This was one of the important stages in which they, still so "innocent," believed they had earned their clan's recognition and were advancing step by step toward the top.
And that could not be called the wrong approach.
After all, one of the most direct measures of the quiet competition between shinobi clans was how they trained the next generation. Whose children performed best at the Ninja Academy, whose had the most successful graduates, and whose had the highest frequency and rate of future promotions to Chunin and Jonin-all of these made for the most straightforward comparisons!
But none of this had anything to do with Kei.
He had no intention of getting involved in that competition early. Setting aside the fact that his small body currently gave him no right to show off, the most important point was that Kei had no interest whatsoever in petty squabbles between "little kids."
If he really wanted to make a "name" for himself, that would certainly have to wait until after graduation. As for his years at the Ninja Academy...
I should still take things step by step and properly plan out my studies!
Kei thought silently to himself.
Even the impulse to approach Mei Terumi and get to know her early when he first saw her had been suppressed by Kei himself.
He had to keep it natural.
He absolutely could not force it.
The time was not right yet. Besides, geniuses often surpassed others in every respect from an early age. Especially with little girls, their sensitivity could far exceed what others expected!
Who knew how much of the flair Mei Terumi displayed in the original story she already possessed at this age? If he aroused her sensitivity and suspicion, the losses would outweigh the gains!
Taking things one step at a time and letting them develop naturally was the most appropriate approach!
So, after his first day at the Ninja Academy ended...
Kei did not take the initiative to approach anyone. Instead, he leisurely chose to return to his clan's compound.
What Kei himself failed to notice, however, was that...
The moment he left...
Mei Terumi's bright eyes also lingered on his retreating figure for a second or two.
Girls were always very sensitive to other people's gazes.
Although Kei had already been very careful to control himself, his gaze had still lingered for an extra second or two at the start. He had also unconsciously revealed a trace of surprise, something people with keen minds and senses could pick up on fairly easily.
Not to mention that the two of them had been "face-to-face" just then.
Of course, Mei Terumi could pick up on that slightly "attentive" look. Fortunately, however perceptive she was, she was still only a six-year-old girl, and her thoughts could not possibly be that meticulous. Her first reaction was to assume Kei had been stunned by her beauty.
Although he had naturally glanced away in barely a second or two, Mei Terumi still had that confidence in herself.
The Yuki Clan? Hehe, I hope he's an interesting boy!
The dimples at the corners of Mei Terumi's mouth deepened, and the faint smile she revealed was as dazzling as a ray of light. At such close range, it directly tugged at the heartstrings of several little boys beside her, leaving every one of them staring blankly at her.
Catching sight of them out of the corner of her eye, the girl let out another silvery laugh before walking straight out of the classroom with light steps.
Only those little boys remained rooted to the spot. Not until Mei Terumi had completely disappeared did they seem to snap out of their daze. As they instinctively looked at one another, their faces instantly flushed a deep red.
"Ahem."
"Ahaha..."
After a moment of awkwardness...
The little boys hurriedly fled the classroom as though running for their lives. One of them was in such a rush that he nearly performed the classic "trip over flat ground."
All one could say was that the little brats in this world really did mature early!
As for what happened afterward...
Kei, who had already left, naturally knew nothing about it. On his way back, his mind was entirely occupied with his upcoming training plans.
As someone born into the Yuki Clan...
The Ice Release kekkei genkai was naturally his top priority!
However, first, he was still young, and second, he currently had practically no one to rely on within the clan. It would be difficult to obtain his clan's most advanced and complete Ice Release training methods!
This was not to say that the Yuki Clan was like the Hyuga Clan, with the Main Family guarding against the branch family and withholding training methods from clan members outside the main line. Rather, training itself was something that had to proceed step by step!
At most, it could only be considered a limited form of control, keeping everyone in the clan as united as possible and consolidating the main line's authority.
Thus, Kei could either keep waiting or explore things on his own!
He intended to do both. During his coming years at the Ninja Academy, he only needed to reveal his talent little by little. As long as the clan elders were not blind, they would certainly favor him to some degree when allocating training resources!
Again, the most important reason great clans could continue existing generation after generation was their cultivation of the next generation. Even if those children were not their own direct descendants, anything that benefited the clan as a whole had to be done!
This was a basic quality anyone in a position of great authority had to possess!
Why did so many fans of the original story criticize Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other three over the Uchiha Clan's extermination? Wasn't it because their actions had truly been far too foolish? They had the perfect example of their own teacher, the Second Hokage, to draw upon, yet they refused to follow it, insisting instead on self-righteously making the "most correct" choice.
They appeared to have eliminated a "major threat," but in reality, they had also greatly weakened Konohagakure itself. The greatest clan in the Shinobi World was absolutely no joke!
The fact that Tobirama Senju, despite his profound prejudice against the Uchiha Clan, had not chosen to wipe them out was enough to show that the Second Hokage understood very well what the Uchiha Clan meant to Konohagakure!
He had been cultivating the Uchiha Clan as high-level muscle!
The Konoha F4, on the other hand, had directly weakened themselves. All one could say was that a "tiger father" really did easily produce "dog sons"!
It was one thing for the Konoha F4 to fall far short of their teacher in strength, but even their political acumen and political methods were vastly inferior!
There was a reason Konoha had declined step by step under the four of them!
Fortunately, Kei did not need to worry about similar "suppression from above."
Over the past few years, Kei had carefully observed his clan, particularly the clan head and elders who had occasionally appeared a few times. At the very least, they were all "normal people"!
Calling them completely selfless and impartial would certainly be going too far.
But at least their brains worked normally!
Being able to establish that much was enough. If his clan head and elders really were the same kind of fools as the Konoha F4...
Then Kei really would have to reconsider his situation!
For now, everything still fell within the range of what Kei could accept.
It's just a matter of timing. I need to get it right!
He returned to his doorstep.
Watching the gradually sinking sun, Kei gently exhaled a stale breath and thought silently to himself.