The next day, Ye Chen went to the Ninja Academy for class as usual.
The infighting among Konoha's high-ranking officials obviously wouldn't reach the ears of ordinary villagers.
Only news about the sounds of intense fighting coming from Konoha Hospital was circulating on a small scale.
Of course, Ye Chen didn't care about these things, nor did he actively seek out information.
This was because the system provided him with prompts for every change, giving him a thorough understanding of the situation.
[Ding! Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze publicly rebuked Danzo Shimura. Reward: 365 Fate Points.]
[Ding! Danzo Shimura ordered his subordinates to attack Kakashi Hatake. Reward: 2,785 Fate Points.]
[Ding! Aburame Ryoma and several Root Ninjas were captured by Minato Namikaze. Reward: 1,421 Fate Points.]
[Ding! Nara Shikaku and Danzo Shimura had a falling out and stood in direct opposition. Reward: 1,854 Fate Points.]
[Ding! Minato Namikaze and Nara Shikaku's favorability toward Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, and Utatane Koharu has decreased. Reward: 3,565 Fate Points.]
[Ding! Danzo Shimura has been ordered to reflect behind closed doors for half a year and fined one year's salary. Reward: 688 Fate Points.]
[Ding! Aburame Ryoma has been executed. Reward: 4,141 Fate Points.]
...Throughout the previous day, the system's prompts rang incessantly, providing Ye Chen with nearly twenty thousand Fate Points in total.
The infighting that broke out among Konoha's high-ranking officials would also have a profound impact on the subsequent plot.
These impacts would gradually be converted into Fate Points and rewarded to Ye Chen.
The future was bright!
Standing at the intersection, Ye Chen chuckled while looking at the system panel in front of him, when a cold, youthful voice suddenly came from beside him:
"What are you thinking about?"
Ye Chen snapped out of it and whipped his head around to see Uchiha Itachi, dressed in dark blue short-sleeved clothes and shorts.
The kid had a stoic, expressionless face, but his small eyes were quite spirited as he looked at Ye Chen in confusion.
"Nothing. Let's go, I've been waiting for you for ages."
"I never asked you to wait for me."
Uchiha Itachi retorted indifferently to Ye Chen's attempt at friendliness.
But if he didn't care, why would he have stopped to wake Ye Chen up?
He was clearly a tsundere child, simply unwilling to speak his mind.
Ye Chen didn't mind Uchiha Itachi's tsundere words at all, leading the little stoic boy on a jog toward the Ninja Academy.
They encountered many classmates they knew along the way, all of whom greeted Ye Chen.
His popularity was actually quite good.
Previously, because he knew he didn't have a Bloodline Limit, had no backing, and was an orphan...
...he had proactively tried to get close to and interact with children from various Ninja Clans in the Ninja Academy for self-preservation.
He knew every classmate's name and could smile and chat for a bit whenever they met.
Behind him, watching Ye Chen run and greet people with a smile, the tsundere Uchiha felt a bit envious.
Although this kid had a gentle personality and was friendly to friends and classmates...
...his stoic face still intimidated many classmates who wanted to befriend him.
Not to mention his reputation as a genius and an Uchiha, which made people keep their distance even more.
As for the Uchiha, those who know, know.
"If only I could be like Ye Chen."
The little tsundere thought silently to himself.
But it was just a thought; he certainly wouldn't be able to take the initiative to make friends... After the morning classes ended, Ye Chen pestered Uchiha Itachi to eat lunch together.
Tasting Uchiha Mikoto's cooking, Ye Chen was full of praise.
And the food Ye Chen made himself was also eaten with great relish by Uchiha Itachi.
After all, having been the man in charge of the kitchen in his past life, Ye Chen's cooking skills were excellent.
After eating, they rested for a while.
The afternoon was for Practical Skills Class.
In the Ninja Academy, Practical Skills Class meant demonstrating the knowledge learned.
Practicing the movements over and over again helped form muscle memory.
Only then could one immediately make the correct reaction during a battle.
"Now, let's begin today's combat practice. Who wants to go first?"
Ueno Shin, the teacher in charge of Ye Chen's class, led the little kids to the school's grassy field.
Holding a register in his hand, he asked.
Sparring in Practical Skills Class was often the favorite part for Ninja Academy students.
It was almost human nature for youngsters to be active, and even more so for those who possessed the extraordinary power of Chakra.
Though they were young, every one of these kids was stronger than a civilian without Chakra.
"Me! Teacher Ueno, I'll go first!"
"Me, me, me! Teacher, me!"
"Everyone get out of the way! This great one is going first!"
A group of little kids, none of whom even reached Ueno Shin's navel, scrambled to be first, giving Ueno Shin a bit of a headache.
It was like this every time; these little kids' desire to show off was truly overwhelming.
"Stop shouting. I'll call names according to the register. Step forward when your name is called!"
"Ichiro Noma vs. Shinji Uesugi."
...The little kids whose names were called excitedly began their fights.
But having just entered the Ninja Academy, the results of their fighting were still eyesores to Ye Chen.
Boys choked each other's necks, and girls pulled each other's hair.
There was almost no difference from the way kids fought when Ye Chen was in elementary school in his past life.
The only difference was that a single punch from these little guys to an adult's stomach might cause internal bleeding.
Finally, Ueno Shin called out Ye Chen's name:
"Ye Chen vs..."
"Uchiha Itachi!"
Ye Chen's eyes lit up!
Ever since receiving the system rewards yesterday, Ye Chen had been itching to have a match with the little tsundere.
He didn't expect to actually face him today.
On the other side, a hint of hesitation appeared on Uchiha Itachi's face; he wasn't very willing to spar with Ye Chen.
On one hand, Ye Chen had been too weak before, even though he was extremely diligent in his studies and training, possessing perseverance and willpower far beyond students of his age.
However, he had no Bloodline Limit, no hidden clan techniques, and more importantly, no Ninja elders to guide him carefully.
Naturally, he couldn't compare to classmates from Ninja Clans and consistently ranked at the bottom.
On the other hand, Uchiha Itachi considered Ye Chen a friend and knew that while Ye Chen seemed carefree on the surface, he actually had very strong self-esteem; he worried about discouraging him.
A sluggish Uchiha Itachi walked up to Ye Chen and, under Ueno Shin's direction, formed the Seal of Confrontation. He was still thinking about how to go easy on him when he heard Ye Chen say with a serious expression:
"Give it your all, or else you're going to lose to me today, Itachi."
"What?"
Uchiha Itachi didn't react for a moment; he hadn't expected Ye Chen to say such a thing with such confidence.
"Here I come!"
*Whoosh!*
As soon as Ye Chen finished speaking, Uchiha Itachi keenly heard a sharp whistling of wind.
He's attacking!
This thought flashed through Uchiha Itachi's mind, and just as he was about to react and block...
*Bang!*
A heavy punch landed on Uchiha Itachi's tender little face, sending the tsundere kid flying several meters before he hit the ground.
How is he so fast?
A massive question mark appeared in the depths of Uchiha Itachi's heart.