Chapter 7: School StartsThe snow has melted.Spring in Konoha arrives slowly, like an old man leisurely pushing open a door. First, the icicles on the eaves begin to drip, drop by drop, hammering tiny pits into the stone slabs; then the snowbanks by the roadside turn into gray slush, squelching underfoot; and then, tender buds the size of rice grains sprout on the branches, yellow-green, like larvae that have just opened their eyes.Naruto stood by the window, watching the changes outside, watching for an entire season.The past nearly three months had been very regular—waking up in the morning, going to the bathroom to create four Clones, the original heading out to lure away the Anbu, while the Clones flipped out of the back window, disguised themselves, and dispersed. At dusk, the Clones were released one after another, and memories flooded back along with points. He cooked, ate, and slept. The next day, he repeated the process.Occasionally, he would have a Clone go buy supplies first—when money ran low, he would exchange points for it; one point could be exchanged for one hundred Ryo, enough to buy several days' worth of food. He only exchanged one point at a time, never more, for fear of attracting attention. But the Sandaime noticed anyway.One day he came home and found that the items in the refrigerator had been moved—not that anything was missing, but someone had taken them out to look and then put them back. The milk carton was two centimeters off, and the order of the eggs had changed. He knew the Anbu had come in to inspect.A few days later, the Sandaime came in person.The old man stood at the door, pipe in hand, unlit. His gaze swept across the kitchen, over the refrigerator, and finally landed on Naruto's face."Naruto, has someone been sending you things lately?"Naruto tilted his head, a look of bewilderment on his face. "Sending things? No.""The food in your refrigerator—""Oh, that!" Naruto made an expression of sudden realization and grinned. "I don't know which kind person bought it for me; I just saw it sitting on the kitchen floor when I came back. Sandaime-jiji, do you know who it is? Help me thank them!"The Sandaime looked at him for a long time.In those old eyes, there was scrutiny and doubt, but more so a complex, indefinable something. Finally, the old man nodded and did not press further."If you find out who it is, tell me.""Okay."After the Sandaime left, Naruto closed the door and stood against it for a while. He knew the Anbuwould continue to investigate, but he wasn't afraid—as soon as a Clone felt monitored, it would immediately dispel; the Anbu couldn't track a target that didn't exist. As for himself, he just needed to keep playing dumb.As long as he was safe and controllable, the Sandaime wouldn't look too deeply.The matter passed just like that.As the days went by, Naruto's points also grew day by day.With four Clones every day, each earning as little as three or four points or as many as seven or eight, he could earn an average of about twenty points a day. Sometimes luck was good, and he encountered many people needing help, earning thirty points a day; sometimes luck was bad, and the streets were deserted, leaving him with only a dozen or so points.Every few days, he would buy a Cultivation Scrollto use on the Nine Yang Divine Skill.In the first month, he bought two scrolls, progressing the Nine Yang Divine Skill to the second vein. An additional golden vein appeared on the inner core, and the warm airflow was twice as thick as before, nourishing his body twice as fast. His height began to sprout—not a sudden burst, but growing a little bit every day, like spring bamboo shoots, poking their heads out before anyone realized.In the second month, he bought two more scrolls, progressing the Nine Yang Divine Skill to the third vein. There were now three spiral veins on the surface of the inner core, which emitted a low hum when rotating, like a bee buzzing in his stomach. His body began to become solid—not the kind of solidity with bulging muscles, but his bones and muscles became dense, as if compressed bit by bit by Natural Energy. Previously, he would pant after running a few steps, but now he could run several streets without getting tired.In the third month, he bought three scrolls—with more points saved up, he didn't feel the sting of spending them. The Nine Yang Divine Skillprogressed to the fourth vein. Four golden veins spiraled on the surface of the inner core, and each rotation released a large amount of warm airflow, like warm rivers rushing through his meridians. His changes were visible to the naked eye—he had grown half a head taller, his face had color, and even his hair had become more lustrous than before.By the end of February, his point balance sat at three thousand one hundred and forty points.Three thousand points.Enough for him to buy two hundred Cultivation Scrolls, enough to push the Nine Yang Divine Skillto an unknown number of veins. But he was in no rush to spend. He was waiting, waiting for a suitable opportunity, waiting for a moment when he had thought things through before deciding.On the last day of February, he received a letter.The letter was sent by someone from the Sandaime, neatly folded and placed in a white envelope. Naruto opened it and saw only a few lines of text—"Student Uzumaki Naruto: You are hereby notified that the Ninja Academy will officially start on March 1st. Please report to the school promptly at 8:00 AM on that day. A class schedule is attached to this letter."Naruto read the letter twice, then placed it on his bedside table.School was starting.He