Recovery Days

Back at the cottage, Yichen and Natsuki discussed the arrangement of the cottage. The little girl didn't pay much attention to these things; she wasn't old enough for that yet. Even the daily necessities were arranged for her by Chikotake.

So Yichen simply divided the hut into two relatively independent areas and then went to sleep.

Since his battle with Naoto Tanimoto of the Cloud ninja Tanimoto Naoto, Yichen hasn't had a break. He even had First Shinobi War with Sasori of the Red Sands in between, so he's definitely a bit tired now.

Not long after lying down, Yichen fell asleep. This was the first time Natsuki had slept with Yichen since acknowledging him as her older brother. She was a little uneasy at first, but being young, she soon became sleepy and fell asleep as well.

The next day, since Yichen couldn't do physical training, he got up early and did some balance exercises. Then he took Natsuki out for ramen and sent her to the Ninja Academy. After returning, Yichen practiced Lightning Release and Fire Release techniques.

Although he was recovering from his injuries, Yichen's busy life remained unchanged. He simply used the time he used to spend training his body and practicing swordsmanship to practice Ninjutsu.

This peaceful yet routine of training lasted for more than ten days, until Ikura completed negotiations with the Sunagakure Village and returned to the village with the agreement Land of Wind and Earth.

The outcome of the negotiations between Ikura and the Sunagakure was immediately communicated to Yichen. In this negotiation, the Land of Earth only contributed a Third Kazekage Puppet, but the Land of Wind contributed considerable tangible benefits, such as a one-time payment of a large amount of unique resources from the Land of Wind. In addition, the Land of Wind promised to open a trade route centered on the Land of Earth, accessible only through the borders of the Land of Wind.

It can be said that Ikura returned with a full load, and Yichen, as a key figure in this matter, also obtained an S-rank mission record.

However, now that Yichen is quite wealthy, he looks down on the rewards of S-rank mission. The reward for S-rank mission is roughly equivalent to one A-rank Ninjutsu, but A-rank Ninjutsu wouldn't be of much help to Yichen these days.

Learning A-rank Ninjutsu would be a waste of one's energy.

So even though he knew his Contribution Points had increased again, Yichen didn't care much.

However, now that Ikura is back, the previously agreed-upon plan to select disciples from the Ninja Academy no longer needs to be delayed.

The day after Ikura returned to the village, she and Yichen went to the Ninja Academy together.

The two now hold a higher status in the village than the Jonin of the Ninja Academy, and they have directly expressed their desire to select disciples. Therefore, the teachers at the Ninja Academy are very enthusiastic, eagerly providing detailed introductions of the two with information on students from various graduating classes.

The teachers were just too enthusiastic, introducing themselves to each student, a process that lasted the entire day. After a whole day, the two, having done nothing, left the Ninja Academy feeling dizzy and disoriented.

After leaving, Ikura glanced back at the gates of the Ninja Academy, a wave of fear washing over him. He then Yichen said, "Yichen, did you come here to recruit apprentices like this last time?"

Yichen shook his head and said, "No, I came secretly last time, but the selection process was quite rushed. I only had a simple set of information given to me by Advisor Saka. In the end, the selection was completed thanks to the introduction of Jonin Yoshiwara."

"So this time I thought I'd get some information from the teachers in each class first. But I never expected..." Yichen shuddered as he said this.

Because of the special case of Tomoko among Yichen's previous disciples, the teachers of each class introduced all the students without missing a single one during the introduction process. It's important to know that Ninja Academy has over a thousand students in each grade.

"Alright, at least we've gathered quite a bit of information. Let's go back tonight and organize the students' information first, then we'll go check on their actual situation tomorrow."

Ikura nodded, that was all they could do, but the thought of the data for thousands of students gave her a headache.

The two then parted ways and went home. Time was short; they needed to go back and think carefully about what kind of disciple would suit them best.

Today, Yichen didn't pick Natsuki up from school. Natsuki ate dinner at Chikotake's house before returning home. After arriving home, Natsuki looked at her older brother, whom she already felt somewhat familiar with, and said, "Brother Yichen, are you and Lord Ikura going to take on disciples?"

Yichen was stunned for a moment, not expecting that even lower-grade students like Natsuki knew about this.

Yichen nodded and asked, "Who told you that?"

Natsuki replied, "I heard it from Sister Chikotake. Sister Chikotake is a graduating student this year."

So that's how it is. Indeed, the teachers certainly wouldn't keep this news from the graduating class; they would definitely tell them to do their best.

That's good. At least tomorrow, the graduating class of the Ninja Academy will definitely be full. It won't be like the last time Yichen selected disciples, when none of the most talented ninja clan members came to school, and Yichen had to go to other places to find these students in the end.

Yichen had heard Chikotake mentioned by a graduating class teacher today, and wanted to go and ask Chikotake about her graduating class.

However, Yichen had met Chikotake before. Chikotake's talent wasn't particularly good, and unlike her older sister Tomoko, she didn't have an advantage in Chakra sensing. Therefore, Chikotake wasn't on the list of disciples to be selected. As a result, Yichen felt embarrassed to ask her.

