I, Konoha Genin, Am Nearing the End of My Life?

Year 60 of Konoha, Spring.

The old smoked meats on Hokage Rock were not yet fully illuminated by the sunlight, and Konoha Village was sinking into a hazy gray mist.

On this morning that should have belonged to the hustle, Ye Tian was shaken awake right on time by the pressure in his lungs.

"Cough... Cough-cough-cough!"

He hunched his waist, sitting on that creaking single bed, coughing heart-rendingly as if he were about to spit those unpromising lungs directly onto the mottled wall plaster.

He tremblingly grabbed a white handkerchief to cover his mouth, his complexion as pale as a specimen just fished out of formaldehyde.

Anyone who looked would sigh: what a pity for this child, he won't live past the opening credits.

Yet, at the moment of lowering his head, Ye Tian's eyes, hidden beneath his messy bangs, were frighteningly clear and bright.

He calculated the exact instant when a wisp of purple Qi rose in the east, taking a deep breath.

A rhythm entirely different from the refining of "chakra" pulsated within his body.

That was cultivation.

Compared to the "suicidal" energy of ninjas that squeezed cells and over-drew spirit, the feeling of spiritual energy entering the body was like drinking a cold cola in the desert, refreshing every single pore.

"Hah..."

Ye Tian steadied his breathing, a sickly flush welling up on his originally pale face, which he quickly suppressed with sheer willpower.

"Chakra, dogs don't even practice that shit."

He sneered inwardly. Having transmigrated for five years, he had long seen through the essence of this world—this was a pay-to-win paradise of leaning on ancestors and bloodlines. Hard work was not only useless here, it actually made you die faster.

Refining chakra? That was being tired of living.

Cultivating immortals to seek longevity, now that was high-tier gaming.

He gently nudged his sea of consciousness.

[Longevity Cultivation System]
[Host: Ye Tian]
[Realm: Qi Refinement Stage Three]
[Lifespan: 16/120 years]
[Current Status: Sickly (100% disguise)]

Looking at the data on the panel, Ye Tian habitually complained: "120 years... in a shinobi world where the average lifespan is only around thirty, I can also be considered an old turtle."

He directly ignored the "Tribulation Warning" line at the bottom of the system panel.

In a place like Konoha where control freaks and research maniacs were everywhere, if you didn't lay low, were you waiting to be caught by Danzo for dissection, casually stuffing a curse mark into your brain to be worshipped like a memorial tablet?

"Qi Refinement Stage Three, equivalent to a veteran Genin's chakra pool. But when it really comes to fighting, my methods can let them know what dimensional reduction is."

He clenched his fist, then quickly relaxed it.

"No rush, before Foundation Establishment, I am the frailest kid in Konoha."

Ye Tian walked over to the mirror.

That face in the mirror was shockingly handsome, but that translucent skin and melancholy gaze made him look more like a young noble aristocrat who could die of a broken heart at any moment.

He skillfully took out a special "pale foundation," reapplied a layer on his lips, and only nodded with satisfaction when he confirmed he looked like a walking lawsuit for wrongful death.

"Handsomeness is the original sin, weakness is the protective color."

Pushing open the door, the streets of Konoha were already bustling.

Ye Tian tightly wrapped himself in a trench coat that seemed exceptionally heavy in the spring, walking slowly, clinging to the base of the wall every two steps as if discussing the philosophy of life with the pavement.

"Look, it's Ye Tian again, his face as pale as a ghost."

"What a pity, if he could live a little longer, I'd really want to recruit him back to be my son-in-law."

"What are you thinking, the doctor says he won't live past twenty. This kind of 'disposable' handsome guy is only for looking, not for using."

Listening to the gossip of the aunts by the roadside, Ye Tian felt no ripples in his heart.

He even wanted to tip them—this persona was set way too solidly.

Passing by the Yamanaka Flower Shop, the wind chimes rang crisply.

A pale-yellow-haired girl carrying a bunch of cosmos flowers bumped out. Ino Yamanaka, at twelve years of age, though her chest was only beginning to show some scale, that youthful and energetic vibe was already enough to grab eyeballs.

