Treading Water and Climbing Trees

This Kawano teacher was naturally Shiraishi Yoshijo using the Clone Technique, though he hadn't expected the effect to be so good that it scared Mitsui Taro into tears.

Seeing the real Kawano teacher over there with a darkened face, he hurriedly dispelled the transformation, wearing an expression that said he hadn't done anything at all.

Mitsui Taro was no fool; the moment he saw Shiraishi Yoshijo, he understood everything. His eyes turned red, and he prepared to pounce and fight to the death.

Children care most about their pride and love to act tough, which is exactly why I don't play with you people!

Shiraishi Yoshijo prepared to use the Clone Technique to deliver a tag-team beatdown, but fortunately, Kawano teacher arrived in time to stop the two.

"Winner, Shiraishi Yoshijo."

Under Kawano teacher's "kind" gaze, Mitsui Taro reluctantly performed the Seal of Reconciliation.

Only then did the classmates in the room begin to exclaim, unable to believe their own eyes.

Shiraishi Yoshijo, who had always been a "keyboard warrior," had actually won. Although the method wasn't exactly honorable, the mere fact that he used the Clone Technique and Substitution Technique was enough to shock them.

Everyone's level was originally the same, and no one would call anyone else trash, but when you suddenly pull off a comeback like this, it's as if you hired a pro to play for you; anyone would be surprised.

Hiruko quietly leaned in: "When did you learn the Clone Technique and the Substitution Technique?"

"I've always known them; I was just pretending not to so I wouldn't hurt your feelings."

Shiraishi Yoshijo didn't blush while lying, though it was technically the truth—if he hadn't lacked chakra, he would have learned these level of ninjutsu long ago.

"Braggart!"

"Well, believe what you want."

After a few more rounds of practical training, it was time for school to end.

Shiraishi Yoshijo was kept behind by Kawano teacher.

"When did you learn the Clone Technique and the Substitution Technique?"

Kawano cared quite a bit about Shiraishi Yoshijo; after all, the relationship between the two was a bit "unusual."

He had originally thought Shiraishi Yoshijo was mediocre and had given up on himself, never expecting a black chicken to turn into a phoenix.

"Yesterday. I also learned the Clone Technique. Don't be so surprised; I want to apply for early graduation, teacher."

As he spoke, Shiraishi Yoshijo used the Clone Technique again to demonstrate it to Kawano.

Kawano had been quite happy to see Shiraishi Yoshijo able to use the Clone Technique, but he became serious upon hearing about early graduation.

"You've only just learned the Three Basic Techniques; it's too early to graduate. The practical exam is very difficult. Wait another year."

If not for the fact that Shiraishi Eizawa couldn't wait, Shiraishi Yoshijo would have been perfectly happy to slack off at the ninja academy until graduation.

He was a man who relied on his family anyway; he didn't care if the village valued him or not.

"Teacher, I've already decided. In fact, my family has already started preparing for my path after graduation."

Hearing Shiraishi Yoshijo mention his family, Kawano finally understood his determination.

"Fine, I will report this to the Third Hokage, but you must be prepared—the practical exam is not something you can pass as you are now."

After Kawano finished speaking, he told Shiraishi Yoshijo to go back and began organizing Shiraishi Yoshijo's files to submit to the Third Hokage.

Shiraishi Yoshijo stood where he was, unmoving, staring at him expectantly.

"Is there something else?"

Kawano asked curiously.

Of course there was something else, and it was a matter of life and death.

But he couldn't exactly say, "I'm eyeing your daughter," so Shiraishi Yoshijo felt it was better to be a bit more tactful.

"Kawano teacher, I've been under your care for over two years. Now that I'm graduating, I really should thank you. When do you have time to bring Mie over to my house for a meal?"

Kawano was touched, though he said, "I am the teacher and you are the student; teaching you is my responsibility, and you learning well is your own ability. There's no need for any thanks."

It is very necessary; if you don't come, how is my uncle supposed to hit on your daughter?

"Kawano teacher, I was ostracized and isolated in class, but you saved my spirit and gave me a new lease on life."

"I will never forget your kindness in this lifetime. My uncle is also—no, he is also very grateful to you. Please, you must come to my house for a gathering."

He almost let it slip. Shiraishi Yoshijo panicked internally, but his face remained a mask of tearful gratitude.

An Oscar-winning actor, I'm not far off now.

Shiraishi Yoshijo felt the golden statue beckoning to him.

"Alright, since you've put it that way, I will bring Mie to visit your house in three days."

Success.

After leaving the school, Shiraishi Yoshijo walked down the street, pondering where to find Orochimaru.

The two were seatmates in name, but they didn't actually have much of a connection.

They had only spoken a few dozen sentences over the past two years. Everyone was busy, so there was no point in wasting each other's time.

That was what Shiraishi Yoshijo thought, and he figured Orochimaru likely felt the same way.

After thinking it over and failing to come up with any way to deal with Orochimaru, Shiraishi Yoshijo had no choice but to go to the place where he met them yesterday and start waiting like a fool.

Fortunately, his luck wasn't bad; half an hour later, he heard Jiraiya's loud voice from afar.

"Orochimaru, didn't I tell you I could handle that dog by myself? Why did you have to interfere?"

Orochimaru: ""

Tsunade punched Jiraiya: "You idiot, who knows how long it would have taken you to handle it alone? Jiraiya, when will you ever grow up?"

Orochimaru: ""

Regardless, the two of them just kept arguing while Orochimaru walked on silently with an expressionless face.

When the three of them approached Shiraishi Yoshijo, he felt that since he was the one asking for a favor, it would be better to greet them first.

