Six months had passed.
During this time, good news kept coming from the frontlines: Konoha had signed a ceasefire with Iwagakure, and Iwagakure had also reached a ceasefire with Kumogakure.
Next, if Konoha signed a ceasefire with Kumogakure, the Third Great Ninja War would finally come to a complete end.
Long-awaited peace was returning!
Two months ago, after it was confirmed that there were no more Kirigakure assassins targeting him, Kakashi stopped protecting Ye Mizunotsuki and resumed various missions. By now, he had reached the level of an Anbu squad captain.
As for Ye Mizunotsuki…
Pupu-pupu-pupu!
A series of muffled sounds rang out in rapid succession. Three kunai flew in a perfect line, hitting the bullseye at fifty meters.
Ye landed gracefully, his movements simple yet precise. He drew the kunai and threw again, his technique fluid and seamless.
Three more shadows shot out from his hands, followed by three more muffled thuds.
Kurai looked at the six kunai embedded in the target and couldn't help but admire Ye's skill. Despite terrible academic performance, his practical abilities were astonishingly stable!
"Ye Mizunotsuki, full marks!"
"Wow, Ye-kun's moves are so cool!"
"Six kunai at once? Incredible!"
"Ah! I want to be Ye-kun's girlfriend!"
…
The crowd of students gasped, mostly girls. Over six months, Ye had turned seven years old, and due to the attribute boosts from the cards, he now stood as tall as an eleven- or twelve-year-old boy. Despite being the youngest in the graduating class, he had become the tallest.
His appearance had naturally become more handsome and charming. Now, even a sparring match could easily have dozens lining up.
The cheers slowly died down.
Naturally, admiration came with envy. Among the detractors, Tsukikaze Hayate was the one who disliked Ye the most. The girl he secretly loved had just cheered for Ye.
"Tch, what's so great about him? Handsome? Strong? I'll defeat him one day!"
At this time, Hayate had not yet fallen into frailty; his face was full of jealousy but he had no way to compare himself with Ye. Ye's academics were poor, but his combat skills were recognized as the best in the class.
"No wonder the Hokage values him. His natural instinct for using his body in battle…" Kurai muttered, impressed. He could see all the necessary qualities of a future strong ninja in Ye.
Ye silently approached the target, pulled out the six kunai he had thrown, returned them to his pouch, and went back to his place in line.
Wasting tools is shameful!
Over the past six months, Ye had been frugal, saving up 250,000 ryo. He exchanged it all for 2,500 diamonds in the system but had yet to spend them, since that only covered two one-star cards.
One-star cards cost 1,000 diamonds, two-star cards 8,000 diamonds.
"Hmm… this kid's good at everything, except he's way too greedy…" Kurai sighed inwardly.
Ye then checked his character panel:
[Player: Ye Mizunotsuki]
Character Cards: 'Ice Queen' Esdeath, 'Saber-tooth Sharkman' Arlong.Pet Card: 'Gluttony' Grattoni.Treasure Cards: None.Card Slots: 6 (3 unlocked; note: only one pet and one treasure card can be equipped)
Inventory: Four-star character card fragment: 'Wind Swordmaster' Yasuo *1,Three-star treasure card fragment: 'One Strike Kill' [Murasame] *1,Three-star character card fragment: 'Immortal Blue Flame' Iori Yagami *1.
Ye had obtained Yasuo's fragment six months ago during the assassination attempt; the others were earned through countless sparring matches with school kids. Hundreds of fights had yielded only two fragments and a one-star character card, though his experience points had grown substantially.
Clearly, these kids were weak.
The 'Ice Queen' Esdeath had reached level 7. At level 10, he could use an identical card to upgrade her and unlock the first hidden skill.
The one-star card, Arlong from the East Blue in One Piece, was equipped in an empty slot. Its attribute boost was minor, and it only had two skills:
[Arlong]Nickname: Saber-tooth SharkmanCategory: Character CardLevel: 1Experience: 0/500Strength: 24Speed: 18Constitution: 20Spirit: 10HP: 110 (can perfectly integrate with chakra)
Skill 1: Fishman KarateSkill 2: Ocean Affinity
Ye's chakra level had now reached Special Jonin level. Compared to six months ago, he had grown significantly. Previously, he could only match ordinary Jonin; now, victory seemed highly probable.
Although his progress seemed extraordinary to others, Ye still felt it painfully slow.
During the past six months, he had learned much from the academy and absorbed countless accumulated experiences, filling gaps in his rapid-strength development. Yet he felt he had hit a ceiling.
Staying here any longer would be a waste.
Of course, he hadn't told anyone this yet. He planned to find the right moment to speak seriously with the Third Hokage.
"Next, Nohara Nishi-no-suke."
Kurai continued assessments. Few students were truly outstanding; even fewer had a future that promised notoriety. Ye glanced briefly and lost interest.
By 'outstanding,' Ye meant a student capable of reaching Jonin-level in the future. Anyone below Jonin? Not even cannon fodder in his eyes.
The assessment ended, marking the close of class. Kurai recorded results and wrote detailed evaluations. Don't underestimate these; even the Hokage paid attention to graduating students. These scores would end up on the Hokage's desk.
"Hey, hey, hey! Ye, let's go get some fried dumplings!" Akazuki pulled Yuuka along.
After six months, the three had become closer and more familiar. Though Ye had no romantic intentions, he didn't mind maintaining good relations with two future beauties. After all, who wants to hang out with uglies all day?
"Damn it!" someone muttered in frustration, grinding their teeth.
Tsukikaze Hayate's vision was filled with fresh green…
"Sure," Ye was about to agree when his body froze, his head snapping toward a direction not far away.
Under a tree stood a tall, slender figure in moon-white kimono. Long hair draped over pale shoulders, his sickly pale face suggested he hadn't seen sunlight in a long time. A faint smile curled at his lips. His narrow eyes gleamed coldly, like a viper. Upon noticing Ye, a flash of surprise crossed his gaze, and his smile deepened.
"That is—" Ye's pupils constricted.
"One of the Three Legendary Ninja, the Cold One… Orochimaru!"