Me vs. Konoha in Pyramid Schemes?

Zi Xu rose early today and headed straight to a ramen shop for breakfast. The shop was located very close to the school and was quite busy, which was a good sign that the food was excellent.

"Boss, another bowl!" Zi Xu licked his lips and downed the remaining broth in his bowl in one gulp.

"Kid, are you sure you're okay eating that much..." A squinty-eyed man nearby looked on with concern. After all, the red-haired boy in front of him had already finished 21 bowls, and he was genuinely afraid Zi Xu's stomach might burst.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself, I ate a bit too much..." Zi Xu realized he had overdone it, but he had been truly famished. It seemed that after merging with Kaido's Physique, his energy requirements had increased accordingly.

Rubbing his distended belly and then his empty wallet, Zi Xu worried that if things continued this way, he wouldn't be able to afford his meals. He needed to find a way to make money.

After walking quickly to the classroom and sitting down, he began to consider what kind of organization to establish and how to recruit members.

Dad once said, you have to use magic to defeat magic, and you have to use pyramid schemes to defeat pyramid schemes...

Right, that old man Danzo even skims money from an orphan like me. Konoha must have people who are dissatisfied with him. Perhaps I can use the "Fundamentalist Doctrine of Returning to the Origin" to teach the true Will of Fire and use that to win over members... Zi Xu's initial plan was set; now he just needed to find some suitable recruits.

"Good morning, classmate Uzumaki, you're here early." Aburame Hatsumi placed her small backpack on the desk and greeted Zi Xu.

"Good morning, classmate Aburame. Is that books in your bag? It looks quite heavy."

"No, these are the bugs I'm raising~" Hatsumi patted her small pink backpack carefully, her expression softening.

"Uh... speaking of which, classmate Aburame, has your family been raising bugs for generations?"

"That's right. Our family has been raising bugs since the First Hokage founded the village. Our family's secret techniques all require bugs to be performed..." Hatsumi was very proud of this. The bugs of the Aburame Clan were incredibly versatile, serving as a comprehensive ninjutsu system that combined reconnaissance, diversionary clones, intelligence gathering, and medical support.

"Oh? Classmate Hyuga is here too? Good morning." Hatsumi greeted the newly arrived Hyuga Chino and introduced her to Zi Xu.

"When it comes to ninjutsu, one has to mention the Byakugan and Gentle Fist of the Hyuga Clan. After all, they are..."

"Enough! Don't mention the Hyuga Clan again!" Unexpectedly, Hyuga Chino's emotions suddenly flared, and veins could be seen pulsing faintly around her pale white eyes.

Interesting. Hyuga Chino has a conflict with the Hyuga Clan, and perhaps even with Konohagakure itself. She can be considered a target for recruitment... Zi Xu noted this down and asked.

"Alright, let's not talk about that for now. What are everyone's thoughts on the Will of Fire from the book yesterday?" This was both a question and a probe.

"The Will of Fire? I heard from the clan elders that our Aburame Clan was one of the founding families that joined Konohagakure during the early days of the Land of Fire. We are the promoters, practitioners, and inheritors of the Will of Fire. But the elders also said that the Will of Fire has changed..." A thoughtful expression appeared on Hatsumi's fair little face.

"My view on the Will of Fire is that it's enough to protect the people you care about, and... well, the bugs too." Hatsumi looked at the bug poking its head out of her bag and seemed more certain.

Chino seemed somewhat disdainful of the topic and scoffed:

"The so-called Will of Fire is nothing more than a self-deceiving fantasy. Equality and friendship? It's just a hypocritical concept enforced by power and violence. How can there be freedom or equality when one's fate is determined the moment they are born?"

Zi Xu was so happy he could have burst into laughter. This was an ally! It would be a disservice to her not to have her join his rebellion—no, his uprising.

Zi Xu spoke up quickly, fearing that the somewhat shocked Hatsumi might say the wrong thing.

"Actually, we should look at the Will of Fire dialectically. Everyone has their own understanding of it, right? The First Hokage's Will of Fire needs us to inherit and develop it. Although I don't know what's bothering classmate Hyuga, we can have our own Will of Fire..."

"If the Will of Fire causes Hyuga Chino pain, then it cannot be called the Will of Fire. Only a Will of Fire that allows Hyuga Chino to be happy is the true Will of Fire that belongs to her..." Zi Xu spoke eloquently, gradually shifting the concept and beginning his indoctrination.

Hyuga Chino found it strange that Zi Xu didn't oppose her thoughts like others did, but instead chose to comfort her. However, after listening carefully to his words... she felt they actually made quite a bit of sense. A Will of Fire that couldn't bring her happiness and joy was not the true Will of Fire.

Aburame Hatsumi, standing to the side, felt something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it, nor could she refute it. After all, the First Hokage's Will of Fire was meant to build a village of equality and friendship that protected its children.

After this small ripple, Hyuga Chino's impression of the strange red-haired guy in front of her improved, and her tone was no longer as cold as before.

"What you said makes some sense..." She brushed her blue-purple bangs back, revealing the dark red forehead protector beneath them.

