Fart, Fuck, Damn

Might Duy struggled to lift his head, his face smeared with blood and grime. The fanaticism in his eyes had long since faded, leaving behind only a heavy sense of unwillingness and a trace of bewilderment.

He had heard Bai Lin's praise, yet for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to feel happy.

In his life, Bai Lin had always acted like an ordinary person (at least before he had scraped together a million ryo). In just a single day, the other had displayed overwhelming, crushing strength. This disparity felt like a stone pressing down on his heart.

Had I never seen a genius, I could have endured my own mediocrity.

In his heart, he had believed that as long as he worked hard enough, he would eventually become a ninja recognized by everyone.

But what about Bai Lin?

He had never shown the strength of a ninja, and Duy had never even seen him train, yet he could easily defeat the results of Duy's countless days and nights of grueling effort.

Is this the gap between a genius and an ordinary person?

Bai Lin seemed to see through his thoughts and simply said calmly, "Duy, if you only treat me as a target to chase, you will never be able to keep up with my pace."

"However, you don't need to chase me."

Bai Lin's voice was calm yet carried a power that pierced the heart. He crouched down, meeting Might Duy at eye level, and tapped his fingertip gently against his chest: "The one you need to chase is the you of yesterday."

"Your efforts have never been in vain. You have walked from a ninja mocked for having 'no talent' to where you are today; this resilience is more precious than any talent."

Bai Lin's tone grew heavier, "A genius might be able to walk faster, but follow my lead, and I have a way to make you go even further."

Between Minato Namikaze and Might Duy, although he valued Minato Namikaze more due to his high talent and high potential, Might Duy was the opposite.

Yet, Bai Lin liked Might Duy more.

Part of it was because Might Duy had helped him unconditionally from the start, and part of it was his genuine recognition of Might Duy's hard work.

Minato Namikaze was still young, his worldview not yet fully formed, making him easily influenced by others (like Jiraiya or Hiruzen Sarutobi) and prone to straying from the path Bai Lin had paved for him.

Might Duy was different; his mind was already mature. He only needed to plant a "needle" in his heart.

With his honest and simple nature, this "needle" would eventually take root and sprout, growing into a towering tree that would support him as he moved forward.

Is this why honest people are easy to bully?

No, this is the inheritance of the Will of Phosphorus!

"Boss..." Might Duy's voice remained hoarse, but it carried an unprecedented tremor.

Bai Lin's words were like a thunderbolt, splitting the fog that had long accumulated in his heart—it turned out he had been obsessed with "chasing a genius," forgetting that the one he should have surpassed was the former self who was mocked and wanted to give up.

He straightened his back abruptly. Despite the sharp pain in his abdomen causing cold sweat to bead on his forehead, his eyes reignited with a light even more intense than when he was in the Gate of Pain state—a kind of firm resolve: "I understand! Boss, I won't chase anyone anymore; I'll chase myself! But I want to follow you, to follow you on a longer road!"

"Yes! Our youth has no price tag; bet—bah! Give it your all right now!"

"Let us shed completely different sweat for the youth that has passed!"

"The path I lead you on will not make you regret it."

Bai Lin forced out a tear, reaching a state of synchronization with Might Duy.

"Boss!" Might Duy looked at Bai Lin with deep affection.

"Duy!" Bai Lin gripped his hand, stopping Might Duy's head as he tried to lean in.

Today's plan was completed beyond expectations, and both returned to the village, each carrying their own joy.

The next morning.

Forest of Death No. 44.

Bai Lin was notified by an Anbu early in the morning and arrived at a clearing in the Forest of Death No. 44.

When he saw that hundreds of students who hadn't yet graduated from the Ninja Academy had already gathered, he was stunned, having no idea what was going on.

"Brother Lin, why are you here too?"

In the crowd, Bai Lin heard a familiar, crisp voice. He turned to see Kushina Uzumaki, her red hair like a burning octopus, running toward him.

"Boss!" Running along with her was Minato Namikaze. He arrived in front of Bai Lin and scratched his head awkwardly, looking a bit embarrassed.

When Bai Lin first arrived, he thought Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to evaluate him or help him choose a team leader, but he hadn't expected to see this scene.

"What is this?" Bai Lin asked, puzzled.

"We applied for early graduation!" Kushina Uzumaki grabbed Bai Lin's arm, her tone jubilant, "Minato and I both signed up!"

"I didn't expect the Hokage to actually agree. That's great; I won't have to go to school with those little brats anymore."

Hey, hey! You're a little brat too, you know.

"Then why are there so many people? If it were just the two of you, that would be one thing, but what's with these hundred-plus people?"

Practically speaking, the Ninja Academy was the foundation of Hiruzen Sarutobi. Even with a war looming, at most they would only pull those about to graduate into the ranks of ninjas; it was impossible to prematurely exhaust the seedlings of Konoha.

The oldest of this group of brats was only ten, and the youngest was only six; many likely hadn't even finished their theoretical studies.

(Minato Namikaze entered at 5, graduated at 10; the Ninja Academy was currently a 5-year system.)

"It's all that sissy's fault. He proposed early graduation to the teacher during class, and the classmates wouldn't accept losing, so they all scrambled to apply."

"After that, it was the whole grade, and then the whole school followed suit." Kushina pretended to be a little adult, lecturing Minato Namikaze.

"I didn't expect things to turn out this way either." Minato Namikaze still wore that awkward expression, looking a bit embarrassed.

After hearing this, Bai Lin understood in his heart; the root of all this lay with Minato Namikaze.

"It seems the situation in Konoha is looking grim. Hiruzen Sarutobi wants to quickly cultivate a batch of ninja tools for the battlefield." Bai Lin narrowed his eyes, his fingers gently stroking his chin.

"I never thought the Hokage would actually agree to let us graduate early. Once we pass, we can become real ninjas."

"Hahaha, maybe the Hokage will see my talent and take me as his disciple. Or, if that's a stretch, being taken as a disciple by Orochimaru would be fine too."

"Orochimaru wouldn't take someone as mediocre as you as a disciple. If he's going to take anyone, it'll be me."

"Stop arguing, you two. Let me tell you something: a few days ago, Orochimaru stared at me seriously for several seconds. That feeling—it was absolutely exhilarating."

"Bullshit, Orochimaru stared at me for a whole minute!"

"Damn it, Orochimaru stared at me for ten minutes!"

"Hell..."

"Who is Orochimaru? Is he very famous in Konoha?" Standing on the outskirts of the crowd, Kushina expressed her confusion as she listened to the excited and agitated chatter of the surrounding students.

Minato Namikaze: "Orochimaru is a disciple of the Third Hokage. It is said that he is the Hokage's most prized student and possesses extremely high talent."

Bai Lin: "Heh, when did you all get the illusion that being stared at by Orochimaru is a good thing?"