Although there were various ways to obtain achievement points…
…the high difficulty of acquiring them still made them seem precious.
At least, in the two and a half years since Ayane unlocked the panel, the achievement points she had obtained through daily cultivation were only just over a thousand…
Yet her only two lonely White titles combined had provided her with a full 1,300 points!
Academy Valedictorian title—500 points!
Amegakure Genin title—800 points!
Clearly, which method of obtaining achievement points was more efficient was obvious at a glance.
Looking at the three entrys on the panel that could be upgraded…
…the girl pondered for a moment.
She didn’t rush to make a choice, wanting instead to wait until the results of tomorrow’s graduation assignments came out before deciding.
—————— The next morning.
Ayane made a point to get up early, packed her Ninja tool bag, and set off early for the Ninja Academy.
The rain, which had been falling for a day and a night, still hadn’t stopped.
The girl had no choice but to put on a rainproof cloak, hiding her face under a deep black hood.
The pedestrians on the road were mostly dressed the same way, each walking in a hurry, looking like a group of black ghosts wandering around the city from a distance.
Overnight.
It felt as if an atmosphere even heavier and more stagnant than the cloud layers overhead had pressed down upon the Village.
‘The atmosphere is so heavy…
has the news of the defeat on the front lines already spread?’ the girl couldn’t help but wonder.
The instigator of the Second Shinobi World War was not one of the traditional Five Great Ninja Villages.
But her own leader, the Demi-God of the Shinobi World, the First Amekage—Hanzou!
In fact, in terms of title and legality, Hanzou was not the original founder of the Hidden Rain Village, so naturally, he didn’t count as the so-called ‘First Amekage’.
But the title of Kage…
…was not only a self-designation for a hidden Village leader, but also a form of recognition from Ninjas for the strong.
For example, the leader of Takigakure in the Land of Waterfalls would usually call himself the Takikage.
But if one were to be serious, probably few Ninjas from the Five Great Ninja Villages would take such a ‘Kage’ to heart.
Hanzou, however, had forcibly overturned people’s inherent perceptions of small hidden Villages with his own peerless strength.
Thus, through word of mouth, Hanzou became the so-called ‘First Amekage’.
It was precisely because of the weight of the title ‘First’ that his name as the Demi-God of the Shinobi World became increasingly resonant, gaining recognition from even more Ninjas!
After all, those strong enough to fight through the Sengoku era and establish a hidden Village were all super-powered individuals without exception!
The logic wasn’t complicated.
Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage who founded Konoha, was the God of Shinobi…
…so Hanzou, the First Amekage who founded Amegakure, being the Demi-God of the Shinobi World seemed only natural…
Three years ago, this Demi-God of the Shinobi World felt a restless urge to act.
He probably wanted to completely remove the word ‘Demi’ from his title, or perhaps he had had enough of the endless rainy season in the Amegakure and was preparing to expand his territory outward.
In short, Hanzou first boldly invaded the Land of Iron, and after defeating the samurai and forcing them to declare neutrality, he then simultaneously declared war on the Five Great Ninja Villages, publicly announcing that the Amegakure would become the sixth great Ninja Village!
With his own strength alone, he set off the Second Shinobi World War!
However, ideals are beautiful, while reality is harsh.
The ambitious Hanzou first chose to head south and launch a surprise attack on Sunagakure.
Relying on the advantage of striking first, Amegakure once achieved good results in the early stages of the war.
But as time passed, Hanzou’s poison techniques, which he had always been proud of, were neutralized by the high-ranking Sunagakure elder Lady Chiyo.
At the same time, the problem of Amegakure’s own weak foundation was exposed, the front lines retreated again and again, and they ultimately had to return without success.
Seeing that the surprise attack on the Kaze no Kuni had failed, Hanzou changed course and headed east, setting his sights on the fertile land and pleasant climate of the Land of Fire.
However, as the largest Ninja Village, Konoha’s strength was not to be underestimated.
The two sides fought a bitter war at the border for over a year.
The Ninja army led by Hanzou suffered heavy casualties and has yet to make any progress!
Although the Ninja Academy has “Academy” in its name, at its core, the school cultivates Ninja reserves.
Naturally, their information is much more up-to-date than that of the ordinary villagers.
All of this was information Ayane had gathered from the school teachers—first-hand news within the Village!
The young girl pursed her lips, thinking that the peaceful days of the villagers were likely coming to an end.
The plot that followed was familiar to anyone who had watched the Naruto anime.
Although Hanzou defeated the new generation of Sannin at the border, his poison techniques were once again countered, and his combat plans were declared a failure once more…
With his ambitions crushed, Hanzou completely lost his spirit.
He became a mere watchdog, allowing the citizens of this nation to be ravaged by the flames of war time and time again…
He withdrew to the capital of the Amegakure, indulging in comfort and pleasure while struggling to maintain his status.
He turned a deaf ear to external affairs but struck out ruthlessly at internal ones.
He cooperated with Danzo to kidnap Konan and kill Yahiko, eventually dying silently at the hands of the Six Paths of Pain.
A legend of a generation thus met his end.
Thinking about these things, she arrived at the school.
The small classroom was already full of people.
The students seemed very excited, gathered in small groups and chattering about their assigned placements.
‘The passing rate for this graduation exam is quite high.’ With a quick glance, Ayane noticed that almost all her classmates had passed, with no one held back.
