The Sound of Kunai Landing

Did this guy even know what he was talking about?

Sasuke Uchiha stared at Wu Yu, utterly speechless.

Wu Yu said, "What, too scared to bet? Let me tell you, I have a very good reason..."

Seeing the resolute look in Wu Yu's eyes, Sasuke Uchiha was slightly moved despite himself. "What reason?"

"Money..." Wu Yu said solemnly. "I'm almost out."

"...What?" Sasuke nearly threw out his back.

(Remember, Taiwan Novel Website cures boredom. ₮₩₭₳₦.₵Ø₥ is an ultra-reliable website with the fastest chapter updates.)

Wu Yu propped his legs up on the table and said helplessly, "My family isn't some great clan like the Uchiha. The savings my parents left behind after they died have only lasted me until now at the Ninja Academy because I've lived frugally. If I don't become a ninja this time, I'm finished."

Sasuke Uchiha slipped his hands into his pockets and smiled. "So you're desperately trying to grab hold of a lifeline. To think you came up with such a lousy idea—don't you have any self-respect?"

Wu Yu said, "If I broke into your house in the middle of the night to rob you, that would be lacking self-respect. Right now, I'm making a bet with you, okay?"

Before Sasuke could answer, it was already Wu Yu's turn to take the exam.

"I'll take that as a yes, then?"

With a grin, Wu Yu patted Sasuke Uchiha on the shoulder, left the lecture hall, and headed for the small classroom next door. Just then, he saw Naruto Uzumaki leaving in a daze, heading toward the school gate.

It seemed that, just like in the original story, Naruto Uzumaki had failed the Clone Technique and hadn't passed the graduation exam.

Wu Yu entered the small classroom. There was only a long table in front of the blackboard, covered with headbands that served as proof of being Konoha ninja. Behind it sat the examiners: Umino Iruka, the homeroom teacher of the graduating class, and Mizuki, Wu Yu's own homeroom teacher.

Since the exam subject had already been announced in the lecture hall, Iruka and Mizuki merely nodded at Wu Yu when he entered, signaling for him to begin.

The Clone Technique...

Wu Yu formed a common Seal Proficiency for extracting Chakra with both hands. With a thought, he recalled the principles of the Shadow Clone Technique recorded in the Tsunade Scroll.

Fifty percent spiritual energy, fifty percent physical energy—maintain a perfect balance...

"What's wrong?" Mizuki asked in surprise. "It's just the Clone Technique. There shouldn't be any difficulty for you, Wu Yu, right?"

Iruka said, "Give him some time."

Perfect... balance...

The instant Wu Yu found that point of balance, more than half the Chakra within him vanished at once.

With a poof, a cloud of white smoke appeared beside Wu Yu. When it dispersed, it revealed a clone identical to him. Wu Yu looked toward the Shadow Clone, and the Shadow Clone happened to look back at him.

"That's perfect!" Mizuki couldn't help praising. "The clone Wu Yu created is no different from the original in the slightest. I think he deserves full marks. What do you think, Iruka-sensei?"

Umino Iruka smiled. "Agreed. Nakamori Wu Yu, here. This is your headband."

With another poof, Wu Yu's Shadow Clone turned into a puff of smoke and dispelled itself.

Wu Yu walked toward the podium, thinking, Sure enough, just by looking, there's no way to tell whether it's an ordinary illusory clone or a tangible Shadow Clone... How exactly did the Second Hokage develop a tangible clone technique that could practically create something from nothing?

Moreover, when he dispelled the Shadow Clone just now, a small portion of its Chakra returned to his body.

The Chakra consumption of the Shadow Clone Technique was divided into two types. One was the Chakra used to create the clone's physical form, while the other was the Chakra distributed evenly into the Shadow Clone's body—if the Shadow Clone did not use any Chakra at all, then when it was dispelled, its remaining Chakra would return to the original body along with its memories and experiences.

Umino Iruka handed the brand-new Konoha Headband to Wu Yu and reminded him, "The briefing for Genin team assignments is at seven in the morning the day after tomorrow. You must attend on time."

Wu Yu nodded. "Okay."

Mizuki joked from the side, "Promise me you won't make your teachers take that headband back from you for a third time, all right?"

If a Jonin instructor judged a Genin to be unqualified after team assignment, they had the right to revoke that person's ninja qualifications and send them back to the academy for retraining. Not only would their ninja records be canceled, but their headband would have to be surrendered as well.

