March, Year 42 of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
It was a relatively peaceful time. The Second Great Ninja War had ended not long ago. After such a long conflict, the nations were quietly licking their wounds, hoping to gain a greater advantage in whatever war might break out next.
On the 8th, the weather was perfect—sunny and cloudless, an ideal day for an outing. However, the bulletin board outside the Ninja Academy was a sea of bobbing heads.
Some were prospective students here to take the exam, but most were anxious family members accompanying them. Some households had even turned out in full force, creating quite a spectacle.
Taking advantage of his small size, Taiichi Matsushita bobbed and weaved through the crowd until he finally squeezed his way to the front of the bulletin board.
His eyes scanned the posted list rapidly. Finally, right at the very bottom, he found his name. He let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
Although he had been confident about the exam, as an orphan who grew up in the system, he had harbored significant worries about whether he would successfully get into the Academy.
After all, in this era of the Leaf Village, there was a certain "rat in the shadows" who loved targeting children from the orphanage. Taiichi was terrified that Danzo might kidnap him and drag him off to Root. But now that the dust had settled, he could finally rejoice.
He passed the assessment. All that was left was to submit his paperwork and go through the motions. He had asked around beforehand—this step was usually a formality without surprises. As long as he waited until the official start of the term on April 1st, Taiichi would officially be a first-year student at the Ninja Academy.
With these thoughts in mind, Taiichi shifted his focus to the status interface in his mind. This panel had appeared when he was four years old, right when he awakened the memories of his past life.
> Name: Taiichi Matsushita
> Class: Civilian (Level 5 - MAX)
> Talent: Diligence (Effort yields returns. Even if the gains are small, as an ordinary person, this is the most suitable talent for you.)
> Age: 6
> Constitution: 7
> Strength: 9
> Agility: 8
> Spirit: 17
> Attribute Points: 4
> Skill Points: 4
> Skills: Basic Taijutsu Lv5 (621/800), Basic Meditation Lv6 (345/1000)
> Tip: Learn the Chakra Refining Technique and generate your first bit of Chakra to change your class to "Apprentice Ninja."
> Evaluation: Right now, you're just slightly stronger than your peers. In the ninja world, you are absolute trash.
Even though it wasn't his first time looking at the interface, it still felt magical every time.
Except for that damn evaluation. Was he really only "slightly" stronger? Based on his observations, the average adult's stats hovered around 10.
He was only six years old, yet most of his physical stats were approaching adult levels, and his Spirit was already at 17. Sure, that was due to the fusion of two souls, but it was still impressive.
As for the Attribute Points, ever since he used one point for the first time and discovered it completely restored his mental and physical stamina, he refused to use them casually. These were life-saving drugs, basically "Max Potions." Using a point at a critical moment could literally save his life.
Besides, stats could be increased through exercise, which only highlighted the value of saving the points.
The same logic applied to Skill Points. Why waste points on early levels that could be quickly raised through self-training?
Thinking about the massive amount of XP required for high-level skills later on, wouldn't it be better to save the points for then? Furthermore, Taiichi had discovered that a Skill Point could help him instantly master the basics of a new skill.
He remembered when his Basic Meditation was stuck at Lv0, and he just couldn't get the hang of it. One Skill Point later, and it was Lv1. With this function, once he got his hands on the Flying Thunder God Technique in the future, learning it would be a piece of cake.
As for his only two current skills, Basic Taijutsu and Basic Meditation, the system information indicated that these were the optimal training methods for his mind and body, deduced by the system based on the knowledge from his two lives.
It was precisely because of this interface that Taiichi, who had just awakened his memories, wasn't lost or confused. It gave him the confidence to survive in this dog-eat-dog world.
You have to remember, in the later stages of the Naruto world, it becomes a place obsessed with bloodlines. If you don't have a famous ancestor or a special lineage, you really are just the scum of the earth. This interface gave Taiichi the backbone to break that bloodline determinism.
And his "Diligence" talent was the turbocharger for that backbone. The thing humans fear most is putting in the effort and getting nothing in return.
Especially when you get stuck at a bottleneck for years, or even a decade—that's enough to make anyone want to quit living. This talent was the perfect cheat for someone like him with no bloodline limit.
But relying solely on the interface wasn't enough; Taiichi's current achievements were all due to his own hard training.
If he could become invincible just by adding points, considering the limited number of points he might get, he'd be lucky to reach Kage level, let alone Super Kage or Six Paths level.
The reason he could train relentlessly, rain or shine, at such a young age was thanks to a wonderful director—Nono Yakushi!
