Hong Xuan nodded repeatedly. "Yeah. I have nowhere else to go anyway, and I'm sure plenty of interesting things will happen if I stay with you, so... I want to come along. Can I?"
Lin Feng considered it again, then said gently, "Sure. You can stay with us if you want. But I'm going to Yinyun City to study. You and Sarutobi probably won't be able to enter Yinyun Academy."
"What does that matter?" Hong Xuan said confidently. "Isn't the upper age limit for admission to every academy thirteen? I'm only twelve. With my talent, getting into Yinyun Academy will be a breeze."
Twenty-five days later.
Hong Xuan tested his talent at the Spirit-Test Shrine in Yinyun City. Seeing the fairly decent spiritual energy inside the Spirit-Test Ball, he thought his admission was already guaranteed.
But as soon as he took those results to Yinyun Academy, he was turned away.
"What the hell!" Hong Xuan shouted unhappily outside Yinyun Academy's gates. "My talent isn't enough to get into this lousy academy? Rigged! This has to be rigged!"
Lin Feng wore a faint, ambiguous smile. "Unless you belong to some influential family, in which case they might lower the admission requirements, your results at the Spirit-Test Shrine really aren't enough. After all, Yinyun Academy ranks second in the Beishang Kingdom."
"What am I supposed to do, then?" Hong Xuan asked unhappily. "Wait, you're from the Lin Family. Could you use your family's connections to get me in too?"
"No." Lin Feng shook his head. "You know roughly what my situation is. My father would love for me to die out here. Why would he help?"
"Then what am I supposed to do?" Hong Xuan asked dejectedly.
As he spoke, Hong Xuan turned to Orochimaru. "Sarutobi, where are you going next, and