Training

Ninja Academy.

"Renye, did you hear?" Motoya Nara sidled up to Renye, clicking his tongue. "Reppu Uchiha got jumped yesterday. Sounds like they really worked him over."

How could Renye not know about this?

He knew it all too well!

But he had to play dumb.

A flicker of curiosity, perfectly timed, crossed Renye's eyes. "For real?"

"For real," Motoya said, dead certain.

"Ha, the heavens have eyes!" Renye couldn't help but laugh. "That punk had it coming!"

Motoya quietly watched Renye's reaction.

Seeing him act surprised, almost gleeful, he couldn't help but wonder.

Could it really not be Renye?

But Reppu had picked a fight with Renye that morning, and by noon, he'd been jumped and stuffed in a sack.

The timing was too perfect. Hard not to suspect him.

Renye raised an eyebrow, feigning shock.

"You don't think I did it, do you?"

Motoya didn't answer. His expression said, Who else?

"That guy pisses off so many people. Getting jumped is pretty normal..."

As he spoke, Renye casually glanced toward Yuki Hyuga, not far away.

Motoya followed his gaze, lost in thought.

Reppu Uchiha was always arrogant and bullying. Renye wasn't the only one he'd crossed.

Thinking about it, Yuki Hyuga might have struck back out of revenge...

Yuki, sitting in his seat, felt like someone was talking behind his back. He shifted uncomfortably.

He had no idea he'd been marked as the fall guy.

"I think Kagami Uchiha's a possibility too," Renye said quietly.

"Kagami Uchiha?" Motoya looked over at Kagami, who was deep in conversation with Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō Shimura.

Kagami caught Motoya's gaze, smiled warmly, and gave a friendly nod.

"Renye, you're joking, right?" Motoya looked incredulous.

Kagami was so gentle. How could he do something like that?

Renye seemed to read his mind. "You know, quiet people are the scariest... Bully them all you want, nothing happens. But push them too far one day, and they'll do something terrifying."

"I see. Got it." Motoya nodded seriously. He thought Renye made a good point.

He knew Reppu and his crew had been ostracizing Kagami. If Kagami snapped, beating Reppu up made perfect sense.

"Reppu Uchiha pisses off so many people. Getting beaten up is normal. Stop always pointing fingers at me. Do I look like the type to stab someone in the back?"

"Not really."

"Then there you go."

"But I still think you're the most likely suspect, Renye..."

Renye: "..."

Fine. What was there to say?

He'd laid out a solid case, and he was still the prime suspect.

"Prejudice is a mountain in people's hearts." Renye looked genuinely hurt.

Motoya was confused. Was it really not Renye?

Had he misjudged him?

With that, Motoya said, "Renye, I believe you!"

"Ha, that's more like it. I'm not that kind of person."

With his masterful acting, Renye had finally led Motoya astray.

Another minute, and he'd almost believe it himself.

Just as Renye finished dealing with Motoya, the Homeroom Teacher, Takuma Senju, walked in. "Everyone, assemble on the training ground!"

On the training ground.

The crowd buzzed with chatter, wondering what the teacher wanted.

"This morning's lesson is simple: endurance training, strength training, and balance training!"

Takuma announced the regimen.

"Training already? How annoying..." Motoya Nara muttered under his breath.

Renye had no particular opinion on it; he was long accustomed to high-intensity training, to the point where a day without it left him feeling off. After all, there were no shortcuts to improving strength—only relentless practice could make one stronger.

"Start with a hundred laps to warm up!"

At the sound of the whistle, Class A's students began running along the track. A hundred laps were manageable for them. Most were clan ninjas who had been training their bodies since childhood. Though only six or seven years old now, they'd already been at it for a year or two.

In the early days of Konoha's founding, ninjas were far stronger than those of later generations. Before that, it had been the perilous Warring States Period, where a single misstep could mean death, and weakness made death even more likely. To survive, one had to constantly grow stronger.

After a hundred laps, everyone was panting. Takuma Senju gave them no rest, moving straight into strength training. Special training equipment was laid out on the field, and the students paired up to complete exercises like weighted squats and push-ups together.

Once strength training was done, everyone collapsed to the ground, exhausted. "I can't go on, Renye-kun, I'm dead tired," Motoya Nara said, his face pale as he lay there gasping.

Renye's complexion wasn't great either, his lips white. Even he found such intense training hard to bear. They'd thought the Ninja Academy's regimen would be lighter, but they were wrong—it was even stricter here!

"Ten-minute break, then balance training."

As soon as the words fell, groans erupted everywhere. Noticing the students' resentful looks, Takuma Senju felt helpless. He too thought the training was too harsh, but this was Lord Tobirama's plan, so he had to follow it.

In Tobirama Senju's words, Class A was full of promising sprouts that needed intensity. The History of the Ninja World had many geniuses, but few made a name for themselves. That was because only those who grew up counted as geniuses—those who died halfway didn't count.

Takuma Senju understood that Lord Tobirama wanted them to mature quickly and become true geniuses. That was why the training plan was so demanding. Of course, all of this was based on these children having talent. Without talent, they wouldn't have been placed in Class A. It could be said that if these kids grew up, they'd definitely become the village's backbone.

Break time ended. Next came a series of high-difficulty stretching and balance exercises. The students had to walk quickly on narrow balance beams while making various poses; one slip and they'd fall. Falling once meant ten laps, twice meant twenty, and so on.

Renye controlled his breathing, focusing entirely on his body, and successfully passed the balance beam. Motoya Nara wasn't so lucky—his foot slipped, and he hit the ground, earning ten laps. Already exhausted, this extra ten laps was like adding insult to injury, wearing him out until he felt like falling apart. Unsurprisingly, he lost his footing again and thudded heavily to the ground, this time earning twenty laps. Motoya Nara stared at the long track, his vision going dark, nearly breaking down.

Of course, unlucky ones like him were far from few. Renye looked around and roughly counted—only ten people had passed the balance beam so far. He recognized four: Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, Kagami Uchiha, and Yuki Hyuga. The rest he didn't know.

"Come on, Danzō!" Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted at the top of his lungs.

Danzō Shimura was completely focused at that moment, his eyes locked on the balance beam beneath him, sweat beading on his forehead. He was almost through. But Hiruzen's sudden yell startled him, and his body instantly lost balance, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Damn you, Sarutobi!" Danzō Shimura roared, his face red with rage.

"Haha, sorry about that, Danzō." Hiruzen Sarutobi scratched his head, a sheepish grin on his face.

Renye's mouth twitched slightly. Was this guy doing that on purpose?