Zi Xu got up bright and early that morning and headed to a ramen shop for breakfast. It was close to the school and packed with customers. The food there looked pretty good.
"Boss, another bowl!" Zi Xu licked his lips and drained the broth in front of him.
"Kid, are you sure you should be eating that much...?" The bespectacled man beside him looked worried. The redheaded kid had already eaten twenty-one bowls, and he was afraid Zi Xu's stomach might burst.
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I ate too much..." Zi Xu realized he'd eaten quite a lot, but he really had been hungry. It seemed that after fusing with Kaido's physique, his body needed more energy to keep up.
He patted his bulging belly and glanced at his empty wallet. If this kept up, he might not be able to afford food. He'd have to find a way to make money.
After hurrying to the classroom and taking his seat, he started thinking about what kind of organization to establish and how to recruit members.
"Dad once said, 'You have to use magic to beat magic, and use a pyramid scheme to beat a pyramid scheme...'"
"Right, that old Danzo even skims money from orphans like me. There must be people in Konoha who aren't happy with him. Maybe I can use the 'Fundamentalist Doctrine of Returning to the Origin' to teach the true Will of Fire and win people over..." That was Zi Xu's initial plan. Now all he had to do was find some suitable members.
"Good morning, Uzumaki. You're here early." Aburame Hatsumi set her little backpack on the desk and greeted Zi Xu.
"Good morning, Aburame. Are those books in your backpack? It looks heavy."
"No, it's full of the little bugs I'm raising~" Hatsumi carefully patted her pink backpack, her eyes soft.
"Uh... Speaking of which, Aburame, does your clan raise bugs from generation to generation?"
"Yes. Our clan has been raising bugs ever since the First Hokage founded the village. Our secret techniques need bugs to work, too..." Hatsumi was very proud of this. The Aburame Clan's bugs were incredibly versatile. They could be used for scouting, creating diversions, relaying intelligence, and even healing. Their techniques were exceptionally well-rounded.
"Oh? Hyuga's here, too? Good morning." Hatsumi greeted the newly arrived Hyuga Chino, then introduced her to Zi Xu.
"Speaking of ninjutsu, we have to mention the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan and Gentle Fist. After all, they're—"
"That's enough! Don't talk about the Hyuga Clan anymore!" To their surprise, Hyuga Chino suddenly became agitated. Veins throbbed faintly around her pale eyes.
This is promising. Hyuga Chino has a bone to pick with her clan, and maybe even with Konoha. She could be a potential recruit... Zi Xu made a mental note and spoke up.
"All right, let's leave that aside for now. What do you all think of the Will of Fire in yesterday's book?" It was a question, but also a test.
"The Will of Fire? The clan elders say our Aburame Clan joined Konoha in the Land of Fire's early days, making us one of its founding clans. They say we helped establish, uphold, and pass down the Will of Fire. But they've also said it's changed..." Hatsumi's fair little face took on a thoughtful expression.
"I think the Will of Fire just means protecting the people you care about. Um... and the bugs, too." Hatsumi glanced at the little bug peeking out of her backpack and seemed more certain.
Chino seemed to scorn the topic. She scoffed.
"The so-called Will of Fire is nothing but wishful thinking. Equality and friendship? Just hypocritical words spoken under the power of those who rule by force. If your fate is decided the moment you're born, how can you talk about freedom and equality?"
Zi Xu was practically laughing with joy inside. She was an ally! It'd be a shame not to have her join him in his rebellion—no, in his uprising.
Zi Xu hurried to speak before the stunned Hatsumi beside him could say something wrong.
"Actually, we should take a nuanced view of the Will of Fire. Everyone understands it differently, right? We have to carry on the First Hokage's Will of Fire and help it grow. I don't know what happened to you, Hyuga, but we can each have our own Will of Fire..."
"If the Will of Fire makes you suffer, then it can't be called the Will of Fire. Only a Will of Fire that makes you happy can truly belong to you..." Zi Xu spoke at length, gradually twisting the meaning of the words and launching into his recruitment pitch.
Hyuga Chino found it strange that Zi Xu hadn't opposed her views like everyone else, and had instead tried to comfort her. But after listening closely to what he said... it actually made a lot of sense. A Will of Fire that couldn't make you happy wasn't the true Will of Fire.
Aburame Hatsumi felt that something was off, but couldn't put her finger on what. She couldn't refute him, either. After all, the First Hokage's Will of Fire was about building a village where everyone was equal and friendly, and where children were protected.
After that little exchange, Hyuga Chino thought a little better of the strange redheaded boy. Her tone was no longer as cold as before.
"That makes some sense..." She pushed her blue-purple bangs back, revealing the dark-red forehead protector hidden beneath them.
