Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Qingyu had completely adjusted to the rhythm of life at the Ninja Academy.
The Chunin instructor moved through the curriculum methodically, covering basic ninja tool throwing, the fundamentals of Genjutsu, and the theory behind the Three Basic Techniques.
And today, it was finally time for the practical lesson on the Three Basic Techniques.
"Remember, this is a subject you absolutely have to pass to graduate."
Umino Shika stood at the front of the classroom, holding a piece of chalk. He rapped it against the blackboard three times.
He looked every bit like a teacher about to highlight the key points for an important exam.
In fact, for these children, the ninja graduation exam really was no different from a major entrance exam.
If they failed, they would have to repeat the year until they passed. Only then would they officially qualify as ninja and be assigned to teams to carry out missions.
"The Clone Technique creates an afterimage identical to the user by expending chakra."
Umino Shika began explaining the basic principles.
"In battle, it can confuse the enemy and create an opening for a real attack. Sometimes, a single clone can make the difference between life and death."
He demonstrated the hand-seal sequence a few times, then had the students try it themselves.
"Too easy."
Kakashi barely moved his fingers. He formed a few hand seals, and an identical afterimage appeared beside him.
"Kakashi got it on his first try!"
A student exclaimed.
Qingyu followed right after him, also creating a perfect clone on his first attempt.
Umino Shika nodded in satisfaction and gave both of them full marks on the score sheet.
Excellent, excellent. Two top students in one class.
The others didn't do quite as well, but most of them managed to create at least one decent afterimage after a few tries.
Umino Shika thought the class had tremendous potential overall.
Well... except for Obito.
Umino Shika's gaze fell on the crooked, indistinct thing in front of Obito.
Strictly speaking, it couldn't even be called a clone. It couldn't stand upright, swaying in midair like a drunken jellyfish before dispersing with a pop into a cloud of chakra.
Obito's face flushed red, veins bulging on his forehead as he protested,
"That one doesn't count! I wasn't even trying yet."
Everyone burst into laughter, filling the classroom and the halls with cheerful commotion.
After school, Qingyu and Shizune walked out of the school gates side by side.
The setting sun dyed the street orange-red, while passersby cast long shadows in the shifting light.
Just then, Qingyu suddenly stopped.
Across the street, Obito was helping a stooped old woman. He carefully carried her bulging cloth bag as he guided her step by step across the road.
The old woman's hair was white, and the wrinkles on her face ran deep as furrows. When she smiled, her face was full of kindness.
[Collectible trait detected: White Zetsu Cells (Incomplete)]
[D-Rank Trait: White Zetsu Cells (Incomplete)]
[Effect: Increases chakra recovery by 10%.]
Qingyu's expression shifted slightly.
A thought crossed his mind, and he immediately understood. He looked at the old woman Obito was helping.
That had to be White Zetsu disguised as an old woman!
Qingyu had long found it strange that Obito, the habitual latecomer, was always helping old ladies cross the road.
Doing a good deed once wasn't hard. The hard part was having an old lady waiting for him to help every single day.
So White Zetsu was here, helping him pad his KPI.
Madara Uchiha was quite thorough in choosing his pawns. He even evaluated their kindness.
The kinder someone was to begin with, the greater the contrast after their fall—and the more likely they were to become an utterly obsessed lunatic.
Qingyu stayed where he was, watching Obito help White Zetsu until they disappeared around the corner. He didn't follow them.
If he weren't so weak right now, he'd genuinely like to catch a White Zetsu and examine one up close.
After all, White Zetsu all looked more or less alike, but there was a lot to them.
One group had been ordinary people transformed into White Zetsu by Kaguya Otsutsuki's Infinite Tsukuyomi a thousand years ago. The other consisted of new White Zetsu cultivated by Madara Uchiha using the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and Hashirama Cells.
But among them were also special beings like Spiral White Zetsu, otherwise known as Tobi.
The Book of Formations described him as "a mysterious child of chakra born from the God Tree, a bud of the God Tree."
After wrapping around Yamato, he had been able to use Wood Release: Wood Human Technique and even unleash Ninjutsu of all five chakra natures at once, stopping the entire Allied Shinobi Forces.
Qingyu was curious about what trait he could extract from Tobi.
Could it help him awaken Wood Release?
"I'll have to wait until the Shinobi World War to find out."
Qingyu shook his head.
The White Zetsu were lying low all across the Shinobi World for now, but the war would inevitably break out in a few years. When it did, they would become active.
Even the trait he'd just acquired was pretty good. He already had more chakra than most people, and now his chakra recovery was boosted too. His endurance had gone up a whole notch.
"What's wrong, Qingyu?"
Shizune leaned around him from behind and followed his gaze, but saw nothing.
"Nothing."
Qingyu looked away and continued walking.
Was Madara Uchiha's plan something he could just interfere with?
It was best to act as if nothing had happened.
Qingyu even suspected that Madara Uchiha was more determined to make him a pawn than he was to make Obito one.
That was why Qingyu had never dared to let on that he was particularly kind.
"So traits can be complete or incomplete..."
At first, Qingyu had thought each trait was unique. Now it seemed that while each one was unique, he might still be able to obtain fragments of a trait until he'd collected enough to complete it.
When he got home, Qingyu took out the Ninjutsu scroll his mother had left behind.
One of the techniques was Water Release: Water Blade Slash.
A D-rank Water Release Ninjutsu.
The principle wasn't complicated. By concentrating Water Release chakra around a Kunai, the user created an extremely thin, high-speed blade of water that let them slash downward from above.
The more concentrated the chakra, the stronger the Water Blade's cutting power.
Qingyu guessed that this technique had been passed down from Senju Tobirama.
After all, the Second was not only a master of forbidden techniques, but also one of the most skilled Water Release users in the entire Shinobi World. It was only natural that he'd left a few low-level Water Release Ninjutsu for his clan to pass down.
He unrolled the scroll and memorized the hand-seal sequence and the route of chakra flow.
Then he began to mold chakra.
Chakra was molded as needed and couldn't be stored in the body for long.
To store chakra, one needed a special Ninjutsu like the Yin Seal—or a chakra battery like a Tailed Beast sealed inside the body.
Before long, Qingyu entered a focused state thanks to the trait.
He took out a Kunai, and water gathered around it.
Qingyu gripped the Kunai and swung it down from above.
The wooden target in the yard gave a soft click.
A smooth cut ran diagonally from the target's left side to its right, a centimeter deep. The cut was clean and precise, without a splinter in sight.
Qingyu lowered the Kunai and studied the cut, silently calculating his progress and how much time had passed.
"I should be able to master it completely today."
It seemed the stacking effect of his traits was gradually beginning to pay off.
Graveyard Mountains.
"Madara, I'm back."
White Zetsu emerged from the wall and looked at the old man resting with his eyes closed.
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