"Yo, Orochimaru, Tsunade, Jiraiya, good evening."

Orochimaru glanced at him and walked past without a change in expression.

Tsunade looked at him as if he were a monster, then followed suit and walked past as well.

Jiraiya scratched his head, feeling it was better not to deal with Shiraishi Yoshijo, and ignored him as well.

Shiraishi Yoshijo: ""

Bastards, just you wait!

Do you think I can't eat pork just because there's no butcher?

I must have been out of my mind to want to seek information from you lot.

Shiraishi Yoshijo turned around with a blank face and headed home.

Turning the street corner, Orochimaru looked back at Shiraishi Yoshijo's retreating figure, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Tsunade was laughing until she was out of breath, while Jiraiya had no idea why they were so happy.

Once she had laughed enough, Tsunade finally spoke: "That bookworm actually took the initiative to say hello; he must have something he wants from us."

Orochimaru: "When I took the initiative to greet him yesterday, his attitude was quite infuriating."

Jiraiya said: "Isn't that a bit harsh? What if he really needs our help with something, and we just turn a blind eye like this?"

Orochimaru glanced at Jiraiya and didn't forget to drop two words as he turned to leave.

"Idiot."

Jiraiya bristled: "You bastard Orochimaru, what did you say?"

Tsunade quickly held him back: "Relax, relax. If it's something he can't even put his pride aside for, it can't be anything major."

Back home, Shiraishi Yoshijo still felt very frustrated; I really don't get along with them.

Shiraishi Yoshijo thought for a while longer, but without any leads, he simply took out a ninjutsu scroll, intending to learn some techniques.

Which ninjutsu should he learn?

Butterfly Clone was still unusable for now, and Thunder Ball seemed pretty good, but when his gaze shifted to the Body Flicker Technique, his eyes lit up.

This ninjutsu, which almost everyone in the ninja world knew, played a huge role in combat.

If he could master this technique before the practical assessment, it should increase his chances of winning.

Following the hand seal sequence on the scroll, Shiraishi Yoshijo began to practice.

"Body Flicker Technique."

He failed.

Looking at his right foot buried in the dirt, Shiraishi Yoshijo fell into deep thought.

The Body Flicker Technique recorded on the scroll involved gathering chakra at the soles of the feet and exerting sudden force to achieve speeds several times faster than normal.

This was supposed to be the simplest version of the Body Flicker Technique; it shouldn't be that difficult.

Was it because his chakra control was insufficient?

Thinking of this, Shiraishi Yoshijo suddenly remembered that he hadn't undergone tree-climbing or water-walking training yet. He had never succeeded in the past, so he wondered how he would fare now.

There was a large tree in the courtyard, so he tried to gather chakra at the soles of his feet and slowly walked up.

He only took three steps before he fell off, even crushing the tree bark.

Frowning, he began to carefully sense the flow of chakra in his body, then gathered it at the soles of his feet once more.

One step, five steps, ten steps, then he began to back down, slowly returning to the ground.

The whole process was very slow because he had to carefully sense the flow of chakra, so he didn't use much speed.

It seemed simple enough, so Shiraishi Yoshijo began to slowly accelerate.

Going up and down, he climbed the tree six times and had already fully mastered the technique.

In the story, it seemed like Naruto and Sasuke took several days; did I just learn it?

Could it be that I'm a genius?

Impossible. Recalling his uncle's assessment of him—no talent, no perseverance, a lifelong genin.

After much deliberation, Shiraishi Yoshijo could only attribute this anomaly to the chakra control ability granted by the Butterfly Species.

He decided to try walking on water next, so Shiraishi Yoshijo found a large basin and filled it to the brim.

As for why he didn't go to the river to train, do you think everyone enjoys taking a cold bath?

Shiraishi Yoshijo wasn't stupid; water is water, so what difference did it make?

With the experience he had gained from tree climbing, Shiraishi Yoshijo didn't need much effort to master water walking.

It was too simple, Shiraishi Yoshijo scratched his head, feeling puzzled.

He used his hand to vigorously stir the water in the basin until a vortex formed before he stopped.

Then, he stood on the water again. His body swayed along with the surface, and he felt a bit dizzy, but there was no doubt that he hadn't fallen in.

It seemed he had truly mastered it.

"Not bad. To learn water walking and tree climbing so easily—Eizawa, I agree to your request."

An aged voice suddenly sounded from behind him, and Shiraishi Yoshijo hurriedly turned around.

He didn't know when Shiraishi Eizawa and an old man with a gray beard had appeared behind him, so Shiraishi Yoshijo quickly jumped out of the basin.

"Uncle Eizawa, who is this?"

"I am Takemoto Shuichi. Your uncle asked me to be your teacher. By seniority, you should call me Grandfather."

Shiraishi Yoshijo: "..."

He had inexplicably become someone's grandson; what a huge loss.

He had to endure it.

He had no choice; Shiraishi Eizawa's expression had turned somewhat fierce when he saw him hesitating to greet the man.

"Grandfather Shuichi, good evening."

Takemoto Shuichi stepped forward and reached out to pat his head. "What a good boy. Eizawa says you want to graduate early. Are you confident you can pass the assessment?"

As he spoke, Takemoto Shuichi noticed the scroll on the table and reached out to grab it.

Shiraishi Yoshijo was stunned, only then remembering that he hadn't put the scroll away. Seeing Takemoto Shuichi about to examine it, he grew nervous and frantically signaled to Shiraishi Eizawa with his eyes.

Unfortunately, his good uncle completely ignored him.