leaned against the headboard, looking at the moonlight outside, thinking for a long time. He knew better than anyone what was waiting for him at school. Those classmates, those teachers, those gazes that deliberately ignored him, and those hushed whispers. He knew it all too well.But he wasn't afraid anymore.Not because he had become stronger, but because he didn't care anymore.On the first day of March, the weather was fine.Naruto got up early, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and put on that faded orange T-shirt and gray shorts. The clothes were still large, but having grown quite a bit in three months, they at least didn't hang loosely like before. He looked at himself in the cracked mirror above the washbasin—the boy in the mirror had blond hair and blue eyes, and his face had a bit of meat on it, no longer looking sallow and malnourished as before. The wound at the corner of his mouth had long since healed, leaving not even a scar.He looked at himself in the mirror and nodded.When he went out, he didn't release any Clones. Today it wasn't necessary—on the first day of school, the Anbu wouldn't suspect anything just because he was at school. He only needed to go to school normally, sit in the classroom normally, and normally be a student who was ignored.He walked down the street, his schoolbag slung across his shoulder—the bag was old, half the zipper broken and tied with string. A few cherry blossoms had bloomed by the roadside, their pinkish-white petals trembling gently in the wind. He paused when he passed the convenience store where he had once crouched to spend his birthday. Now, several children heading to school stood there, carrying brand-new schoolbags, chatting and laughing.Naruto walked past them, and no one recognized him.Or rather, no one was willing to recognize him. Several teachers stood at the school gate, welcoming the reporting students and parents. Everywhere were adults holding children's hands, giving instructions, while the children nodded, their eyes darting around.Naruto walked in alone.No one saw him off. No one gave him instructions. No one held his hand.He passed through the school gate, across the playground, and into the teaching building. The corridors were lively, filled with voices and laughter. He found his classroom—Class 1-1, at the far east end of the second floor. When he pushed the door open, the classroom was already mostly full, with students chirping about things that happened during the winter break.Naruto walked in.The noise in the classroom didn't get quieter, nor did it get louder. No one was surprised by his appearance, nor was anyone disgusted. To be precise, no one noticed him. He was like a gust of wind blowing through a busy room; the door curtain swayed for a moment, and then everything remained as it was.He walked to the last row and sat down in the seat closest to the window.This was the seat he had occupied last semester—the teacher never assigned him a seat. It was because he chose it himself: the last row, by the window, the least conspicuous spot. During class, he could look at the sky outside, and after class, he could be the first to slip out the back door.He placed his schoolbag on the desk, folded his hands over his arms, and rested his chin on the back of his hands. Sunlight from the window shone in, falling on his blond hair, feeling warm. The inner core in his Dantian rotated slowly, its four golden veins brightening and dimming as if responding to the sun's call.He closed his eyes, feeling that warm airflow flowing through his body.Everyone in the classroom was busy with their own things, and no one looked at him—except at the front of the classroom, near the door. Hyuga Hinatasat there, holding a book, which was upside down. Her face was turned toward the book, but those white eyes—those Byakugan without pupils—were peeking at him through the edge of the pages.No, not looking at him, but looking at his Dantian.Hinata's eyes were slightly narrowed; the Byakugan was already activated. Her expression was very confused, her head tilted like a small animal that had seen something strange. Her lips were slightly parted, as if she were silently saying something.Naruto lowered his head and looked at his stomach. Of course, he couldn't see anything. But he knew what Hinata was confused about—she saw the inner core in his Dantian.That rotating, glowing inner core with four golden veins.He looked up, and his gaze collided with Hinata's.Hinata stiffened all over, like a thief who had been caught, and abruptly lowered her head, burying her face in that upside-down book. The tips of her ears turned red, glowing brightly like two autumn maple leaves. The pages of the book were trembling slightly—not the book itself, but her hands.He didn't say anything, just withdrew his gaze and looked out the window again. Cherry blossom petals drifted in the wind, landing on the windowsill, on the playground, on some child's hair. The spring wind blew in, carrying the scent of thawing earth and a hint of floral sweetness.He closed his eyes and continued to feel the rotation of the inner core.After a while, that gaze returned. Timid and cautious, as if afraid of disturbing something. Hinata was peeking at him again—no, peeking at his Dantian. Her Byakugan watched that incredible thing through the edge of the pages.An inner core that didn't belong to this world, condensed from pure Natural Energy, rotating slowly in the belly of a six-year-old boy, emitting a faint golden light.She didn't understand what it was, but she could feel it—that thing had no ill intent. It was