Practical Training

Shikamaru lowered his hand and said speechlessly, "Didn't you just finish two bags of chips? You're such a pain."

"But I'm really hungry. My stomach just growled." Choji said aggrievedly.

Naruto covered his mouth and snickered at them from the side.

"Hang in there a little longer. School should be out soon." Shikamaru said helplessly.

"Fine." Choji lowered his head and agreed.

About three minutes later, just as Shikamaru had expected, the class bell rang.

Ye Wuyue instantly opened his eyes and ran toward the school gate. Choji and Naruto stared at him in shock.

"Is Sasuke in such a hurry to get home?" Naruto asked.

"Maybe he has something important to do." Shikamaru scratched his head and said indifferently.

"Let's go, Choji. Weren't you hungry?" As he spoke, Shikamaru also headed toward the school gate. Choji said, "Oh," and followed him...

After leaving the Ninja Academy, Ye Wuyue followed the route in his memories toward the Hyuga Clan compound.

After walking for about half an hour, Ye Wuyue stood outside the Hyuga Clan compound. Just then, he happened to run into Neji and Hinata, who had returned home after school.

"Hinata, is Uncle Hiashi home?" Ye Wuyue waved to Hinata as he asked.

Hearing him call out, Hinata turned around and saw Ye Wuyue. She looked slightly surprised.

"Dad's in the backyard right now. I'll go tell him." Hinata replied.

"Sorry for the trouble." Ye Wuyue nodded and thanked her.

After speaking, Hinata went to inform Hiashi. Neji watched Ye Wuyue warily for a while, then ran back as well.

After a while, Hiashi came out alone.

"So it's Sasuke. Come in and sit for a while." Hiashi was very warm as he gestured for him to enter.

"I came today to ask you for a favor, so I won't go in. I still have to hurry home later." Ye Wuyue waved his hand as he spoke.

Hearing this, Hiashi did not insist.

"I can more or less guess what you want to say. I'll stand on your side and do my best to find a way to lessen the village's punishment of your clan. However, I can't guarantee that my stance will definitely have any effect."

Before Ye Wuyue could speak, Hiashi had already made his position clear.

"That's already enough. Thank you, Uncle Hiashi. I'll head back first." After thanking Hiashi, Ye Wuyue waved to him, then turned and went home.

He also knew that, as a clan head, there was only so much Hiashi could do. But that was all Ye Wuyue could manage for now. He lacked the ability to do anything more.

Hiashi stood there for a while, watching Ye Wuyue's back. Then, thinking of his daughter, he could not help sighing.

"Fugaku sure knows how to raise a son!"

With his hands behind his back, Hiashi walked home.

When Ye Wuyue returned home, Fugaku and Itachi had not come back yet, but Mikoto was there.

After dinner, Ye Wuyue practiced Kido and Hakuda for a while, then began meditating. He had already done everything he could. What happened next was up to fate.

Hopefully, the outcome would be a good one...

At the request of our many readers, we are now introducing an ad-free feature for VIP members.

Click to view

Three days later, the village announced the punishment for the Uchiha Clan: their internal funding would be reduced by one-fifth, and they would have to pursue their own defected clan shinobi. If they failed to capture them within eight years, the Uchiha Clan would lose all its rights in the village.

Ye Wuyue found this outcome acceptable. In eight years, he might have mastered Bankai. By then, he should be able to reach Kage Level immediately. After that, he could find a way to kill that old dog Danzo and the other elders. Life would be much easier for the Uchiha Clan in Konoha.

On the training grounds of the Ninja Academy

Iruka was leading the students in his class through practical combat training. Beside them was the class led by Mizuki, which was one year above theirs and was also undergoing practical combat training.

Ye Wuyue yawned. Originally, he had planned to beat Mizuki up during the practical training, letting Minato learn of his strength so that he could become a Genin directly. However, after Uchiha Setsuna's assassination attempt, he abandoned that idea.

It was much better to develop peacefully at the Ninja Academy for a few years. By the time he graduated, he would already have Kage Level strength, and his safety would be greatly improved.

The only drawback was that he would have to wait six years to become a Genin and take missions, giving him a chance to leave the village and experience the thrill of battle. But compared with keeping his life, that seemed far less important.

"Iruka-sensei, why don't we have the students from both our classes train together?"

Just as Ye Wuyue was letting his thoughts wander, Mizuki walked over to Iruka with a smile and spoke to him.

Hearing Mizuki's suggestion, Iruka looked troubled. "Mizuki-sensei's class is one year above ours. Wouldn't it be inappropriate for them to train together?"

"How could it be? Although my class is indeed one year ahead, what they've learned isn't much different from what your class has learned. It's only a spar, so there's no harm in having them practice against each other, right? Besides, doesn't your class have the Uchiha genius and the prince?" Mizuki patted Iruka's shoulder and said with a smile.

"Then... all right." Iruka finally agreed. He turned to Ye Wuyue and the others and said, "Class, today's practical training will be held together with Mizuki-sensei's class."

The students in the class reacted differently to Iruka's words.

Kiba Inuzuka was extremely excited and looked full of fighting spirit. Shikamaru still thought it was troublesome, while most of the girls were worried, afraid of getting hurt during the sparring.

Ye Wuyue glanced over and was surprised to find Neji in Mizuki's class. That must have been the confidence behind Mizuki's suggestion. Early on, Neji was indeed one of the outstanding students of their generation.

Of course, that was before Ye Wuyue arrived. Now, Neji still fell far short of both him and Naruto.

"Does anyone want to volunteer to go first?" Iruka called out.

Ye Wuyue felt nothing about it. Although he enjoyed fighting, he had no interest in this kind of children's make-believe contest. However, someone else was clearly very enthusiastic.

"I will! Iruka-sensei, let me go first!"

Kiba Inuzuka immediately raised his hand.

"All right. Kiba, you can go first."

Kiba confidently walked to the middle of the training ground.

Mizuki also selected someone from his class, a fairly burly student.

Once the two had taken their positions, the one-on-one practical training began. Neither of them had mastered any ninjutsu yet, so they were competing in taijutsu.

Ye Wuyue found it unbearably boring, so he simply closed his eyes and began meditating.

After an unknown amount of time...

"Next, Uchiha Sasuke!" Iruka called from the roster, but no one answered.

"Uchiha Sasuke!" Iruka called again, but there was still no response. He looked up and saw Sasuke leaning against a tree with his eyes closed, apparently asleep.

Shikamaru helplessly shook him from the side, and only then did Ye Wuyue slowly open his eyes.

A burst of laughter immediately erupted from the field.

"Hahahaha, the sleepyhead of the Uchiha Clan!"

"No, he should be called 'the clan of defectors'!"