Half a year later, Tang Yin Village.
Hidden Hot Water 8th Year, October Golden Autumn.
Thirteen-year-old Shangguan Mo left his home and walked towards the Ninja School.
Over the past half-year, he had gradually adapted to life in the Ninja World.
Unlike the Fire Will of Konoha that he was familiar with, Tang Yin Village was a Village that had forgotten war. The Ninja here all yearned for peace and would not be coveted and attacked by Ninja Villages of various great nations every now and then.
Initially, he subtly displayed his innate ability of "Ninja Beast Affinity." Coupled with his perfectly legitimate identity as a villager from Qinghe Village in the Land of Hot Water, he was naturally noticed by the Ninja of Tang Yin Village.
He entered the Ninja School of Tang Yin Village as an older transfer student, and the Village even specially arranged a two-bedroom, one-living-room house for him. He was treated with exceptional favor.
From then on, Shangguan Mo finally had a new identity.
Ninja Academy student!
It was just that this student was a little on the older side…
At thirteen years old, he was in the third year of the Ninja School's six-year program. It was now the golden autumn of October, meaning it was already the second semester of the third year.
Most of his classmates were only ten-year-old children…
…
Tang Yin Village was not large, but it housed many ordinary villagers.
Along the way, Shangguan Mo wore a faint, gentle smile. He was not stingy with his kindness towards the honest villagers he met on the road.
At eight in the morning, the autumn wind was slightly cool.
The number of half-grown boys on the road gradually increased, but most were a head shorter than Shangguan Mo. Thirteen was when the body began to develop and grow taller. His usual meals were also good; the Village provided him with five hundred taels of living expenses each month, which was enough for his daily needs.
Shangguan Mo blended into the crowd and entered the Ninja School.
Upon reaching the main entrance, it was as bustling as a market. Many parents sending their children to school were bending down, giving their children instructions.
Shangguan Mo watched this scene with interest, feeling as if he had returned to his previous life.
Given his psychological age, he would never experience feelings of disappointment, as he was old enough to be a father before he transmigrated.
…
The Land of Hot Water was an inconspicuous small country in the Ninja World. Its territory was not large, and correspondingly, the Ninja School within Tang Yin Village was also not large, so there were not many students, at least in Shangguan Mo's opinion.
The people here advocated peace and had not experienced the cruelty of war for many years. Even the Second Great Ninja War, which almost affected the entire Ninja World, somehow bypassed the Land of Hot Water.
Without war, the people here had even less reason to let their children become Ninja, a profession with extreme danger!
Therefore, in the Ninja School of Tang Yin Village, each grade had only one class, with student numbers generally ranging from thirty to fifty.
In other words, Tang Yin Village only added thirty to fifty new Genin each year.
One can infer the whole from a single aspect.
It was conceivable that the strength of this Village would definitely not be very strong!
…
Shangguan Mo skillfully walked into the third-grade classroom and then walked to the innermost column, the last step, and sat down.
The classroom was arranged in a tiered manner, with each desk about four meters long and two one-meter-wide aisles.
When Shangguan Mo sat down, a classmate was already sitting at his desk.
To his left, by the window, sat a quiet chestnut-haired little girl, about ten years old.
She rested her chin on her hands, looking out the left window, revealing only a delicate profile.
Shangguan Mo followed her gaze out the window but saw only a desolate forest.
"You're still here so early, Li!"
Raising her head in pleasant surprise, the girl turned slightly, and her baby-fat cheeks instantly bloomed into a smile.
"Mo-kun, good morning!"
Shangguan Mo smiled helplessly.
"Good morning…"
He had to say this every morning. He felt incredibly embarrassed at first, but now he was somewhat numb to it.
He turned his head to look at the textbooks on the desk. There wasn't much they truly needed to learn; these textbooks merely served to broaden the students' knowledge.
But for Shangguan Mo, the truly useful things were what the teacher personally taught, such as… Chakra refining techniques!
"History of Ninja World Development," "The Origin of Ninja Villages," "History of Hidden Hot Water Village," "War and Peace."
…
Among them, "War and Peace" was placed on top by Shangguan Mo, showing his yearning for peace.
This was mainly to fit his persona. In his explanation to the Village, he stated that his Qinghe Village was targeted by those Evil God Cult followers, and his villagers and even his parents were killed. He hated those terrorists to the extreme, and in desperation, he came to Hidden Hot Water Village, wanting to join and become a Ninja to avenge his parents.
Such an experience was indeed incredibly cruel for a child barely ten years old, so Shangguan Mo naturally displayed a yearning for a peaceful and stable life.
He stared blankly at the book "War and Peace," lost in thought, until a soft voice by his ear startled Shangguan Mo awake.
"Mo-kun, are you spacing out…?"
"What?"
Shangguan Mo looked to his left; it was Li, with a gentle expression, speaking to him.
"What were you just saying? I'm sorry, I was a bit distracted and didn't hear clearly."
He asked softly.
"…I was asking if you're alright. I just saw that your complexion didn't look so good…"
Li hesitated but still said softly.
Shangguan Mo was stunned.
"Was it? Uh… maybe I was thinking about something unhappy."
He smiled and lied.
…
Not long after, a Tang Hidden Ninja in his forties walked in from outside the classroom. This was Inoshita Riya, the third-grade homeroom teacher. He wore a Tang Ninja forehead protector on his forehead; the pattern looked very simple, like a child's doodle.
On a horizontal line, there were three vertical slanted lines.
With a glance, he counted the number of people and nodded slightly.
Looking at these vibrant children, he felt both comforted and somewhat worried.
Recently, the Land of Hot Water Daimyo had repeatedly pressured Hidden Hot Water Village, and the Village was already severely understaffed. These children might also be sent out to face those cruel fellows…
The Land of Hot Water had not been peaceful recently. Those evil followers of the Evil God Cult seemed endless. After a period of disappearing, they had recently started committing heinous acts like massacring Villages everywhere!
Thinking of this, he shifted his gaze to the right, looking at the boy who was noticeably a head taller than the other children.
"This child is truly pitiful. His parents were killed by those damned Evil God Cult members, and his Village was also annihilated in a catastrophe. His home and family were destroyed. He must be in constant pain every moment…"
Sighing and shaking his head, he cleared his throat, preparing to begin today's lesson.
"Today we will be discussing the course related to Shuriken throwing techniques…"
"Teacher!"
Just then, another voice suddenly rang out in the classroom.
Taking advantage of the homeroom teacher writing on the blackboard, Shangguan Mo raised his hand and stood up from his seat, his face full of intense curiosity.
"Classmate Shangguan Mo? Is there something you need?"
The homeroom teacher turned his head and looked at him with some confusion. The other classmates also turned their heads, curiously looking at Shangguan Mo.
"Teacher, I want to know if a Shuriken can really be thrown eight hundred miles away?"
The homeroom teacher's forehead was covered in black lines, wanting nothing more than to slap this mischievous fellow to death, so he retorted angrily.
"Do you think you're Kakuzu?"
"Hahahahahahaha…"
The entire class burst into laughter.
…