"What's your name?" Kakashi looked at Chao Yan Qian and asked.
Kakashi was also very interested in this person who had not yet practiced chakra but could surpass all the clan ninjas. Before entering the academy, Kakashi's father, Sakumo Hatake, had told him that he needed to meet some worthy opponents, although Kakashi hadn't paid much attention to his current classmates.
"Chao Yan Qian Ren! How about you?" Chao Yan Qian responded rhetorically.
Kakashi frowned and said lightly, "Kakashi. Kakashi Hatake."
With that, Kakashi ignored Chao Yan Qian. This wasn't because Kakashi was arrogant, but because the tone and manner of speaking used by Chao Yan Qian made Kakashi slightly uncomfortable.
In his previous life, Chao Yan Qian Ren wasn't very good at communicating with people and was quite a silent person. After being transported to the world of Naruto, he hadn't interacted much with others for several years, so his speech was blunt, making others feel uneasy.
Soon, the 200-lap test was over. Except for a few who failed, most passed the entrance exam. After all, those who came here were quite confident in their abilities.
Among those who were eliminated, Chao Yan Qian Ren particularly noticed a boy wearing green tights.
Might Guy! In the future, he would rely on the forbidden technique [Eight Gates Released Formation] to go toe-to-toe with Madara Uchiha. Chao Yan Qian was interested in befriending Might Guy, but it wasn't the right time yet.
In any case, over the next few years, they would all be studying at the Ninja Academy, so there would be plenty of opportunities to make friends.
Chao Yan Qian was particularly interested in many of the famous figures from this generation, as they would become the pillars of Konoha in the future. Building friendships with them as classmates would make many things easier in the long run.
It was similar to his attempt to befriend Kakashi. If he didn't know about Kakashi's future achievements, Chao Yan Qian Ren wouldn't have initiated the conversation.
After receiving his admission notice, Chao Yan Qian Ren returned to his residence alone, packed lightly, grabbed some food, and headed to the forest behind the Hokage Rock.
Konoha's treatment of war orphans was humane. In addition to having his own residence, Chao Yan Qian Ren also received enough relief money every month. However, luxuries such as a training ground were beyond his reach.
As a result, the large forest behind the Hokage Rock became Chao Yan Qian Ren's training ground.
His practice was straightforward: push-ups and similar exercises to build physical strength.
Among ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu, taijutsu was often the least valued by ninjas because taijutsu users were at a disadvantage against those who specialized in ninjutsu and genjutsu.
Although Might Guy became incredibly strong later on, that was only because of his use of the [Eight Gates Released Formation]. Without it, even Guy struggled against powerful opponents like Kisame Hoshigaki, relying on a simple [Transformation Technique] to create a clone with only a third of his strength.
However, Chao Yan Qian Ren placed great emphasis on taijutsu, believing that mastery of it formed the foundation for using both ninjutsu and genjutsu effectively.
Even though he focused on the basics, it was out of necessity. Chao Yan Qian Ren hadn't yet reached the level of a ninja and didn't understand the practice of ninjutsu.
In the original Naruto world, many powerful individuals didn't rely on bloodline limits to achieve greatness. The Third Hokage, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Minato Namikaze were prime examples. None of them possessed a kekkei genkai, but all reached great heights. Chao Yan Qian Ren intended to follow the paths they had taken.
Ninjutsu specialization, forbidden techniques, senjutsu, and speed training were all possible routes.
For a ninja without a kekkei genkai, the only way to compete with those who had one was to learn powerful techniques that could rival bloodline abilities.
And if Chao Yan Qian Ren wanted to survive the upcoming Third Great Ninja War, he needed to continually strengthen himself.
Despite his many plans for the future, Chao Yan Qian Ren was still just a kid who couldn't even refine chakra.
Luckily, the Ninja Academy would officially begin tomorrow. Chao Yan Qian Ren was quite interested in the academy. His journey to becoming a ninja would start there.
The next day, Chao Yan Qian Ren arrived at the academy a few minutes before class began.
As soon as he entered the gate, he felt a few hostile stares directed at him. It wasn't due to heightened perception—these looks were too obvious. If it hadn't been within the academy, Chao Yan Qian Ren was certain those people would've ganged up on him.
Turning his head, Chao Yan Qian Ren saw it was the children from the clans who he had surpassed the day before. He figured that after returning to their families, they must have been scolded by their elders for losing face to a commoner.
Ignoring them, Chao Yan Qian Ren crossed the campus playground, entered the teaching building, found his classroom, and took a seat.
As for the children from those clans, Chao Yan Qian Ren wasn't worried. If they came to cause trouble, he was ready for a fight. Winning would put him on the radar of the academy's higher-ups. Even if he lost, he would only take a beating, and he could always fight back after training hard.
The lively classroom was a stark contrast to Chao Yan Qian Ren's silence. The other children were loud, chatting and laughing with friends they already knew.
Chao Yan Qian Ren had no friends among his peers and no desire to make any. They simply didn't have anything in common.
"The teacher's here!"
Someone shouted, and the classroom fell silent immediately.
The curriculum of the Ninja Academy wasn't as playful as it appeared in the original series. Here, the academy taught the most basic principles of being a ninja. As long as a student worked hard, they could learn plenty of useful foundational knowledge.
Especially during this period of war, the situation in the ninja world was growing more tense. Having just emerged from the Second Great Ninja War, the village was short of genin and chunin, so the training cycles were significantly shortened.
During peacetime, a ninja had to be twelve years old to graduate from the academy. However, during wartime, many graduated before the age of ten. Kakashi, for example, graduated at five and became a chunin at six.
But shortening the training period inevitably affected the quality of education, and since most of the students were children, it was difficult for them to focus. As a result, many died on the battlefield soon after graduation.
Fortunately for the village, war orphans were plentiful. When one group died, another quickly replaced them.
But for Chao Yan Qian Ren, this was an advantage.
With the mind of an adult, Chao Yan Qian Ren could easily stand out from a group of children. As long as his talents were recognized by the academy's higher-ups, he wouldn't be assigned dangerous missions after graduation.
Though this was unfair, no one cared about fairness.