As time passed, more and more students filled the classroom. Some obediently read the instructions on the blackboard, while others played around with the children sitting nearby. Before long, the room was filled with a cheerful buzz.
Whenever Zi Xu thought about how these innocent, adorable children would one day stain their hands with blood—or even die on the battlefield—his anger at this unreasonable ninja system only grew.
"Creak~" Zi Xu's anger didn't last long. A tall man walked in with textbooks tucked under his arm, and the noisy classroom fell silent at once.
He cleared his throat, seemingly unfazed by the scene, then walked to the lectern in the center of the room and began introducing himself:
"First of all, congratulations on becoming students at the Ninja Academy. It means you all have the talent to become ninjas. Becoming a ninja is a great honor, but it also means taking on the responsibilities of a ninja..."
"I'm Takeshi Goda, 25 years old, and a Chunin. I'll be your homeroom teacher. I enjoy exercising, and my dream is to train the next Hokage. I have great confidence in all of you, and I hope my dream can come true through you..."
"Now, please introduce yourselves."
"My name is Uchiha Gen. I like dango, I hate crows, and my dream is to become a ninja who surpasses my older sister..." A girl with her hair tied in a single ponytail was the first to introduce herself...
Since Zi Xu and the others were seated toward the back, they were among the last to introduce themselves. In the process, he heard all sorts of dreams that belonged only to children, and also gathered plenty of information about some of Konoha's clans.
For example, the Uchiha Clan, who possessed the Sharingan, and the Hyuga Clan, who had the Byakugan and mastered the Gentle Fist. Zi Xu seemed to recall hearing that the Uchiha Clan had been wiped out, but the massacre apparently hadn't happened yet at this point.
"My name is Nohara. I like birds, I hate bugs, and my dream is to become the strongest person in the world."...
The students in front quickly finished introducing themselves. Now it was Zi Xu's group's turn to go up.
"Hello, everyone. I... My name is Aburame Hatsumi, and I'm a member of the Aburame Clan. I enjoy collecting all kinds of bugs, I hate birds, and my dream is to raise the strongest bugs!" Hatsumi's voice was very quiet at first, but as she spoke about her interests and her dream, her tone grew resolute. Her pupils seemed to shine behind her pale red lenses.
After Hatsumi finished introducing herself, it was Zi Xu's turn. He walked calmly to the lectern and spoke fluently.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Uzumaki Zi Xu. I enjoy reading, I don't really hate anything, and my dream is world peace."
The system required him to change the state of the ninja world to earn points, and those points would affect his path to becoming stronger. So he needed to read and acquire all kinds of knowledge, then find the right remedies for the problems facing the ninja world. As the saying went, "Knowledge changes your destiny."
The biggest difference between him and the people here was that Zi Xu hadn't yet been deeply influenced by ideas like the Will of Fire. That let him view things from outside the box. Once he grasped the heart of a problem, he could quickly find a way to change the status quo.
Besides, "reading" was such a harmless hobby that it would let him openly consult Konoha's records in the future, while also helping him avoid being drafted to the battlefield. Though, given his Uzumaki Clan identity, avoiding the battlefield would be difficult regardless.
As for world peace, that was his ultimate goal. Everyone had to have some kind of ideal, after all. He didn't want to live in an era where war could break out at any moment.
Overall, Zi Xu's introduction was quite ordinary and caused no stir. Some people even subconsciously overlooked him.
"My name is Hyuga Chino. I don't like anything in particular, and there are a lot of things I hate. My dream is... to kill that person..." Hyuga Chino spoke coldly from her seat, her detached tone laced with loathing. Hatred seemed to burn in her crystalline white eyes.
"She's from the Hyuga Clan. She's really cute, but why does she talk so harshly...?"
"She seems like she'd be hard to get along with. We'd better stay away from her."
"She's from a major clan, after all..."
"Uchiha Gen is from a major clan too, but she's not nearly as arrogant..."
Low murmurs spread through the room. Takeshi Goda tapped the blackboard, cutting off the discussion.
"All right, it's enough for today if you've gotten to know one another a little. I hope you'll get along well in the future and make friends."
"Today, we'll study a cultural subject. Please open your books to Inheritance of the Will of Fire."...
The day's lessons ended quickly. The entire day had been spent talking about how great the Will of Fire was and how correct the First Hokage's policies had been. The other students found it dull and tiresome. They'd heard all this from their elders at home until they were sick of it. They'd come to the Ninja Academy to learn flashy ninjutsu, not to listen to their teacher preach.
But Zi Xu listened with keen interest. Each Hokage had their own interpretation of the Will of Fire. The First Hokage's Will of Fire was "to ensure Konoha's legacy endured from generation to generation and better protect the next generation." The Second Hokage's was "to fight only for those who follow you, and to do whatever it takes to protect the village." The Third Hokage—Hiruzen Sarutobi—believed that "everyone must be willing to sacrifice themselves for the village, and that personal sacrifice is nothing if it serves the village."
