Chapter 4: Byakuya's Change; Shino and Inuzuka Kiba's Shock!
The next morning, Byakuya was in no hurry to head to the Ninja Academy.
After all, even if he went to school, it was just going through the motions.
So, while passing through the Commercial Street early in the morning, Byakuya encountered a Ninja Tool Shop.
Looking at the dazzling array of weapons in the shop, Byakuya swept his gaze over almost all of them.
Then, he focused his eyes on the equipment in the back.
"Yo, young man. I see you're a student; have you taken a fancy to this weight training equipment too?"
Seeing Byakuya's interested expression, the owner quickly stepped forward to introduce it.
"Oh my, the weight training equipment here is the most professional in all of Konoha..."
"I want to try that weight training equipment."
Byakuya pointed at the items above. Just as the owner was about to move, Byakuya spoke again in the next second.
"Not that one. I want the heaviest weight training equipment!"
"What?"
The shop owner momentarily doubted if he had heard correctly.
"Give me the heaviest weight training equipment!"
Seeing the owner stop his movements, Byakuya thought he hadn't heard and repeated himself.
This time, the owner understood perfectly and was completely shocked.
"weight training equipment of this level is absolutely not something you can handle!"
The owner tried to persuade him, but Byakuya's attitude was very firm.
Just then, a Ninja wearing a green bodysuit walked in.
"This is?"
Rock Lee didn't expect to run into a classmate from the Ninja Academy.
But looking at the other's appearance, he seemed to be pushing himself too hard.
Weights like those were something even he, who trained with weights constantly, wouldn't dare use.
Byakuya simply had the owner take them out.
"Young man, I have to warn you, once this scroll is opened, it really takes effect!"
The owner said to Byakuya as he brought out a weight scroll.
Afterward, Byakuya let the owner equip him. He then moved his limbs around; it didn't affect his movement at all.
"This... how is it possible!"
Seeing this scene, Rock Lee's worldview was about to shatter.
That was the highest-level weight scroll! How could an ordinary person like Byakuya be unaffected at all?
"Ah, this?"
"Are students these days all this strong?"
The shop owner was simply dumbfounded. He had been selling these for decades.
He had never seen anyone successfully use a weight scroll of this level.
Then, under their watchful eyes, Byakuya calmly paid and left.
Only the owner and Rock Lee were left staring at each other in disbelief.
"Incredible! Byakuya must train hard every day!"
"It must be so—persisting with weights every day without any of us knowing!"
Rock Lee was inexplicably moved by Byakuya.
He kept shouting about what a hardworking genius Byakuya was.
"Alright! From now on, I'm going to add a hundred extra practice reps for myself!"
Rock Lee said with boiling blood, thrusting out his fist.
It seemed Rock Lee had been inspired by Byakuya, believing he wasn't genius enough or hardworking enough.
"Is this guy okay?"
But looking at Rock Lee, who was inexplicably pumped up, Byakuya felt quite speechless.
"Forget it, better hurry to school!"
Byakuya didn't pay much mind to this small interlude.
By the time Byakuya arrived at the Ninja Academy, the entire school was nearly blocked off.
"Oh my god, it's Byakuya!"
A group of girls swarmed around him upon seeing him, looking completely infatuated.
"Byakuya, I brought a Love lunch I specially made today. Do you want to share it?"
A girl with pink hair, emerald eyes, and a deep pink headband squeezed through.
She held the Love lunch she had made, which looked very exquisite.
"Sakura, Byakuya won't like the lunch you made."
At this time, the young Ino could already be described as a budding beauty.
However, even so, it didn't stop Ino and Sakura from being jealous over Byakuya.
"That guy is still so popular!"
Naruto, outside the crowd, looked at the popular Byakuya with envy and jealousy practically written on his face.
"That's normal. Byakuya's handsomeness is unmatched in all of Konoha."
Shino Aburame, standing next to Naruto, explained.
Whimper, whimper!
While they were discussing, Akamaru, Inuzuka Kiba's partner, began to bark in terror.
"Inuzuka Kiba, is Akamaru sick?"
Naruto looked at Akamaru in confusion; why did it seem so terrified?
"Akamaru, what are you saying?"
Inuzuka Kiba looked very surprised after communicating with Akamaru.
"Akamaru just told me that he senses a terrifying aura coming from Byakuya."
Inuzuka Kiba himself was still bewildered.
It wasn't like Akamaru hadn't seen Byakuya before, so why such a sudden, huge reaction this time?
"Hmm?"
Shino's bugs flew to his ear, seemingly telling him something.
Then Shino adjusted his glasses and glanced at Akamaru.
"Kiba, Akamaru's perception is very sharp!"
Shino, whose expression usually never changed, wore a solemn look for the first time.
"You felt it too?"
Inuzuka Kiba thought of Shino's communication with the bugs just now and understood immediately.
"Could it be you also..."
Shino nodded.
"My bugs told me that Byakuya is countless times more terrifying than before!"
Afterward, both of them looked at Byakuya with extremely cautious expressions.
Only Naruto had no idea what was happening.
"Is that so? How come I can't see it? Isn't Byakuya still the same Byakuya?"
Naruto said, completely failing to understand.
Byakuya was always this popular at the Ninja Academy, with countless young girls scrambling to give him their Love lunches.
"No, you don't understand!"
Inuzuka Kiba and Shino said in perfect unison to Naruto's reaction.
What puzzled the two was what exactly had caused Byakuya to undergo such a change overnight.
"Alright, alright, class is about to start. Iruka-sensei said there's something important to announce today."
Naruto interrupted their thoughts.