Team 8!

Ye Chuan sat on the ground resting, seemingly with his eyes closed in repose, but his awareness was intensely focused, extending beyond the courtyard wall.

His mind was taut, and every sound around him seemed to disappear, leaving the world utterly silent.

Then, in his perception, a blurry "shadow" darted past outside the courtyard wall.

I saw it... Something stirred in Ye Chuan's mind, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. A black stray cat.

Although the "image" was extremely blurry, more like something caught by his mind, he had indeed "seen" the path of the stray cat running outside the wall.

It's still very weak, but I've finally taken the first step!

Ye Chuan opened his eyes, excitement gleaming in his black pupils.

The importance of mastering Haki, especially Observation Haki and Armament Haki, went without saying for a swordsman.

The sky over Konoha was a spotless blue.

Seven years had passed since Ye Chuan came to this world.

Beside the Ninja Academy's training ground, a figure leaned against the railing, toying with a brand-new metal forehead protector between his fingers. At its center was Konoha's emblem, shaped like a swirling leaf.

Ye Chuan was now twelve years old.

Years of arduous training had stripped away his childishness and sharpened his features. His black eyes were deep and calm, and together with the aloof air he had developed from training alone for so long, they gave him a distinctive charm.

His gaze was directed toward the enormous Hokage Rock in the distance.

In his field of vision, a boy dressed in orange held a paint bucket and scrawled freely across the Third Hokage's stone likeness, while the furious shouts of several Chunin rose from below.

"So it really is the classic opening..." An almost imperceptible smile curved Ye Chuan's lips.

Today was the Ninja Academy's graduation exam.

He had deliberately come a little early to witness this iconic scene from the original story's opening, as a tribute to his bygone youth.

He himself had already passed the graduation exam without a ripple.

The Clone Technique, Transformation Technique, Substitution Technique...

These tests might have posed some difficulty for ordinary students, but with his chakra control now far beyond that of his peers, they were as simple as eating and drinking.

Of course, he had continued to hold back his performance. His results were neither good nor bad, earning him only an upper-middle rating, and he had successfully received this Konoha forehead protector symbolizing his status as a Genin.

As for Naruto Uzumaki, who was still making trouble on Hokage Rock, he had undoubtedly failed this graduation exam again.

Next would come the plot in which Mizuki lured him into stealing the Scroll of Seals, after which he learned the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and finally earned his forehead protector with Iruka's acknowledgment.

Ye Chuan had no interest in getting involved in that affair.

Naruto was at the center of this world's vortex. Keeping his distance was the wise choice.

Besides, although the [Multiple Shadow Clone Technique] recorded in the Scroll of Seals could be called a godly technique, it was of little use to him.

That technique consumed enormous amounts of chakra. Only a Jinchūriki like Naruto, who possessed Nine-Tails chakra, could use it without restraint.

With Ye Chuan's current chakra reserves, maintaining two shadow clones steadily to assist his training was already his limit. He simply could not sustain any more.

He withdrew his gaze from Hokage Rock and looked down at his hands, sinking his awareness into the system panel.

[Inheritance template: "Hawkeye" Dracule Mihawk]

[Current inheritance: 48.7%]

Seven years of arduous training, with the tasks constantly increasing in intensity, yet his inheritance progress had ultimately stalled at this number.

As expected, it gets harder the further I go... Ye Chuan understood.

It was just like one of those progress bars that advanced with each slash: although the total experience gained later far exceeded that of the early stages, the percentage increase kept shrinking.

The difficulty of inheriting Hawkeye's mindset and insights from the latter half of his life was incomparable to the early stages. It was only reasonable that the system needed more experience to convert them.

Fortunately, an inheritance level approaching halfway had already brought him earth-shattering changes.

In his mental world, the Hawkeye whose experiences he lived through had long since roamed the New World, fighting countless powerful opponents.

Battles like raging seas and towering waves continually washed over his soul.

His greatest gain was [Observation Haki].

After several years of honing it and gaining insights, he had successfully mastered basic Observation Haki.

Although it was nowhere near Katakuri's monstrous level of Future Sight, he was already quite proficient in basic applications such as anticipating an opponent's movements.

As for [Armament Haki], he had yet to master it.

It seemed this body was not yet strong enough to sustain that power.

But Ye Chuan could vaguely sense that he was not far from reaching its threshold.

As for the sword principles behind cutting through all things, he felt he had already gained a solid grasp. He seemed to be only a paper-thin barrier away from the realm of hearing the breath of all things, needing the right opportunity to break through.

"Ye Chuan!"

A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.

Ye Chuan turned to see Hinata Hyuga standing a short distance away, looking at him a little nervously, her fair cheeks flushed.

She, too, held a brand-new Konoha forehead protector.

"Congratulations on passing the exam." Ye Chuan nodded, his tone even.

"Mm... you too, Ye Chuan." Hinata's voice was soft, her gaze wavering as though she were hesitating over something.

Finally, as though making an enormous resolution, she drew a deep breath and raised her head to look straight at Ye Chuan.

Hinata's tone was exceptionally earnest, but carried a slight tremor:

"Ye Chuan! We've... graduated... I... I like you! Please... please..."

Here it comes?

Looking at the girl before him who had summoned every ounce of her courage, Ye Chuan was not surprised.

It would have been a lie for Ye Chuan to say he felt nothing at all for Hinata.

This girl was kind and gentle, yet possessed a resilience deep in her bones.

Her feelings, in particular, untainted by any self-interest, felt especially warm in this cold world.

But...

"I'm sorry, Hinata."

Ye Chuan's voice remained calm, but his gaze softened a little.

"I can't return your feelings yet."

The light in Hinata's eyes instantly dimmed, and she gripped the hem of her clothes like a frightened little rabbit.

"But,"

Seeing how dejected she looked, Ye Chuan added:

"I'll wait for you."

"When you've grown a little older and become stronger, come and tell me your answer again."

Hinata abruptly raised her head, light rekindling in her eyes, and nodded firmly:

"Yes! I'll work hard! I'll definitely become stronger!"

Watching the girl regain her spirits, Ye Chuan smiled faintly.

He knew his words might have been a little scummy, but this was already the best way to handle it for now.

Besides, he genuinely hoped Hinata could become stronger, break free of the Main Family's constraints, and live her own life.

Over the past year or so, he had occasionally offered a subtle pointer or two when she hit a bottleneck in her training. The results seemed quite good; the current Hinata was considerably more confident than she had been at this point in the original story.

Hinata nodded, gave him a long look, then turned and ran off.

Ye Chuan watched her leave, and the smile faded from his face.

Not long afterward, Iruka and several other teachers gathered all the newly graduated Genin who had passed the exam and began announcing their team assignments.

When he reached Team 8, Iruka paused, his gaze lingering on Ye Chuan for a second:

"Team 8, supervising Jonin, Kurenai Yuhi. Members: Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka..."

Here it comes.

Ye Chuan understood.

"And... Ye Chuan."