Time flowed, and two years passed in the blink of an eye.
Sakura was now seven years old.
Tomorrow was September 1st, the day she would officially enter the Ninja Academy.
On the outskirts of Konoha, the young girl looked at the calm, ripple-free surface of the lake, her lips curling slightly into an imperceptible smile.
Her fingers danced, forming hand signs rapidly.
In an instant, the lake erupted.
Water splashed everywhere, churning upwards to form a massive water pillar.
The tip of the pillar transformed into a blue dragon head, and with a whoosh, it struck a large tree in the distance.
“Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!!” Several large trees were snapped in half instantly upon impact.
“It’s not over yet!” The girl changed her hand signs again.
Ox, Boar, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng…
“Water Release: Hard Vortex Water Blade!” The previous water dragon vanished, and the water surface formed a massive vortex.
The vortex spun at an extreme speed, and from within it, water blades shot out like sharp Shuriken, shimmering with a blue light as they flew in all directions.
If the previous Water Dragon Bullet Technique was targeted, aimed at a single objective, then the Hard Vortex Water Blade was a Ninjutsu that proved highly effective during group combat when surrounded by enemies.
Its practicality was higher than the Water Dragon Bullet Technique, yet it consumed less Chakra.
However, because her physique had not fully developed, Sakura had spent these two years focusing more on basic physical training—running, punching, horse stance, etc.—and had not been too hasty in developing new Ninjutsu.
Because she knew that only by laying a solid foundation could she possess the physical condition to learn more Ninjutsu.
Otherwise, seeking success too quickly would only cause her to be unable to withstand the massive fluctuations in Chakra, leading to premature decline.
Therefore, over these two years, Sakura’s Chakra levels had not increased significantly, but her vitality had advanced to the level of a mid-tier Genin through basic physical training.
Activating the system card, Sakura looked at the data before her with satisfaction.
[Host: Sakura Haruno] [Gender: Female] [Rank: Mid-tier Genin] [Vitality: 1500] [Chakra: 1000] [Unlocked Ninjutsu: Shadow Clone, Water Release] [Possessed Ninja Tools: Shuriken, Kunai] [Ninja Skin Set: None] [Summoning Beast: None] [Gold Coins: 500] As for the final item, Gold Coins, Sakura still didn’t quite understand their use, only receiving a small amount as a reward after completing certain tasks.
Perhaps the system shop hadn’t been unlocked yet.
Once it was, she estimated she could buy some weapons or equipment, like the Bashosen and Red Gourd of the Gold and Silver Brothers.
If that were the case, she really had to save up her Gold Coins.
She couldn’t afford to be short when the time came.
If she was going to buy something, it had to be super S-rank equipment!!
Hee hee— The young girl felt more pleased the more she thought about it.
Additionally, tomorrow was the first day of the Ninja Academy, and she would meet many peers who were also Ninjas.
If she remembered correctly, among the Konoha 12, everyone except Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee would be in the same class, and their homeroom teacher would be Iruka Umino.
…
The next day.
To report to school early, Sakura got up at the crack of dawn, threw on a red backpack, and headed towards the Ninja Academy.
“Sakura—wait for me!” A girl’s bell-like voice called out from behind.
Sakura turned back to see Ino running towards her, panting.
Ino had grown even more exquisite over the past two years, making Sakura pause in a daze for a moment.
Besides the changes in her appearance, under Sakura’s supervision, Ino’s taijutsu had also made some progress over these two years.
Although she couldn’t compare to those who had already graduated as Genin, she was already a standout among her peers.
In truth, Ino didn’t like training, but she was often dragged by Sakura to the training grounds to practice horse stance and punching.
Over time, her physical fitness and other aspects had improved rapidly.
As a member of the Yamanaka Clan, although the young girl would specialize in sensory Ninjutsu like the Mind Transfer Jutsu in the future, she still needed to know some necessary Nintaijutsu; otherwise, she would only be a punching bag if an enemy got close.
Preparation was key to preventing future trouble.
“Sakura, I wonder if we’ll be assigned to the same class.” Ino naturally took Sakura’s hand.
“We definitely will.” Knowing the plot, Sakura gave a spoiler ahead of time.
“Really?
I guess so too!!” Upon hearing Sakura’s answer, Ino was filled with anticipation.
The two walked hand in hand towards the Ninja Academy.
Just as they arrived at the school, they saw a bustling crowd at the entrance.
Many new students reporting for duty were gathered together, as if watching some gossip.
Sakura was curious too and pulled Ino into the crowd.
As it turned out, the students were watching two boys fighting.
Sure enough, the first day of school was exciting enough.
“What did you just say?
You want to be Hokage?” A scruffy boy reeking of dog pointed at the blond boy in front of him, saying with disdain.
“That’s right, I’m the man who will become Hokage!
My goal is to become the strongest Hokage in history!” The blond boy pointed his thumb at his own forehead, saying with great confidence.
Aren’t these Kiba and Naruto?
So these two were at odds right from the start of school.
“Hahaha, you?
You’re killing me, hahaha.” Kiba pointed at Naruto and laughed uncontrollably, and the surrounding students joined in the jeering.
They thought this blond kid was simply ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth, actually daring to dream of becoming Hokage.
“Want to become Hokage?
I bet you can’t even get past me.
If you can beat me, I’ll acknowledge you.
How about it?” Kiba really wanted to teach Naruto a lesson because he believed that he was the one who would become Hokage.
“Bring it on, you think I’m afraid of you?” Naruto puffed out his chest, wiped his nose with his thumb, and looked eager to fight.
Kiba took Akamaru down from his head.
This little white dog, which had been training with him since he was young, also barked viciously at Naruto.
Sakura crossed her arms; she also wanted to see the strength of the two.
Ino, standing beside her, nervously tugged on Sakura’s sleeve: “Hey, Sakura, shouldn’t we stop them?
If the teacher sees them fighting later, they’ll probably lose their temper.” “It’s fine, their current strength won’t cause much of a stir.
At most, they’ll just be punished by standing in the corner,” Sakura said indifferently.
Naruto clenched his fists and rushed towards Kiba’s direction immediately.
His footwork had no pattern at all.
Sakura was speechless.
It seemed this kid hadn’t made any progress in the last two years; was he still just brawling like a hooligan?
Seeing Naruto rushing over, Kiba dodged to the side.
It was clear that Kiba had trained specifically with Akamaru at home.
After all, being from the Inuzuka Clan, the family started physical training for their descendants from the time they were babies.
Naruto missed his target, and immediately wanted to turn around to punch Kiba in the face, but Kiba was already prepared.
With a sweep of his leg, he easily knocked Naruto to the ground.
Akamaru, emboldened by his master’s power, also bit down on Naruto’s arm.
Naruto screamed in pain.