Chapter 2: Scholar!

Konoha, April 1st, Year 38

Click!

With the sound of a camera shutter, the entrance ceremony for Hoshita Shūichi's class officially came to an end.

The previously quiet crowd instantly became lively as everyone started to leave the school grounds.

Hoshita Shūichi walked side by side with Might Guy, heading home, when they spotted a panting and late-arriving Uchiha Obito.

Seeing his classmates leaving in small groups, Uchiha Obito sighed in disappointment—he was late again.

Kakashi stopped walking, turned slightly, and with a mocking tone said, "Late even to the entrance ceremony, huh…"

Uchiha Obito gritted his teeth and turned back, irritated by Kakashi's sarcastic remark.

Shūichi also stopped in his tracks, turning to watch the unfolding drama.

Once upon a time, Uchiha Obito was the brightest among his friends, until Kakashi came along.

Indeed, Uchiha Obito, Rin Nohara, and Kakashi had been familiar playmates even before starting school. Unlike Shūichi, who had lived in an orphanage and whose playmates were other orphans.

...

"Hey, this is for you!"

Rin Nohara handed Obito a folder with a cheerful smile. "I picked up your enrollment documents for you."

"Huh?"

Obito was momentarily stunned, then his face turned red with embarrassment. His irritation with Kakashi vanished instantly, replaced by a big smile. "Thank you, Rin!"

...

What a memorable scene!

Shūichi thought to himself, then patted Might Guy on the shoulder. "Let's go!"

Guy fell into step with Shūichi, realizing only then what had just happened. "Shūichi, do you know them?"

"Yeah."

"That white... white-haired guy is the son of the famous White Fang!"

"I see. Looks like I've got another rival to deal with!"

"He's really strong—we'll have to work extra hard!"

"Of course! How about we double our training today?"

"(⊙o⊙)..."

…

When Hoshita Shūichi returned home with Might Guy, he found that his previously unoccupied house had been thoroughly cleaned by Yakushi Nono, who had brought a few older orphans to help.

 In addition, Might Duy had also lent a hand, taking on most of the dirty and tiring tasks.

Afterward, everyone pitched in to prepare a hearty lunch, with the ingredients that Shūichi had already bought earlier that morning after his training. Originally planning to leave, Might Duy decided to stay, as there was too much food prepared to let it go to waste.

...

At 1:00 PM, after a satisfying meal and tidying up, Might Duy and Might Guy bid their farewells and left. Shūichi then escorted Yakushi Nono and the others to the door.

"Don't worry, Director, I'll take good care of myself," Shūichi assured, smiling at the ever-concerned Yakushi Nono.

Nono nodded, "I believe in you, but please, if you encounter any difficulties, don't hesitate to come back to the orphanage."

Shūichi nodded earnestly. "I will!"

Nono handed him a notebook she had prepared earlier. "These are some notes from my medical ninjutsu studies—consider it a gift."

"If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to reach out to me."

Overjoyed, Shūichi quickly took the notebook and then hugged Nono's soft waist. "Thank you!"

Nono gently patted his head. "From today on, Shūichi, you're standing on your own now. Keep up the hard work!"

"Mmm..."

Shūichi released her and watched as she walked away with a group of his former playmates.

The "Wandering Miko/Nun" was still in her early twenties—young and yet to fully separate from Danzo's Root organization. 

While at the orphanage, Shūichi had noticed that Nono would often be absent for extended periods, indicating her continued involvement with Root.

"Although I don't know the exact timeline, I do know that Kabuto Yakushi entered Konoha after the Third Ninja War, and certainly not until the later stages. Kabuto's assignments as a spy in various countries must have happened afterward—there's at least ten years before that occurs."

Ten years!

Shūichi withdrew his gaze and turned to close the door behind him. "In ten years, I need to become a Jonin, or even achieve fame on par with the Three Sannin or the White Fang..."

And of course, there was another option—eliminate Danzo.

That wasn't entirely out of the question.

Over the next ten years, Danzo, as the leader of Root, would frequently go on missions outside the village.

The key was having enough strength to take him down when the time came.

Despite Danzo later being wounded by a mere kunai in a battle with Susanoo, the fact that he rose to become the second most powerful figure in Konoha meant his abilities were not to be underestimated.

His Wind Release ninjutsu alone was rare not only in Konoha but across the entire ninja world.

Putting these thoughts aside, Shūichi carried the notebook into his study.

The house left by his parents was a two-bedroom, one-living room layout. Aside from the bedroom, the other room served as his study.

On the desk in the study, two scrolls were laid out—his parents' ninja technique scrolls, containing their notes.

There weren't many jutsu because his parents were only a Chunin and a Genin.

Aside from the basic Three Basic Techniques (Henge, Kawarimi, Bunshin), his father had left him two Fire Release jutsu: Flame Bullet and Dragon Fire Technique, both of which were C-rank in terms of difficulty.

His mother had left him a Wind Release jutsu, Gale Palm, in addition to the Three Basic Techniques.

Yes, a rare Wind Release chakra nature.

Of course, chakra nature and innate talent are two entirely different things.

Placing Yakushi Nono's notebook on the desk as well, Shūichi didn't immediately start reading it. Instead, his attention shifted to the 'Tag Tree' in his mind.

There was a pleasant surprise!

After today's entrance ceremony, the "Student" Tag had been fully activated.

But the surprise was that the Tag Tree displayed a prompt.

The "Student" Tag could be combined with the "Self-Discipline" Tag to create the "Scholar" tag.

Tag: Scholar

Condition to Obtain: Possess both the Student and Self-Discipline tags and maintain 100% focus for at least 100 hours of study.

Effect: The ultimate learning machine—10x focus, with thought processing speed increased by 100%. The effects of the original tags will remain.

This is amazing! Shūichi became excited.

He had only tested the 100% focus effect a bit and found that he could instantly enter a highly focused state even in extremely noisy environments.

Obviously, this is an effect that calms the mind and blocks out external distractions.

And if 1x focus is already this powerful, then 10x…

"I might end up studying obsessively, unable to stop!"

Shūichi marveled. "And an increase in thought processing speed by 100% means my brain will work faster, leading to quicker reactions."

"Both focus and thought processing speed would be incredibly useful not just in studying, but also in combat."

"Thought processing speed is essentially the speed at which the brain processes information, which could also be considered as the speed of neural reactions, right?"

(End of Chapter)