He soon arrived home. Haku was sitting in the living room, his little head nodding. He was clearly exhausted, yet he was still waiting for him.
Warmth filled Zhou Cheng's heart. Haku had always been so gentle with him:
"Haku, I'm back. No extra training tonight. Let's save our strength-we've got a big battle tomorrow!"
"Okay!" Haku answered, nodding as he stood and headed to his room.
Early the next morning, Zhou Cheng got up bright and early as usual.
His body clock was already set, and he woke at roughly the same time every day.
Haku had risen even earlier and was already warming up in the courtyard.
Zhou Cheng took Haku on their usual run around the village. Along the way, they ran into Guy and Rock Lee, who were also doing laps.
Seeing how hard Zhou Cheng worked despite his immense talent, Guy's eyes filled with approval and affection.
If he couldn't make a child like this his student, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
Determination filled Guy's eyes. He had to-absolutely had to-take him as his student!
After their run, Zhou Cheng and Haku returned home, washed up, and had some breakfast.
Then they headed out for school.
The match against Neji would take place on the school's main field.
Just outside the door, they spotted Naruto wearing a sunny smile.
Hinata stood with her head slightly lowered, alongside Ino, who already carried herself like a confident older girl.
"You're all here!"
Zhou Cheng smiled and greeted them.
Since Zhou Cheng and Haku usually sent Shadow Clones to class, something Naruto and the others knew, everyone normally went to school separately.
So this was Zhou Cheng's first time going to school with them.
They chatted and laughed along the way, all tacitly avoiding the subject of the match. None of them wanted to put too much pressure on Zhou Cheng.
His opponent was Neji, after all—a genius who had started training in Taijutsu at three and had long since been capable of Early Graduation.
He was also known as the most gifted person in the Hyuga Clan's history.
With his Byakugan and Gentle Fist, which targeted the body's acupoints, even an ordinary Chunin would have to take him completely seriously.
Before long, they arrived at school.
The students and teachers arriving alongside them pointed and whispered, most wearing mocking, disdainful expressions.
How could their village's acknowledged genius lose to an outsider, especially when the two had years of difference in training?
That outsider was actually naive enough to challenge Neji. Was his head full of water?
Zhou Cheng knew those people were talking about him.
Hinata and Ino kept stealing glances at Zhou Cheng's expression, worried he wouldn't be able to take it.
Ino even took Zhou Cheng's hand, hoping to offer him some comfort.
Anger crossed Naruto's face, and he was about to confront them. They were bad-mouthing his friend, and with his temperament, there was no way he could stand that.
But Zhou Cheng caught him and shook his head:
"Calm down, Naruto. There's no need!"
"Respect is earned through your own strength, not through arguments!"
Then he turned to Hinata and Ino, smiling and nodding to reassure them.
As they walked to the field, everyone they passed stopped to look at them, then gathered in little groups to point and whisper about Zhou Cheng.
Many people were already standing on the field, divided into two clearly distinct groups.
The larger group consisted of ordinary students and civilian Shinobi, who had only come to watch the spectacle.
The smaller group consisted of children and elders from the major clans, along with the village's Jonin.
Zhou Cheng recognized representatives from the Hyuga Clan, Yamanaka Clan, Akimichi Clan, Nara Clan, and other prominent clans.
Naturally, they had come for the sake of the major clans' reputations.
If the genius they touted lost to an outsider of civilian birth, it wouldn't be just the Hyuga Clan's reputation that suffered.
Konoha's clans were largely allied and linked through marriage. They rose and fell together.
Yet there was no trace of concern on their faces. Instead, they chatted and laughed, looking completely relaxed.
Zhou Cheng wanted to beat Neji?
What a joke!
So what if Third-sama had called Zhou Cheng a genius?
Talent took time to become strength. Zhou Cheng had only trained for a month so far, and he wanted to catch up with Neji's seven years of hard work?
Only an idiot would believe that!
The Jonin, meanwhile, wanted a little entertainment to help them unwind amid the endless killing.
As Jonin, they knew better than anyone that turning talent into strength required a great deal of time spent training.
Otherwise, talent was just talent, and a single Kunai from an enemy could still kill you!
Zhou Cheng had trained for far too little time. He had only just entered the world of Shinobi, and his talent hadn't had a chance to become strength.
Guy and Kakashi, however, were eagerly anticipating Zhou Cheng's performance.
They wanted to see how long Zhou Cheng could last against Neji.
Kakashi held up five fingers. "Five minutes!"
Guy shook his head in disagreement. "I'd say ten minutes!"
"If I win, you have to face me in a fated showdown!"
Guy grinned, revealing a mouthful of gleaming white teeth.
Kakashi simply rolled his eyes and ignored him.
Zhou Cheng walked onto the Match Arena alone.
Naruto and the others joined their classmates.
Choji Akimichi, who was constantly munching on the snacks in his hands, walked over to his good friend Naruto:
"Naruto, can he win?"
Before Naruto could answer, another voice came from his other side:
"No way. Neji is definitely the strongest out of all of us. Even Sasuke is no match for him."
Naruto turned to look. It was another of his good friends, Shikamaru Nara.
Shikamaru rested both hands behind his head and yawned:
"He actually made such a huge fuss. What a drag. I just want to go back to the classroom and sleep!"
Sakura, with her wide forehead, stood beside Sasuke, her face full of disdain:
"Seriously, even someone as handsome and talented as Sasuke can't beat Neji."
"An outsider like him actually dares to challenge Neji? What an idiot!"
Naturally, Ino, who liked Zhou Cheng, couldn't stand someone insulting the boy she adored. She pointed at Sakura and snapped:
"Wide Forehead, what did you say?"
"You're the idiot! And a useless pretty face, too!"
"You should be secretly celebrating that I've given up on Sasuke!"
"You only get a chance with the boys I don't want!"
Sakura's little face flushed red with anger, her chest heaving:
"You... you..."
She couldn't get anything else out for ages.
She looked to Sasuke for help, only to discover that he hadn't looked at her at all. His gaze had remained fixed on the person standing in the Match Arena.
Sakura wanted to say more, but the noisy crowd suddenly fell silent.
Neji walked onto the field in his training clothes.
His expression was indifferent, and all the spectators cleared a path for him.
With the confidence of a genius, Neji strode onto the Match Arena, then raised his eyes to Zhou Cheng across from him:
"A genius? I'm the true genius!"
"You're destined to be weak, and the weak must accept their fate!"
"Only those with enough talent can control their own destiny!"
Zhou Cheng smiled, his smile bright and sunny:
"Is that so?"
"At first, I only wanted to study hard and become a Shinobi who could serve Konoha."
"But some people are far too hostile to outsiders!"
"They've used the label of genius to force you and me into this match!"
"Regardless of who wins or loses, they won't lose a thing."
"Kindness makes you an easy target. I used to be far too naive."
"Today, I'll show them what a true genius is."
At those words, the entire field fell silent.
Quite a few people's expressions changed instantly.