"Is it over already?"
Yue Yan blinked in a daze and looked at Jiraiya with a confused face.
"It's over." Jiraiya nodded, then looked at Yue Yan seriously. "Was that Mujin ninjutsu of Lightning Release you just used developed by yourself?"
Seeing Yue Yan nod, Jiraiya thought even more highly of his talent. But even though he really wanted to take Yue Yan as his disciple, Jiraiya still had to do one last test.
"At such a young age, you've developed your own Mujin ninjutsu. Coupled with your remarkable Mystical Palm Technique, it's enough to prove that you have extraordinary talent and work very hard. So, I want to ask you now, what do you think ninjas are? Or rather, what's the meaning of being a ninja?"
Hearing this, Yue Yan frowned and thought deeply. To be honest, he really hadn't thought about the meaning of being a ninja before. After all, he'd only been in this world for a few years, and during these years, he'd been so busy that he never had the time to think about such things.
The meaning of being a ninja...
For a moment, many characters from the original story flashed through Yue Yan's mind, such as Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and even Naruto and Sasuke Uchiha Clan. Each of them had a different understanding of the meaning of being a ninja. Yue Yan also wanted to just pick one and say it.
Just as Yue Yan was thinking about whose understanding of the meaning of being a ninja to use from the original story, he suddenly noticed Xiaolan standing beside Minato Namikaze and Kushina. She'd been looking at him all the time, with only trust in her eyes.
In a trance, Yue Yan seemed to have his own understanding of the meaning of being a ninja.
On Jiraiya's side, seeing that Yue Yan didn't reply for a long time, he couldn't help but shake his head. After all, the kiddo in front of him was just a kid. Even though he had high talent, it was still too early to ask him these questions.
Thinking to himself that he'd been too impatient, Jiraiya gave the answer. "Yue Yan, you have to remember, a ninja is someone who can endure anything..."
Before Jiraiya could finish speaking, Yue Yan also voiced his thoughts.
"Is it about protection? A ninja is someone with the power to protect those they love. For this, a ninja can give up everything, perseverance, patience, and even their life."
Hearing this, not only was Jiraiya stunned, but Minato and Kushina beside him were also shocked. They didn't expect Yue Yan to have such an understanding.
Only Xiaolan had believed in Yue Yan from beginning to end.
"Hahaha, that's it." Jiraiya laughed heartily and ruffled Yue Yan's hair, giving him high praise.
Looking at that old white-haired guy beside him, Yue Yan nodded. After all, this man had, in the original story, spent his whole life interpreting the meaning of being a ninja.
For the ninja world he loved, he searched everywhere for the so-called Child of Prophecy. He loved his disciples and went to Amegakure on a mission for Konoha to gather intelligence, sending the information back before his death. His lechery, his unruly behavior, and his frequent disappearances in the Kabuki-cho were just his outer appearance. It can't cover up the fact that he is a great ninja.
"As expected of my little brother."
Kushina hugged Yue Yan tightly and smiled cheerfully.
"Now, I also have a junior apprentice brother."
Minato Namikaze walked over with a smile on his face and gently patted Yue Yan on the shoulder.
"As your senior brother, I don't have much to give you. Here, this is a ninjutsu I've been developing for three years, called Rasengan." Minato condensed a deep-blue chakra sphere in his hand and continued, "It can also be performed without Mujin. If you want to learn it, I can teach you."
"Then I'll thank you, Senior Brother Minato."
Yue Yan was also very happy. That was the Rasengan, an advanced ninjutsu that the protagonist in the original story used from start to finish and created various variations of.
After chatting with Jiraiya and the others for a while, Yue Yan left with the Scroll for Rasengan training that Minato had given him.
...
The second round of the Chunin Exams.
This time, it was a one - on - one match, and the final Chunin would be selected based on the contestants' overall performance.
At the beginning, Yue Yan's team was quite lucky. The opponents they met were not very strong. However, in the second round, it was a tragedy. Asuma was up against Kurenai Yūhi.
No matter how much Asuma protested, it was useless. In the end, he stood on the competition field with his goddess. And Asuma simply couldn't bring himself to attack Kurenai Yūhi. He was easily taken down by an illusion.
"Why!? How come!? We're from the same team. Why are we paired up as opponents?"
Yue Yan poked his ear and rolled his eyes in utter annoyance. Since the match ended, Asuma, a loser (literally 'defeated dog' in Chinese), had been complaining about the unfairness in his ear. Yue Yan also wanted to complain about it. It was no use telling him. He should go to his father, the Third kage!
"Come on, luck is also a part of strength. Look at Obito Uchiha. Didn't he also face his teammate at the beginning and then get taken down in a few moves?"
Obito, who was having his wounds treated by Rin beside them, suddenly heard someone mention his previous fight. He couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"Hey, I tried really hard. Who'd have thought I'd bump into that asshole Kakashi in the first round!"
Hearing Obito's excuse, Yue Yan showed a comical smile.
"Yo, so Mr. Obito finally admits he can't beat Kakashi?"
As he spoke, Yue Yan imitated Obito's previous mannerisms. Both his tone and expression were almost identical.
"If I ever meet Kakashi, I'll definitely beat him black and blue. Tsk tsk tsk. I really wonder how thick - skinned you have to be to say such things. Oh right, when Guy kicked you in the face and your face swelled up, maybe your skin was thick enough then."
"Ahh, bastard! I'll fight you!"
Having his embarrassing past exposed by Yue Yan, Obito's whole face turned red. He waved his arms wildly and was about to rush over to teach Yue Yan a lesson. But as soon as he moved, the pain from his previous battle injuries made his mouth twitch.
"Come on, Obito. Just calm down."
Kakashi had just returned after wrapping up another battle when he saw Obito Uchiha acting up. He didn't want his group to be mocked by people from other villages.
"Damn it! Just you wait! Next time, I'll definitely take you down with my Sharingan."
Hearing this, Yue Yan and Kakashi were both stunned.
"You've awakened your Sharingan?"
In response to Yue Yan's question, Obito Uchiha scratched his face and said uncertainly, "It should be soon. My eyes have been red for the past two days, and there's a strange feeling gathering in them. This must be the precursor to awakening the Sharingan."
If Obito Uchiha were to awaken his Sharingan now, the future might change. As a time - traveler, Yue Yan would lose his edge of being familiar with the plot. So, Yue Yan stepped forward to examine Obito Uchiha.
After the examination, Obito Uchiha looked at Yue Yan expectantly.
"So? Am I about to awaken my Sharingan?"
Hearing this, Yue Yan rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"Do your eyes turn red when the wind blows on them?"
"Yes, yes, exactly like that."
"You have conjunctivitis caused by Dry Eye Syndrome. Take some anti - inflammatory medicine recently. If possible, buy a pair of glasses, preferably windproof ones."
Come to think of it, could it be because of this that Obito Uchiha wore windproof glasses as a kid?
"Aaaah, why isn't it the awakening of the Sharingan?"
Obito Uchiha was like a deflated balloon now, lying there looking completely dejected.
Seeing this, just as Yue Yan was about to make a sarcastic comment, he heard the announcement that he was going to participate in the next match, and his opponent was Zabuza.