Night covered the ground, and cool moonlight poured down, bringing a refreshing chill.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
In the spacious courtyard, Lin Feng didn't choose to rest despite his exhaustion. Instead, he practiced the Shadow Clone Technique, which he had yet to master.
Since the Anbu had a mission tonight, Itachi hadn't come home. But even without Itachi watching over him, Lin Feng didn't slack off. Whenever he failed, he simply kept practicing.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
"Poof!"
After countless failures, Lin Feng finished forming the hand signs once more. A cloud of white smoke appeared on the ground beside him, and when it cleared, a Shadow Clone identical to him slowly emerged.
Unlike his previous failed attempts, this Shadow Clone looked to be in excellent condition, both physically and mentally.
The sudden turn of events startled Lin Feng.
"I finally learned it..."
After testing the Shadow Clone and finding that its abilities were nearly the same as his own, Lin Feng licked his lips, his heart filled with excitement.
Lin Feng had poured a great deal of effort into learning this technique. More importantly, with the help of Shadow Clones, his training would progress much faster from now on.
"If Big Brother knew I'd learned this technique, he'd be so happy." But remembering that Itachi had gone on a mission, Lin Feng pursed his lips and sighed. "I wonder when Big Brother will be back."
Shaking his head, Lin Feng hurried back to his room. His whole body aching and numb, he finally collapsed onto the bed and promptly fell fast asleep.
The quiet night slipped by. When the first light of dawn appeared the next day, Lin Feng was already running down the street toward the Ninja Academy.
He hadn't run far when he spotted two familiar figures at an intersection.
"Sakura, Naruto, you're up early!"
Without hesitation, Lin Feng went over to greet them.
"To complete the task Sasuke gave me, I have to get to the Ninja Academy early and train hard."
Haruno Sakura was naturally delighted to see Sasuke first thing in the morning. She answered sweetly.
"Sasuke, you're just in time! Sakura didn't believe me when I told her I'm planning to graduate from the Ninja Academy in three months!"
Before Lin Feng could reply, Naruto hurriedly cut in.
"Hmph, Naruto, with grades like yours, three months won't be enough. You probably couldn't do it in three years."
Sakura snorted, sticking to her opinion.
Naruto jumped up in anger and shouted, "Sakura, you're looking down on me! Once I learn the Multi Shadow Clone Technique, I'll show you what a truly powerful ninja is!"
Seeing that Haruno Sakura was about to keep arguing with Naruto, Lin Feng rubbed his nose and smiled. "There's no need to argue about it. We can just wait and see who graduates from the Ninja Academy in three months. Instead of wasting all this time, why not get straight to training?"
"Sasuke, no matter what you say, I'll listen to you."
Haruno Sakura moved a little closer to Lin Feng, looking like a well-behaved girl.
"I agree. We should use our time to train..."
Naruto nodded, agreeing with Lin Feng.
"Then let's go!"
Lin Feng smiled, and the three of them—Lin Feng, Haruno Sakura, and Naruto—walked side by side toward the Ninja Academy.
The first lesson for the first-year class that morning covered theoretical knowledge: ninjutsu and the ranks of ninja. Since it was all too simple, Lin Feng didn't pay close attention. Instead, he thought about his upcoming training plans.
Time flew by, and the first lesson soon ended. During the break, Lin Feng called Naruto and Sakura over to the Training Ground to chat and strengthen their bond.
"Heh heh, there you are!"
But before Lin Feng could say much, a tall, burly boy showed up, cracking his knuckles. Three older students stood behind him, and they seemed to be a group.
"Taishan, what do you want?"
Naruto immediately recognized the tall boy as Taishan, the one Lin Feng had knocked down last time, and snapped at him.
"What do I want? I'm going to teach you all a lesson today!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Taishan swung a fist at Naruto.
Once Taishan made his move, his three older classmates didn't hesitate either. Two charged at Lin Feng, while the third prepared to attack Haruno Sakura.
"Naruto, Sakura, get out of here first..."
Not wanting Naruto and Sakura to get hurt, Lin Feng called out, then engaged the two older students with Taijutsu.
Although he was outnumbered two to one, Lin Feng's nimble Taijutsu allowed him to hold his own.
"Sasuke!"
But Sakura was still too weak. The fight had barely begun when someone grabbed her, and she cried out for help.
"Damn it... Let Sakura go!"
Watching Sakura struggle, Lin Feng was furious.
"Kid, you'd better worry about yourself first!"
Taking advantage of Lin Feng's distraction, the two older students quickly seized his arms from either side.
"Haha! That brat knocked me out last time. This time, I'll make him lie there for a few days too!"
After punching Naruto to the ground, Taishan saw his classmates restraining Lin Feng and burst into laughter. Then he clenched his fist and charged toward Lin Feng.
"What are you doing? Stop this at once!"
At this critical moment, Iruka arrived with two other Ninja Academy teachers. Seeing Taishan and the others bullying students from his class, Iruka immediately shouted at them.
An arrow, once loosed, couldn't be called back. Taishan had already reached Lin Feng, his fist cutting through the air as he swung it fiercely at Lin Feng's head.
"Sasuke!"
"Sasuke..."
Seeing this, Naruto and Sakura both cried out in alarm.
The fist grew larger and larger in Lin Feng's eyes. He had been about to break free, but the combined hold of the two students behind him left him helpless.
"Poof!"
With a soft sound, Lin Feng didn't fly away after taking the powerful punch. Instead, he disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.
Silence. Dead silence!
Everyone present stared in shock at the spot where Lin Feng had vanished, their expressions utterly remarkable. A moment later, their breathing grew rapid, like the whirring of a windmill.
"He disappeared..."
Taishan let out a deep breath, as though trying to expel his shock along with it. He tried to sound calm, but his voice still trembled despite his best efforts.
A jumble of emotions stirred in Haruno Sakura's heart, and a vexing thought suddenly came to her: Sasuke was so strong. He could definitely graduate from the Ninja Academy in three months, but she wasn't sure she could...
Naruto was also staring blankly at the spot where Lin Feng had disappeared. He murmured in disbelief, "Has Sasuke already learned the Shadow Clone Technique...? That was so fast!"
"It seems Sasuke has already learned the forbidden Shadow Clone Technique. That's truly impressive!"
One of the Ninja Academy teachers immediately exclaimed in admiration.
"As expected of the Uchiha Clan. Its members are all practically prodigies. Itachi and Shisui were already terrifyingly talented, and now Sasuke may be even more outstanding than they are!"
Iruka nodded in agreement, then couldn't help but sigh in admiration.