First-Year Bully

The path of cultivation was ultimately a long one. After spending the night organizing his thoughts and training, Shangguan Yue had already absorbed the effects brought about by the changes to his chakra extraction technique.

"Chakra Nature Transformation is still way too difficult. I can understand it, but I can't put it into practice. It's genuinely frustrating.

"But Spirit Release depends more on the strength of my mental energy. Chakra can greatly increase its power, but its ability level still won't go up."

Shangguan Yue looked at the new status entries on his panel. His mental energy was at C+, close to B-rank Jonin, though he was still only at Chunin level.

His chakra was at D+, still of Genin quality. A large quantity didn't make up for poor quality. Spirit Release, on the other hand, was now an A-rank ninjutsu, showing just how powerful it had become.

(PS: Ninja ranks: E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS, corresponding to trainee, Genin, Chunin, Jonin, Kage, Super Kage, Six Paths, and God.

Ninjutsu ranks: D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS. D corresponds to the basic Three Body Technique; the rest correspond to the original Naruto skill rankings.)

The Spirit Release techniques Yue-Style Void Step, Explosive Flash, and Draw-Sword Strike also changed along with his strength. They were only B-rank ninjutsu for now, but could grow stronger.

Early the next morning, Tsunade delivered the scabbard she had promised Shangguan Yue. From then on, Shangguan Yue strolled around with Longque hanging at his side.

His heart swelled with ambition. And so, the students at the Ninja Academy began to suffer. Shangguan Yue fell into a daily routine of picking fights during class and training after class. Before long, half a month had passed.

"Quick, quick! Shangguan Yue's here! Run!"

"Ah, the Moon Demon's here? Why won't this fiend leave us alone? Run, run, run!"

As usual, Shangguan Yue began patrolling the first-year area, humming a little tune nobody else could understand.

"The king sent me to patrol the mountain~ One, two, hey! One, two, one, two, hey! Find me someone I haven't beaten yet. One's too few, two aren't enough; the more, the merrier~"

Soon, Shangguan Yue's sharp eyes spotted a classmate he didn't recognize. "Hey, you there, wait up~ Please stop~"

With a few quick steps, Shangguan Yue used a movement technique like the Navy's Six Powers: Shave, and appeared in front of the student.

"Hey, classmate..."

"Don't say another word. Bring it on!"

"Uh, you know the rules, right?"

"I do! Go easy!"

"What about you guys?"

"We know them too!"

"Good. Seriously, you're the only ones in first year who keep playing hide-and-seek with me. If you'd just acted like this from the start, we could've gotten it over with. You've wasted my time. Line up, all of you!"

The nameless students before him jolted in fright. One by one, they stood straight at attention.

"Come on, form your hand seals."

The group hurriedly stood opposite Shangguan Yue and formed the hand seal for a duel. The next moment, Shangguan Yue bent his knees slightly and gripped Longque with his right hand.

"Everyone, watch out! That's the Moon Demon's Draw-Sword Strike!"

"Draw-Sword Strike~"

At Shangguan Yue's low shout, white jade chakra coiled around Longque. He suddenly drew his sword, sending out a crescent-shaped slash as one corner of the blade scraped across the ground.

A huge trench slowly stretched forward. The crescent flew toward the group of nameless students, leaving them frozen in place with shock.

"Ahhh!!! Help!"

"Rumble~"

The crescent struck the ground, raising a cloud of dust. The lackeys stared at the trench beside them and sank to the ground.

"Shangguan Yue, you only pick on us! Let's see you try that with the upper years!"

Shangguan Yue looked at the notice on his panel: "Defeated XXX. Gained 1 Luck Point. Congratulations on achieving the title 'First-Year Bully': Having defeated all the first-years, you now have absolute authority among them."

"Hmph. If it weren't for you guys, I'd have tested the waters in second year already. Why keep hiding? You can dodge me today, but not forever."

"Hey, Yue! Don't listen to them. We second-years aren't getting involved in this mess."

The students watching nearby included some second-years, who were startled. Everyone was practical, after all. With Shangguan Yue's strength, none of them stood a chance except the sixth-years.

"What, are you planning to refuse me?"

"I-I wouldn't dare."

"Then that's settled. Go back and wait for me."

Watching Shangguan Yue's retreating figure, the students from the other years wore bitter expressions too.

"Looks like he's planning to fight his way through every year."

"Yeah. I hope he takes his time. Maybe he won't get to my year before I graduate."

"Keep dreaming. He's the school bully. All we can do is wait for him to come beat us up."

"Yeah. He has the Senju backing him, and he's challenging us fair and square. What can you even complain about?"

"Sigh. Nobody's going to die, but getting beaten up out of nowhere still sucks."

"Forget it. We'll all hide when the time comes. Maybe that'll slow him down."

"..."

Meanwhile, Shangguan Yue went to a corner and created a Shadow Clone. His main body headed for the school gate. On closer inspection, he walked without making a sound. His feet seemed to touch the ground, but there was actually a tiny gap beneath them.

His whole body floated in the air, yet he walked just like anyone else. Looking more closely...

The soles of Shangguan Yue's shoes were covered in countless tiny grains of Iron Sand.

It was as if something were carrying Shangguan Yue along. His steps looked ethereal and weightless. Before long, he had left the school and made a few turns, arriving at the gate of a small courtyard.

"Knock, knock, knock. Teacher, open up! It's me."