Enrollment! Shuriken Release Mastery

At Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto Uzumaki expertly lifted the curtain and led Tianming inside. "Uncle, three bowls of Ichiraku Ramen!"

"Brat Naruto, are they your friends?" The squinting uncle replied as he started cooking the noodles.

"I guess so." Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Uncle, can I put it on credit? I'll pay you at the end of the month!"

The uncle's hands never paused as he prepared the ramen. "No problem."

"How about I pay?" Hinata asked softly. Compared to war orphans, the Hyuga Clan was a major family. Hinata could be considered a little rich girl.

"How can a man let a girl pay? No, no!" Naruto refused. "Don't worry. I sometimes deliver newspapers and milk for people. I'll have money."

"Hinata, we should trust Naruto." Just as Hinata was about to speak, Tianming persuaded her otherwise.

Naruto Uzumaki was someone who valued relationships deeply. People like that were exactly the kind worth becoming close friends with.

"Tianming's right!" Naruto Uzumaki said as he took the ramen and set it before the two of them. "Ichiraku Ramen is the best food I've ever eaten. Hurry and try it, especially the soup—it's absolutely incredible!"

Naruto did not need to explain any further. Tianming immediately dug in. After all, he had been curious about this ramen shop, "Ōtsutsuki Ichiraku," ever since watching the anime in his previous life.

"Thanks for the meal!" Naruto split apart his chopsticks, said a quick prayer, and began wolfing down the ramen.

Tianming and Naruto ate as if they were competing, their faces buried in their bowls as they slurped away with great enthusiasm. Hinata, meanwhile, ate far more gracefully.

Three minutes later, Tianming and Naruto finished their entire bowls of ramen at almost the same time.

"Uncle, thanks for the meal!"

Full and satisfied, the three left Ichiraku Ramen and headed for the Ninja Academy.

"Tianming, you're so strong. How come I don't remember seeing you at school before?" Along the way, Naruto Uzumaki had already become familiar with Tianming.

"Because it'll be my first time going to school," Tianming answered.

"Your first time?" Naruto Uzumaki clearly found that hard to believe. Tianming's beating of Kameda was still fresh in his mind.

Naruto himself was terrible at chakra control. When he used the Shadow Clone Technique, the clone he produced was only half-dead and lifeless, cementing his reputation as the dead last.

"Because I couldn't sense chakra before, I naturally couldn't enter the Ninja Academy." Tianming did not hide anything.

"What?" Naruto Uzumaki was greatly shocked. Then he slapped his forehead. "I remember now. You're that iron waste everyone talks about, the one they said would never be able to sense chakra for the rest of his life. I remember you. You're pretty close with Rock Lee."

"If you couldn't sense chakra, Tianming, things must have been really hard for you." Hinata could not understand their circumstances. After all, the Hyuga Clan was practically like nobility, especially Hinata, who had already awakened the White Eye. She stood above others.

"It was okay." Tianming had not really been bullied. The kids at the Ninja Academy did not know many ninjutsu, nor had they fully mastered chakra release, so even if they fought, Tianming could charge right in.

"Ding! Mission activated. Please proceed to the Ninja Academy within the time limit to complete the check-in mission."

"Complete the check-in to receive a system reward!"

The system's voice sounded silently in his mind. The Ninja Academy? It was right on the way.

"Tianming, what's wrong?" Seeing Tianming lost in thought, Hinata could not help asking with concern.

"I'm fine. I just think that if we don't pick up the pace, we might be late."

The three jogged all the way to the Ninja Academy. It was the start of the new school year, and quite a few parents stood at the entrance seeing their children off to school.

"Naruto, Hinata, you two go in first." Tianming stopped at the school gate.

"Okay." Naruto Uzumaki did not ask further. But after running a few steps, he suddenly turned back. "Tianming, you're one of the few friends I, Naruto Uzumaki, have. We're both war orphans, so don't worry. If you run into trouble at school, I'll watch your back!"

Tianming answered with a smile. Naruto might have misunderstood him. He thought Tianming would have to start from the first year and had simply taken him for a junior.

Still, it felt pretty good to hear. Naruto was that kind of person—warmhearted.

"Check-in location reached. Beginning check-in mission!"

"Ten-second countdown. Leaving midway will result in mission failure!"

"Check-in successful. Reward: Shuriken Release (Mastery)"

The ten seconds passed in the blink of an eye. When Tianming opened his eyes again, he had completely mastered the use of long-range ninja tools such as shuriken, kunai, and darts.

After gathering himself, Tianming entered the Ninja Academy and headed for the principal's office.