Konoha Ninja Never Take the Usual Route

After lunch, Kyle remembered that Dumbledore seemed not to have assigned him a dormitory.

Kyle glanced at the pile of luggage on the floor beside the dining table and asked, "Professor, where is my dormitory?"

"I've already arranged your dormitory. You'll be staying with the Gryffindor students."

"Your name is on the doorplate. Just follow the Gryffindor students tonight, and you'll find the common room."

Following Kyle's gaze, Dumbledore noticed the pile of luggage beside them as well. "As for your luggage, I'll have the House-elves deliver it to your dormitory later."

"Thank you, Professor." Kyle pulled two textbooks from the pile. "I'll go to class first."

By the time the two left the kitchen, only about ten minutes remained before the first afternoon class.

Dumbledore thoughtfully asked Kyle whether he needed someone to show him the way.

Kyle felt he could manage on his own, so he declined Dumbledore's kind offer.

But the moment he left the kitchen and faced the labyrinthine structure of Hogwarts Castle, Kyle instantly regretted it.

Hogwarts had no fewer than one hundred and forty-two staircases.

Some were broad and grand; others were narrow, small, and wobbly.

Some led somewhere different every Friday.

On some, a step would suddenly vanish halfway up, and you had to remember exactly where to jump.

On top of that, the staircases constantly changed position.

Sometimes, you clearly meant to go down the corridor on the right, only for the stairs to carry you to the left halfway there.

There were also many doors. Unless you asked them politely to open, or poked exactly the right spot, they would not open for you.

Some doors were not doors at all, but solid walls that merely looked like doors.

Without a guide, Kyle felt that getting from here to the Charms classroom on the fourth floor within ten minutes would be a tall order.

Dumbledore stood beside him with a smiling expression, waiting for Kyle to ask for help.

But he had already talked himself up. How could he slap himself in the face now?

So Kyle gave up on taking the usual route.

Two minutes later, Kyle stood on the lawn outside the castle, sizing up its outer wall as if searching for something.

Dumbledore stood some distance away with his arms crossed, curious to see what astonishing stunt Kyle would pull.

The next second, Dumbledore's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Kyle sprinted straight at the castle wall. Just before reaching it, he kicked off hard with both legs, leaped high into the air, and began running along the wall.

To Kyle, the vertical wall was as easy to traverse as level ground.

Dumbledore: ???

What kind of magic was that?

If Kyle could have heard Dumbledore's thoughts, he would have said, Basic stuff. Don't make a fuss.

By attaching Chakra—magic power, in this case—to the soles of his feet, he could adhere tightly to an object's surface and climb vertical trees or rock faces. Any ninja in Konoha Village could do that.

Forget wall-climbing; he could even do the more advanced water-walking.

After imagining his magic as Chakra, the first things Kyle trained in were obviously tree-climbing and water-walking.

In Kyle's eyes, there was nothing worth showing off about it.

Before long, Kyle reached the fourth floor.

Clinging to the castle's outer wall, he searched through several windows before successfully spotting the Professor Flitwick Dumbledore had mentioned, the one who taught Charms.

Filius Flitwick had a very distinctive appearance. Strictly speaking, Professor Flitwick was not a pure-blooded human wizard.

He had some goblin ancestry, which was why his height was... difficult to describe.

Climbing through the window directly into the classroom did not seem like a good idea. Kyle did not want to become the center of attention on his first day at Hogwarts, so he abandoned that plan.

After climbing sideways for a while, Kyle jumped into an empty corridor and quickly found the door to the Charms classroom.

Just then, the crisp class bell rang. Kyle hurried into the classroom and took an empty seat near the back.

Professor Flitwick stood atop several books—otherwise the podium would have blocked him from view. After clearing his throat, he smiled at the young wizards and said, "Today, we'll be learning the Cutting Curse."

Professor Flitwick had noticed Grindelwald's Son when Kyle rushed into the classroom.

However, he did not alter his lesson plan because Kyle was sitting in. He continued according to the original schedule and began teaching the Cutting Curse.

Kyle quickly flipped the copy of Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 he had bought that morning to the appropriate page.

Professor Flitwick waved his wand, and a pile of little wooden sticks that had been placed on the podium earlier floated into the air. They flew precisely onto every student's desk, including Kyle's.

"I'll demonstrate once for everyone. Pay attention to the incantation and the hand movements."

Professor Flitwick recited the incantation for the Cutting Curse. Then, with a light flick of his wrist, the wooden stick before him snapped in two.

After explaining a few precautions and common beginner mistakes, Professor Flitwick announced that everyone could practice freely.

Kyle: ...

That was it?

What about the casting principles of the Cutting Curse?

How did magic power function during the cutting process?

How was the point of impact controlled while cutting?

He had explained nothing, and that was the end of it?

Kyle dubiously copied Professor Flitwick's movements, accurately recited the incantation, and waved his wand. Then...

The wooden stick in front of him did absolutely nothing.

After several more futile attempts, Kyle felt like a curly-haired baboon waving a stick around.

At that moment, the black-haired girl beside him suddenly turned around. "Hello, I'm Cho Chang."

Kyle paused. Judging from her appearance, she was Asian—most likely of Chinese descent.

Then her name should properly be pronounced Zhang Qiu.

Kyle had not expected to run into a fellow countrywoman here.

Although his current body belonged to a blond, blue-eyed Anglo-Saxon, his heart belonged to his homeland. No, wait—his heart was icy cold. No, that was not right either.

Suddenly, he had a bold idea.

"Chinese?"

Cho Chang nodded. "More accurately, I'm only of Chinese descent."

"Then do you know Chinese kung fu? Like Bruce Lee?" Kyle threw a few punches at the air in front of him.

Kyle was practically grinning from ear to ear inside.

In his previous life, whenever foreigners learned he was Chinese, the first thing they asked was whether he knew Chinese kung fu.

He had never expected that in this life, he would be the one asking someone else whether they knew Chinese kung fu.

Several dark lines seemed to drop across Cho Chang's forehead. She felt mildly offended.

After denying that she knew Chinese kung fu, Cho Chang finally asked what she had really wanted to ask.

"What is your relationship with Professor Dumbledore? I saw you in the Great Hall this morning, and you seemed very close to Professor Dumbledore."

Uh... that question...

Kyle wanted to know what relationship he had with Professor Dumbledore too.

By seniority, should he call Dumbledore Uncle or Great-Uncle?

Did that mean most of the professors at Hogwarts were his juniors?

Better to just tell her his surname and let her figure it out herself.

So Kyle held out his hand to Cho Chang. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Kyle Dumbledore."

Cho Chang let out an incredulous gasp.

"Dumbledore!" On Cho Chang's other side, a girl with reddish-gold curly hair turned around as well. "Dumbledore as in Professor Dumbledore's Dumbledore!?"

Well, he should have expected such a huge reaction.

"Hello, I'm Marietta Edgecombe, from Ravenclaw." She generously held out her hand.

Kyle was about to shake it when a cough sounded beside the three of them.