"I promise." Wu Yu smiled.

As Wu Yu left the small classroom and passed the entrance to the lecture hall, he waved the headband in his hand toward the room.

Sasuke Uchiha had sharp eyes. When he saw it, a bead of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. Don't tell me this guy really thinks I agreed to his bet?

I only have 352 ryo left in total. Should I cut back on lunch...

As Wu Yu pondered this, he walked out through the school gate. It was rather lively outside now. The students who had passed the graduation exam excitedly showed off to their parents, while the parents congratulated one another with smiling faces.

Wu Yu had no parents, and no one to show his new headband to.

He squeezed out of the crowd and looked across the way. Sure enough, on a swing beneath the shade of a tree, the blond boy sat alone with his head lowered. Staying here was clearly painful, but once he left, he would have to face the cruel reality that he had failed to graduate and stumbled at the very first step toward his dream.

Wu Yu did not go over.

He turned and glanced back. At the school gate stood the wrinkled Third Hokage. The old man was not tall, but whenever students' parents happily came to speak with him, he responded with a kind and gentle expression, completely without airs.

Wu Yu could have gone over, called Naruto away, and taught him the Shadow Clone Technique himself. It would be nice to earn the goodwill of having taught the future savior of the ninja world, the Seventh Hokage—but not now.

Though the old Third Hokage looked like he was mingling with the parents and students, perhaps more than ninety percent of his attention was actually focused on Naruto beneath that tree.

Forget it. Better keep away from this kid for the next couple of days...

Wu Yu quietly left by himself, muttering under his breath at the same time, "Are you fucking insane? Absorb the Third Hokage's Chakra? You might as well suck me dry instead, so I won't have to get tortured by the Interrogation Squad's ninja..."

"That isn't impossible..." Mysterious Kaguya's voice sounded beside his ear.

"I was just joking, and you're seriously thinking about devouring your master?!"

After all the graduation exams had ended, amid the lively crowd, the Third Hokage glanced at Sasuke Uchiha, who was leaving alone, then looked toward Naruto Uzumaki, who had been sitting motionless on a swing beneath the shade of a tree for a long time.

Biting down on his pipe, he said to Umino Iruka beside him, "Iruka, I have something to tell you later..."

After seeing off the students and their parents, Umino Iruka went to the Third Hokage's office.

"Lord Hokage." Iruka stood before the Hokage's desk.

The Third Hokage was gazing at the scenery of Konoha beyond the window. His aged face reflected in the glass as he said, "Some say that when a person cannot help reminiscing about the past, they have truly grown old..."

Umino Iruka could not help saying, "Lord Hokage, you still—"

"I've often been thinking of the Fourth Hokage and his wife these past few days."

The Third Hokage interrupted his subordinate. He took a puff from his pipe and exhaled a cloud of white smoke. "Iruka, it's not that I don't understand how you feel. Twelve years ago, your parents lost their lives to the Nine-Tailed Fox. Wasn't it the same for Naruto's parents? Like you, he lacks a parent's love..."

Umino Iruka did not know what to say and could only remain silent.

"Naruto's mother was especially skilled in Fuinjutsu, but aside from that, her greatest specialty was the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu. Who would have thought her child would fail to graduate because of the Clone Technique?" The Third Hokage could not help but reveal a faint smile. "If Kushina knew, she'd probably be angry enough to come back to life. Hahaha."

Iruka did not laugh along. "No matter how outstanding the parents are, the child may not be the same. But Naruto really has been working hard. Lord Third Hokage, I... next year, I'll definitely push him to train twice as hard!"

"The Genin team assignment briefing is the day after tomorrow." The Third Hokage interrupted again, smoking silently with his back turned. "Iruka, find an excuse tomorrow and teach Naruto the Shadow Clone Jutsu! If necessary, you can tell him, 'Your mother was especially skilled in the Shadow Clone Jutsu back then.'"

"...!!" Umino Iruka was startled and answered, "Yes!"

After Umino Iruka left, the Third Hokage thought silently for a while. He then turned toward the crystal ball on his desk and, based on Naruto's Chakra signature, performed the Telescope Technique. The scene where Naruto Uzumaki was at that very moment soon appeared within the crystal ball.

In the image, Mizuki was egging Naruto on to steal the Sealing Scroll from the Hokage's home, claiming that as long as he learned any one of the thousands of ninjutsu recorded in the scroll, he would definitely be able to graduate.

