December 16, 2022
The next morning, before the sun had risen, and with the sky still dim, Mo Yu climbed out of bed.
In the past, he would always wake up feeling sore and exhausted.
But today was completely different—he felt full of energy, fresh, and invigorated, his whole body brimming with strength.
He took a solid pill, and after the warmth spread through his stomach, he ran several laps around the orphanage, sweating profusely.
"Feels great!"
After a shower, Mo Yu went to say goodbye to the orphanage's headmaster.
The process was simple, and the formalities were quickly completed.
When he returned, Mo Yu was handed a residency permit, officially making him a resident of Konoha.
There was nothing to pack, no attachments, and Mo Yu left the orphanage without a second thought.
Once in the village, Mo Yu first went to grab breakfast to fill his stomach.
After the clothing store opened, he bought himself a new outfit.
"Clothes make the man."
After changing into the new clothes, Mo Yu looked revitalized.
With his body strengthened the night before, he now had a bit of muscle, which made the clothes fit him well, and he no longer looked frail.
Next, Mo Yu went to the ninja tool shop, buying a ninja tool pouch, several shuriken, kunai, and a few explosive tags.
In the past, he had been reluctant to spend money, but now that he was a ninja, these tools were essential, and he couldn't afford to be stingy.
After preparing everything, Mo Yu headed to the ninja academy.
Ding Ling Ling!
As the class bell rang, Mo Yu stepped into the classroom.
The classroom was already filled with students, and the teacher was standing at the podium.
He was the last to arrive.
As soon as Mo Yu walked in, all the students' gazes shifted toward him.
Mo Yu remained expressionless as he walked to his seat in the last row.
"Hey, did you notice? This useless guy seems different from yesterday."
"It's different; he changed his clothes."
"I'm not talking about that. It's more like… how to describe it… His whole aura, he seems like a completely different person."
"Pfft, he's just putting on an act. Wait until the exam starts, he'll be back to his old self."
Some students whispered to each other, their gazes towards Mo Yu noticeably different.
Anyone with eyes could tell that Mo Yu had changed.
Even the teacher on the podium looked surprised, not understanding what had happened to Mo Yu.
Mo Yu, however, completely ignored the others.
In class, he had no friends because no one was willing, nor did anyone dare to be his friend.
Mo Yu originally had two friends, Kirigakure Sayun and Mizuki Yuko.
However, they had both left...
This "leaving" didn't mean they had died, but that they had graduated from the academy.
To his shame, Mo Yu was the one who had struggled the most out of the three who had entered the academy from the orphanage.
First, Kirigakure Sayun.
This guy was a monster, no less than his future son.
He stayed in the academy for only one year, graduated early with excellent grades, and after another year, at just 8 years old, passed the Chuunin exam.
He became the youngest Chuunin in Konoha's history, even surpassing the three legendary disciples of the Hokage.
Many people began to compare Sayun to the Hokage's three disciples, even calling him Konoha's number one genius. He caught the attention of the village's higher-ups and was placed under special training.
Sayun was a crazy task-doer, almost always out on missions, and even Mo Yu, his closest friend, rarely saw him. The last time Mo Yu saw him was two months ago.
While Sayun was still in school, his genius status kept the troublemaking students from bullying them. But once Sayun graduated, Mo Yu and Mizuki Yuko began to be frequently bullied.
Mo Yu, being a boy, had always treated Yuko like a younger sister and would step in to protect her, which made him the target of most of the bullying.
One time, when Yuko was pranked by Uchiha Fugaku and others, it was Mo Yu who intervened, which caused them to hold a grudge against him.
Ironically, after that day, Yuko, who had been rather average, seemed to suddenly improve at an incredible speed.
Two years later, Yuko also graduated early.
She was 9 years old that year.
Although her talent didn't match Sayun's, she was still considered highly talented.
After graduating, Yuko was assigned to a strong Jonin's team for intensive training.
Mo Yu had met Yuko just last week; she was preparing to take the Chuunin exam this year.
So, the "foreign trio" who had entered the academy from the orphanage had either already become Chuunin or were about to. Only Mo Yu remained, still in school, waiting for time to pass.
Others had still hoped that Mo Yu might, like his two friends, soar to great heights.
However, news spread that Mo Yu couldn't refine chakra.
This made Mo Yu a joke and the target of ridicule in the class.
If anyone else couldn't refine chakra, it wouldn't have been such a big deal—after all, most people in the world were ordinary.
But Mo Yu had two highly talented friends, so he was always in the spotlight, and it was hard not to notice him.
Mo Yu also suspected that the reason these people liked bullying him was probably out of jealousy of Sayun and Yuko's talents. Unable to provoke them, they targeted him to satisfy their desires.
Mo Yu had also resented why fate had given him such talented friends while he was stuck being a waste who couldn't even refine chakra.
But deep down, he wasn't a child. He had the mindset of an adult.
At times like these, he would comfort himself—no talent, no problem; he had the system.
Then he'd take all the setbacks and bullying as the refining process before success, and he would channel his anger into motivation to save money.
Now, it seemed that the hardship had finally paid off.
Listening to the whispers around him, Mo Yu exhaled in his heart.
The setbacks of these years had already forged in him an unshakable heart.
"Ahem."
On the podium, the teacher cleared his throat, and the murmurs in the class quieted down.
"Now, I'll call the roll and then begin the graduation exam."
"Jishino Hito."
"Here!"
"Tanaka Ju."
"Here!"
The teacher called name after name.
"Arima Seiichi... Arima Seiichi?"
The teacher furrowed his brow and called the name several times, but there was no response.
Just as the teacher was about to move on to the next name, a student stood up.
"Teacher, not only is Arima Seiichi absent, but also Asai Tora and Kamejima Shouta aren't here."
The roll call was interrupted, and Tokou Yuzu's face flashed a trace of displeasure. However, after seeing the student who had stood up, he quickly changed his expression, smiling gently.
"Fugaku-kun, do you know why they aren't here?"
Uchiha Fugaku was young, but his gaze was sharp, and he exuded the pride of a prestigious family. He looked toward the back corner of the classroom.
"I don't know the reason, but I'm sure he does. Mo Yu, you'd better give me a satisfactory explanation. Otherwise..."