She spotted Ye Tian at a glance, who was leaning against the wall and on the verge of collapsing.

"Ye Tian?"

As the class's top lookism enthusiast, Ino's feelings for Ino were complicated: on one hand, she drooled over his face; on the other hand, she disdained his constitution, which was even worse than a stray cat on the side of the road.

"Mm... Ino, morning."

Ye Tian turned his head, his gaze scattered just right, and before he finished speaking, his body suddenly staggered.

"Hey!"

Ino gasped, her body instinctively rushing forward to catch Ye Tian's arm.

Soft fragrance filled his embrace.

Although she was only twelve, the proper curves were already beginning to restlessly remind him of the opposite sex. Ye Tian took advantage of the momentum to press half his weight onto Ino's shoulder, his cheek brushing against the strands of hair at her neck in an imperceptible way.

"Sorry... low blood sugar."

His voice was faint, carrying a hint of warm breath that teased Ino's ear.

Ino only felt half her body go a bit numb, and the words she originally intended to complain about died on her lips. Looking at that face close at hand, breathtakingly beautiful yet incomparably fragile, her annoyance instantly turned into sympathy.

"Honestly, why are you even taking the exam with a body like this?" Ino muttered, fishing a Soldier Pill out of her pouch and shoving it into his hand. "Hurry up and eat it, don't die in the testing grounds."

"Thanks, you really are a... good person."

Ye Tian took the pill and steadied himself with Ino's help. He looked at Ino's small face, which carried a mix of concern and hesitation, thinking that besides her fiery temper, this girl felt quite nice to hold.

"I can walk slowly, don't let me hold you up."

Watching Ye Tian's frail-looking back, Ino stamped her foot where she stood, a fit of scratching tormenting her heart.

If Sasuke could be as gentle as him... No, if he could just be as strong as Sasuke, even half as much would do!

Ninja Academy training ground.

The clamor of the crowd formed a sharp contrast with the quietness here.

On the swing set, Naruto Uzumaki was lowering his head to count ants. Within a three-meter radius around him was a vacuum zone, and those looks of disgust and fear isolated him like a wall.

"That's the Demon Fox..."

"Stay away from him, bad luck."

Just when Naruto felt the whole world had abandoned him, a dark figure slowly shuffled over to his side.

Ye Tian leaned against a tree trunk, let out a long breath, and sat down with a thud on the grass beside Naruto.

The distance was less than thirty centimeters.

Naruto was stunned, his eyes behind his goggles wide round. "Ye... Ye Tian? You're sitting this close to me, they'll..."

"Shut up."

Ye Tian closed his eyes, leaning against the tree, his voice weak. "I'm tired, there aren't as many noisy people here, let me rest a while."

The corners of Naruto's eyes turned red. He felt that this buddy Ye Tian was truly righteous, still willing to accompany him at a time like this.

However, Ye Tian's inner monologue at that moment was:

Damn, this fox smell... is amazing!

In his perception, Naruto was no Demon Fox at all; this was simply a humanoid, high-power wireless charging station!

Those Nine-Tails Chakra overflows caused by the loosening seal carried a violent Fire Attribute. To ninjas, it was poison, but to Ye Tian, who was running the Five Elements Longevity Scripture, this was a tenfold-speed experience pack!

He frantically circulated his technique, filtering out all of those unsettling negative energies, leaving only the purest energy to pour into his meridians.

The bottleneck of the third layer of Qi Refinement actually began to loosen.

He felt the cells throughout his body cheering, that warm current piercing through his disguise of "weakness," making him feel so good he almost let out a moan.

I'll have to keep a close eye on this power bank from now on. Whoever dares to touch Naruto is messing with my electricity bill!

"Ye Tian, Naruto, come in for the exam!"

Iruka shouted from the classroom doorway.

Ye Tian opened his eyes, standing up from the "energy field" with some reluctance.

"Let's go, loser."

"I am not a loser! I'm the man who's going to become Hokage!" Naruto instantly recovered his HP, trotting happily behind Ye Tian and guarding this "friend who would fall over in the wind" like a loyal hound.

The corners of Ye Tian's mouth ticked upward slightly.

This script of Konoha seemed to be getting more and more interesting.