"All right, today's class assignments are over." A man wearing sunglasses, with a scar like a centipede across his face, spoke coldly.
From the air he gave off, you'd never guess he was a teacher.
The students seated below had all been well behaved.
That's it? Is it over already? I don't think I heard my name. Had he even said Ye Yuexin's name?
Ye Yuexin was completely bewildered. It didn't seem like he'd been daydreaming.
The teacher in sunglasses seemed to notice the bewilderment on Ye Yuexin's face.
He paused, then continued, "After class, Ye Yuexin and Itachi Uchiha, come to my office."
At that, Ye Yuexin realized that Itachi Uchiha's name hadn't been called either. How could this happen? Even if they were exceptionally talented, singling them out so blatantly seemed a bit much.
After the teacher in sunglasses finished speaking, he left, and the class became a study period.
This should have been the last class of their time at the Ninja Academy.
Yet many students seemed to go about their usual business out of habit. Most of them were sleeping.
They were the kind who weren't very good at studying but were especially arrogant. In other words, cannon fodder.
Only a small number of students were looking forward to what might happen next or discussing it in hushed voices.
Before long, class ended. It had been pretty boring.
Ye Yuexin slowly walked out of the classroom.
Then he spotted someone in the hallway: short black hair that fell just past the ears, big, distinctive eyes as bright and glossy as black diamonds, and an adorable, round little face. There was no mistaking him—it was Itachi Uchiha.
To be honest, even Ye Yuexin hadn't expected Itachi to be so cute as a child. Even a grown man like him wanted to give those chubby cheeks a squeeze. In his previous life, Itachi would definitely have been a heartbreaker.
"Hey! What a coincidence, young master Itachi."
Ye Yuexin was also heading to the office. He spotted Itachi, who was a little ahead of him in the hallway, hurried over, hooked an arm around his neck, and ruffled his hair.
He and Itachi had known each other for two years. Thanks to Ye Yuexin's deliberate efforts, he was probably Itachi's only friend at the academy.
Of course, that was only because their strength was evenly matched.
"We're the only two going to the office." Itachi gave him a look that said, What coincidence? You're obviously just looking for an excuse to mess with me.
Seeing the frost spread across Itachi's little round face, Ye Yuexin awkwardly let him go.
Ye Yuexin still wasn't used to seeing Itachi act so cool at such a young age.
"Let's get red bean dango soup at our usual place tonight. Same deal as always," Ye Yuexin went on, paying no mind to Itachi's icy little face.
"Same deal" meant Ye Yuexin invited him, and Itachi paid.
Itachi's steps faltered for a moment. He didn't even bother to answer Ye Yuexin, but he walked faster.
They reached the office soon after.
Ye Yuexin knew the place well. He visited often.
With the soul of an adult and no family connections, teachers were the only powerful people he could get close to. How could he not cultivate a good relationship with them?
Besides, this teacher could be considered Ye Yuexin's mentor.
That was, of course, after his talent had been recognized.
The teacher's name was Haino Fuji. He had once been a Special Jōnin, but on the battlefield, an enemy had pierced half his lung. Just surviving had been lucky.
He could no longer take on ninja missions. Even a little exertion left him gasping for breath, so he had been assigned to the academy. Now he taught Ye Yuexin and Itachi's class.
Looking at the two of them, especially Ye Yuexin, Haino Fuji's stern expression softened a little.
"Actually, I didn't call you here for anything major. I just need to pass along a notice from the academy," Haino Fuji said slowly.
At that, Ye Yuexin and Itachi grew serious.
This really was unusual. There had never been a case of students graduating without being assigned to teams. And even if there had been, it would have been students the village had nearly given up on. With Itachi, the top student in the whole academy, and Ye Yuexin, the unofficial runner-up, surely they should have been given special attention.
Haino Fuji continued, "The Third Shinobi World War has now reached its peak, and almost all the village's personnel have been sent to the battlefield. Most of the remaining team leaders are Chunin or Special Jōnin who have been injured."
"We're also short on personnel, and we're one team leader down. After discussing the class assignments, we decided to pair the two of you together."
"You can probably guess why. We don't want teachers holding back your growth. Your talents are obvious, and neither of you will neglect your training just because you don't have a teacher."
"So we've decided that your team leader will be assigned later. Once a good Jōnin or Elite Jōnin becomes available, someone will be put in charge of you."
At that, Ye Yuexin said, "You mean we'll be free Genin for the time being, sensei?"
"That's right. For a while, you can train on your own or take on D-rank missions that Genin are allowed to accept," Haino Fuji said, glancing at Ye Yuexin.
"Understood, sensei. We won't keep you any longer. Itachi and I will get going," Ye Yuexin said.
With that, he led Itachi out.
It was still a long while until evening, so Ye Yuexin figured he could combine dinner with afternoon tea.
Getting out of school early was great. He didn't have to wait around like everyone else for their assigned team leaders to show up.
Ye Yuexin and Itachi walked together down the road. Itachi wore the standard Uchiha outfit, which made him look dignified and imposing. It didn't quite suit his round little face, but he still had the air of an elite Genin.
Ye Yuexin's clothes looked a little odd by comparison. He wore a modified gray-white Japanese-style robe. The sleeves weren't as wide as usual, but it was still inconvenient for combat. A ninja would probably only wear something like that on the occasional day off. Yet Ye Yuexin's wardrobe was full of clothes like it.
The most unusual thing about his outfit was the leather belt strapped to his right hip. Three strange weapons were clipped to it.
They might have seemed like strange weapons to the Japanese, but in Ye Yuexin's previous life, they were instantly recognizable. Weren't they the crescent-shaped throwing knives of Little Li's Flying Dagger, "bright as the moon and cold as frost"?
To explain that, they had to go back to when Ye Yuexin first crossed over.
In his previous life, his name had been Li Huan. He shared a surname with Li Xunhuan and his name differed by only one character, but he had no connection to Little Li's Flying Dagger at all.
He had been an orphan.
But that hadn't kept him from loving Li Xunhuan. He especially adored his signature technique, Little Li's Flying Dagger. He had read the books and watched the TV adaptations more than ten times. He had also spent countless hours studying and imagining that miraculous, never-missing hidden weapon.
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