The orphanage didn't have much funding, certainly not enough to support Taiichi's high-intensity training.
But that didn't stop Nono. Her medical ninjutsu made up for the lack of expensive nutritional supplements and provided the necessary treatment when Taiichi overtrained.
Thinking of that gentle, beautiful older sister, Taiichi felt a warmth in his heart.
However, remembering that Nono was also a member of Root, and recalling Danzo's sinister face, his heart went cold.
"I need to get strong, fast. There isn't much of a gap between the Second and Third Wars."
"I also need to make money." Thinking about the various equipment and secret medicines he'd need for future training, Taiichi felt a headache coming on.
He wasn't a grassroots orphan with no background; his parents had been Chunin of the Leaf Village, and they had left him an inheritance.
Once he officially became a student at the Ninja Academy, he could claim his parents' estate and move out of the orphanage. After all, the orphanage was crowded, small, and full of prying eyes.
The inheritance probably wasn't huge—they were just civilian Chunin—but combined with the village subsidy, living expenses shouldn't be an issue. But funding his training would be tough, so making money was essential!
Taiichi was mentally calculating various ways to make a quick buck when he heard crying from nearby.
"Why! Why is it like this? My name isn't there! Dad, did you see it?"
"Gai, don't give up! Keep looking! You've done your absolute best, you will definitely succeed!"
...
Taiichi turned his head and saw two figures in green jumpsuits and bowl cuts.
Might Duy and Might Gai.
The scene was undeniably comical, but hearing their words, Taiichi couldn't bring himself to laugh. These were two people who would achieve greatness through sheer hard work.
He turned again to look at the people nearby who were about to become his classmates.
Kurenai Yuhi, Genma, Obito, Shizune.
They were all so small! And honestly, pretty cute.
Taiichi withdrew his gaze; staring any longer would make him feel like a creep.
Just as he turned back, Taiichi saw a white-haired kid walking out from behind the crowd with his hands in his pockets.
That guy... posturing and acting cool at such a young age. He really wanted to punch him, but that was just wishful thinking. The current Taiichi couldn't beat Kakashi.
Seeing Kakashi reminded him of Might Gai and the Eight Inner Gates. Taiichi confirmed that Might Gai's name really wasn't on the list.
But he knew Gai was definitely a student of this generation. So, Taiichi changed course. Instead of heading back to the orphanage, he walked over to the nearby swing set. He sat down, swinging idly, watching the father and son duo.
Not long after, the pair walked away, heads hanging low in dejection. But Taiichi didn't leave; he waited quietly.
Sure enough, less than half an hour later, Might Gai reappeared. He was dragging a long banner behind him, running laps around the school like a madman. The banner read: YOUTH IS BURNING.
This spectacle attracted the attention of many people nearby, and quite a few mocking laughs reached Taiichi's ears.
Taiichi remained unmoved. He hopped off the swing and walked over.
"Hey!"
Might Gai, who was in the middle of his run, suddenly noticed someone beside him. He faltered slightly, slowing his pace. "Um... did you fail the exam too?"
"No, I passed. But that doesn't mean I don't need to work hard, right?"
Gai's eyes lit up, and he instinctively asked, "What?"
Taiichi smiled to himself and sped up, overtaking Gai. "Hard work never betrays you. If we don't have what we want yet, it just means we haven't worked hard enough."
"Gai, my name is Taiichi Matsushita. I believe you will definitely get into the Ninja Academy."
That dose of inspiration made Gai stop in his tracks, trembling with emotion. Watching Taiichi run into the distance, two streams of tears poured down Gai's face. It felt as if infinite power was erupting from within him. "Target: 500 laps around the Ninja Academy! If I can't do it, then 500 frog jumps!"
Shouting his goal, Gai took off and chased after Taiichi. Under the setting sun, the two of them ran shoulder to shoulder, lap after lap around the school.
From that day on, two figures could be seen outside the school, running laps rain or shine.
Sometimes Might Duy would show up to cheer them on. Sometimes it was just the two of them, accompanied by the jeers of other kids, but none of it bothered Taiichi or Gai. Occasionally, two white-haired figures, one big and one small, would pass by and sweep their gaze over them.
"What is it, Kakashi? Do you know them?"
"I don't. I'm just curious, Father."
"Remember them, Kakashi. Those two have the potential to become strong," Sakumo said with certainty.
Hearing this, Kakashi looked back at Taiichi and Gai one more time.
"Strong, huh?"