You Don't Need to Apply

From atop the stone wall, Ling Feng looked down.

The system's voice rang out in his mind.

"Ding! Gained 260 points!"

"Ding! Mission completed. Reward: 200 points!"

Only then did Ling Feng smile in satisfaction.

He now had a total of 410 points.

For Ling Feng, points determined the upper limit of his strength. The more points he had, the more things he could redeem.

Just then, the teachers arrived.

They frantically used the Body Flicker Technique, bringing the frightened students down from the stone walls one after another.

In the end, only Ling Feng remained atop the wall, with twenty teachers standing around him.

"Ling Feng, what did you do to Obito?" the practical training teacher in charge of his class shouted.

Ling Feng gave a faint smile, his gaze resting on the water filling the space enclosed by the stone walls.

Before long, someone slowly floated to the surface.

The practical training teacher recognized Obito at a glance and hurriedly called his colleagues over to rescue him.

"Riiing..."

It was time for school to let out.

The sky had taken on a yellowish hue. Dusk had arrived.

On the training grounds, the teachers gathered to figure out how to remove the enormous stone walls. They wanted to restore the grounds as quickly as possible, or the other classes' practical training sessions would have to be postponed.

Ling Feng glanced indifferently at the training grounds, then turned and left.

When he reached the school gates, Ling Feng saw many parents waiting for their children. There were far more than usual, almost as many as on the first day of school.

The reason was simple: news of the major incident at the Ninja Academy had already spread.

But under orders from the school and Konoha High Command, the actual cause had not been disclosed, setting all of Konoha abuzz with speculation.

Had it been an enemy attack?

Then why hadn't an alarm been raised?

Or had something happened within the school? Had a teacher attacked a student?

That would be a very serious offense.

But no matter what anyone imagined, no one would have guessed that a five-year-old child had caused all of this.

As Ling Feng left, he saw that Kurenai Yuhi's and Rin Nohara's parents had come too. He said nothing and simply turned away.

The two girls surely wanted to say something to Ling Feng, but this was no time for a chat.

Ling Feng still did not know how the Third Hokage would handle what had happened that day.

Back home, Ling Feng stood in the middle of his room, his expression slightly dark.

"Come out. Don't make me force you."

Ling Feng's voice was icy. He hated being followed, and hated people entering his home without permission even more.

In this world, Ling Feng had no family. This home of less than ten square meters was his last refuge.

Small as it was, it was his own private world.

With a soft sigh, Minato Namikaze appeared before Ling Feng.

"How did you notice me?"

Ling Feng put down his schoolbag and sat on the edge of the bed. "The moment I stepped through the door. This place is too small. Having someone else's presence in here is irritating."

Minato Namikaze scratched his head helplessly. "You've lived alone since you were little. Don't you wish you had someone to keep you company?"

"So you're planning to move in?" Ling Feng asked flatly.

That left Minato Namikaze stunned.

"Well... no, that's not what I meant." Minato Namikaze hurriedly shook his head.

Then Ling Feng smiled. "Besides, you're not a woman. Otherwise, I might consider it."

Minato Namikaze was utterly dumbfounded.

Was this really a five-year-old child?

But the information in his file was unmistakable.

Ling Feng had grown up in Konoha and had never been in contact with anyone suspicious.

"If you have something to say, say it. If not, please leave. I need to rest."

Ling Feng looked at Minato Namikaze, his face expressionless.

Despite himself, Minato Namikaze grew serious too.

This child... I can't read him at all!

"It's nothing much, really. I just wanted to remind you to apologize to Asuma and Obito when you get the chance."

Minato Namikaze spoke after a brief silence.

Hearing that, Ling Feng immediately got up and opened the door.

"I need to rest."

Minato Namikaze was dumbstruck. This kid really doesn't take me seriously at all!

Fine, then. You can face the consequences yourself!

Watching Minato Namikaze leave in a huff, Ling Feng smiled.

Apologize?

You've got to be kidding me!

I already did them a huge favor by letting them live, didn't I?

As for the consequences, Ling Feng was actually looking forward to them.

In this world, anyone who made a name for himself inevitably rose over countless bones.

Whether they were enemies or people from the same village, anyone who opposed him would become another set of bones beneath his feet!

After Minato Namikaze left, Ling Feng did not get ready for bed. Instead, he began his training for the night.

With a sage body and god-tier talent, he had all the more reason to train hard.

After leaving, Minato Namikaze turned to look back from a tall building.

The constant fluctuations of chakra coming from that little house made Minato Namikaze's heart grow heavier and heavier.

"That kid will become the greatest genius in Konoha's history... but how can someone that powerful be kept under control?"

With another soft sigh, Minato Namikaze disappeared.

"Ding! Gained 10 points."

Ling Feng smiled. Praise from a Kage-level powerhouse really did earn him more points.

He now had 420 points in total.

Ling Feng glanced at the exchange shop. The basic byakugan and basic sage body cost 500 points each, the intermediate versions cost 5,000, and the advanced versions cost 50,000.

With another 80 points, he could redeem a basic version.

As for which one he would choose, that would depend on the circumstances.

In short, he still needed to leave the Ninja Academy as soon as possible.

Earning points at school was too slow.

Ling Feng was even hoping the Shinobi World War would hurry up and begin.

It would happen sooner or later anyway. The sooner it started, the sooner it would end.

The rest of the night passed uneventfully. Early the next morning, Ling Feng quickly washed up, fried himself a pancake, and headed out.

Only to find Kakashi at his door.

Ling Feng knew Kakashi was an orphan, just like him.

"After that major incident at school, the parents are all worried. Kurenai Yuhi and Rin Nohara probably won't be able to come over for a while."

Kakashi did not know what to say, so he offered that remark.

Ling Feng laughed when he heard it. "I can understand those two waiting outside my door, but I can't figure out why you're doing it too. Don't tell me you also..."

Kakashi's expression stiffened, and he waved his hands repeatedly. "Of course not! I came to tell you what I've been thinking."

"Okay, go ahead." Ling Feng had only been joking.

"I'm planning to apply for early graduation. There's nothing left for me to learn at school," Kakashi said.

Ling Feng nodded. "Sure. I'll apply with you."

And so the two went to school and brought it up with their homeroom teacher during the morning meeting.

Everyone in the class was stunned. They had only been enrolled for a year, and they were already applying for early graduation?

But the homeroom teacher gave Ling Feng a meaningful look and said, "Ling Feng, you don't need to apply."