"One after another..." The Third Hokage sighed.

"Lord Hokage."

Suddenly, with a whoosh, an Anbu ninja directly under the Hokage appeared nearby and dropped to one knee.

"What is it?" the Third Hokage asked.

The Anbu said, "Just now, we discovered that Lady Tsunade has appeared in the village."

"One after another..." The Third Hokage sighed. "Is it really her?"

"Her disciple and pet pig are with her, so it should be her."

"I understand. That will be all. If she needs something, she'll come find me herself. Other than that, let her do as she pleases."

"Yes!" The Anbu vanished.

In the end, the Third Hokage could not resist checking on his disciple. Recalling Tsunade's Chakra signature, he brushed his bark-like palm across the crystal ball, switching the Telescope Technique to Tsunade's image.

"Hm?" Tsunade was walking down the street when, under Shizune's puzzled gaze, she looked up toward the crystal ball's "lens," raised a fist, and waved it. "Old man, you're really rude!"

"One after another... none of you know how to appreciate an old man's desire to catch up..."

The Third Hokage sighed, and the image in the crystal ball disappeared.

"Lady Tsunade?" Shizune asked.

Tsunade lowered her fist and said, "Shizune, I have something to take care of myself. Go home first."

"Okay." Shizune held Tsunade's pet pig, Tonton. She had followed Tsunade wandering through the ninja world, and they truly had not returned home in several years.

Sasuke Uchiha walked home. The closer he got to the Uchiha Clan Compound, the fewer pedestrians there were.

Expressionless, he suddenly stopped.

"Isn't your tailing technique a little too lousy?"

"Did I say I was tailing you?" Wu Yu said from ten meters behind him.

"..." Sasuke Uchiha gave him a deadpan look and said speechlessly, "Then come out from behind that utility pole."

"Who was it that put the utility pole in front of me?"

As Wu Yu spoke, he flicked his hand and hurled a Kunai at Sasuke Uchiha.

"A sneak attack?"

Sasuke Uchiha, the top graduate of this year's class, did not take it seriously. He merely shifted his feet and sidestepped it. Just as he was about to counterattack, he saw that Wu Yu had no intention of continuing his assault.

"Did you hear that?" Wu Yu walked over.

"Hear what?" Sasuke Uchiha frowned.

"The sound of the Kunai hitting the ground."

"..." Sasuke Uchiha turned to look at the Kunai embedded in a tree trunk not far away. That had hit the ground?

Wu Yu smiled faintly, then vanished in a puff of smoke with a "poof."

A clone?

Sasuke was greatly startled, and it was even...

"And it's a corporeal clone." Wu Yu stepped out from behind the tree, pulled the Kunai from its trunk, and smiled at the astonished Sasuke Uchiha. "Impressive, right?"

"It really is impressive. Nakamori Wu Yu, right?"

A majestic figure that had suddenly appeared behind Wu Yu sneered.

"Someone's following you." Mysterious Kaguya's voice, so soft it was nearly inaudible, sounded by Wu Yu's ear.

Thanks for the warning!

Wu Yu was speechless. He shouted, "Get her!"

Who was he talking to?

Sasuke Uchiha was utterly baffled by this string of sudden developments. He had thought Nakamori Wu Yu still hadn't given up his thieving intentions, but then a woman in a green coat suddenly appeared behind him. And Nakamori Wu Yu looked like he was loudly calling for help from an ally hidden in the shadows... What was going on here?

Before Sasuke could make sense of it all in that split second, another sudden change occurred.

Leaves drifted down in swarms, stabbing toward Tsunade like countless Shuriken.

Tsunade darted aside, evading every sharp leaf that flew like a dart.

Was this Ninjutsu?

She could not sense even the faintest trace of Chakra!

Could it be that woman called Kaguya Otsutsuki, lurking in the shadows...

"Indeed, it is I."

The instant Tsunade heard that cold voice, she discovered that she could not move. Her entire body trembled as she lowered her head with difficulty, only to see that slender gray-white strands of hair had pierced through her body.

"This... they've all pierced my Chakra points... Right, she has the Byakugan and can see through the body to locate Chakra points... But why can't I sense any presence from her at all? It's as if she isn't alive..."

Tsunade's thoughts raced. Then she felt a palm lightly press against her back.

Boom!

The Chakra within her body surged toward that slender hand pressed against her back, like floodwaters bursting through a breached dam.