Her heart sank.
She silently went to her usual seat and sat down.
A chubby boy sitting next to her immediately brightened up upon seeing her and leaned over eagerly.
“Good morning, Ayane!” Ayane glanced at him, nodded slightly, and replied politely, “Good morning, Nikaido-kun.” The chubby boy’s face turned awkward as he clenched his fists.
“Amamiya-san, look closely!
I’m Nagano Takayuki!
I’m not that sickly Nikaido Ryoto who falls over if the wind blows!” “Ah!
So it’s Nagano-kun?
I’m so sorry, I got it wrong again…” Ayane turned her head and blinked without any sense of guilt.
“Nagano-kun and Nikaido-kun look very much alike.
I always get you confused.
I’m really sorry.” Being gazed at by the girl’s clear, bright eyes, the chubby boy instantly became shy again.
His face flushed red, and he lowered his head, stammering, “It…
it’s okay.
It was my lack of consideration.
Next time, I’ll put a school badge on my chest with my name on it…” Ayane was speechless.
“…” Wait, buddy, you actually believed such a lame excuse?
She had just made up a random excuse to brush him off, but the chubby boy seemed to have taken it seriously…
Children in the Ninja World were both precocious and immature, always fluctuating between the two.
Although she had only been at the school for over two years, she already felt this deeply.
“Alright, everyone, please be quiet for a moment.” The homeroom teacher, who was not yet thirty but already had thinning hair, clapped his hands.
“In a moment, I will announce the Ninja squads everyone has been assigned to according to the prepared list…” “Remember, these assignments were all unified by the Village and have received Lord Hanzou’s approval.” “If any student is dissatisfied with their placement, they can come to me or the Dean of Students to request a change, but you may not refuse, nor are you allowed to privately trade with other students!” “Do you hear me?” Even though these were non-negotiable, mandatory terms, the students still reacted enthusiastically upon hearing Hanzou’s name.
Such was Hanzou’s current prestige in the Village.
Everyone shouted in unison, “Understood!” “Then, please listen carefully…” “Nikaido Ryoto: Regular Combat Force, Sixth Company, Fourth Squad…” “Nagano Takayuki: Regular Reconnaissance Force, First Company, Second Squad…” Reconnaissance Force…
Combat Force…
They hadn’t even introduced the leading Chunin or Jonin yet…
Ayane’s brow furrowed slightly as she listened.
This highly specific naming convention indicated that everyone’s destination would most likely be the front-line battlefield.
Instead of being assigned to ordinary mission squads like previous graduates…
Even though she had prepared herself mentally, she still couldn’t help but feel a surge of nervousness now that the moment had arrived.
Was she really about to…
go to the battlefield?
How many of these chattering classmates around her…
…would survive?
The chubby Nagano Takayuki didn’t seem to realize the cruelty of the future yet.
At this moment, he was still clasping his hands together, foolishly whispering a prayer: “Great Six Paths Sage, please assign the cool and cute Ayane-san to the Reconnaissance Force to carry out missions with me, I beg of you!” “Ayane…” After a while, they finally reached her name.
The homeroom teacher paused specifically, his voice growing louder: “Anbu!” The classroom fell silent for a moment, followed by an uproar.
Anbu?
Isn’t that the Anbu?
Gazes from all directions instantly hit her like spotlights.
The chubby boy pumped his fist, looking excited.
“As expected of Ayane-san, she’s always so outstanding!” The straw-thin Nikaido Ryoto, who was sitting behind him, couldn’t help but snark, “Hey, fatso, what does that have to do with you?” “What do you mean it has nothing to do with me?” Nagano Takayuki turned around and argued plausibly, “Are you saying you don’t want Ayane-san to do well?
Or do you hate Ayane-san?” Nikaido Ryoto lowered his head, withdrawing his subtle, peeking gaze from Ayane, and fell silent.
Ayane was the top student of their year.
She was powerful, had a great personality, and was incredibly beautiful.
More importantly, she was different from the other girls in the class.
She was neither bossy toward them nor did she keep them at a distance.
Being around her gave off an indescribable sense of ease!
Which boy in the class wouldn’t like such an outstanding girl?
However, unlike idiots like Nagano Takayuki, he clearly knew the distance between himself and Ayane, so he could only bury this affection deep in his heart.
“Congratulations, Amamiya-san.” The homeroom teacher, who always maintained a cold expression, now wore a kind smile.
“As the top student of this graduation assessment, you have been specially recruited into the Village’s Anbu.
Your specific assignment will be notified to you individually by Principal Ichii.” The teacher added one last thing: “The Principal is waiting for you in his office.
Please don’t keep him waiting.” Under the gaze of many classmates, the girl stood up and said calmly, “Alright, teacher.
I’ll head over now.” The Principal of the Ninja Academy was named Ichii Kei.
Although he was one of the few Elite Jonin in the Village, he was already in his fifties.
He was two cycles older than Amegakure itself, his strength had long since declined, and he was about to retire.
In the current Ninja World, Ichii Kei’s age could be considered quite advanced.
Combined with his position as the Principal of the Ninja Academy, Ichii Kei was considered one of the high-ranking officials in Amegakure, and his words carried significant influence.
More importantly, he was the master of Ayane’s late father, having taught the old man Kenjutsu and Taijutsu.