First Acquaintance

Humans were social creatures. Even children instinctively formed little groups, some as large as seven or eight, others as small as two or three.

Minato was exceptionally handsome, with a gentle, likable personality, so quite a few children gathered around him.

Ye Zi's gaze swept over the somewhat crowded seats around Minato before silently shifting away. He headed toward a quieter corner.

He had never considered fitting into a group. Even when he had joined delinquent gangs in society, it had only been out of necessity. From childhood to now, he had relied on himself to make his way forward step by step, and so he firmly believed that only he could be relied upon.

Seeing Ye Zi ignore him once again, Minato slowly lowered his arm amid the strange looks of many others. He scratched his head and gave an awkward chuckle before sitting down. Yet the instant he sat, his eyes stealthily flicked toward Ye Zi, filled with deep confusion.

Gentle by nature, he did not become angry over it. Instead, he was puzzled by Ye Zi's glaring isolation.

After he sat down, the children around him began asking whether Minato knew Ye Zi. Minato vaguely brushed the questions aside, but his attitude only made his companions feel that Ye Zi was very rude.

Ye Zi chose a seat in the last row on the left side of the classroom. It was by the window, with no one else around. Once seated, he looked out toward the playground. It was summer, and the sunlight was dazzling and scorching, flooding his eyes with such brightness that it seemed to cast a glare.

About ten minutes later, the classroom door was pushed open with a clatter, and a fierce-looking one-eyed man walked in. As he shut the door behind him, the classroom's previously lively chatter instantly stopped.

Seeing the room fall silent the moment he entered, the one-eyed man nodded imperceptibly. His sharp-looking eye swept across the students before he walked toward the podium. Yet his gait was somewhat uncoordinated.

After the Second Shinobi World War, the teaching staff was excellent. The ninja serving as teachers were all elites who had withdrawn from the battlefield. These elites had only retreated behind the scenes out of necessity. Anyone who went to war, aside from those who emerged completely unscathed, either died or suffered hidden injuries that affected their strength. Like this one-eyed man—his chakra pathways in his left leg had already necrosed. Though he possessed the level of a Chunin, he would likely be unable to defeat even a Genin.

The one-eyed man was exceptionally burly. He wore a Konoha forehead protector, while his hair was wrapped in a blue headscarf. His features were extremely fierce, and the cross-shaped scar over his right eye added an extra touch of savagery.

"My name is Takagi. I'll be your teacher from now on. I won't waste words on anything else. If any of you perform so badly that you're an eyesore, then get the hell home early." Takagi's gaze was icy, and his dull voice struck every child's heart. His appearance and the attitude he displayed upon entering alone caused many of them to instinctively feel afraid.

At the same time, in the Hokage's office.

After Hiruzen finished reviewing a document, he suddenly rose and walked to the window, looking in the direction of the Konoha Academy. Thinking of Takagi's personality, he murmured, "The time when they truly need to grow is three years from now, not now. Don't be too strict."

Yet he had no idea that Takagi had given all the children a crushing show of force the moment he appeared. If there had been any other choice, Hiruzen would not have appointed Takagi as a teacher.

The classroom was silent as a grave. Faced with Takagi's overwhelming presence, many lowered their eyes. Only a small handful did not look away, including Ye Zi and Minato.

Within a few breaths, Takagi had memorized the children who had not been cowed by his presence. He then withdrew his aura, clapped his hands, and softened his tone slightly, though it still sounded dull.

"Alright. From left to right, give a brief introduction of yourselves."

It did not take long. Once the introductions were over, Takagi immediately began teaching.

"Chakra is an energy produced by the perfect fusion of spiritual energy and physical energy. It is also the energy required to use ninjutsu. The first condition for becoming a ninja is being able to extract chakra and make it an energy you can control."

There was nothing passionate about Takagi's tone, but his pace was measured and his words were exceptionally clear, making him fairly suited to teaching. He suddenly raised three fingers and said in a muffled voice, "Three years. You have three years to learn how to become a ninja."

Takagi suddenly folded two of the three raised fingers, and his tone abruptly turned stern. "But you only have one year to prove whether you possess the aptitude to become a ninja. If you can't even refine chakra within a year, then get lost and go home."

Gulp...

The moment Takagi stopped speaking, the classroom was so quiet that even the sound of someone swallowing was distinctly audible.

Ye Zi's heart jolted slightly. If he could not refine chakra within a year, then he would lose every possibility. His fist quietly clenched, and his gaze hardened into something almost tangible.

"Becoming a ninja isn't that simple."

Takagi's eyes grew profound, as though he had recalled something, making his voice even more somber.

After the entire half-day, Ye Zi had not really learned anything. Still, through Takagi's explanations, he had gained a general understanding of this world's system.

Ninja—this was the collective term for people with extraordinary abilities.

Genin, Chunin, Jonin, Hokage...

Among ninja, there was a clear ranking system. The key factors in determining rank were one's amount of chakra and one's use of ninjutsu. Those who could use ninjutsu well were all exceptionally gifted, born with outstanding chakra control.

After returning home, Ye Zi's mind was filled with information about the word "ninja." He had only just come into contact with this profession and was not even an ordinary Genin. According to Takagi, he would need to spend three years before having a chance to become a Genin—not that he would directly become one. Worse still, if he could not even refine chakra, then he would have no connection to the ninja profession at all.

Takagi, who served as a teacher, was a Chunin. Then Orochimaru, who had taken him in, was at least a Jonin. As long as he could refine chakra, he could ask Orochimaru for guidance whenever he encountered a problem. That would definitely be faster than Takagi's patient instruction. At that thought, a faint smile rose on Ye Zi's childish face.

Meeting Orochimaru had not been a bad thing after all, even if their first encounter had left him full of dissatisfaction.

"Not bad."

Lowering his head to stare at his small palm, Ye Zi's eyes were full of determination.