Chapter 276: Battle Rewards, Work Hard for Advanced Fire Escape

“The past always feels beautiful and makes one incredibly nostalgic. I truly miss Ninja Academy life.” Shiranui Genma couldn’t help but sigh as he sat under a tree, drenched in sweat, taking a rest.

When he was in school, he always thought about graduating quickly, longing for the life of a Ninja after graduation. But after truly graduating, Shiranui Genma began to miss his school days.

Back then, there wasn’t as much training, and the Ninja Academy teachers weren’t as strict as Teacher Chen. If he stayed up late, he could catch up on sleep during unimportant theory classes.

He thought about it carefully and realized he had always been so contradictory: looking forward to holidays during the semester, but then, not long after the holidays started, looking forward to school again, and not long after school started, wanting holidays again.

“If I really went back to the Ninja Academy, I’d probably start missing being a Ninja again,” Shiranui Genma muttered to himself.

“I don’t miss it at all. What’s past is past,” Ebisu stated his opinion.

“Haha, that’s because your true nature was exposed in Fourth Grade, wasn’t it?” Shiranui Genma laughed loudly at his good brother.

Ebisu’s face darkened. How was that his true nature being exposed? It was clearly because he had encountered two lifelong rivals.

Seeing his good brother look like he was about to kill someone, Shiranui Genma chuckled and prepared to slip away.

“You two, be more disciplined when you rest. Recover your stamina quickly so you can continue training sooner. You all came from the Ninja Academy. If your Taijutsu could reach half of Guy’s, I’d be able to focus on teaching you Ninjutsu,” Teacher Chen appeared behind them, pinching both their shoulders as he spoke.

Shiranui Genma gasped, quickly nodding his head.

Ebisu also sat down obediently, ready to resume training as soon as he finished resting. He recognized Teacher Chen’s skill and could indeed feel his Taijutsu improving.

“Teacher Chen, it seems we haven’t done a single mission yet. Do you have any arrangements in that regard?” Shiranui Genma asked curiously.

Although he didn’t really want to do those chore-like missions, he was worried that not doing any missions would prevent him from taking on higher-ranked missions. Besides, he was a Ninja now; he had to earn his own money and couldn’t keep asking his family.

The reason he only asked now was because Shiranui Genma felt that a powerful Ninja like Teacher Chen must have his own thoughts and arrangements.

“Oh, right, you still need to do some missions. I completely forgot,” Teacher Chen rubbed his chin, a look of sudden realization on his face.

When he was young, he had done enough missions and saved a lot of money. Now, he basically didn’t do missions unless the Hokage arranged them. Plus, Might Guy was so outstanding that Teacher Chen was focused on helping Might Guy train properly to become stronger, so he simply forgot about the missions.

Ninjas must do missions. If they didn’t do a single mission, Teacher Chen wouldn’t even be able to recommend them for the Chunin Exams.

Shiranui Genma:…

He had considered many possibilities, but he never thought that Teacher Chen had simply forgotten.

Seeing Shiranui Genma’s expression of despair, Teacher Chen cleared his throat and corrected himself:

“That was a joke just now. How could I have forgotten? I’ve had arrangements all along. I just wanted you to train more in the early stages to improve your strength. Doing too many D-Rank missions is meaningless.”

Shiranui Genma looked at Teacher Chen with a suspicious gaze. He felt that Teacher Chen’s expression when he said he forgot seemed much more natural.

Teacher Chen calmly took out a book with a cool older sister on the cover and began reading. Shiranui Genma quietly averted his gaze.

When Might Guy got tired and started resting, he told Teacher Chen Muzuki’s answer.

“Then tomorrow it is. Meet here at this Training Ground tomorrow after 2 PM,” Teacher Chen thought for a moment and set the time and place.

Might Guy nodded, noting down Teacher Chen’s words, planning to tell Muzuki in the evening. He could also mooch another meal; yesterday’s fried rice was truly delicious.

…

On the morning of the exchange, Obito and Shisui met at the agreed location and went together to attend the exchange.

The exchange was held within the Uchiha Clan’s compound, in a large courtyard.

Conversations and casual chats could take place inside the house, while sparring and challenges could happen in the open space of the courtyard.

When Obito and Shisui arrived, many Uchiha Ninjas wearing Ninja headbands were already seated inside the house.

Shisui casually glanced around; he was the only one present without a headband. The Uchiha here were indeed very young, all in their teens.

Shisui also saw Uchiha Tekka, who was the only Uchiha present around their age.

Uchiha Tekka was chatting with Uchiha Inaho, a senior who had already become a member of the Police Force. Noticing Shisui’s gaze, Uchiha Tekka smiled, turned, and greeted Shisui.

“Who is he? He looks even younger than you and isn’t wearing a headband,” Uchiha Inaho asked curiously.

“You mean Shisui? He’s currently only a prospective second-year student at the Ninja Academy, so of course, he wouldn’t have a headband,” Uchiha Tekka explained.

