"Well, for me, being alone is just fine. I already said — those guys would only hold me back." Yang Xing curled his lip, looking completely unconcerned. Now that he had that phone, he really didn't need other teachers. Even if some functions were still unclear, he could figure them out with time. Then, his growth would definitely skyrocket. For the sake of secrecy, being on his own wasn't such a bad thing.
Unfortunately, that was only what Yang Xing thought.
The teacher with glasses' expression immediately changed. He raised one hand and couldn't resist pressing it against Yang Xing's head. "Hahaha, I always thought you were pretty full of yourself, but this isn't something you can joke about."
Seeing his teacher's smiling face grow stern, Yang Xing sighed softly and spread his hands. "Fine, fine. If there's a combination more suitable for me, then I don't mind."
"Yosh, yosh! That's the spirit of a good Konoha child." The glasses teacher removed his hand, his face breaking into a brilliant grin. Resting his chin on one hand, he looked Yang Xing up and down, muttering to himself, "Let's see… this brat's arrogant, his skills are weak… throwing him into any random squad won't work. And the other students…"
He cast a glance around the room. Clearly, all the other kids looked at Yang Xing with strange expressions.
Noticing this, the teacher could only give a wry smile. "Well, anyway, I'll make sure to put you in the right environment. Oh, wait—now I remember!"
He clapped his hands together, his eyes flashing with sudden inspiration.
Huh? Why did that smile feel like a sharp pain in the butt?
No, it had to be my imagination. Just imagination.
Faced with the teacher's too-friendly, too-bright "chrysanthemum smile," Yang Xing swallowed dryly, waiting in silence for him to continue.
"Yes, that person. That person will definitely be able to teach you. Absolutely." The glasses teacher nodded to himself, repeating the words as though firming his decision. His nods toward Yang Xing made it clear: this was already settled.
Suppressing his curiosity, Yang Xing cleared his throat. "Cough, cough. Well, since you've decided, I don't have anything more to say. Just… can I ask one question first?"
"What is it?" The teacher, happy to hear him engage, slapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Go on, ask. If it's something I can do, I'll try to meet your request."
Yang Xing's face turned solemn, more serious than ever before. "First, let me make it clear — this is no joke. This is very serious, very important."
The glasses teacher: "?"
"…There will be cute girls in my squad, right?"
The glasses teacher: "…"
"I'm serious. Dead serious."
Faced with Yang Xing's unflinching expression, the teacher had no idea how to reply. "Well… how should I put this?"
"You're not going to say there aren't any, right? Don't tell me that! No… ah, my chest suddenly hurts. I must have a terminal illness. Sensei, faced with a dying patient, do you really… not have even a shred of pity in your heart?"
"You brat! Don't spout nonsense with such a straight face!" The glasses teacher wiped sweat from his forehead, watching Yang Xing clutch his chest in mock agony. With a helpless sigh, he explained: "Fine, fine. Every squad will have at least one girl. That's so you'll all motivate each other and improve together. But don't you dare twist that into something weird. Hey, brat, I'm not finished talking! You have to let your teacher finish for once!"
But Yang Xing had already bolted.
The moment he confirmed there'd be girls, he spun around and slipped right out of the classroom. No matter how loudly the glasses teacher shouted after him, he didn't look back even once.
That afternoon, classes were short. With instructors already assigned and graduation essentially at hand, there was little left to teach.
To put it simply: the teachers had already taught what they could. Whether the students could master it depended on their own talent.
Behind the Academy, in a relatively open area—
Thud!
A dull sound echoed as a shuriken — the five-pointed star-shaped throwing weapon — embedded itself in a tree trunk.
Of all the ninja skills, this was about the only one Yang Xing could actually manage. His shuriken-throwing was decent.
"In a whole year, aside from shuriken, everything else has been terrible. Am I even really from this world?" After throwing a few more shuriken with practiced ease, Yang Xing couldn't help but mutter, "Whose body is this, anyway?"
He remembered how to use chakra, yes — but he could never execute it properly. That had always been his greatest headache. Transformation Jutsu, for example — in ten attempts, he might succeed once. No wonder his entire class had practically forgotten about him.
"Looks like regular training won't cut it." Yang Xing pulled out his phone, his expression grave as he looked at the interface. "Guess I'll have to test this."
Activate system?
The moment he tapped Yes, the screen shifted. Lines of text flashed rapidly across the display.
Fingerprint recognition… DNA… chromosomes… genes…
Host confirmed.
Strife Game initializing.
System Level: 1. Upgradeable.
One by one, new features appeared.
Special Aura: None
Achievement System: None
Items Owned: None
Available Random Quests: 5 (Trigger conditions hidden. Refresh/reset based on passing years.)
Although the number of quests showed 5, the button was grayed out.
Yang Xing frowned. "So I can't accept any yet? Does that mean I need to trigger something first?"
This phone really was a test of luck.
Even though he couldn't access the quests, the phone's strange new properties intrigued him. For example: it never needed charging. And if lost, it apparently returned to him automatically. He had tested that last night — somehow, the phone had reappeared in his pocket, sparing him the hassle.
After skimming through the few simple functions — none of which were active yet — Yang Xing returned the phone to his pocket.
But a faint rustling nearby instantly tightened his nerves.
"Who's there? Come out!" Instinctively, he gripped a shuriken.
Out from the distance waddled a small figure. With his usual dopey expression and two lines of snot dangling from his nose, the boy stared blankly at Yang Xing. "Yang Xing, what are you doing here?"
"…You again?" Yang Xing gave him a weary look, sighing helplessly.
He remembered — today was supposed to be class time for the younger group. Given the current crisis, even children were learning ninjutsu. This brat might even graduate earlier than him.
But still—
Oh heavens, Jade Emperor, merciful Guanyin, almighty Lord Jesus!
All I wanted was a cute little loli companion… not a bratty little tagalong!
Damn it, you cosmic troll. Fuck you!