After returning home, Veigar's first action was to take out the cultivation notes from beneath his pillow.
Then he brought along the fishing equipment he had not used in a long time and went out.
The vacation was neither particularly long nor particularly short. On top of that, Veigar still had to work to earn money, so he did not have much time left for cultivation.
Before long, Veigar arrived at the riverside where he had previously set up his fishing trap.
After putting the bait in place and placing the fishing equipment in the river, Veigar jumped onto a nearby tree branch, took out his notebook, and began reading through it.
Cultivation emphasized gradual progress, just like eating a meal one bite at a time.
For now, Veigar had no plans to cultivate the Body Strengthening Technique. Instead, he chose to cultivate the Body Flicker Technique recorded in the notebook.
The Body Flicker Technique was a ninjutsu that enabled high-speed movement. It was also one of the Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques, but it was not on the same level as the Substitution Technique, Transformation Technique, and Clone Technique. Instead, it was grouped with the Immobilization Technique and Invisibility Technique as the advanced Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques.
At the same time, the Body Flicker Technique was divided into Body Flicker Technique and Ninjutsu Flicker Technique. The former was a ninjutsu performed primarily through the body.
Its users were generally shinobi who had mastered taijutsu.
What Veigar was cultivating now, however, was the Ninjutsu Flicker Technique, a form of the Body Flicker Technique that relied primarily on Chakra.
After learning the principles and method of using the Body Flicker Technique from the notes, Veigar immediately began trying it out.
He formed hand seals and directed his Chakra toward his feet before suddenly erupting with powerful thrust.
"Body Flicker Technique—bang."
Body Flicker Technique, failed!
His Chakra even produced a sound like a loud fart.
"Again!"
Veigar had never expected to succeed with the Body Flicker Technique on his first attempt, so he was not particularly discouraged.
While Veigar was working hard to practice the Body Flicker Technique, warm sunlight also shone into the Hokage's Office, spreading across Hiruzen Sarutobi.
As the village's Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi was currently absorbed in a Report Card.
Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe as he tried hard to recall the owner of the Report Card, but all he could remember was having seen Veigar's enrollment records.
That was right. The Report Card Hiruzen Sarutobi held early that morning was Veigar's perfect-score Report Card.
"A genius among civilians?"
"Could he be the next Minato?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose personal strength was gradually declining from its peak, still harbored great ambitions. Seeing a genius like Veigar emerge in the village suddenly made the sunlight in the village feel several degrees warmer.
"Go and bring Tomohisa Ishikawa here."
"Also, find out where Vega Koshima is right now."
No one answered, but two presences disappeared from around the Hokage's Office. As for the two who had left, they were Anbu shinobi under the direct command and control of the Hokage.
Although the Ninja Academy was on vacation, Tomohisa Ishikawa, as a teacher, could not leave the academy yet. He was busy organizing documents when he received the Anbu shinobi's notice, and hurried toward the Hokage Tower.
With the Third Hokage's special authorization, Tomohisa Ishikawa reached the door of the Hokage's Office without obstruction.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
"Come in!"
The Third Hokage inside the office naturally knew that the person outside was Tomohisa Ishikawa. After hearing the knock, he directly told him to enter.
After straightening his clothes, Tomohisa Ishikawa pushed open the door and walked in.
"Lord Hokage, you summoned me!"
Tomohisa Ishikawa bowed to Hiruzen Sarutobi with great restraint.
"There's no need to be nervous, Tomohisa."
"It is precisely because the Ninja Academy has teachers like you who work silently that the village's shinobi can grow smoothly."
"Thanks for the effort."
After being praised so highly by Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tomohisa Ishikawa became instantly overwhelmed with excitement. Those words from Hiruzen Sarutobi were the greatest encouragement to them.
"Lord Hokage, it's all part of my duty."
Standing ramrod straight, Tomohisa Ishikawa answered with excitement and solemnity.
"Relax, Tomohisa. You can treat this place like your own home."
"I asked you here this time because there is something I would like to ask you about."
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke in a gentle tone.
Vaguely, Tomohisa Ishikawa had already guessed what Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to ask. He immediately replied, "Yes, please ask."
Puff, puff, exhale...
After taking another puff of his pipe, Hiruzen Sarutobi, holding the stem, spoke slowly. "How has that child, Vega Koshima, been performing at school?"
"Judging by his grades, the child is another genius from the village. And judging from your evaluation, you think highly of him as well."
After the examination results came out, Tomohisa Ishikawa had already understood that Veigar would definitely attract Hiruzen Sarutobi's attention, but he had not expected it to happen so quickly.
"Lord Hokage, Veigar's grades are absolutely genuine."
"At school, Veigar is also a very diligent and well-behaved student. He has never arrived late or left early, nor has he ever skipped class."
Tomohisa Ishikawa spoke with absolute certainty.
People sought higher places, while water flowed downward.
Veigar's appearance was an opportunity for Tomohisa Ishikawa.
As long as Hiruzen Sarutobi acknowledged Veigar, Tomohisa Ishikawa believed that, as Veigar's homeroom teacher, he would certainly benefit greatly.
As a teacher, if one wanted a promotion, a raise, and greater trust, then aside from seniority and connections, the best path was the achievements of one's students.
And now, Veigar's perfect-score Report Card was Tomohisa Ishikawa's best opportunity.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and continued weighing things in his mind, occasionally chatting with Tomohisa Ishikawa about Veigar.
As Veigar's homeroom teacher, Tomohisa Ishikawa told Hiruzen Sarutobi everything he knew and reported the circumstances one by one.
From Veigar's performance in class at school to his diligence in cultivation, including the fact that Veigar worked at an abattoir to support himself, Tomohisa Ishikawa disclosed everything in meticulous detail.
It was not until more than ten minutes later that Tomohisa Ishikawa left the Hokage Tower.
At that moment, Tomohisa Ishikawa knew that Veigar's future would certainly receive a great deal of attention, and that his own position in the academy would rise because he had taught such a student.
After the delighted Tomohisa Ishikawa left, Hiruzen Sarutobi also learned from the Anbu shinobi where Veigar was currently located.
After dismissing the Anbu shinobi around him, Hiruzen Sarutobi took out the Crystal Ball placed beneath the desk. This was the very tool he usually used to spy on the women's bathhouse—cough, cough, cough...
It was the tool he normally used to observe the people's situation without leaving his home.
"Ninja Art: Telescope Technique."
When Veigar's figure appeared in the Crystal Ball on the desk, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately became interested.
Originally, Hiruzen Sarutobi had only intended to observe Veigar's current situation briefly, but it seemed as though he had made some kind of discovery.
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