“But Big Brother Inaho, don’t let Shisui’s young age fool you. His strength is even greater than mine. You might not know, being busy with missions and Police Force matters these past few years, but he’s the newest genius to emerge from our Uchiha.”

When Uchiha Tekka said Shisui’s strength was greater than his own, there was no resentment on his face, only admiration.

He could truly feel the difference between a genius and an ordinary person in Shisui. Their training efficiency was too different; training for two more years was useless, as he was surpassed in an instant.

Uchiha Tekka was a very normal Uchiha. Under the concept of strength being supreme, Uchiha Tekka had never treated Shisui as a clan brother; he always treated Shisui as his boss.

“Oh, then I’m rather interested in meeting him. To have strength surpassing yours after only completing first grade,” Uchiha Inaho became interested in Shisui.

He knew Uchiha Tekka’s strength, who could also be considered a minor genius. To be so highly praised by Uchiha Tekka, his strength must be extraordinary.

“Who is that next to him? He also seems quite unfamiliar,” Uchiha Inaho noticed Obito, who was looking around with a curious expression.

“That’s Uchiha Obito. Like me, he also graduated this year,” Uchiha Tekka replied with a complex expression.

“Uchiha Obito, I remember someone being called the Uchiha Clan’s dead last with that name. Is it him?” Some related memories surfaced in Uchiha Inaho’s mind.

“Yes, his grades used to be very poor, but he’s no longer the dead last. His strength improved by leaps and bounds in Fourth Grade. With his current strength, he could probably become a Chunin directly if he participated in the Chunin Exams right now.”

After speaking, Uchiha Tekka couldn’t help but recall the strength displayed by Might Guy and Obito during their practical exam in the third semester.

He was certain that he would be overwhelmingly defeated by either of them.

“Then he’s also an excellent Uchiha,” Uchiha Inaho nodded and said. Regardless of his previous performance, as long as he could become strong, he was an excellent Uchiha.

So, Uchiha Inaho walked towards Shisui and Obito, wanting to get to know them.

“Hello, I’m Uchiha Inaho. I’ve heard about your deeds from Tekka. You are both geniuses of the Uchiha Clan,” Uchiha Inaho said as he walked up to Obito and Shisui.

“Hello, Senior Inaho. I wouldn’t dare call myself a genius; I’m just a little ahead of my peers for now,” Shisui said modestly.

“Hello, I’m Uchiha Obito,” Obito stopped looking around and replied upon hearing the voice.

“If being able to defeat Tekka at this age isn’t a genius, then the Uchiha Clan might truly not find many geniuses. There’s no need to be like those hypocritical people; we Uchiha speak with strength. Strong is strong,” Uchiha Inaho said with a smile.

Uchiha Tekka, who had followed along, nodded in agreement. If Shisui wasn’t a genius, then he truly couldn’t think of anyone else in the Uchiha Clan who would be considered a genius.

Uchiha Inaho’s words attracted the attention of some other Uchiha. They were somewhat surprised to find Uchiha Inaho praising someone. Uchiha Inaho was quite well-known among the Uchiha new generation; he graduated at ten, became a Chunin at twelve, and at thirteen this year, he entered the Police Force based on his own strength.

“If you two have any questions about training, you can ask me. If you want to practice your combat skills, I can also give you some guidance during the combat time later. Don’t feel like you’d be bothering me; just think of it as a warm-up before challenging a senior,” Uchiha Inaho said with a smile.

“Very good. An exchange is precisely for guiding juniors and challenging seniors,” Uchiha Yashiro, who had walked over, showed a gratified expression upon hearing Uchiha Inaho’s words.

“Exactly,” Uchiha Fugaku, walking alongside Uchiha Yashiro, nodded in affirmation.

“General Fugaku.”

“Elder Yashiro.”

The young Uchiha present greeted the two Uchiha high-ranking officials after seeing them arrive.

The two of them were certainly not young Ninjas; they were there as organizers and combat judges. They would comment on the Uchiha’s battles, and if any excellent Uchiha impressed them, they would be rewarded.

“Shisui, do your best,” Fugaku patted Shisui’s shoulder encouragingly, then walked to the front of everyone to give a speech.

Fugaku’s simple two sentences were truly only two sentences. He spoke for a minute and then announced the official start of the exchange.

“This is certainly better than some teachers at the Ninja Academy,” Obito complained, thinking of teachers who used to give long-winded half-hour lectures.

“Do either of you have any questions for me?” Uchiha Inaho asked the two. If Obito and the others had no questions, he would go find older Uchiha to exchange with.

“I heard that the exchange might reward a high-level Fire Release. How can one obtain it?” Obito asked directly.

Hearing that Obito’s goal was to be rewarded a high-level Fire Release, Uchiha Inaho smiled and said in a joking tone:

“If you can defeat me in combat, then General Fugaku will definitely reward you with a high-level Fire Release.”

Obito had set his target.

After a few days of rest, I feel like I’ve recovered some energy. I’ll try to post a burst of updates tomorrow.