Life at the Ninja Academy flowed steadily by, one day of classes after another.
For the other children, it was perhaps a childhood that mingled boredom with play.
But for Ling Xuan, every day was a secret feast.
His Eye of Truth greedily absorbed and analyzed all the knowledge within his sight.
During theory lessons, when Iruka explained chakra nature, the history of the Shinobi World, strategy, and tactics.
Ling Xuan appeared just as attentive as the other students, even jotting down "key points" in his notebook at the appropriate moments.
However, only he knew that the words in his notebook were merely a disguise.
The true flood of knowledge had already passed through his eyes, imprinted itself on his mind, been analyzed, and stored deep in his consciousness.
[Chakra Nature Transformation: Fire: Increases the average kinetic energy of molecules, resulting in high temperatures and combustion... Its core lies in the extreme activation and form control of Yang Release Chakra...] [Dance of the Crescent Moon: An A-rank technique. First, use the Shadow Clone Technique to summon two shadow clones. Then, the clones and the original body use Body Flicker to rush at the enemy, attacking their vital points from the left, above, and right.]
He even took the initiative to visit the school library and borrow books that were relatively advanced for students in the lower grades.
The librarian just thought he was a studious child. He had no idea that whenever Ling Xuan flipped through Detailed Explanation of Basic Sealing Techniques, what appeared in his mind was the grand scene of Minato using the Four Symbols Seal and the Eight Trigrams Seal.
By comparison, the book's introductory theories became crystal clear in an instant.
He had already analyzed and optimized the Three Body Technique to an unfathomable degree.
During a classroom test on the Clone Technique,
"Next, Naruto Uzumaki!" Iruka called.
"Watch this! Clone Technique!" Naruto strained until his face turned red and formed the hand seals.
"Pfft..." With a sound like air leaking from a balloon, a dispirited "defective" Naruto appeared on the ground, looking as though he might fall apart at any moment.
"Hahaha..." The classroom erupted in laughter.
"Naruto! You big idiot!" Sakura Haruno mocked without mercy.
Iruka wearily rubbed his forehead. "Naruto, the same as always... Next, Ling Xuan."
Ling Xuan calmly stepped forward, making minute adjustments with his hands as he formed the seals for the Clone Technique, so subtle they were almost impossible to see.
"Poof!"
A "clone" identical to Ling Xuan appeared beside him, right down to the lively glint in his eyes.
The clone stood steady, as if it had a life of its own.
Iruka's eyes lit up, and he stepped closer to inspect it.
"Ling Xuan, your Clone Technique... it's practically perfect! The chakra is concentrated, the form is stable, and it's almost impossible to tell that it's a clone. How did you do it? How did you make it look so clear?"
Ling Xuan bowed slightly and answered in a calm tone that suggested he had given the matter a great deal of "thought."
"Iruka-sensei, when I form the hand seals, I just try very, very hard to imagine what another me should look like. I think of every detail, then try hard to channel the chakra evenly."
His answer was half true and half false. He had indeed "imagined" it that way, but he relied on the Eye of Truth to perfectly replicate his own cellular structure and chakra distribution, not merely on his imagination.
Iruka nodded approvingly. "I see. Concentration and precise imagination are very important! Everyone should learn from Ling Xuan!"
Naruto watched Ling Xuan's clone enviously, while Sasuke gave him another scrutinizing look, seeming both wary and faintly curious about this orphan who always completed his tasks perfectly.
Ling Xuan also performed "excellently" in Taijutsu class.
He wasn't particularly tall for his age, and his strength wasn't among the best.
But during sparring, he always avoided his opponent's attacks with the smallest movements, then countered with the simplest, most effective techniques.
Once, he sparred with Kiba Inuzuka. Relying on his clan's Taijutsu fundamentals, Kiba attacked fiercely, shouting, "Take this, Gatsuga... in its early form!"
Ling Xuan neither dodged nor retreated. Just as Kiba's fist was about to reach him, he shifted his body slightly to the side and deftly tripped Kiba with his foot.
"Smack!"
Kiba went down in a face-first sprawl, eating a mouthful of dirt.
"Inuzuka, your stance... doesn't seem very stable."
Ling Xuan held out a hand to help him up, his tone as calm as ever.
The other students were stunned, and Kiba's face turned bright red. He couldn't understand how he had ended up on the ground.
Only Kakashi, watching from the corner as he occasionally did when checking on his future pupils, narrowed his eyes slightly and thought to himself:
"This kid... His sense of timing and control over his body are nothing like a child's. No wasted movements; every bit of strength goes exactly where it needs to."
Of course, Ling Xuan only put the true results of his "optimization" to use in the deserted corners of the orphanage late at night.
He had once "observed" an older student practicing Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.
[Wind Release: Great Breakthrough: Compresses air and expels it at high speed to create an impact... Chakra conversion efficiency: approximately 45%... Hand seals can be optimized...]
That night, facing a broken wall, he tried out his optimized "Miniature Wind Blade."
Without forming any hand seals, he pressed together the index and middle fingers of his right hand, highly compressed a tiny amount of chakra, then made a light slash.
"Shhk!"
A narrow cut half an inch deep appeared in the wall, its edges smooth as a mirror.
"Decent power, extremely low cost, and, most importantly, instant and discreet."
Ling Xuan nodded with satisfaction. This was just one of countless secret experiments he had conducted.
He was like a silent sponge, frantically absorbing everything the Ninja Academy had to offer.
Then, through the Eye of Truth, a super-powered purifier, he separated the useful from the useless and made it his own.
This almost ascetic approach to learning and analysis deepened his understanding of chakra day by day.
While the other children were still struggling to tell chakra natures apart, Ling Xuan could already clearly "see" the seeds of the five basic chakra natures within his body.
They were like five-colored stars, faint but real.
"Iruka-sensei said a special jōnin instructor will come tomorrow to give us a practical lesson and explain some useful combat techniques."
After class, Sakura excitedly discussed it with Ino at the front of the room.
A special jōnin instructor? Ling Xuan's thoughts stirred.
That meant he might have the chance to analyze higher-level techniques or more sophisticated combat experience.
In a corner where no one could see, the corner of his mouth lifted in the faintest smile.
New "nourishment" was coming right to him.
The next day, when the children entered the training ground full of anticipation, they found that, just as promised, someone unfamiliar had joined Iruka-sensei.
He was a young ninja who looked to be in his early twenties, wearing a standard Konoha Chunin vest, his black hair tied back.
His gaze was sharp, a Ninja Blade at his waist, and his expression carried a sternness that brooked no nonsense.
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