It Was Them

Only Shen Ye and the others remained in the room, with the door shut tight.

"Choza, you seem to know this place very well."

"Of course. Not just this place—I've left my mark on every food spot in the village."

Shen Ye instinctively gave Choza a thumbs-up. As expected, the Akimichi Clan had a real love for food.

"The owners here look a little familiar. Do you know anything about them?"

"They should look familiar. The two of them are from the Uchiha Clan, but they couldn't learn ninjutsu, so they opened an Octopus Meatballs shop here."

Shen Ye suddenly understood. No wonder the two men had seemed to carry an unusual air about them.

Even if they couldn't learn ninjutsu, one could still tell at a glance that members of the Uchiha Clan were different from ordinary people.

Minato seemed distracted, his mind constantly turning over the forbidden jutsu in the scroll.

"The village's immediate crisis has been resolved. The next thing we'll face is graduating from the Ninja Academy, so everyone needs to work hard."

"Don't worry, Shen Ye. With your help, we're sure to graduate."

As the group chatted enthusiastically, the owner gently pushed open the door and wheeled in a cart piled high with food.

Meishang and Yue Xing couldn't take their eyes off the little octopuses on the cart. Before the food had even been safely set on the table, they'd already picked some up and put them in their bowls.

Choza's eyes shone just as brightly. To him, anything he could eat was incredibly important.

Their little gathering continued until nightfall, and everyone patted their satisfied stomachs.

The streets had grown much quieter, with only a few hurried ninjas still making their way along them.

Shen Ye's large group was impossible to miss on the street.

"It's them."

A faint voice came from a dark corner, entirely unnoticed by Shen Ye and the others.

"What should we do? Should we rush them now? The scroll Minato has is priceless."

"Are you crazy? There are two people from the Hyuga Clan and the Akimichi Clan there, and Shen Ye is no pushover."

"We might not even be able to beat Namikaze Minato on his own. Let's forget it."

After much hesitation, the three disappeared into the darkness, planning to look for another chance to seize the Forbidden Jutsu Scroll from Minato.

Minato still had no idea he was being watched. Besides, the scroll was in Shen Ye's hands whenever he wasn't training, so there was nothing to worry about.

The moon gradually took the sun's place, and Shen Ye walked the two girls home.

Suddenly, three masked figures appeared in front of him and blocked his way. Each of them held a Shuriken.

"If you want to leave, hand over the Forbidden Jutsu Scroll. Otherwise, you'll regret it."

"How bad will I look? If I can't attract every girl in the village, I won't accept it."

Shen Ye's answer left the three speechless for a moment.

In truth, Shen Ye had recognized them at a glance. They were the little guys who studied in the same classroom as him.

They'd just let the forbidden jutsu cloud their judgment. Shen Ye had no intention of doing anything serious—just giving them a simple lesson would do.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

In an instant, a blazing fireball lit up the night sky. The three masked boys had never seen anything like it and stood frozen in place.

The flames vanished just centimeters from them, but the scorching heat had already left all three drenched in sweat.

"From now on, focus on your training. Forbidden jutsu aren't something you can just mess around with."

With that, Shen Ye leaped away and disappeared into the night. He bounded from rooftop to rooftop until he arrived home.

A forbidden jutsu scroll was a rare find. With the system's support, Shen Ye didn't hesitate to unroll it and spread it out on the floor.

It was as if he'd opened the door to a new world. The scroll contained many jutsu created by the Second Hokage, and Shen Ye committed them to memory one by one.

A long time passed before he knew it, and the sky began to pale.

Shen Ye stretched and came back to himself. Strangely, he didn't feel tired at all.

"Sage Mode actually activated on its own. The constant flow of natural energy is easing my body's fatigue. What a great jutsu."

"What are you muttering to yourself about? Have you forgotten what day it is?"

"Today? Oh no!"

Shen Ye hurriedly stuffed the scroll into his pocket, threw on some clothes, and climbed out the window toward the Ninja Academy.

The comfortable, warm break was over. Now he had to face the same dull academy life again.

Without stopping once, Shen Ye ran all the way to the academy gates, arriving just a second before the bell rang.

"Shen Ye, you're late too."

Uchiha Mikoto appeared beside him at an unhurried pace, seemingly not the least bit concerned about being late.

"How are you so calm? Aren't you worried the teacher might suddenly add a new penalty for latecomers?"

"I already asked around. Today's teacher is a champion at being late, so there's no need to worry."

Shen Ye's mouth twitched. As expected, people from the great clans got information ahead of everyone else at the Ninja Academy.

Still, he was curious to know who today's teacher was—the one known as the champion of tardiness.

The two walked into the classroom together, and a murderous glare instantly fell on Shen Ye.

From a distance, Uchiha Fugaku had seen the two of them walking in together, and his heart filled with anger.

Minato waved to Shen Ye, inviting him over.

"Shen Ye, over here!"

"Coming!"

Shen Ye waved goodbye to Uchiha Mikoto, then went over to sit beside Shikaku and Minato.

They were just as curious about today's teacher.

"I heard today's teacher is a little unusual, and that we know him quite well."

"Looks like the title of champion of tardiness is well deserved. It's this late, and he still hasn't shown up."

Shen Ye shrugged and slumped over his desk. Sage Mode kept easing his fatigue, but he still couldn't help feeling sleepy.

Before long, Shen Ye drifted off to sleep.

Suddenly, Shen Ye felt someone shaking his arm frantically, so he slowly opened his bleary eyes.

Minato stared ahead in astonishment, his grip only growing stronger as he shook Shen Ye.

"Stop shaking me. I'm already awake."

"Shen Ye, look! It really is a ninja we know well. I just never thought it would be him."