Half-Moon Slash

The next day.

Ye Yuexin slept until someone knocked on his door.

He opened the door, feeling quite exhausted, only to discover that it was an Anbu ninja.

His sleepiness vanished instantly, startled away by the Anbu.

He had never expected the Anbu to come looking for him. After all, in Ye Yuexin's eyes, the Anbu held the same impression as the Jinyiwei from the history of his past life.

They were incredibly mysterious. But looking at it now, Konoha's Anbu were actually quite decent. They didn't just appear in someone's home without a sound, as described in novels.

To be honest, if they did that, no one would be able to help but resent the Anbu. Before Ye Yuexin could even ask, the Anbu spoke first.

"Genin Ye Yuexin, your mission has been upgraded to A-rank. This is the supplementary payment for the mission." As he spoke, he produced something that looked like an envelope. Judging by the shape, it likely contained money.

"By order of the Third Hokage, you are to be awarded an additional A-rank ninjutsu as a bonus. This is the list of ninjutsu. You may choose one now."

He handed over a scroll as he spoke. This was clearly a move by the Third Hokage to win him over.

As ninjas, they rarely lacked money, unless they were like the Princess of Konoha, Tsunade, and her gambling habits. Otherwise, based on mission rewards alone, one could live a life well above the middle class.

Combining this with Ye Yuexin's current lifestyle, it was easy to see what he lacked.

With no clan to rely on and no inherited techniques, what Ye Yuexin lacked most was naturally ninjutsu. That was why the Third Hokage had made this move.

To be honest, Ye Yuexin felt quite excited inside upon hearing about the ninjutsu reward.

He could actually be rewarded with a ninjutsu, and an A-rank one at that.

This was exactly what he needed most right now. He took the scroll and began to read it impatiently.

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet, Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation, Water Style: Water Severing Wave..."

"They were all sorts of Five Element ninjutsu, dozens of them densely packed. The characteristics of each technique were noted at the end."

It was clearly written by the Third Hokage himself. The title of "Professor of Ninjutsu" was certainly well-deserved.

The quality of this Anbu was truly excellent. While Ye Yuexin was patiently making his selection, the Anbu stood opposite him without the slightest hint of impatience. It seemed that even the Anbu had different types.

Just as Ye Yuexin's eyes were starting to glaze over, he suddenly spotted a ninjutsu that piqued his interest.

Wind Style: Half-Moon Slash.

This was actually a hand-seal-less ninjutsu. An A-rank ninjutsu that required no hand seals was almost as rare as an S-rank technique.

The most famous example in the original story was the Rasengan, which was also an A-rank ninjutsu.

What interested Ye Yuexin most wasn't the lack of hand seals, but the fact that this technique could utilize a short blade or kunai to form a concentrated, crescent-shaped wind blade to slash outward.

The moment he saw this ninjutsu, Ye Yuexin's imagination ran wild.

He instantly thought of the Tempest Kick, one of the Six Powers from One Piece in his past life. It had high potential for improvement.

He decided on this one.

"My Lord Anbu, I would like to choose this Wind Style: Half-Moon Slash," Ye Yuexin said to the Anbu.

The Anbu did not answer him. He simply took a scroll from his robes and handed it to Ye Yuexin, then vanished instantly using the Body Flicker Technique.

After the Anbu left, Ye Yuexin was in no mood to sleep, so he focused his attention on the scroll.

He spent the entire morning reading it. It wasn't until noon that Ye Yuexin finally snapped back to reality.

Having never come into contact with such high-level ninjutsu before, the detailed explanations recorded within this A-rank scroll provided him with a refreshing new perspective.

Things regarding the wind attribute that Ye Yuexin hadn't understood before suddenly clicked into place, as if he had been enlightened.

He believed that once he fully researched and mastered it, he would see significant progress.

He glanced at the bright, sunny sky.

Ye Yuexin decided to go out for a bite to eat. He hadn't recovered his energy yet, so he was too lazy to cook for himself.

After thinking about it, he decided to go eat at Ichiraku Ramen.

This was his favorite thing to eat, aside from grilled meat and dumplings. He had things to do after lunch.

