Shennong's room was a tiny space of less than twenty square meters at the very end of the second floor of the Shencao Izakaya.
After returning, Shennong casually tossed his backpack into a corner, then knelt in front of a small table and closed his eyes, focusing as if sensing something. Only after a while did he pull a dark blue scroll from inside his clothes. It was about the length of his palm and as thick as a baby's fist.
To hide the scroll, Shennong had no choice but to wear thick clothes. There was no way he could conceal it in short sleeves!
Fortunately, he could regulate his body temperature. Otherwise, he would have been roasted alive!
Shennong unrolled the scroll. It was covered in countless densely packed characters, which continued for about five meters before thinning out, leaving a large blank space at the end.
Then Shennong picked up a pen and began writing down a string of numbers in the blank space.
These numbers were some basic physical measurements he had obtained from Might Duy.
Shennong silently compared them with his own measurements and discovered a fact he could hardly believe.
My body is actually inferior to Might Duy's? How is that possible?!
Ever since developing the Forbidden Body Activation Technique, Shennong had been using it to train his body. Might Duy, on the other hand, relied on simple methods like running, squats, sit-ups, and jump rope. How could those possibly be more effective than his Forbidden Body Activation Technique?
Shennong thought it over for a long time, but couldn't figure it out. In the end, he could only chalk it up to differences in natural physical aptitude.
But this also made Shennong vaguely realize that he had underestimated the difficulty of fixing the three flaws in the Eight Inner Gates Formation.
No matter what, though, he wouldn't give up!
Shennong rolled up the scroll, tucked it against his chest, and went downstairs to eat and drink.
One thirty in the afternoon.
In a corner of the Ninja Academy's training field, sixty second-year students from Class 1 and Class 8 had gathered. They stood in little groups of three or five, chatting noisily.
Of course, among them were a few gifted elites who stood apart from the crowd, untouched by the world around them!
The gifted elite Gekko Hayate stood beside the Six-Man Group. His gaze passed over the bronze ranks in his own class and settled on the bronze ranks from Class 1 nearby. He watched for a while, but couldn't figure out which one was Uchiha Shisui.
"Hey, Sasha, Sasha."
Hayate had no choice but to ask the lovestruck one for help. "Which one's Uchiha Shisui?"
Inuzuka Sa held her puppy and craned her neck to look. Her eyes swept back and forth like radar, then she excitedly pointed at a little boy. "That's him, that's him!"
Our hero... Nezha?
The lyric popped into Hayate's mind for no apparent reason.
"Hayate, that's Shisui. Isn't he handsome?"
Inuzuka Sa grabbed Hayate's hand and shook it excitedly. "Handsome, right? Right? Right?"
Hayate gave a wry smile. "Yeah, yeah, he's handsome. Sasha, calm down. You're hurting my hand."
"Sorry."
Inuzuka Sa let go of Hayate's hand, her face glowing with happiness. "This is wonderful! I get to take classes with Shisui!"
Hayate ignored his lovesick friend and turned to look at the little boy, Uchiha Shisui.
Uchiha Shisui was a little shorter than him, around one meter thirty. He had a neat crop of short hair and bright, alert eyes. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, giving him an upbeat, confident air. He chatted with the classmates standing beside him, and the smile never left his face. He was the picture of a warm-hearted guy.
Hayate couldn't help imagining living with Uchiha Shisui, going shopping together, having kids together... No, what was he thinking?!
Could lovesickness be contagious?
Hayate gave Inuzuka Sa a disdainful look.
Just then, Kashima Isamu and Hiramatsu Daishi, the homeroom teacher of Class 1, led a group of fifth-year students over.
"Students, today's training session is on ninja tool throwing. To help you get familiar with ninja tools and master throwing techniques more quickly, Teacher Daishi and I have invited some senior students to guide you. Let's give them a warm welcome!"
With that, the two teachers began clapping.
The bronze ranks from Classes 1 and 8 joined in.
However, most of the students in both classes were merely reserving judgment about having their seniors come to guide them. A few even looked down on them, thinking the older students weren't all that impressive. When training started, who knew which group would end up teaching whom!
In Hayate's little group, Anko was one of the few. She eyed the senior students across from them, looking eager for a chance to test herself against them.
Iruka, Kotetsu, and Kotetsu Hagane took a wait-and-see approach.
As for Inuzuka Sa, she was still lost in Uchiha Shisui's breathtaking good looks.
"Teacher!"
Suddenly, a voice called from the Class 1 side.
"What is it?" Hiramatsu Daishi asked.
"Teacher, could we have Shisui compete against the seniors?" the voice asked.
Hiramatsu Daishi frowned, just about to scold the troublemaker for causing a fuss, when the other students began shouting.
"That's right, Teacher Daishi! Let them compete against Shisui!"
"We want to see how good the seniors are at throwing ninja tools!"
They were still just a bunch of kids. With someone to lead the way, they'd dare do anything.
While Hiramatsu Daishi was busy fretting, someone from Class 8 called out too.
"Teacher, let's pick a representative from our class to compete against the seniors, too!"
"Hayate! Send Hayate up! His ninja tool throwing was amazing last time!"
Hearing someone praise him made Hayate happy, but he didn't want to draw attention to himself.
Showing off in his own class was one thing. If he did it in front of everyone, he'd stand out and attract attention. What if someone waited for him outside the school gates and cornered him on his way home?
While Hayate was figuring out how to refuse, Kashima Isamu spoke up impatiently. "That's enough! This is a training session, not an individual test. If anyone insists on competing, they can come up here themselves. Don't just make a scene!"
Do you think I don't know what you're up to?
Kashima Isamu shot an unfriendly look at the students who had been making a fuss.
"Hayate, Hayate, the teacher wants you to go up!"
Anko pushed past Iruka and squeezed in beside Hayate, egging him on to go up and steal the show. She clearly didn't care what chaos she caused.
Hayate chuckled. "Anko, I've only just recovered from being sick, so I'll sit this one out."
"Hayate, are you scared?" Anko taunted.
Hayate nodded. "Mm-hmm. This newbie is trembling with fear."
"You little..."
Anko was left speechless. She couldn't help giving him a smack on the arm.
"Hey, do you think Shisui will go up?" Inuzuka Sa didn't care about Hayate at all. Her eyes were only on Uchiha Shisui.
"He will!" Anko shouted.
"He definitely won't," Hayate said.
The geniuses in this world tended to grow up early. There was no way Uchiha Shisui would get involved in something as competitive as this.
Sure enough, after the Class 1 students made a racket for a while, they quieted down. Uchiha Shisui didn't step forward.
"See?"
Hayate started showing off. "How could ordinary people like you ever understand what goes on in the minds of geniuses like us?"
"Then what do you geniuses think about all day?" Anko ground her teeth, poised to pounce and rip the top of Hayate's skull off.
"Since nobody wants to compete, we'll split into groups and begin training!"
Kashima Isamu and Hiramatsu Daishi exchanged a glance and finally let out a sigh of relief.
This year's students really weren't easy to handle. They lacked talent but had plenty of attitude, and they never thought before they spoke. Give them the slightest opening, and they'd cause trouble. You had to watch them every second!
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