The Tedious School Routine

The next morning, sunlight spilled through the window into the room. Hyuga Ningxue woke up on time, washed up, finished the breakfast prepared by her mother, Xue, and then picked up her schoolbag and lunchbox, ready to head out.

"I'm leaving."

After greeting her mother, Ningxue walked briskly toward the school.

On the way, she didn't greet anyone, nor did anyone greet her, and she walked silently to the classroom door just like that.

The moment she opened the classroom door, she felt as though her ears had been subjected to mental pollution.

The classroom was unbearably noisy, filled with the chatter of girls, the boastful declarations of boys, and the sounds of chasing and roughhousing.

Such a boisterous atmosphere made Ningxue feel incredibly uncomfortable.

However, she couldn't very well tell everyone to shut up, so she silently returned to yesterday's seat, opened her backpack, and took out the earplugs she had prepared, along with her notebook.

Just like that, in this noisy classroom, she felt as if she were worlds away.

Without anyone disturbing her, she quietly looked over her notes.

Ring-a-ling.

The bell for the first period rang.

During the theory class, she maintained the same state as yesterday. While she appeared to be listening attentively, most of her thoughts were actually focused on pondering her own problems or quietly recording ideas in her notebook for creating her own improved ninjutsu based on her chakra nature.

Take the Water Prison Technique and the Ice Prison Technique, for example.

In her train of thought, she decided to use the Water Prison as a foundation, either freezing it directly from the inside to kill the target or altering its shape to create defensive or offensive measures.

If she could activate her Byakugan and possess a 359-degree field of vision, she could take it a step further, achieving something akin to a suit of armor.

Wherever an enemy appeared on her body, that specific part could quickly defend, counterattack, or kill.

Or perhaps Wind Release ninjutsu; she was now able to skillfully attach wind-attribute chakra to ice-attribute chakra.

She could also use the C-rank ninjutsu Gale Palm, attaching it to flying objects like Ice Needles or ice spikes to cause faster and more powerful damage.

Or maybe she could use a bow?

But for now, what she needed to do was extend and improve.

The theory class drifted by as Ningxue remained immersed in her thoughts.

During the break, she still didn't leave her seat. She simply removed her earplugs, stretched her body, which had grown stiff from sitting for so long, and used her keen ears to capture various fragments of sound in the classroom.

Occasionally, she would record some keywords or brief diagrams in her notebook; to outsiders, these were nothing more than a good student's class notes.

But only she knew that what was recorded there was the concept of how to transform the known C-rank Water Prison Technique into the more lethal and practical Ice Binding Armor Prison. (Though, of course, this concept would not be realized until several years later.)

The second period was basic ninjutsu theory.

Iruka-sensei was on the podium explaining the basics of chakra nature transformation. This was still somewhat abstract and dry for most students, but for Ningxue, it provided the theoretical support for the concepts she was currently developing.

She listened more intently than in the previous period, especially when he spoke about the fluidity and shape control of water-attribute chakra, as well as the sharpness and acceleration characteristics of wind-attribute chakra; a thoughtful light flashed in her eyes.

"It seems it's worth a try," Ningxue muttered to herself. (Of course, with her current abilities, it was impossible, and she would only restart this at some point in the future.)

The morning classes finally ended. At lunchtime, the classroom was once again enveloped in a lively atmosphere.

Like yesterday, Ningxue picked up the lunchbox her mother had prepared, left the noisy classroom without a sound, and headed straight for the rooftop where she could find peace.

Pushing open the door to the rooftop, the breeze and the open view refreshed her spirit. She walked toward her usual spot, only to see a familiar figure in the shadows—Hyuga Neji was already sitting there, quietly opening his own lunchbox.

Just like yesterday, they sat, chatted, finished their meal, and left.

Then came the afternoon physical training. This time, it wasn't a sparring match between the two, but simple basics like push-ups, running, and sit-ups.

When the afternoon classes ended, Iruka-sensei praised the students who had performed well, mainly Sasuke, and encouraged the others as well.

Ningxue's grades were in the upper-middle range, earning her a comment from the teacher.

"Hyuga Ningxue, your foundation is very solid, keep it up." This was exactly within her expectations.

The bell for the end of the school day rang, and the students swarmed out. Ningxue still packed her ninja tool pouch unhurriedly and was the last to leave the classroom. She walked toward that fork in the road once again, waiting for Neji.