It's Them

Only Shen Ye and his group remained in the room, the door pulled shut behind them.

"Choza, it seems you are quite familiar with this place."

"That goes without saying. Not just here, but every delicious spot in the village bears my mark."

Shen Ye subconsciously gave Choza a thumbs-up; as expected, members of the Akimichi Clan possessed a deep-seated passion for food.

"The owner here looks a bit familiar. Do you know anything about them?"

"You're right to find them familiar. Actually, those two belong to the Uchiha Clan, but since they couldn't master ninjutsu, they opened this shop to sell Octopus Meatballs."

Shen Ye had a sudden realization. No wonder he had sensed an unusual aura about the two of them.

Even if they couldn't practice ninjutsu, one could still distinguish the Uchiha Clan members from ordinary people at a single glance.

Namikaze Minato appeared distracted, his mind entirely occupied by the forbidden jutsu on the scroll.

"The village's temporary crisis has been resolved. What we must face now is graduation from the Ninja Academy. Everyone needs to give it their all."

"Don't worry, Shen Ye. With your help, we are certain to graduate."

Just as the group was engaged in a lively discussion, the owner gently pushed open the door and wheeled in a cart piled high with delicacies.

Meishang and Yue Xing could not take their eyes off the small octopuses on the cart; before the dish could even be placed steadily on the table, the two had already snatched them into their own bowls.

Choza's eyes also shone with brilliance. To him, anything that could be put into one's mouth was of the utmost importance.

The simple gathering lasted until nightfall, and everyone patted their bellies in satisfaction.

The streets had thinned out, with only a few hurried ninjas passing through.

Shen Ye's large group was undoubtedly an eye-catching presence on the street.

"It's them."

A faint voice emerged from a dark corner, failing to draw the attention of Shen Ye or the others.

"What do we do? Should we rush them now? The scroll in Namikaze Minato's possession is a priceless treasure."

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

"We might not even have a chance of winning if we faced Namikaze Minato alone. Let's just forget it."

The three hesitated repeatedly before finally vanishing into the darkness, intending to find another opportunity to seize the forbidden jutsu scroll from Namikaze Minato later.

At this moment, Namikaze Minato was unaware that he had been targeted, though Shen Ye kept the scroll in his possession whenever they weren't training, so there was nothing to worry about.

The moon gradually replaced the sun, and Shen Ye escorted the two girls back to their respective homes.

Suddenly, three masked figures appeared ahead, blocking Shen Ye's path, each holding a shuriken in their hands.

"If you want to leave, hand over the forbidden jutsu scroll, or else we'll show you what's coming."

"How 'good' will it be? If it can't attract the attention of every girl in the village, I'm not interested."

Shen Ye's retort left the three speechless, unsure of how to respond.

In truth, Shen Ye had seen through their identities at a glance; they were just little brats who studied in the same classroom.

They were simply momentarily blinded by the allure of the forbidden jutsu, and Shen Ye didn't want to make a scene—a simple lesson would suffice.

"Fire Style, Great Fireball Technique!"

Suddenly, a blazing red flame appeared dazzlingly in the night sky. The three masked figures had never seen such a display and were instantly frozen in place.

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

"Practice diligently from now on. Forbidden jutsus aren't things you can just touch whenever you want."

With that, Shen Ye leaped into the night, jumping across rooftops until he returned home.

Forbidden jutsu scrolls were rare finds. With the support of his system, Shen Ye did not hesitate to slowly open the scroll and lay it flat on the floor.

It was as if he had opened the door to a new world. Many ninjutsu created by the Second Hokage were recorded there, and Shen Ye committed them to memory one by one.

Time passed unknowingly, and the sky began to turn a pale white.

Shen Ye stretched his back and pulled himself away from the scroll, feeling miraculously devoid of any fatigue.

"Sage Mode actually activated automatically. The constant flow of natural energy is alleviating my physical exhaustion. It truly is a great technique."

"Who are you talking to yourself about? Have you forgotten what day it is?"

"Today? Oh no!"

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

The comfortable, warm vacation had ended, and what lay ahead was the same dull and tedious academy life.

He didn't stop once along the way, running to the academy gate in one breath and arriving just a second before the bell rang.

"Shen Ye, you're late too."

Uchiha Mikoto appeared slowly by Shen Ye's side, seemingly unbothered by the fact that she was late.

"How can you be so calm? Aren't you afraid the teacher will suddenly assign extra work to those who are late?"

"I've already asked around. Today's teacher is also a king of tardiness, so there's no need to worry at all."

Shen Ye's mouth twitched twice; as expected, those from major clans always received information ahead of everyone else at the Ninja Academy.

He was, however, quite curious about who today's instructor would be, the one known as the King of Tardiness.

The two walked into the classroom side by side, and a murderous gaze instantly fell upon Shen Ye.

From afar, Uchiha Fugaku saw the two walking together and could not help but be filled with rage.

Minato raised his hand, signaling for Shen Ye to come sit over.

"Shen Ye, over here!"

"Coming!"

Waving goodbye to Uchiha Mikoto, Shen Ye walked over to the side of Shikaku and Minato.

Both of them were equally curious about today's instructor.

"I heard today's instructor is quite special, and a ninja we are very familiar with."

"It seems the title of King of Tardiness is well-earned; they still haven't appeared even at this hour."

Shen Ye shrugged and slumped directly onto the desk. Although Sage Mode was constantly alleviating his physical fatigue, he still couldn't help but want to sleep.

In a daze, Shen Ye drifted off into a dream.

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

Minato, that guy, looked toward the front with an expression of pure astonishment, his grip on Shen Ye's arm only tightening.

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

"Shen Ye, look! It really is a ninja we are very familiar with, I just never expected it to be him."