The next day, the Ninja Academy classroom felt noticeably quieter than usual.
The students were still the same people as before, yet every single face carried something slightly different now. Some looked nervous, some looked excited, and some still seemed unable to fully process yesterday's events.
Obito sat directly in front of Might Guy while continuously turning around to stare at him from head to toe.
Finally, he could no longer hold himself back.
"Did you really kick a Chunin to death?"
Might Guy nodded naturally.
"Yeah."
Obito's expression immediately stiffened.
"With one kick?"
"Yeah."
Obito suddenly fell silent.
He stared at Might Guy as though looking at some strange lifeform that shouldn't exist in the Ninja World at all.
"That guy was a rogue Ninja from Iwagakure. A real Chunin."
"And you killed him with one kick?"
Might Guy thought seriously for several seconds before answering.
"Not exactly."
Obito's eyes instantly lit up.
"Huh?"
"He only died after getting embedded in the tree."
Obito: "..."
Beside them, Ebisu silently pushed up his sunglasses while wearing an unusually complicated expression.
Unlike Obito, he witnessed everything personally yesterday.
Even now, whenever he remembered the scarred rogue Ninja embedded halfway inside the tree trunk with his eyes wide open and chest completely collapsed inward, his legs still felt somewhat weak.
At that moment, Shiranui Genma casually turned his head while biting his usual toothpick.
"Ebisu."
Ebisu glanced toward him.
Genma stared at him lazily.
"Weren't you acting pretty cocky yesterday?"
"You still feeling cocky now?"
Ebisu's mouth twitched violently.
He wanted to refute him immediately.
However, after thinking carefully for several seconds, he wisely shut his mouth instead.
Compare himself to that monster?
That guy kicked a Chunin to death.
Meanwhile, what did Ebisu accomplish?
He captured a few ordinary bandits after they were already beaten unconscious.
The difference was simply too ridiculous.
Just then, the classroom door suddenly opened.
Umino Iruka walked inside while holding several thick envelopes in his hands.
"Everyone sit down."
The entire class immediately straightened up obediently.
Iruka slowly scanned the classroom before beginning to call names one by one.
"Team One, two thousand Ryo each."
"Team Two, two thousand Ryo each."
"Team Three..."
The envelopes were distributed continuously.
Eventually, when he reached Team Six, Iruka paused briefly.
"Team Six: Might Guy, Shiranui Genma, Ebisu."
The three immediately stood up.
Iruka looked directly toward them.
"You three dealt with the highest number of bandits during the mission. Additionally, when Team Seven encountered danger, you immediately rushed over to provide support."
As he spoke, he handed each of them an envelope.
"Three thousand Ryo each."
Ebisu's eyes instantly widened.
Three thousand Ryo!
That was more money than the monthly allowance his father usually gave him.
Meanwhile, Genma accepted the envelope calmly without changing expressions, although the toothpick in his mouth rotated slightly faster than usual.
As for Guy, he casually accepted the envelope before immediately stuffing it into his pocket.
Iruka then looked directly toward him.
"Might Guy, stay behind after class."
"Everyone else is dismissed."
"Half-day break this afternoon."
The classroom immediately became noisy.
Obito stood up quickly before sneaking close to Guy and whispering quietly:
"You're treating us later."
Guy nodded confidently.
"Sure."
Soon afterward, the classroom emptied completely.
Only Guy and Iruka remained behind.
Then Iruka slowly bent down before pulling something out from beneath the podium.
It was wrapped tightly in cloth.
And very long.
He carefully placed it atop the podium before unwrapping the cloth layer by layer.
The moment the wrapping came off, a massive machete appeared.
The blade itself was longer than an adult's arm, while the handle was wrapped tightly with black hemp rope that reflected a cold metallic glow beneath the sunlight.
Guy froze slightly.
This was the bandit leader's blade from yesterday.
Iruka looked directly toward him.
"I heard you're practicing blade techniques lately?"
Guy nodded.
"Yeah."
"What kind of blade style?"
Guy thought carefully for a moment before answering.
"A self-created blade technique."
Iruka did not ask for further details.
Instead, he slowly pushed the giant machete toward Guy.
"This is for you."
Guy blinked twice.
"For me?"
Iruka nodded calmly.
"The quality of this blade is actually pretty decent. It's much better than ordinary Ninja blades."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"If not for you yesterday, that child from Team Seven would already be dead."
"That boy is currently lying in the hospital, but his life was saved."
"The doctor said if treatment had been delayed even another half minute, nobody could've saved him anymore."
Guy remained silent quietly.
Iruka continued speaking.
"This blade originally belonged to that rogue Ninja."
"You defeated him, so naturally the blade belongs to you now."
"Besides..."
