What Low-Profile? That Doesn't Exist

This was a first. In his previous life, because his grades had been good, he had basically been called a top student throughout school. Whenever anything happened, the teachers handled it. Forget bullying—even the slightest sign of dating would have been crushed before it began.

He hadn't expected to encounter it after being reborn.

This was like an old lady crawling into bed—giving Grandpa a good laugh.

Aoba slowly rose to his feet. Only then did Fatty and the others realize that Aoba was actually so tall, more than a head taller than them.

With Yuhi Shinku around, he could receive the full pension, so Aoba had never deprived himself when it came to food. Combined with the Auxiliary Chip's analysis, a scientific diet and healthy routine were enough to ensure he grew up strong and healthy.

For that reason, he had not refined any more chakra. His chakra reserves had remained at a very low level, relying entirely on natural growth.

That was also why he was taller than children his age. Even Namiashi Raidō, who was a year older than him, was not as tall as he was.

Fatty looked at Yamashiro Aoba, who was more than a head taller than him, and instinctively took a step back.

But then he remembered that this guy had entered the Ninja Academy through the supplementary admission list. Fatty himself had ranked in the top twenty on the entrance exam. How could a bottom-ranker compare to him?

At that moment, he noticed from the corner of his eye that quite a few other students were watching. He immediately puffed out his chest, raised his chin, and moved closer.

"You love cooking so much, don't you? Let me try that lunchbox and see whether it's really that good."

As he spoke, Fatty reached out his hand.

Smack! Bang!

???

By the time everyone reacted, the two had already vanished from where they stood.

Aoba stood with one hand in his pocket, while his other elbow drove Fatty straight into the wall.

"You dare attack so casually without even knowing your opponent's strength."

"Who gave you the courage?!"

"W-What kind of joke is this? If you have... this kind of strength, how did you end up on the supplementary admission list?"

Fatty stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"Oh, the supplementary admission list. So that's it."

Aoba suddenly understood. So they had taken him for an easy target. He then smiled and said, "I didn't take the exam. I entered the Ninja Academy through the supplementary admission list."

"What decent person takes exams? Isn't everyone specially recruited?!"

The onlookers: ???

"Damn it, this guy is even more arrogant than Kakashi!"

Aoba did not care about the reactions around him. Keeping a low profile did not mean being afraid of trouble.

A great man once said, "Strike one punch to open the way, and spare yourself a hundred punches afterward."

If he did not show some strength, then anyone and everyone would come step on him. Only when he could no longer endure it would he forcefully fight back and reveal his strength. Wouldn't that just be plain stupid?

He slowly released his grip, then looked toward the other boys.

"And don't underestimate anyone. Ninjas are full of surprises. During wars in the Shinobi World, there have been cases of jonin being killed by genin."

"Since we're fortunate enough to be classmates, take this as a friendly warning."

"Y-Yes... Th-thank you..."

The boys helped Fatty up and walked away in a sorry state.

When he returned to his seat, Yuhi Kurenai was staring at him with her adorable eyes, her face filled with admiration.

"Aoba, that move just now was so cool. What ninjutsu was that?"

"It was just a simple E-rank Body Flicker Technique. The teacher will teach it later too. If you want to learn it, I'll teach you when we get home."

Aoba smiled and waved his hand, then urged Yuhi Kurenai to hurry up and eat before the lunchboxes got cold.

Seeing that there was no longer anything to watch, the others gradually withdrew their gazes. Still, many of them clearly remembered the strength Aoba had displayed.

Compared to the Body Flicker Technique Aoba had shown, they were more shocked that he had not participated in the assessment and had instead been specially recruited.

Sure enough, being specially recruited by the Hokage was enough to show that Aoba was very strong. Some even guessed that he might be stronger than Kakashi.

Quite a few students from ninja clans agreed with Aoba's words. Before entering school, their elders had already warned them that once they entered the Ninja Academy, they were ninjas. They were not to underestimate anyone there, because ninjas truly were full of uncertainty.

"No, that was simple Body Flicker."

Though he was also watching the show, Kakashi had seen something different.

Ordinary Body Flicker Techniques gathered chakra beneath the feet and released it explosively for acceleration. The tremendous impact would leave deep footprints behind, and on soft earth, it could even blast out a crater.

But Aoba's Body Flicker did not have that "side effect." It was not a simple burst of chakra, but more like pure physical speed.

Of course, the commotion outside had no effect whatsoever on Aoba, the person at the center of it all.

He ate when it was time to eat and drank when it was time to drink.

The afternoon taijutsu class was finally not so boring.

They were taught some basic taijutsu training methods, but everyone was still not very interested. Those who could enter the Elite Class either came from ninja clans or had elders in their families who were ninjas.

They had long since been taught this basic stuff.

But one person was unusually excited: Might Guy.

Everyone else more or less went through the motions, but Might Guy acted as though he had been injected with stimulants. Whenever the teacher did one repetition, he did ten, and he even increased the amount for himself from time to time.

Still, it was not without effect. Once everyone got past the initial awkwardness, they gradually began to accept it. Like Aoba, Might Guy had been placed there by the Hokage through supplementary admission, so his strength was also something everyone paid attention to.

However, unlike Aoba's special recruitment, Might Guy had been eliminated because of his poor aptitude for ninjutsu and genjutsu. Many people knew that.

Because Guy had received perfect scores in the taijutsu assessment, just like Kakashi, he had attracted plenty of attention at the time.

But everyone knew that without talent for ninjutsu and genjutsu, one basically could not become a ninja. So why had Guy not only entered the Ninja Academy, but also been assigned to the Elite Class?

With Aoba, such an outstanding example, before them, everyone naturally believed that Guy must also possess some talent recognized by the Hokage.

An hour later, everyone understood why Guy had been able to enter Class 1.

Guy's physical stamina was truly incredible. He seemed tireless. Even after the taijutsu teacher called for a break, he kept training by himself.

The entire afternoon taijutsu class seemed to have turned into Might Guy's personal show, leaving even the taijutsu teacher speechless.

Seeing Might Guy stand out so much, quite a few competitive students joined in at first.

But before forty minutes had passed, they all collapsed one after another.

Even Aoba could not keep going after trying to run more than sixty laps. Guy, on the other hand, could keep lapping everyone while shouting encouragement to them without getting out of breath.

By then, everyone understood why Might Guy, who had also entered through supplementary admission, had been stuffed into the Elite Class together with Aoba.

The Ninja Academy bell rang.

"All right, class dismissed!"

As the taijutsu teacher announced the end of class, everyone cheered. School was finally over.

But when they turned around and saw a green figure returning to the field to train his stamina again, they all cursed "freak" inwardly.

Aoba glanced at the green figure, then called Kurenai to head home with him.

The Eight Inner Gates were indeed powerful, but that was not his path.

He made his living with his brain.