouse.
He wanted to see fear. Despair.
But Sora disappointed him.
Even as his consciousness blurred, even as the air drained from his lungs — Sora's fists stubbornly kept hammering.
That only enraged the Chūnin further.
His fingers tightened.
Sora's neck creaked. Any tighter and—
A voice called from outside the restaurant.
"Ahhh, I'm exhausted! Finally back!"
"Huh? There's a BBQ place still open? What do you think, Gai-sensei? Grilled meat?"
A loud, vibrant male voice followed.
"Tenten, it's the middle of the night! Aren't you worried about gaining weight?"
Anyone familiar with them would recognize the voices — Might Guy and the members of Team 3.
"Gai-sensei! We've been eating rations for days! Just one meal won't hurt! Hurry!"
"Haha, fine. Consider it a reward."
Gai pretended to be reluctant, but his voice betrayed his cheer.
They had just completed a difficult C-rank mission.
All three of his students had performed well under pressure. He'd been meaning to treat them. This just came sooner than expected.
"Yay!"
Tenten burst in, laughing, her eyes crescents of joy.
Then she froze.
In the corner — a boy being choked, limp, nearly unconscious.
Her smile vanished.
In a flash, she drew a kunai, her voice sharp.
"Who are you? Why are you hurting him?!"
The one-eyed shinobi frowned.
A fresh Genin? Bold enough to talk back?
He opened his mouth to shout her down — but then Neji, Lee, and Might Guy entered behind her.
The moment he saw Guy, the Chūnin dropped Sora like a hot coal and stood straight.
"G-Gai-sensei!" he stammered.
"What an honor, sir! Didn't expect to see you this late! Could I offer you a drink?"
He tried to block Guy's view casually — but nothing escaped Might Guy's eyes.
Guy's gaze settled on Sora, crumpled on the floor, barely breathing.
"Tenten," he said, voice cold. "Check on the boy."
Tenten knelt, touching Sora's neck and nose, scanning him for signs of life.
"He's alive," she said after a tense moment. "But he needs rest. Maybe days of it."
Only then did Guy turn back to the Chūnin.
The man — who had been all swagger moments ago — now sweated bullets.
"You are…?" Guy asked.
"I'm Mihara Ichijō. We graduated the same year, remember?"
Still trying to get friendly — but Guy cut in:
"I'll give you two choices," he said.
"One — pay this boy ten thousand ryō and never come to this restaurant again."
"Two — I escort you to the Konoha Police Department myself, and my students take the boy to the hospital."
"You have ten seconds."
Knowing he had no leverage, Mihara hung his head.
He and his partner fumbled through their pockets, gathering eight thousand ryō in mixed bills and coins, and handed it to Tenten.
Only then did Neji and Lee, flanking the door, step aside.
After the pair left in shame, Tenten muttered:
"Unbelievable. That kind of trash still exists among Konoha's shinobi…"
"He's probably our age… and he was being tortured like that. His neck was almost crushed."
She gently lifted Sora, letting him rest against her. One hand supported his head to keep pressure off his spine.
Guy came over and personally checked Sora's injuries.
"No fractures. Good," he said. "Tenten, take him to the Konoha Hospital. I'll handle things here."
Tenten nodded and left with Sora in her arms.
Once they were gone, Guy said to Neji and Lee:
"Follow those two. Find out where they live."
"I'll speak to the shopkeeper and get a full account. I'll also collect the hospital's injury report."
"Then we regroup at the Police HQ."
Neji and Lee brightened.
So Gai-sensei hadn't let his former classmate off after all — he'd just been biding his time.
Team 3 scattered.
Meanwhile, in Tenten's arms, Sora slowly opened his eyes.
And saw…
[Contact with high-quality kunoichi sustained.]
[System binding in progress — 50 minutes remaining.]
[Please maintain physical contact…]
His cheat.
Finally.
He didn't know what this system could do yet, but Sora clung to Tenten's neck like a lifeline.