"Hatsumi, you think so too, right?" Zi Xu turned his head and asked Hatsumi with a smile. She froze for a moment before nodding, acknowledging Zi Xu's statement. If possible, he still wanted to pull Hatsumi into his organization; after all, the reconnaissance capabilities of her bugs were simply too strong.

Zi Xu understood the principle that too much is as bad as too little. He decided to end the indoctrination for the day; he couldn't be too hasty and needed to groom them slowly.

Just then, Takeshi Goda arrived in the classroom. Everyone took out their textbooks, preparing for the lesson.

And so, two months of dull and tedious academic study passed. At home, Zi Xu constantly trained, attempting to increase his fusion rate, while at school, he continuously used "Talk-no-Jutsu" on Aburame Hatsumi and Hyuga Chino.

Hyuga Chino was one thing, but to his surprise, Aburame Hatsumi's willpower was also astonishing. Although both accepted his viewpoints, they never opposed the ideologies instilled in them by Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Over these two months, Zi Xu had also interacted with many of his classmates. In their eyes, Zi Xu was an easygoing person who was approachable and magnanimous. His test scores in theory classes were also decent. One could say he was a typical, excellent child nurtured by the Will of Fire.

His scores in all tests were average, which was exactly according to his calculations. After all, he didn't want to be a dead weight, nor did he want to stand out too much; this level of performance was just right.

The usually cold and aloof Hyuga Chino was second in the class. The top student was a girl from the Uchiha Clan, who firmly held the lead over Chino.

Aburame Hatsumi was slightly worse off, but still among the best, ranking in the top five of the class.

Through this period of interaction, Zi Xu had learned about the Kekkei Genkai and signature ninjutsu of the various clans in Konoha. For instance, the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan, to which the top-ranked girl belonged, possessed powerful abilities such as observation, copying, and hypnosis. Its users possessed insight far beyond ordinary people, capable of observing the flow of chakra, casting and seeing through genjutsu, and copying various taijutsu and ninjutsu.

The Byakugan of Hyuga Chino's clan possessed the ability to see through meridians, acupoints, and the flow of chakra in the human body. It acted as an X-ray vision, a telescopic eye for long-distance observation, and an insight eye with strong observational capabilities.

Even the inconspicuous Hatsumi had her clan's Kikai Secret Technique, along with the various strange bugs provided by her family. From this, one could see the difference between ninjas from prominent clans and those from commoner backgrounds.

He didn't even know the Chakra Extraction Technique, while those from big clans mastered a whole array of secret techniques and ninjutsu. From the very start, the two groups were divided. The prominent clans undoubtedly won at the starting line; those from commoner backgrounds who could still achieve great success were likely geniuses with immense talent and aptitude.

"Quiet, quiet, students. After two months of academic study, today we will officially begin learning ninjutsu..." As soon as Takeshi Goda finished speaking, the entire classroom erupted. These two months had stifled them; the naturally lively and active children had long been impatient to learn ninjutsu.

The Ninja Academy didn't just have students from big clans. In fact, most students were from commoner backgrounds. They hadn't been exposed to ninjutsu at home and had come to the Ninja Academy specifically to learn it. Now that they could finally start, they were naturally overjoyed.

Zi Xu was also filled with joy. During this time, his own practice had only increased his fusion rate from 5% to 5.5%. At this rate, he didn't know how long it would take to fully fuse with the Kaido Template. He felt that if he could learn some ninjutsu and then use it to temper his body, it might be even better.

"The study of ninjutsu will be conducted alongside practical combat lessons. Please be prepared, students. From now on, we will practice the use of kunai and shuriken. Please have your equipment ready."

"First, open your textbooks. Today we will learn the Chakra Extraction Technique. The so-called Chakra Extraction Technique is..."

It must be said that he was a professional teacher; Takeshi Goda explained in a few sentences what Chino and Hatsumi hadn't been able to explain clearly before. Following Takeshi Goda's guidance, Zi Xu carefully attempted it bit by bit.

Finally, he felt a trace of mysterious power gathering within his body, eventually condensing in his chest. Feeling the constant, warm energy emanating from his chest, he knew that this was what was called chakra.

"Chakra is the foundation for performing various ninjutsu. Everyone has a limited amount of chakra, and every time you use a technique, it consumes that reserve. Therefore, you must always be mindful of your remaining chakra during battle, though there are exceptions to this rule..."

Takeshi Goda said, gesturing toward Zi Xu, who was in the back row practicing chakra extraction.

"Members of the Uzumaki Clan are born with immense chakra reserves and incredible vitality. They are a clan perfectly suited to be ninjas. In my view, their potential is not even inferior to the Uchiha Clan or the Hyuga Clan. When combined with the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Technique, their combat prowess is truly formidable..."

Zi Xu, who had been quietly slacking off to the side, nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood. He had always kept a low profile, and he never expected Takeshi Goda to drag him out and put him in the spotlight like this. Even Hyuga Chino and that Uchiha Gen turned to cast curious gazes in his direction.

Zi Xu even began to suspect that this was the backlash from trying to run a pyramid scheme in Konohagakure.