"You think so too, Hatsumi?" Zi Xu turned and asked with a smile. She hesitated for a moment, then nodded, accepting his argument. If possible, he still wanted to bring Hatsumi into the organization. Bugs were excellent scouts, after all.
Zi Xu knew better than to push too far. That was enough recruitment for today. He couldn't rush things; he'd have to work on them gradually.
Just then, Takeshi Goda arrived in class. Everyone took out their textbooks, ready for the lesson.
And so, two months of dull academic lessons went by. At home, Zi Xu kept training and trying to raise his Fusion Level. At school, he kept using Talk no Jutsu on Aburame Hatsumi and Hyuga Chino.
Chino was easy enough to sway, but Hatsumi's willpower surprised him. They both accepted his views, but neither ever opposed the ideas Hiruzen Sarutobi had instilled in them.
Over those two months, Zi Xu also got to know many of his classmates. In their eyes, he was an easygoing person who got along well with others and was generous. His scores in theory class were decent, too. He was a model child who had been raised in the spirit of the Will of Fire.
His scores across the board were average, just as he'd planned. He couldn't be at the bottom of the class, but he also didn't want to stand out. These results were just right.
Hyuga Chino, usually aloof and quiet, ranked second in class. A girl from the Uchiha Clan took first place, consistently beating Chino.
Aburame Hatsumi did a little worse, but still ranked among the top five.
After spending so much time with them, Zi Xu had learned about the Kekkei Genkai and signature techniques of Konoha's various clans. The Sharingan of the first-place girl's Uchiha Clan, for example, had powerful abilities such as observation, copying, and hypnosis. Its users possessed extraordinary insight. They could observe the flow of Chakra, cast and see through Genjutsu, and copy all kinds of Taijutsu and ninjutsu.
The Byakugan of Hyuga Chino's clan could see an opponent's meridians, pressure points, and the flow of Chakra in their body. It could also see through objects, observe distant places, and provide powerful perception.
Even Hatsumi, who seemed so unremarkable, had her family's Kikai Secret Technique and all kinds of strange bugs supplied by her clan. It was clear from this how different a ninja from a major clan was from one born to commoners.
He couldn't even use the Chakra Extraction Technique yet, while the children of the major clans already knew an array of secret techniques and ninjutsu. The two groups were separated right from the start. The children of powerful clans had undoubtedly won the race before it even began; any commoner who managed to achieve great things was probably a genius with extraordinary talent and ability.
"Quiet, quiet, everyone. After two months of academic lessons, we'll officially begin learning ninjutsu today..." The moment Takeshi Goda finished speaking, the classroom erupted. The kids had been cooped up for two months, and the naturally energetic children could hardly wait to learn ninjutsu.
The Ninja Academy wasn't filled only with students from major clans. In fact, most of them came from commoner families. They couldn't learn ninjutsu at home, and had come to the academy to study it. Now that they could finally begin, they were naturally thrilled.
Zi Xu was delighted, too. Even with all his training, his Fusion Level had only risen from five percent to five and a half percent. At this rate, he had no idea how long it would take to fully fuse with the Kaido Template. He thought that once he learned some ninjutsu, using it to toughen his body might help.
"We'll learn ninjutsu alongside practical combat. Be prepared, everyone. From now on, we'll be practicing with kunai and shuriken, so make sure you have the necessary equipment."
"First, open your textbooks. Today we'll be learning the Chakra Extraction Technique. The Chakra Extraction Technique is..."
As expected of a professional teacher, it only took Takeshi Goda a few sentences to explain what Chino and Hatsumi hadn't been able to. Following his instructions, Zi Xu carefully tried it step by step.
At last, he felt a faint, mysterious energy gathering inside him. It collected in his chest, where he felt a steady stream of warmth. He knew that this was the so-called Chakra.
"Chakra is the foundation for using all kinds of ninjutsu. Everyone has a limited amount, and using ninjutsu consumes Chakra, so you must keep track of how much you have left in battle. There are exceptions, though..."
As he spoke, Takeshi Goda pointed to Zi Xu, who was practicing Chakra extraction at the back of the classroom.
"Members of the Uzumaki Clan are born with an enormous Chakra capacity and tremendous vitality, making them exceptionally well suited to becoming ninjas. In my view, their potential is no less than that of the Uchiha or Hyuga Clans. Combined with the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Technique, their combat strength is formidable..."
Zi Xu, who had been quietly slacking off nearby, nearly spat blood. He'd been trying to keep a low profile, but Takeshi Goda had just singled him out and put him in the spotlight. Even Hyuga Chino and that Uchiha girl, Uchiha Gen, were looking at him with curiosity.
Zi Xu even wondered if this was blowback for running a pyramid scheme in Konoha.
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