Although Natsuki was in a lower grade, she should have heard some things about the graduating class, so Yichen asked, "Little Natsuki, do you know anything about the graduating students? Tell your brother about it, okay?"

Natsuki nodded, and then told Yichen everything she had heard about the graduating class.

To be honest, Natsuki knows quite a lot. The reason is that when Chikotake chats with Natsuki, she often mentions trivial matters about her graduating class.

After analyzing the data all night, Yichen and Ikura reappeared at the Ninja Academy the next day, but this time they didn't enter the Ninja Academy as openly as they had the day before.

Yichen and Ikura first found Yoshiwara, a Jonin guard Jonin the Ninja Academy. After obtaining their permission, Yichen and Ikura used Transformation Jutsu to transform into Yoshiwara and another Jonin guard. The two then moved around the Ninja Academy as Jonin guards, secretly observing the students.

Yichen and Ikura did not separate; they pretended to patrol while secretly observing the students in each classroom.

Yichen asked Ikura, "Ikura, did you choose any key targets last night?"

"Yes, according to the information, there are two people whose attributes are similar to mine." As he spoke, Ikura took out two detailed documents.

Yichen glanced at them and nodded. He had also reviewed these two sets of information carefully last night. Both of them were quite talented and were students in the Advanced Class. Indeed, as Ikura said, their types were very similar to Ikura's. Although they had not yet graduated, they both possessed two attributes, and these two attributes were consistent with Ikura's first and second attributes.

Most importantly, like Ikura, the two are well-rounded warriors with all-around strengths. They have no obvious weaknesses in Taijutsu, swordsmanship, or Ninjutsu.

Yichen knew these two were talented, but they weren't on Yichen first list because Yichen had never been a well-rounded fighter.

Yichen's bias is quite obvious; he emphasizes Ninjutsu and downplays Taijutsu. Although he later learned some sword techniques and unexpectedly mastered Sword Qi, Yichen always saw himself as Ninjutsu- type ninja.

Yichen didn't know how to guide these six-sided warriors, so he only felt a little sorry for them and didn't pay much attention to them anymore.

"Are there any other people besides those two?" Yichen asked again.

"And these are a few more. The first one is a ninja who is skilled in Earth Release. According to the information, he already has the idea of developing Ninjutsu, and judging from the direction of the Ninjutsu he is developing, it is quite suitable for my fighting style."

"Oh?" Yichen carefully examined the student's information. The student's talent was average, and there was nothing about him that caught Yichen's attention during last night's selection. There was no other way; Yichen was most interested in Water Release.

Earth Release, although it is also Yichen's main attribute, Yichen doesn't have much insight into the attribute in Earth Release cultivation, unlike Water Release which has undergone a long period of research.

"Anything else?"

"The second one is a female student who is skilled in Sealing Jutsu."

"Huh?" Yichen was a little surprised this time. Skilled in Sealing Jutsu? Shouldn't that be the criterion he used to select disciples?

Knowing Yichen's curiosity, Ikura blushed slightly and said, "As for Sealing Jutsu, Yumi can provide guidance."

"Oh~~~" Yichen understood, then deliberately dragged out his words, making Ikura's face turn even redder.

This kid and Uzumaki Yumi are progressing pretty fast; now he's even considering her as a disciple.

Next, Ikura introduced several students he planned to focus on.

"And you? Are there any students you want to focus on observing?"

"Yes, look at this." Yichen said, taking out a document. "This is the one I'm most optimistic about."

Ikura looked at the information in Yichen's hand, and then unconsciously read it aloud, "Matsutani Shinya, from the Regular Class, hmm? Seems like he doesn't have any special talents. His grades in theory and practice are all just average."

After reviewing the information, Ikura was somewhat confused.

"Hehe, that's what I was thinking too. Didn't I adopt a younger sister? I heard some things about this year's graduates from her, including this Matsutani Shinya," Yichen explained to Ikura.

"Matsutani Shinya's grades are indeed mediocre, or rather, quite poor. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he and Tomoko will likely be among the students in the Regular Class whose graduation is uncertain."

"However, he has a peculiar trait: he's quite affectionate towards small animals. I'm currently trying to learn Senjutsu, though I haven't even found the door yet."

"However, I have a guess: people who are closer to nature are more likely to learn Senjutsu. This Matsutani Shinya might be one of those people I'm guessing about."

"One downside of people who are naturally close to nature is that they lack ambition. This Matsutani Shinya was one of the most talented students in the class when he first enrolled, but because he didn't study hard or train diligently, his grades naturally dropped."

Yichen shared his thoughts with Ikura.

"I see. But Natural Energy is probably hard to control. Since Matsutani Shinya isn't diligent in his training, how do you plan to motivate him?"

Upon hearing Ikura's question, Yichen's expression fell somewhat. Both Yichen himself and his three disciples were very self-disciplined in their cultivation. They didn't need outside supervision; they would fill their time with activities on their own.

As for problem children like Matsutani Shinya, Yichen really didn't have a good solution. "We can only take it one step at a time."

As he spoke, Yichen pulled out a second sheet of information...