Iruka suddenly reached into his pocket before pulling out another envelope.
This one was noticeably thicker than the previous reward envelopes.
He placed it beside the blade.
"This is separate."
Guy picked up the envelope curiously before opening it slightly.
Thirty thousand Ryo.
Guy immediately raised his head toward Iruka.
Iruka waved his hand casually.
"Don't look at me."
"This was approved by the village."
"The child you saved yesterday comes from a fairly influential family, so this counts as their thank-you gift."
"Combined with your contributions during the mission itself, this amount is considered appropriate."
Guy quietly stared at the money for several seconds.
Then he immediately stuffed it into his pocket.
"Thank you, Teacher Umino."
Iruka nodded slightly.
"Alright."
"Go get some rest."
"You've got the afternoon off."
Guy picked up the giant blade beside him.
The weight was noticeably heavier than the unfinished blades and billets he usually handled inside the Uchiha Forge.
Yet strangely enough, despite its size, the weapon felt surprisingly comfortable in his hands.
He turned around and started walking toward the classroom door.
However, halfway there, he suddenly remembered something.
Guy stopped before turning around again.
"Teacher Umino."
"Hm?"
"What was the name of that classmate from yesterday?"
Iruka froze briefly.
"You don't know?"
Guy nodded awkwardly.
After nearly a year of attending classes together, not knowing a classmate's name honestly felt somewhat embarrassing.
Iruka rolled his eyes helplessly.
"His name is Shikuro Aburame."
Guy nodded seriously.
"Shikuro Aburame."
"I'll remember it this time."
By the time Guy walked out from the Academy gates, the sun had already reached directly overhead.
Guy stopped briefly outside the school while lowering his head toward the giant blade in his hand.
Then he touched the thick envelope inside his pocket.
Thirty thousand Ryo.
He immediately grinned.
Half-day break.
Where should he go?
Was there even a need to think?
Obviously the back mountain.
Without hesitation, Guy carried the giant blade across his shoulder and headed directly toward the mountain path.
Along the way, he encountered several familiar villagers.
The ramen shop owner even poked his head outside after noticing him.
The moment he saw the massive blade resting across Guy's shoulder, he froze completely.
"Yo, Might Guy!"
"Where did you get that blade?!"
Guy immediately raised a thumbs-up confidently.
"Trophy!"
The owner blinked repeatedly while staring at the weapon nearly taller than Guy himself.
"Uh... aren't you tired carrying something like that?"
Guy shook his head naturally.
"Not tired."
After answering, he simply continued walking away.
The ramen shop owner stared blankly toward Guy's retreating back before muttering softly:
"This kid is becoming less and less like a seven-year-old child..."
Soon afterward, Guy finally arrived at the familiar back mountain clearing.
The same training ground.
The same open space.
Guy casually stabbed the giant blade into the ground before sitting down heavily beneath a nearby tree.
Warm sunlight filtered through the leaves overhead comfortably.
Guy slowly closed his eyes before taking a deep breath.
Yesterday, after returning home and adding the newly earned Monk Value into the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic, he had been so exhausted that he collapsed directly into sleep without even opening the reward package.
Now finally, he had time.
Guy immediately opened the System interface.
[Host: Might Guy (Seven Years Old)]
[Monk Value: 0]
[Supreme Technique List]
[Muscle-Tendon Change Classic (High Grade): 952 (Advanced)]
[Precept-Breaking Blade (Medium Grade): 348 (Mastery)]
[Great Vajra Leg (Low Grade): 1000 (Perfection)]
[Great Vajra Finger (Low Grade): 1000 (Perfection)]
[Golden Bell Shield (Low Grade): 87 (Small Success)]
[Intermediate Gift Package Γ1]
Guy's eyes immediately focused toward the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic.
Nine hundred fifty-two proficiency points.
Only forty-eight points remained before reaching Perfection.
And according to the System's current calculation speed, the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic only gained one proficiency point every seven days through normal cultivation.
Forty-eight points meant three hundred thirty-six days.
Less than one year.
Guy slowly inhaled deeply.
At this speed, the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic might truly reach Perfection before the war fully escalated.
Of course, that was assuming no bottlenecks appeared midway.
Soon afterward, Guy shifted his attention toward another notification inside the interface.
[Random Intermediate Gift Package Γ1]
[Ready to Open]
Intermediate Gift Package.
This was the first time he had ever obtained one.
Previously, all System rewards had only been Elementary Gift Packages.
Now that the System specifically labeled this one as "Intermediate," Guy naturally became curious.
He immediately sat upright properly.
A trace of anticipation appeared inside his eyes.
"Open."
The moment those words fell, golden light exploded instantly inside his consciousness.
Then two completely different items slowly emerged before him.
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