Fang Xu, meanwhile, remained steady from start to finish.
He finished reading that day's lessons, then went back over several points he had not fully understood before.
By the time the afternoon dismissal bell rang and Fang Xu closed his textbook, he had reached a clear judgment.
After his Mental Strength increased, his ability to learn had indeed undergone a qualitative change.
The change was unobtrusive, yet it excited him more than simply gaining another ninjutsu.
Kurenai Yuhi packed her schoolbag and looked at him.
"Fang Xu, see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
Fang Xu shouldered his schoolbag, said goodbye to Kurenai Yuhi, and left the Ninja Academy.
Konoha's streets bustled in the evening. Students headed home in twos and threes, the aroma of food drifted from roadside stalls, and occasionally a ninja swept across the rooftops.
Fang Xu was in no hurry to go home. He walked slowly, passing through two streets as usual.
But not long after leaving the Ninja Academy, he noticed something was wrong.
There were footsteps behind him, more than one set.
At first, those footsteps mingled with the crowd leaving school and were not obvious.
But when Fang Xu deliberately slowed down, those footsteps slowed too.
He stopped at a stall and pretended to browse. The others did not approach, but stopped at the street corner.
When he continued walking, they followed again.
Fang Xu glanced at a roadside shop's window.
In its reflection, he could vaguely make out three figures.
They were young, but all stood a little taller than him.
Following me?
Fang Xu's expression did not change, but inwardly, he grew cold.
Had they been ninja, he might not have noticed so quickly, but these fellows' footsteps were too disorderly, and they were far too poor at hiding.
The body's previous owner might not have noticed.
But with his Mental Strength doubled and the vigilance his past-life memories brought, the current Fang Xu could easily spot the irregularities.
They're after me.
They didn't act outside the school or on the street. Looks like they want somewhere deserted.
Fang Xu neither looked back nor shook them off outright.
He turned at an intersection and headed into a secluded alley nearby. Sure enough, the three behind him followed.
There were few pedestrians in the alley. The walls on either side were somewhat weathered, and several old wooden crates were piled on the ground.
Fang Xu reached the middle of the alley, stopped, and slowly turned around.
Three boys blocked the alley entrance. They looked eight or nine years old, but were considerably sturdier than Fang Xu.
The leader had a fleshy, brutish face. He spread his lips in a smug grin. "Fang Xu, you sure know how to pick a spot."
Fang Xu said calmly, "Aren't you tired after following me all this way?"
The lead thug's smile faltered, and the other two froze as well.
They had thought Fang Xu had noticed nothing, only to discover he had known all along.
"So what if you noticed?" The lead thug quickly resumed his vicious grin.
"You're just a civilian student with average grades. What can you possibly do?"
The one on the left chimed in, "Heard you had plenty to say at school today. You even dared embarrass Asuma."
Fang Xu looked at them. "Did Asuma send you?"
"Cut the crap!" the lead thug immediately denied it.
"This has nothing to do with Boss Asuma. We just don't like you!"
He claimed there was no connection, but the way he addressed Asuma had already given him away.
Fang Xu had a good idea of what was going on.
As impulsive as Asuma was, he was not stupid enough to hire street thugs to break a classmate's leg.
These three were most likely trying to curry favor with the Third Hokage's son and had come looking for trouble, thinking themselves clever.
The lead thug stepped forward and clenched his fists.
"We're going to teach you a lesson today. We'll break one of your legs so you'll stay away from people you shouldn't get close to."
The other two closed in as well. The three blocked his escape, their faces filled with the excitement of bullying the weak.
To them, Fang Xu was just a good-looking Ninja Academy student with average grades.
He usually kept a low profile. Someone like that would fall into line after a beating.
Fang Xu stood where he was without retreating. He had not wanted to reveal the Rumble-Rumble Fruit in the village.
But now that they had threatened to break his leg, hiding his abilities and taking a beating would be stupid.
No big moves, no Elementalization. The bare minimum of lightning to strengthen his body would be enough.
Fine currents coursed through his body.
Rather than being released as an attack, they rapidly stimulated his muscles and nerves.
His arms, legs, waist, and back-in an instant, Fang Xu felt his body grow lighter.
The movements around him seemed a beat slower as well.
Lightning Activation!
The lead thug had just raised his fist when his vision suddenly blurred.
Fang Xu moved.
He formed no Hand Seals and wasted no words. With a push of his foot, he shot straight toward the lead thug.
He was too fast.
So fast that before his opponent's vicious grin had faded, Fang Xu's fist was already closing in on his chin.
Blue-white lightning flashed across his fist.
Bang!
The punch landed solidly.
The lead thug's head snapped back. He spat a mouthful of blood, and two teeth flew out with it.
Lightning surged from the fist into his body.
He flew backward off his feet, slammed hard into the wall, then fell to the ground.
His body twitched twice before he passed out on the spot.
The alley instantly fell silent.
The smug expressions froze on the other two thugs' faces.
The one on the left stood with his mouth hanging open, unable to close it for a long moment.
The one on the right still held his hand out to grab someone, but his legs had already begun to weaken.
"H-how is that possible?"
"Aren't your grades average?"
They had not even seen how Fang Xu struck.
One moment, they had their target surrounded; the next, he had sent their boss flying with a single punch.
Their boss was the best fighter of the three, yet he had not withstood even one blow.
Fang Xu shook his hand, tiny arcs still dancing at his fingertips.
"Still want to fight?"
The two thugs exchanged a look, their expressions ugly.
They were scared, but they had already made their move. If they turned and ran now, how would they ever show their faces again?
"Don't be scared! There's only one of him!"
The thug on the left gritted his teeth and charged, punching toward Fang Xu's shoulder. The one on the right lunged in too, kicking at Fang Xu's shin.
One attacked high and the other low. Their coordination was nothing sophisticated, but it would indeed have been somewhat troublesome for an ordinary student.
But under Lightning Activation, they were far too slow.
Fang Xu turned sideways to avoid the incoming fist, then shifted his feet, letting the kick just graze his trouser leg.
The next instant, lightning lit up both his fists at once.
"Lightning Fist: Two-Strike Combo."
The first punch slammed into the left thug's abdomen.
Bang!
The boy doubled over like a shrimp and flew backward into the wooden crates, knocking a whole cluster of them over.
He clutched his stomach and tried to scream, but could only retch. His body was numb from the electricity, and he could not even crawl to his feet.
The second punch followed immediately, slamming into the right thug's chest.
Lightning burst outward.
As though struck by a staff, he flew off his feet, then slid down the wall with his back against it and sat trembling on the ground.
In just a few breaths, all three were down.
Fang Xu stood where he was, breathing slightly harder.
Lightning Activation consumed a fair amount of energy, but far less than Elementalization or Thunder Bird.
It was just right for dealing with opponents at this level.
The two thugs who were still conscious looked at him, their faces filled with nothing but terror.
"L-Lightning Release?"
"No, you didn't form Hand Seals!"
"What kind of monster are you?"