Naruto's right eye and left cheek were swollen, his left eye had a large bruise, and his mouth had turned into a sausage. It seemed his entire head was a size larger.
Just looking at his face, it was completely impossible to recognize who he was.
"Naruto, what happened to you?"
Jokichi suddenly slammed the table and stood up, just waiting for Naruto to name the culprit so he could go avenge him.
It was really too much, to actually beat my brother up like this.
Choji also had an angry look on his face, crushing the potato chips in his hand.
Shikamaru, on the other hand, was surprised.
He did not know what kind of grudge or hatred would make someone beat a person up like this.
"I wash jusht, I wash trying to #&@&*..."
Naruto seemed to have had a tooth knocked out, making his speech muffled and unclear.
Everyone listened with bewildered expressions.
At this time, Kiba came over with a puppy on his head, pointed toward the podium, and translated: "He says he wanted to go break up the fight, but ended up getting beaten up by both sides."
Everyone looked in the direction Kiba pointed, only to see Ino engaged in a brawl with Sakura and a group of girls.
Everyone turned their heads back in tacit agreement, pretending not to have seen it.
When it came to girls brawling, it was better not to get involved. Otherwise, Naruto was the prime example.
Shikamaru asked curiously: "How did you understand what Naruto was saying?"
As soon as this was said, Jokichi and Choji also looked over, and even Naruto opened his azure eyes wide, full of curiosity.
Kiba chuckled and gave a thumbs up to the puppy on his head. "It was Akamaru who understood. He can understand the meaning people want to express."
"So that is how it is."
Everyone suddenly realized.
Jokichi's eyes lit up, and he stared at Akamaru with ill intentions. "Kiba, can you let me hold Akamaru?"
"No."
Kiba refused decisively.
"Our Inuzuka clan are partners who fight alongside ninken. For a period of time just after the dog is born, we must be together at all times to enhance our bond with each other."
"I see!" Jokichi scratched his head and asked, still not giving up: "Then can I just pet him?"
Kiba hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "...Alright, but you are not allowed to take him away."
"Thank you."
After thanking Kiba, Jokichi reached out and pet Akamaru's head. Instantly, the system's prompt sounded in his mind.
[Ding! Detected special material Dog Containing Rapid Growth Hormone, can forge special potion Rapid Growth Hormone.]
What?
A whole dog is a material!?
Jokichi was shocked.
Such a thing had never happened before.
As long as Jokichi touched a forgeable material, the system would automatically prompt him.
But there had never been a time before where a whole lifeform was treated as a material.
Take Naruto for example.
His bodily tissues possessed the potential to forge special items, but before these tissue parts were separated from Naruto's body, the system would not prompt, nor would it forge.
It seemed that a complete lifeform could not be forged.
But now...
Perhaps to others this was just a small matter, but to Jokichi, it meant his cheat had changed its flavor.
Now it is a dog, will it be a person in the future?
Facing the temptation of obtaining items with special abilities, would he be able to maintain his original intention and not resort to killing?
The original cheat had become an ominous thing that induced the host to kill. A trace of dread rose in Jokichi's heart.
As if sensing Jokichi's inner thoughts, the system prompt sounded once again.
[Ding! Organisms possessing self-awareness and a considerable degree of wisdom will not be judged as materials. The host can adjust the judgment level themselves.]
As the prompt sounded, an information panel that only he could see appeared on his retina.
On it was a gear line. The two sides of the line were blue and red respectively, and the further outwards, the deeper the color.
The gear was stuck on the far left where it said humans.
Although it was his first time seeing it, Jokichi inexplicably knew what it meant.
The blue side to the left of the gear's position represented what could not be judged as special materials, and the right side was what could be judged.
The depth of the color represented the degree of autonomy and wisdom.
The current position of the gear meant that organisms lower than human wisdom and autonomy could all be judged as materials.
Jokichi thought for a moment and used his consciousness to pull the gear slightly to the right, making it so that organisms possessing autonomy could not be judged as materials.
After finishing the adjustment, Jokichi let go of Akamaru and then pet him again.
Sure enough, the system prompt did not sound again.
"Hey, are you done yet?"
Kiba lowered his head and grumbled in dissatisfaction.
"Done."
Jokichi withdrew his hand and glanced at Akamaru. He was lying on top of Kiba's head with his eyes closed, seemingly completely unaware of what had just happened.
"Thish dog ish weally usheful!" Naruto came closer, his swollen eye slits revealing envy as he reached out his hand.
Akamaru opened his small eyes, cast an appreciative glance at Naruto, and then barked twice.
Kiba translated: "This dog is really useful!"
After saying that, Kiba showed a proud look. "Of course, Akamaru is not an ordinary dog."
"Kiba, does your family have any more puppies? Can you give me one?"
Jokichi looked at Akamaru on Kiba's head, his face full of envy.
In his previous life, he was also a dog lover and liked dogs very much, but now, he was raising a crow, and it was someone else's at that.
Naruto also cast an expectant gaze.
Kiba took Akamaru down, held him in his hands, and then scratched his head, looking somewhat troubled. "It is not that we do not have any, but without the Inuzuka clan's secret techniques, it is impossible for you to raise a dog into a companion partner. Even raising a ninken is very difficult."
"It does not matter, I just purely like dogs."
"I want onne too."
Kiba looked at Naruto with a look of disgust. "You cannot even take proper care of your own life, how could I possibly give you a dog? Stop dreaming."
Then, he turned his head to look at Jokichi. "When Ookamimaru has her next litter, I will bring you one. You have to raise it well."
Ookamimaru was an adult ninken of the Inuzuka clan, strong and robust with a keen sense of smell. No matter how bad her puppies were, they wouldn't be too bad.
"Thank you." Jokichi bowed in thanks.
"Why is it like this!" Naruto wailed loudly, even his voice becoming clear.
"It is nothing."
Afterwards, the class bell rang, and the few of them skipped class together.
...
Although autumn had arrived and the weather was gradually getting colder.
The morning sun could still bring a faint warmth.
Teaching building balcony.
Jokichi, Shikamaru, and the others lay side by side basking in the sun, with only Choji sitting on the ground eating.
Kiba looked at the sky and the slightly gentle sun, somewhat speechless. "With so many of us skipping class together, we will be discovered, right!"
"Definitely!" Choji said vaguely while eating.
Naruto confidently clenched his fist. "Relax, this is a secret skipping spot. Even if Iruka-sensei finds out we are skipping class, he will not know where we are."
...
Jokichi and Shikamaru were speechless. They did not know where Naruto's mysterious confidence came from.
Could he have learned it from the second pillar?
"Sigh! I just want to graduate along with everyone else, be an ordinary ninja, find a virtuous wife who is neither beautiful nor ugly, have two children, retire when the kids grow up, and live a leisurely life playing shogi every day." Shikamaru suddenly sighed with emotion.
In the end, you became the village party secretary and married the beauty from the neighboring village, right!
Jokichi could not help but mock inwardly.