Mizuki's Wishful Thinking
With the personal recommendation of the Third Hokage, Xu Fan's admission process became much easier.
"Now, I just need to go to the Ninja Academy, find Teacher Iruka to complete my enrollment, and get the sign-in task done while I'm at it."
After spending five years in Konoha, Xu Fan was already familiar with the village's layout.
It took him only about half an hour to walk from his residence to the Ninja Academy. The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had also informed the Academy staff to take care of Xu Fan.
"You must be Senju Xu."
As soon as Xu Fan stepped into the Academy, a Chūnin teacher stopped him.
A flicker of surprise flashed in Xu Fan's eyes—the one receiving him wasn't just any teacher. It was none other than a rather well-known figure in the world of Hokage—Mizuki.
"Yes," Xu Fan nodded. Although Mizuki was despicable and envious by nature, it had nothing to do with him.
If Mizuki really intended to manipulate him into stealing the Scroll of Seals, then that would be a blessing in disguise. Xu Fan could learn some forbidden jutsu along the way.
"A Senju student?" Mizuki raised his voice slightly, snapping Xu Fan out of his thoughts.
"Ah, it's nothing," Xu Fan said with a small smile. "I just remembered something amusing."
"Oh? I think I understand."
Mizuki's expression remained cheerful. To someone unfamiliar with his true nature, his sunny big-brother demeanor would have been deceiving.
"Guess how I recognized you at first glance?" Mizuki asked, gesturing with his hand as he led Xu Fan forward, taking the opportunity to show him around.
"Because of this?" Xu Fan pointed at the Senju clan symbol on his chest.
He wasn't famous, nor did he expect the entire village to know about him. But the Senju symbol was a different story.
"That's right. Senju-san is quite sharp." Mizuki maintained his pleasant smile, though deep down, he couldn't help but pity Xu Fan.
Normally, children entered the Ninja Academy at a young age, received proper education, and became eligible to graduate as genin. By Xu Fan's age—thirteen—most talented ninjas had already grown into formidable fighters.
Geniuses like Kakashi Hatake and Itachi Uchiha were perfect examples.
Thinking about it made Mizuki envious of their talent.
"Senju..." Mizuki sighed internally.
Had it been any other surname, it might not have mattered.
But Senju—that name carried the weight of Konoha's history.
The legacy of Senju Hashirama, the God of Shinobi, was legendary.
Even in the next generation, Senju Tsunade was still one of the world's greatest medical ninjas, a member of the legendary Sannin.
And then, there was Xu Fan…
At thirteen, not repeating a grade, but only now entering the Academy.
If Mizuki had to guess, the Third Hokage likely admitted Xu Fan out of pity.
To put it bluntly, given Xu Fan's situation, he wasn't just unlikely to become a ninja—graduation itself seemed like an impossible goal.
"Another Uzumaki Naruto," Mizuki thought to himself, barely suppressing a smirk.
Watching that fox demon brat struggle to prove himself always amused Mizuki.
No matter how hard Naruto worked, he could never become a true ninja.
Xu Fan was no different.
"This is your first time here, right?" Mizuki asked, inhaling deeply and maintaining casual conversation.
"No, I came here once five years ago, but I wasn't admitted. This time, thanks to the Third Hokage, I got in," Xu Fan said casually.
Before officially becoming a student, he needed to visit the Academic Affairs Office with Mizuki for registration.
Along the way, they didn't encounter any other students.
"I see." Mizuki nodded, feeling even more sympathy for Xu Fan.
But… perhaps he could make use of this guy.
Mizuki narrowed his eyes slightly. As an Academy instructor, he knew the Scroll of Seals was stored in the Hokage's office.
That scroll contained numerous forbidden jutsu.
If he could get his hands on it…
"Which grade will I be placed in?" Xu Fan suddenly asked.
The Academy wasn't very large, with only a few dozen students per grade. In just a few minutes, Mizuki and Xu Fan arrived at the Academic Affairs Office.
---
Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully arriving at the check-in location. Official sign-in initiated.
Exiting midway will result in a failed sign-in.
Progress bar starting…
1%...
23%...
Xu Fan couldn't help but murmur, "So the sign-in is triggered when I arrive here?"
On his way over, he had been puzzled as to why the system assistant hadn't activated.
It seemed that the conditions for this sign-in were different from previous ones.
66%...
100%!
Congratulations to the host, sign-in successful!
Reward obtained: Mastery of all five chakra natures—Wind, Lightning, Fire, Water, and Earth!
As soon as the assistant's voice faded, Xu Fan felt a mysterious power surging within him. It expanded rapidly, merging seamlessly with his body.
"The five chakra natures..." Xu Fan was astonished.
As someone who had watched Naruto, he understood the significance of chakra attributes.
Most people had only one or two elemental affinities. Even prodigies like Sasuke specialized in Fire and Lightning, while Naruto primarily used Wind.
But now, Xu Fan could effortlessly manipulate all five—Wind, Lightning, Fire, Water, and Earth.
However, after completing this check-in, the system didn't immediately provide a new task.
"It seems the sign-in assistant doesn't issue tasks one after another."
Still, considering the quality of the first two rewards, Xu Fan was excited about what future check-ins might bring.
"Alright, stop spacing out."
Mizuki's voice brought him back to reality. Xu Fan looked up, realizing that Mizuki had already submitted his admission paperwork.
"Now, I'll take you to your assigned class. Are you ready?" Mizuki asked with a smile.
"Of course," Xu Fan replied eagerly. He had been waiting for this.
But when Mizuki led him to the classroom door, they found it completely empty.
"Ah… I remember now."
Mizuki suddenly chuckled.
"Iruka's class has a practical training session today."
He then turned back to Xu Fan with an amused smirk.
"Looks like your luck… isn't very good."
Although the students in Iruka's class were younger than Xu Fan, they had entered through normal channels.
When it came to actual combat, Xu Fan was likely to get beaten.
But…
That only made Mizuki more excited.
The harder Xu Fan was beaten, the easier it would be to manipulate him into stealing the Scroll of Seals.