"Fifteen thousand Calmness Points?!"
Kaede nearly choked.
Even if he sold himself twice, it still wouldn't be enough.
Thankfully, the store applied a massive first-purchase discount.
After the reduction…
Exactly affordable.
Kaede exhaled in relief.
As for legendary eyes or forbidden dojutsu?
No thanks.
Even if the store ever sold something like that, he wouldn't dare touch it.
Power that screams trouble magnet is the opposite of peaceful.
"System, exchange for Genius."
A pale blue light washed over his body.
Kaede felt like someone had scrubbed his brain clean and reorganized everything neatly.
Clear.
Sharp.
Focused.
He reopened the Tenpūton scroll.
The dense explanations that once looked impossible now felt… logical.
Connections formed.
Pathways aligned.
Even ideas for modifying techniques surfaced naturally.
"…Worth every point."
He glanced at the calendar.
One month until the Ninja Academy opened.
"If I can at least grasp the basics of Tenpūton before then, I'll be in good shape."
Kaede sat down cross-legged and began training.
Reality quickly slapped him.
Hard.
Tenpūton wasn't just difficult.
It was absurd.
Every attempt reached the final step…
Then collapsed.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Kaede lay flat on the floor afterward.
"…I talked too much trash."
At least his Calmness Points kept accumulating daily.
By the end of the month, he had saved nearly three thousand.
Small comfort.
The night before enrollment, Kaede went to bed early.
No reason to start his shinobi career by oversleeping.
[Live peacefully in Konohagakure for one day.][Reward: 100 Calmness Points.]
Kaede sat up instantly.
"Best alarm clock ever."
He washed up, ate, changed clothes, and headed out.
The Ninja Academy stood near Hokage Rock, not far from the Hokage Building.
Along the road, Kaede saw many children his age.
Most walked with parents.
Some walked alone.
Nearly all stared at him.
Kaede glanced down at himself.
White robe.
Amakaze clan crest on the back.
Cloud-crane embroidery along the sleeves.
Crane Song Sword hanging at his waist.
White hair drifting gently in the breeze.
"…Yeah. I kinda look like I'm cosplaying a wandering swordsman."
Everyone else wore simple clothes or standard clan outfits.
Kaede stood out like a glowing quest NPC.
He sighed.
"Low profile. I should try that sometime."
Soon, he reached the academy gates.
Hundreds of children had already gathered.
Hyūga with pale eyes.
Uchiha with dark expressions.
Mostly civilians.
Instructors quickly organized everyone into classes of roughly fifty students.
Kaede was placed in Class One.
The classroom was spacious and newly built.
Kaede scanned the room and noticed a small Uchiha girl with dark-purple hair sitting alone.
After a brief exchange, he took the seat beside her.
The class hadn't started yet.
Kids chatted.
Laughed.
Formed cliques at lightning speed.
Kaede simply observed.
Playing tag with six-year-olds didn't appeal to a former adult.
A boy with tied-back hair suddenly approached.
"Hi! I'm Maruboshi Kosuke. What's your name?"
Kaede blinked.
Oh.
That Kosuke.
The legendary eternal genin.
Interesting.
"Amakaze Kaede," he replied. "Head of the Amakaze Clan."
Kosuke's eyes widened.
"That's cool! I'll bring my friends over!"
He ran off enthusiastically.
Kaede chuckled softly.
He turned to the girl beside him.
"By the way, I didn't catch your name."
She smiled politely.
"Uchiha Chiri."
Kaede nodded.
"Nice to meet you."
First day at the academy.
New classmates.
New dangers.
And a long road toward a so-called peaceful life.
Somehow, it already felt complicated.