Looking for Trouble

Taking advantage of the fact that the matter had not yet been exposed, Shen Ye hurried to Mikoto's side, preparing to offer an explanation.

Seeing Shen Ye walking toward her step by step, Mikoto's face was filled with disdain; she had no intention of paying any attention to this guy.

However, with so many classmates around, Mikoto could not simply state the facts, so she could only wait quietly for Shen Ye to approach.

"Regarding the peeping incident the other day, I still have a few things I want to say to you."

"In the face of absolute facts, what else could you possibly have to say?"

Shen Ye shook his head and cast his gaze toward Hyuga Yuexing, who was sitting in the distance. Because her training seniority was lower than the others, she sat at the very back of the classroom.

In the entire ninja world, Konoha was already a very benevolent village, yet it still possessed a severe hierarchy of status.

The strong were honored and the weak were despised; even in this small ninja academy, this was reflected to the fullest.

"I swear the person who peeped that day was not me. Hyuga Yuexing can fully testify for me; she is someone who possesses the Byakugan."

"Heh, I have no desire to continue arguing with you about this matter."

Mikoto gently pushed Shen Ye aside and walked toward her seat. As things stood, not exposing the matter was already the greatest mercy she could show him.

The reason Mikoto was so certain it was Shen Ye that day was, on one hand, because she had witnessed his physical prowess, and most importantly, she had already sought verification from Jiraiya.

On the day the peeping tom appeared on the roof of the women's bathhouse, Jiraiya had been at his own home searching for inspiration for Icha Icha Paradise.

Between a child who had only appeared a few days ago and a renowned ninja of the village, Mikoto chose to believe the latter.

Shen Ye knew that continuing to explain would be futile, so he simply let things develop naturally, intending to look for an opportunity to remedy the situation later.

Furthermore, continuing to pester Mikoto might very well provoke this girl into loudly proclaiming that he was the peeping tom.

"Ring... ring..."

The urgent bell for class rang. Shen Ye took one last deep look at Mikoto and hurried back to his seat, waiting for the teacher to appear.

A few minutes later, a stranger walked into the classroom, accompanied by a member of the Uchiha clan. His eyes wandered around the room, as if he were searching for something.

Shen Ye was stunned. Wasn't this guy Uchiha Fugaku? Why would he come to the ninja academy to face a bunch of kids for no reason?

"Everyone, stop talking. Today we are going to have an outdoor practical lesson. However, since student Shen Ye has only recently arrived at the academy, he will not be participating today."

Damn it, looking down on me? Every single person here isn't a match for me.

Shen Ye was filled with contempt, but his face showed no signs of it; he simply nodded gently.

Uchiha Fugaku, however, waved his hand, clearly not in agreement with the teacher's decision.

"I have come here today with the approval of the Third Hokage to specifically check on everyone's training progress. More importantly, I am here to offer some pointers to our new student."

Uchiha Fugaku looked at Shen Ye with a smile, and Shen Ye instantly understood that a conspiracy was waiting for him.

"I bet Uchiha Fugaku is here specifically for that guy Shen Ye. Otherwise, why would a genius like him appear here?"

"I think so too. After all, he bullied Mikoto, who is also from the Uchiha clan. Fugaku wouldn't just sit by and watch."

"It doesn't matter. Anyway, the disaster won't fall on our heads. Let's just watch this guy make a fool of himself."

The teacher shook his head helplessly. Since Uchiha Fugaku was acting under the orders of the Third Hokage, he was in no position to stop him.

Moreover, this teacher was quite simple-minded and had not realized that this man was here to stir up trouble.

For these children who had not yet graduated from the ninja academy, the daily outdoor activity class consisted of simple shuriken training.

Under the teacher's organization, everyone walked into the training ground one after another.

The various wooden stakes lined up in the training ground caught Shen Ye's eye. He had only ever seen these in anime, and now they were appearing before him in reality.

Uchiha Fugaku sneered and rolled his eyes, looking at Shen Ye as if he were a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.

Some of the others were even whispering.

"Shen Ye is here for the first time; look at that stupid expression on his face."

"Yeah, if it weren't for Tsunade, he would never have had the chance to come here in his life."

"He's just a pretty boy. In this world, you have to speak with strength."

The teacher sighed deeply. Although these words were not loud, they all fell into his ears.

As a teacher dedicated to educating, his heart did not allow for discrimination, so he quickly spoke up to end the discussion.

"Today's training is the same as usual: two people to a group for shuriken practice."

Everyone found their partners with practiced ease. Shen Ye stood where he was, thought for a moment, and decided to head toward Yuexing.

Among so many people, Yuexing was the only one he was slightly familiar with. If he went to find Mikoto, it would inevitably lead to another argument.

However, another girl appeared by Yuexing's side, and Shen Ye stopped in his tracks, stunned.

Just then, a genin walked up to him, looking somewhat indifferent.

"Let's be a team. It looks like no one wants to train with you, and as it happens, I have some unique insights regarding shuriken."

Shen Ye shrugged to show he didn't care. To him, shuriken were not worth mentioning; no battle had ever been won because of shuriken.

The training time passed quickly, but during this period, Shen Ye didn't touch a single shuriken, which drew the dissatisfaction of his genin teammate.

"Aren't you being a bit too arrogant? Shuriken are the foundation of a ninja, yet you won't even spare them a glance."

"I don't know how!"

Shen Ye did not hide a single thing, stating directly why he had no desire to touch a shuriken.

He did not consider his lack of skill to be anything shameful, yet it still drew countless jeers from those around him.

"A guy who can't even use a shuriken wants to graduate from the Ninja Academy? That's just wishful thinking."

"Yeah, it's the first time I've ever heard of someone who can't use a shuriken, haha."

"I say, you guys, you don't really think a shuriken is actually the key to being a ninja, do you?"

Shen Ye crossed his arms over his chest and scanned the people around him, completely unable to fathom what they were thinking.

However, these words only provoked an even more intense round of mockery, and the crowd stared at him as if he were some kind of monster.