Chapter 1: The Troubles of Popularity
Chapter 1: The Troubles of Popularity
Konoha Village.
Ninja Academy.
In one of the classrooms, a jonin teacher stood at the side, holding a clipboard.
"Next, Hatake Fengye."
As the jonin teacher called out, a silver-haired boy strolled up to the front of the class with an air of nonchalance. He performed a simple hand seal in front of him, his fingers dancing swiftly.
Boom!
A puff of white smoke exploded, and to Fengye's left, a clone appeared, mirroring his every move and expression.
The girls in the classroom let out exclamations of surprise, not only because he had successfully performed the Clone Technique on his first try, but also because of his striking good looks, which were among the best in the class.
"95 points. Well done."
The jonin teacher nodded slightly at Fengye and recorded the score.
A flawless execution with minimal flaws—this score would rank among the top ten in the class. However, the jonin teacher's eyes did not reveal much approval.
The reason was simple. Fengye had a younger brother named Kakashi Hatake. At the age of five, Kakashi had applied for early graduation and passed. By six years old, he had already become a jonin, and his remarkable talent had made him famous in Konoha as a genius who inherited the will of the 'White Fang of Konoha'.
In comparison, Hatake Fengye was ordinary.
While Fengye was indeed one of the top students in the academy, excelling in every subject, there's truth in the saying that comparison is the thief of joy. At eight years old, he was still attending the ninja academy, and he had never displayed the kind of awe-inspiring talent that Kakashi possessed.
Although the jonin teacher remained noncommittal, some of the girls in the class couldn't help but voice their admiration.
"Fengye, you're amazing!"
"95 points, that's probably the top score!"
The girls gazed at him, their eyes sparkling.
Having traveled to this world and inherited the bloodline of the White Fang of Konoha, Fengye's appearance was very similar to Kakashi's, except he chose not to wear a mask and didn't exude the same aloof aura. As a result, he had become the center of attention for the girls in his class.
Fengye returned to his seat and smiled at Yuhi Kurenai, who was sitting next to him. "It's not a big deal. The Clone Technique isn't that difficult if you focus."
He had arrived in this world two years ago, becoming Kakashi's older brother. However, his timing was slightly off, as he had been unable to prevent the death of Kakashi's father, Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of Konoha.
This event had a profound impact on Kakashi, who applied for early graduation just a month later.
As a proud transmigrator who had inherited the bloodline of the White Fang, Fengye refused to be outdone by his younger brother. However, he considered early graduation a foolish move and scoffed at the idea.
Why rush things?
Why not take the time to train and improve steadily within the walls of the ninja academy? What's the hurry to graduate early?
Besides, it was currently the 42nd year of Konoha, and if his memory served him right, the Third Great Ninja War would erupt in full force next year. Recent times could be described as a period of unrest and turmoil throughout the ninja world.
During times of peace, graduating early to become a genin might not be a big deal, as the missions were usually mundane. But in this period of unrest, even genin could find themselves undertaking dangerous combat missions.
Kakashi's achievement of becoming a jonin at six years old might seem remarkable, but in Fengye's eyes, it was pure recklessness. Aside from the extremely hazardous missions that came with the jonin rank, displaying such extraordinary talent would undoubtedly attract the attention of enemy villages—a dangerous proposition during these turbulent times.
After all, at eight years old, his body was still developing. For a ninja, physical development continued until around sixteen, after which their bodies entered a more stable phase.
Speaking of which, it was worth mentioning his special ability.
It was something he had discovered after transmigrating to this world—a large, illusory clock pattern that appeared in his mind whenever he closed his eyes.
This illusory clock resembled Kurou Sakuramiya's 'Kokuu' from the 'Clockwork Planet' series, but so far, Feng Ye had only unlocked one ability: time acceleration.
It was similar to the 'Time Alter' ability from the Fate series.
It allowed him to accelerate his own personal time, causing his movements to appear faster. This included his taijutsu and hand seal techniques, and it was one of the reasons he could defeat Kakashi in a fight.
Currently, he could only manage a twofold time acceleration, which meant that in this state, his speed would be twice that of his normal self!
"...Fengye, um, I brought two bento boxes today. Do you want to eat together later?"
As Feng Ye lost himself in thought, a girl sitting in the row in front of him turned around. Her cheeks were slightly flushed as she spoke to him.
This invitation immediately sparked anger in the other girls nearby, including Yuhi Kurenai, who sat next to Feng Ye. The atmosphere in the classroom suddenly turned tense.
Seeing this, Feng Ye rolled his eyes in exasperation.
He could now understand why Kakashi chose to wear a mask—perhaps it was to avoid situations like this... But it was also because the other boys in the class weren't much of a threat.
Although this class was quite impressive, with future ninja world masterminds like Uchiha Obito and famous characters like Haruno Rin, Yuhi Kurenai, and Sarutobi Asuma, Obito was currently at the bottom of the class. As for Asuma, his looks and performance were both average.
Uchiha Itachi would enroll in the Academy a few years later, and while Uchiha Shisui had already enrolled, he was two grades below and in a different class. There was no one around who posed a real challenge.
If Kakashi hadn't graduated early, perhaps he would have taken some of the attention away from Feng Ye.
Sigh.
Being too popular was also a kind of trouble.
Feng Ye sighed inwardly. In the past, he would have envied this kind of attention, but now that he was experiencing it, all he could do was sigh. However, he had to admit that the girls in the ninja world were more mature than he had expected.
Just look at these eight and nine-year-olds, already fighting over boys!
The boys, however, were just as precocious.
The scene playing out around Feng Ye had already attracted jealous glares from many of his classmates, and some were even quietly seething, their fists clenched.
"That bastard..."
"He's so annoying. I really want to beat him up."
"But you can't beat him, can you..."
"Shut up!"
Among the angry, teeth-gritting boys was Uchiha Obito, who was particularly frustrated because Haruno Rin was one of the girls fawning over Feng Ye.
Feng Ye didn't pay much attention to his other classmates, except for two: Maito Gai and Uchiha Obito. However, it was the future, Akatsuki-aligned Obito that he was concerned about. Pre-transformation Obito was harmless, a deadweight bringing up the rear.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
