The first was, naturally, the Purple-Haired ANBU assigned to monitor them.
During the day, Zhou Cheng and Haku were at school.
The ANBU did not watch them too closely there, but once they left the school gates...
She would appear immediately and resume her surveillance.
Now, seeing both of them successfully perform a D-Rank ninjutsu on their first attempt, her beautiful eyes widened behind her mask.
She was clearly stunned.
I've heard about what happened at school, too. So far, they've succeeded on their first attempt at every ninjutsu they've learned.
The Hidden Mist Technique isn't difficult, but it still poses quite a challenge for children.
These two kids have frightening talent!
If that boy named Zhou Cheng can keep improving at this rate...
Maybe he really could defeat Neji in a month.
In the courtyard of Zhou Cheng's home.
Zhou Cheng and Haku opened the second Water Release ninjutsu scroll.
Going from D-Rank to C-Rank meant a steep increase in learning difficulty.
This was hardly as simple as one plus one equaling two.
After reading it, the two stared at each other blankly.
In the end, Zhou Cheng moved first.
He walked to the most spacious part of the courtyard.
His relaxed expression vanished as he formed hand seals.
"Water Release-Water Shark Bullet Technique!"
A large volume of water appeared, rapidly forming a shark around Zhou Cheng.
Then the water shark slid forward a short distance, carrying Zhou Cheng with it.
Finally, Zhou Cheng could no longer sustain it with his chakra.
The water shark burst into countless droplets that flowed across the courtyard.
Zhou Cheng took a deep breath. He could feel that his chakra was nearly depleted, and he could not help thinking to himself.
Just two ninjutsu, and I'm already out of chakra. Looks like I'll have to work on molding chakra every day!
And I'll need to train my body daily, too. Relying on talent original liquid alone is still too slow!
Chakra comes from combining cellular energy with spiritual energy.
Physical fitness also affects the upper limit of chakra reserves.
Next, Haku also tried performing the Water Shark Bullet Technique.
"Water Release-Water Shark Bullet Technique."
Everything remained silent. Not even a trace of Water Release energy appeared.
I really failed this time!
My talent is still far too weak compared to Brother Zhou Cheng's.
Haku lowered his hands and bowed his head in dejection.
Zhou Cheng patted his shoulder.
"Don't be discouraged. This was only your first try. If it doesn't work, try a second time, then a third. You'll succeed eventually."
"I just got lucky."
Zhou Cheng's words nearly made Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Generation, choke to death on smoke from his Dry Pipe as he watched through the Crystal Ball.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
"You little brat, those words really know how to twist the knife!"
Once his breathing settled and he stopped coughing...
He stared intently at Zhou Cheng in the Crystal Ball.
"He succeeded with a C-Rank ninjutsu on his first try, too. That talent rivals even my teacher, the Second Hokage!"
"I hope this boy won't disappoint me when it comes to perfecting Genjutsu Interrogation."
Meanwhile, in the courtyard of Zhou Cheng's home.
Zhou Cheng and Haku had stopped practicing. They sat together in meditation, molding chakra.
They had only learned to mold chakra a day ago. After performing two ninjutsu, neither had enough chakra left to perform a third.
Half an hour passed, and Zhou Cheng felt his chakra reserves return to their peak.
They had even increased slightly.
He turned to look beside him and found Haku still meditating.
He could not help wondering.
My chakra reserves should be about the same as Haku's.
I've fully recovered, but Haku is still molding chakra.
Could top-tier chakra control talent make molding chakra faster, too?
Puzzled, and unwilling to disturb Haku...
He continued meditating as well, despite the sun having set long ago.
There were no lights lit in their courtyard, so everything around them was pitch-black.
Another half hour passed.
Haku opened his eyes and looked around.
He realized it was nearly the middle of the night.
His brow furrowed slightly.
He looked apologetically toward Zhou Cheng.
He found that Zhou Cheng was also meditating.
As though sensing his gaze, Zhou Cheng opened his eyes, too.
"Haku, how do you feel? Has your chakra recovered?"
Haku nodded, looking a little embarrassed.
"I didn't realize so much time would pass while I was meditating. It must be the middle of the night by now!"
Zhou Cheng shook his head to show that it was fine, then asked the question on his mind.
"It's been about an hour. Did your chakra just recover, or did it increase?"
Haku carefully assessed his chakra reserves.
"They've only returned to their peak. If I want to increase them, I'll have to keep molding chakra!"
Zhou Cheng was delighted to hear that.
So top-tier chakra control talent really does increase the speed of chakra molding.
I returned to peak condition in the first half hour, then increased the upper limit of my chakra reserves in the second.
I now have about a third more chakra than before.
With my current chakra reserves, performing three C-Rank ninjutsu should be no problem.
Zhou Cheng looked at Haku and tilted his head toward the house.
"It's too late. Let's head inside!"
Haku nodded in agreement and followed Zhou Cheng back into the house.
They sat at the table, and Zhou Cheng poured Haku a cup of water.
"Starting tomorrow, we'll send shadow clones to attend school while our real bodies stay home to train."
"We're both pressed for time."
"Only by gaining powerful strength in a short time can we establish ourselves in Konoha."
"We'll need to get up early in the morning and train our bodies first."
"Then we'll have some breakfast and practice ninjutsu until our chakra runs out."
"After that, we'll meditate to mold chakra, then go back to practicing ninjutsu once we've recovered."
"Only by repeatedly exhausting our chakra and molding it again can we increase it as quickly as possible."
"And our proficiency with ninjutsu will improve, too."
Haku's eyes lit up as he listened.
"That's Brother Zhou Cheng for you! Right now, this is the best method for us!"
Then they washed up and lay down in their respective beds, ready to sleep.
But just then...
Two figures suddenly appeared in their room.
"Who's there?"
Zhou Cheng shouted and sprang out of bed.
Before he could react, a large hand reached for his face.
He immediately formed the simplest hand seal.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Poof!
An identical Zhou Cheng appeared in the room.
The intruder visibly froze for a moment. He clearly had not expected a child to react like that under these circumstances.
Zhou Cheng's shadow clone met the hand reaching for him.
The real Zhou Cheng immediately crouched and flung his blanket at the intruder, blocking his vision.
Then he raced to the window, opened it, and jumped out.
Anyone who could appear in their room without a sound was far stronger than they were.
If he tried to save Haku now, they would very likely both be caught.
The only thing he could do now was find a ninja on night patrol.
The instant his feet touched the ground, he saw someone already standing in the courtyard.
At that moment, Zhou Cheng also received the information from his dispelled shadow clone.
"Trying to run, brat?"
The moment the man finished speaking, his figure flickered, and he appeared right in front of Zhou Cheng.
The Body Flicker Technique!
Zhou Cheng's eyes narrowed.
With a Body Flicker Technique that fast, his opponent definitely possessed Jonin-level strength.
Then Zhou Cheng's gaze turned fierce.
His hands flew through hand seals so quickly that they left afterimages.
Seeing the speed of Zhou Cheng's hand seals, the man visibly faltered.
"Such fast hand seals."
"Water Release-Water Shark Bullet Technique!"