very warm. That thing... just like Naruto-kun himself, was quiet and didn't bother anyone.The corners of her mouth curled up unconsciously, then she quickly suppressed it and continued to pretend to read. The book was still upside down.The school bell rang.The teacher walked into the classroom and began to call the roll. When he got to "Uzumaki Naruto," the teacher paused for a moment, swept his gaze across the classroom, and found the seat by the window in the last row. Naruto raised a hand and said, "Here." His voice was neither loud nor soft, just enough for the teacher to hear.The teacher nodded and continued to the next name.No one turned back to look at him, no one whispered. Nothing.Just a "here," and then on to the next.Naruto lowered his hand and rested it back on his arm. The sunlight shone through the window onto the back of his hand, feeling warm. He suddenly felt that this was also quite good.No one noticed him. No one bullied him. No one lowered their voice to say "demon fox" when he passed. Just... nothing. Like a glass of plain water, tasteless, but at least it didn't burn his mouth.He didn't know how long this "nothing" could last. Maybe tomorrow someone would give him a shove in the hallway, maybe the day after someone would carve "demon fox" on his desk, maybe next week a parent would come to the school to complain, saying "my child can't be in the same classroom as that thing."Those things had all happened in that story.But now, at this moment, the sun was good, the wind was light, his stomach wasn't hungry, the inner core in his Dantian was rotating, and the cherry blossoms outside were falling.This was enough.He closed his eyes, the corners of his mouth slightly curled, and slowly fell asleep.Not truly asleep—it was that half-awake state where consciousness floats on the surface while the body sinks to the bottom. The inner core was rotating, the airflow was moving, the sun was shining, and the cherry blossoms were falling. Everything was just right.What he didn't know was that Hinata in the front row had been secretly watching him all morning.Every time the teacher turned to write on the blackboard, she would quickly turn her head and use the peripheral vision of her Byakugan to glance at the back row. She saw the blond boy leaning his head on his arm, eyes closed, breathing evenly. She saw that glowing thing rotating in his stomach area—golden, round, with many veins on it, like a tiny whirlpool.She didn't know what it was. But every time she looked at that light, she felt warm inside, not because the light had any power, but because—it was inside Naruto-kun's body.Inside Naruto-kun's body, there was a warm light.She lowered her head, her ears turning red again.When school was over, Naruto walked out the back door.The playground was full of children heading home, walking in groups of two or three, talking about what happened at school today. Naruto walked alone at the very back, his shadow stretched long by the setting sun, trailing across the grass behind him.When he reached the school gate, he paused.On the utility pole next to the gate, a lost cat notice was posted. A tabby cat, three years old, missing, and the owner was very worried. Naruto took a look and noted the address and contact information.He returned home, put down his schoolbag, and went into the bathroom. Closing the door, he formed a seal and created four Clones. The original went out first to lure away the Anbu, while the four Clones flipped out the back window, disguised themselves, and dispersed.One of the Clones took a detour, first going to the grocery store to buy a carton of milk and a bag of bread—the money was exchanged with points; one point for one hundred Ryo was enough to last several days. Then he turned into the alley where the lost cat notice had been posted, looked around, and found the tabby cat in a tree.The cat was lying on a branch, lazily licking its paws, completely unaware it was lost.The Clone transformed into the appearance of a teenager, climbed the tree, brought the cat down, and delivered it to the address on the notice. An old lady opened the door, cried for a long time while holding the cat, and pulled out a thousand Ryo from her pocket to press into his hand. The Clone waved it off and turned to leave.Points increased: 3.In the evening, after all the Clones were released, Naruto sat by the window looking at the stars. Today's points—a total of twenty-two points, plus the previous three thousand one hundred and forty, made three thousand one hundred and sixty-two points.He wanted to save these three thousand points for now.He stood up, went to the kitchen, and opened the refrigerator. There were eggs and ham bought yesterday, and half a carton of milk. He took out two eggs, cracked them into a bowl, stirred them, poured them into the pan, and fried a poached egg. The yolk was runny; it flowed out with a poke of the chopsticks, golden, just like the moonlight outside.He finished eating bite by bite, washed the dishes, wiped his mouth, and went back to the bed to lie down.The pillow was still so flat, the bedboard still so hard, the quilt still so thin. But his stomach was full, the inner core in his Dantian was rotating slowly, and the four golden veins glowed faintly in the night. Three thousand one hundred and sixty-two points lay quietly in the System, like a small vault.He closed his eyes, turned over, and wrapped the quilt tight.The moon outside was very round, and the moonlight shone through the gap in the curtains, drawing a bright circle on the ceiling. He looked at that circle and slowly fell asleep.
