End of Konoha Year 8.
The first semester at the Ninja Academy was about to end, and Zhao Yi Qianming was filled with anticipation for the finals.
Nearly half a year of Academy life had brought him huge gains.
Compared to his ignorance six months earlier, Zhao Yi Qianming could now use the Three Basic Techniques with proficiency, and his Shuriken and Kunai throws ranked near the top of the class. In Taijutsu he had put in serious grind; every sparring lesson ended with Zhao Yi Qianming flooring his opponent.
Across the entire first year, aside from Kakashi Hatake—whom he had yet to face—no one could match Zhao Yi Qianming in Taijutsu, not even Might Guy from the original story.
Guy was the 'slow burn' type. For now he was the class caboose. Only Zhao Yi Qianming knew what heights he would reach.
This semester's exam would be Zhao Yi Qianming's second showdown with Kakashi.
If events followed history, Kakashi would apply to graduate next year. Which also meant Sakumo Hatake, Konoha's White Fang, would die next year.
From what Zhao Yi Qianming had picked up, the Second Shinobi World War had ended, but frictions among the great villages continued. Funerals were held at the Memorial Stone almost daily.
As Zhao Yi Qianming saw it, there had been no victor in the Second Shinobi World War. The war only deepened hatred among the villages and sharpened their hostility.
Judging from the original story, barely a year or two after the armistice, the Third Shinobi World War would officially begin.
After school, Zhao Yi Qianming walked home alone.
Though six months had passed, he hadn't made friends. He had planned to get close to key figures from the original story, but when it came down to it, he simply couldn't befriend five-year-olds.
He wouldn't train tonight. He would rest and adjust for tomorrow's exam.
"Hey! Might Duy! Still training with your kid?"
As he walked, he heard mocking voices from a side alley.
"A forever-genin working so hard! Hahahaha!"
Two chunin were openly ridiculing the father and son, Might Duy and Might Guy, as if it were a joke.
Zhao Yi Qianming stopped, hid in the shadow of the wall, and watched.
"Oh! Thanks for the encouragement!" Might Duy gave a thumbs-up and paid the mockery no mind.
His will was iron. Though he had no talent for Ninjutsu, by sheer human grit he learned the Forbidden Technique [Eight Gates], and even the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist fell before him.
Zhao Yi Qianming had seen this scene in the manga, but facing Might Duy in person still shocked him.
Most people, insulted like this in front of their child, would snap. Yet Might Duy took it as cheerleading, stuck to his ninja way, and kept walking it without a quiver.
It sounded simple. Doing it was hard.
Zhao Yi Qianming asked himself: if he were the one being humiliated, even knowing he would lose, could he keep his hands to himself?
True strength wasn't just power. Without a heart to match that power, one could hardly reach the peak.
While Zhao Yi Qianming was lost in thought, the two chunin moved on. He noticed Might Guy quietly tailing them.
Whoosh!
"Ow! That hurts!"
A stone smacked one chunin on the back of the head. Might Guy glared at them, eyes bloodshot.
"Huh? Might Duy's brat."
"What do you want?"
"Don't you dare make fun of my dad again!" Might Guy roared.
"Feisty little punk." One chunin grinned.
They sneered at him and started forward.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Just as Guy was about to get pounded, two Shuriken whipped from the corner of the alley.
Both chunin sprang back, dodging the ambush, but before they landed another pair of Shuriken came slicing in.
Midair, with nothing to brace on, they could only yank out Kunai to knock aside the second pair.
"Who's the coward throwing from the dark?"
"Get out here!"
"Two chunin bullying a child. You've disgraced Konoha's shinobi." Zhao Yi Qianming stepped from the shadows, eyes cold on the pair.
"Another brat. Kids these days are mouthy." One chunin sneered.
"You're… Zhao Yi Qianming!" Might Guy squinted at him, then placed the face.
"Rotten brat, die!"
Humiliated by the earlier ambush, both chunin charged Zhao Yi Qianming.
He backstepped twice to slip the first attack, but the second chunin's kick was unavoidable—
"Hn. Clone Technique?" The chunin's kick burst Zhao Yi Qianming's clone, and he froze, unsure when the jutsu had been used.
"Brat, now you've made me mad!"
They spotted Zhao Yi Qianming's real position and rushed again.
"Idiots."
He snorted, then sliced through a taut wire with his Kunai.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
He had set a simple trap before making a move. Blinded by rage and shame, the chunin never imagined he had laid one.
With the wire cut, dozens of Shuriken rained from dead angles. Caught flat-footed, the chunin blocked some with Kunai, but several blades still scored bloody lines.
Perched on the wall, Zhao Yi Qianming looked down at them. "If I'd used Explosive Tags just now, you'd be dead. Get lost. Don't let me see you again. I'm sparing you because we're from the same village."
"Brat!" They glared, wishing to tear him apart.
But if he really used Explosive Tags, the Uchiha Police Force—or even Anbu—might show up. With that risk, they didn't dare swing freely.
Neither wanted to lose face by backing off first.
So Zhao Yi Qianming called out, "Guy, let's go!"
—