As for the Fourth Hokage, who died young, the book had little to say about him. But judging by how he sacrificed himself to protect the village on the night of the Nine-Tails' attack, his version of the Will of Fire was probably "to stake your life protecting what you want to protect."
Looking at how the Will of Fire had changed over time, Hiruzen Sarutobi's interpretation seemed much more skewed. The First Hokage's vision had been good, but he hadn't established a policy that could be put into practice indefinitely. He had only expressed a hope that everyone would follow the Will of Fire.
As a result, it was easy for later generations to develop one-sided or even distorted interpretations of the Will of Fire—and to classify everything they did as putting it into practice.
When Zi Xu got home, he collapsed wearily onto his bed. His exhaustion was mental. Listening to Takeshi Goda talk about the Will of Fire all day, then sorting through what the Will of Fire really meant, had left his head feeling swollen.
"I almost forgot the important thing." He flipped over and sat up, then took the little iron disk from his coat pocket.
"System, can you show me my physical condition?" he called to the system in his mind. A line of text immediately appeared in his thoughts.
[Host: Uzumaki Zi Xu] [Number of Bound Templates: 1] [Character Template: Beast Kaido] [Template Fusion Level] Physique: 5%, unlocked advanced ability: Tough Physique Devil Fruit Ability: Not fused, subsequent advanced abilities locked Haki: Not fused, subsequent advanced abilities locked
"5%? How do I increase my Fusion Level?"
[The host can increase the Fusion Level through practice or by spending points to strengthen it.] [The host can earn points by changing the state of the ninja world. Points can be used to unlock template abilities, draw templates and items, increase Fusion Level, and more. Please use them wisely.] [The host can also earn points by completing missions issued by the system. Issue a mission?]
"Issue a mission." Zi Xu glanced at his Fusion Level, then immediately chose to accept a mission.
[This is the host's first time accepting a mission, so a free draw has been made for you.] [Draw complete. Please choose one of the following missions to accept.] [Assassinate the Hokage: Successfully kill Hiruzen Sarutobi] [Make Your Mark: Become the top student among your Ninja Academy classmates] [Form an Organization (Faction Mission): Establish an organization with at least 3 members]
The first mission was clearly out of the question. Right now, he was doing his best to stay away from Hiruzen Sarutobi. He hadn't even learned a single ninjutsu, while the other man was the Third Hokage, known as the "Professor of Ninjutsu." Trying to assassinate him would be like throwing an egg at a rock. Besides, the other villages would love to kill Hiruzen Sarutobi, but they still hadn't managed it—which showed that his guards couldn't be underestimated.
Zi Xu didn't plan to accept the second mission, either. It would make him too conspicuous. If an orphan from the Uzumaki Clan, a war-torn clan, proved stronger than the descendants of all Konoha's ninja clans, it would be a slap in the face to the village's major clans. The village would also keep a tighter grip on him and make use of his abilities. The scrutiny he faced would only grow more intense. Since he'd resolved to leave this terrifying organization, he ought to live like a spy: the less attention he drew, the better.
"That leaves only the third mission..."
[Mission Accepted: Form an Organization] [Mission Details: Establish an organization before the end of this semester. It must have at least 3 members, who must be loyal to the organization and believe in its ideals.] [Mission Rewards: Unlock Faction tab, 10,000 reward points, 3 random item draws]
"10,000 reward points? That's a lot! System, how many reward points does it take to increase my Fusion Level?"
[Each 1% of Fusion Level requires 500 reward points.] [Reward points currently held by host: 0]
"Yikes~" Zi Xu suddenly felt like he didn't have nearly enough reward points. And that was just for increasing his Fusion Level—not counting the other draws.
After learning some of the system's mechanics, Zi Xu set the system aside and began examining his body.
First, he took a kitchen knife and gently poked his arm. He felt no pain, so he kept pressing harder. At last, when the knife's edge was nearly rolled over, he finally saw a faint trace of blood on his palm.
"Hard as a rock..." Zi Xu marveled. He'd never had an experience like this in his previous life, so of course he had to try it out. After some investigation, he also discovered that his dynamic vision and reflexes seemed to have improved to some extent.
"Grrr~" His stomach growled at an inopportune moment. Zi Xu rubbed his belly, feeling the emptiness inside, then rummaged through the cupboard again and again. But aside from the few carrots he'd bought earlier, there was nothing else he could eat to fill his stomach.
"It's this late already..." Zi Xu looked out the window at the stars that had long since filled the night sky, surprised by how quickly time had passed.
"It's too late to go out. Someone might get suspicious. I'd better go hungry for a day and eat tomorrow morning. I need to stock up on food..." Zi Xu rolled back and forth on the bed, trying to lull himself to sleep. "I'm not eating now so I can eat more tomorrow. I'll definitely have a big breakfast..."
And so, after tossing and turning, Zi Xu fell asleep.
Before you continue