I Sense a Powerful Chakra

Yang Ming muttered.

The ninja world was incomparably cruel. Rogue ninjas, bandits, and great thieves were everywhere. Ordinary people without the strength to truss a chicken were like pigs and dogs in their eyes—killed whenever they pleased, their lives utterly worthless.

Human life truly was as cheap as grass; all living beings were but ants.

"I have to gain the ability to protect myself first. Otherwise, I won't even be able to stand on my own feet, much less do the things I want to do!"

As a loyal Naruto fan, Yang Ming had many things he wanted to do.

But first, he had to survive in this world.

He sat cross-legged beneath a tree and meditated for an entire day and night, just as the system had instructed!

Meanwhile, the testing at the orphanage soon came to an end. Some were delighted, some dejected, and some despairing—a full display of life's many moods.

"Alright, the test is over. Of the one hundred and fifty-six, one hundred have passed. The remaining fifty-six are passable as well. They may not be able to become ninjas, but they can still serve in logistics."

Gong Lizi, the orphanage director, announced.

Then she nodded toward the two sturdy children standing at the front.

"Guan Shang, Jin Cou, you two are the only ones among them who can sense chakra. Talent like yours can be considered genius-level. From now on, you will be their leaders, and they will all listen to you. Starting tomorrow, I will select some of you to study at the ninja academy, become ninjas as quickly as possible, and serve the village!"

"Yes, Director!"

The two remained composed, their faces bearing a calmness usually found only in adults. Mature beyond their years, they nodded.

"Mm."

Gong Lizi nodded approvingly, extremely satisfied with their performance. As for Yang Ming, who had left, she did not care in the slightest.

Let him leave. The orphanage would save on one person's expenses.

Then, she nodded toward a spot hidden in the darkness.

A shadow seemed to be standing there. It nodded back at her before vanishing in a flash.

Outside the orphanage, a middle-aged man knelt respectfully before an elderly man in his fifties.

"My lord, the testing has ended. This time, there are two with passable talent."

"Only two? Sigh. What a pity. The Grass Ninja Village is caught between two countries and suffers mistreatment from all sides, causing its talent pool to wither away. Still, two are better than none!"

At those words, immense disappointment appeared in the elderly man's eyes.

Then he shook his head and left directly.

Had anyone been present, they would certainly have cried out in surprise upon seeing the two men.

The elderly man was the current Grass Shadow, Asao Jun!

The middle-aged man was Shui Daiyi, the old man's foremost disciple, a man of noble status and great importance.

Yet they had come to the orphanage to observe the children's performances. Unfortunately, not a single one had satisfied them in the end.

Even the two geniuses chosen by Gong Lizi were dispensable in their eyes.

"We've been observing here all day, yet not a single one of these orphans has caught my eye."

The elderly man sighed and prepared to leave.

The two had spent an entire day searching the area, but there were almost none who met his standards.

Shui Daiyi sighed as well. The two returned the way they had come, passing by a large tree.

From a distance, they saw someone sitting cross-legged beneath it!

More precisely, it was a five-year-old child!

The two were briefly stunned, but then paid it no mind and continued onward.

He was only a child. There was nothing to make a fuss about!

"Hmm?"

Just as the two passed Yang Ming and were about to leave, the elderly man glanced over and suddenly noticed something unusual!

"My lord, what is it?"

Shui Daiyi could not help asking.

"I don't know if it's an illusion, but I sense an enormous amount of chakra!"

The elderly man's expression turned grave. As a jonin, his sensory abilities were extremely sharp, so he had immediately noticed the anomaly. Looking at Yang Ming, he spoke.