"Knock, knock, knock!" After the door opened, the person who opened it froze for a moment. "Young Master Itachi? Is there something you need?"

Shisui Uchiha had only just returned home from a mission last night.

Hearing a knock early in the morning, the scene that just unfolded occurred.

He never would have guessed that the son of the current Uchiha Clan head would come to find a Chunin like him.

He hadn't truly spent much time with Itachi Uchiha yet. He only knew Itachi because he had seen him a few times when visiting the clan head's house.

Itachi Uchiha's talent was very famous within the Uchiha Clan, just as his own had been. Shisui was about to be promoted to Jonin.

"I apologize for the intrusion. Father said that your Body Flicker Technique is the most outstanding and unique within the Uchiha Clan. May I learn it from you?" Itachi Uchiha said very politely, bowing at a ninety-degree angle.

Hearing this reason, Shisui Uchiha asked curiously, "Why do you want to learn the Body Flicker Technique? If you want to become stronger, there are many powerful Fire Style ninjutsu in the clan."

He then added, "You are the clan head's son; you are allowed to view them."

Upon hearing this, Itachi Uchiha immediately said, "Senior Shisui, I have a very powerful opponent who is even more talented than I am. One of his greatest strengths is his speed, and I don't want to fall too far behind him. So, I beg of you." After saying this, he bowed deeply once more.

To be honest, Shisui Uchiha had a very favorable impression of Itachi Uchiha.

Now, with Itachi Uchiha's polite gesture added to the mix, Shisui Uchiha was instantly moved.

Within the Uchiha Clan, the word "arrogance" seemed to be etched into their very bones; even toward their own kin, it was rare to find someone so courteous.

Shisui Uchiha happened to share a similar approach to dealing with others as Itachi Uchiha.

After a moment's thought, Shisui Uchiha agreed to the request. It was quite common for members of the same clan to share ninjutsu.

He smiled and said, "No need to be so formal. I'm only two years ahead of you, so you can just call me Shisui. You're a genius of the Uchiha Clan, so let's learn from each other." Such humble words proved that Shisui Uchiha had already accepted Itachi Uchiha.

"Then I'll be in your care, Shisui-nii," Itachi Uchiha said immediately.

Hearing Itachi Uchiha address him that way, Shisui Uchiha was taken aback for a moment.

He then revealed an even warmer smile and said, "Let's learn from each other, Itachi."

"Hey, have you heard? It seems another genius like Lord Minato has appeared in our Konoha. They say he never misses with a throwing knife."

At Ichiraku Ramen, Ye Yuexin, who was still eating, nearly choked on his noodles.

Throwing knives? It couldn't be that much of a coincidence, could it? But then, more voices followed.

"So you heard about it too. This genius is incredible. I heard that he just graduated from the Ninja Academy and took down an experienced jonin during a mission."

"Yeah, yeah. The Third Great Ninja War has been going on for so long now. Although we don't know when it will end, I believe victory will definitely be ours. Our Konoha's geniuses keep popping up one after another; the enemy villages definitely can't withstand our village's exceptional talent."

"Exactly, exactly. Our Konoha will surely be victorious."

He silently set down his bowl. It seemed it really wasn't a coincidence. They were talking about him.

But...

Ye Yuexin couldn't fathom how the things he had tried so hard to hide had become common knowledge among ordinary villagers.

This... suddenly, Ye Yuexin realized the truth.

As for why Konoha knew, he had simply underestimated a village's ability to gather intelligence.

And as for why the whole village, even the commoners, knew about it, that must be the work of the higher-ups creating hype.

Truth be told, this method of establishing geniuses and heroes was extremely effective for pacifying the ordinary villagers.

He didn't want to listen anymore.

With the way rumors spread, he figured that in a little while, they'd be claiming he already possessed the strength of a veteran jonin.

He had things to do later.

So, Ye Yuexin quietly put down his chopsticks and slipped out.

[New book is out... I suggest adding it to your library... let it grow before binge-reading. I need your support... thank you everyone.]***I would like to give a special thanks to Yuchan Xiaming. You have been supporting the growth of this book all along. Thank you for your consistent support. Keep it up!