Konoha Notes

Chapter 305 Transfer Student

Shikamaru wasn't against moving up to the second year; while he wasn't exactly looking forward to it, at least his leisurely life could continue.

As long as no one makes a fuss.

"Hey, Shikamaru! I'm telling you, during the holidays—"

Shikamaru covered his ears with both hands and buried his head in his arms, expressing his attitude through his actions.

Undeterred, Naruto circled half the table, trying to weave his voice through the gap: "I saw so many powerful ninjas! It was during the martial arts competition, Shikamaru..."

Shikamaru remained motionless, while Naruto turned to the other side: "Choji! You want to hear it, right?"

Choji focused on the potato chips in his hand, only glancing at Naruto without nodding or shaking his head.

The blond boy finally deflated, plopping back down in his seat and slumping onto the desk: "I saw so many things, and I wanted to tell you all..."

The classroom returned to silence.

At this moment, Shikamaru lowered his arm: "Before that, didn't you say that Iruka-sensei agreed to help you test your chakra attributes?"

Naruto covered his ears with his hands, but Shikamaru's voice still got through.

"So, what is your chakra attribute as determined by the test?"

Inside the classroom, several eyes were fixed on Naruto.

"Ah, that... well... it's the..."

“Last place,” Sasuke Uchiha’s voice came from behind him, coldly pointing out his mistake, “there is no such thing as earth in chakra properties.”

Naruto's face flushed red, and he started rambling incoherently.

What do you mean by "I've already learned how to transform, I'm just a little bit short..."?

Or, "Teacher Iruka doesn't keep his word."

There are also sayings like "A skilled ninja doesn't need to use transformation techniques in battle."

Low chuckles began from a corner, followed by a second and a third. Someone couldn't hold back their laughter and burst into a chorus of giggles.

The second son of the Uchiha clan head, who was not in a good mood to begin with, couldn't help but smirk and let out a short chuckle.

Naruto's ears turned bright red, and he shrank back, about to say something more.

The classroom door was opened, and Iruka walked in. Standing beside him was a girl with light yellow hair and purple eyes.

“Everyone,” Iruka clapped his hands, “today, I’d like to introduce a new student to you.”

All the laughter stopped abruptly.

"This is Ziyuan, and she will be transferring to our class starting today."
-
Ebisu stood by the corridor window, watching through the glass as Iruka led Shion into the classroom.

"Lord Shuji, should we arrange special courses for the priestesses of the Land of Demons?"

"Just attend classes as usual." Shuuji's gaze also fell on the classroom. "You can participate in physical training classes, but there's no need to arrange combat training."

"I understand, I will instruct Iruka."

The two left the window and headed towards the teachers' office.

“Another matter,” Shuuji began, “The ninjutsu exchange activities between the village and Kumogakure were originally planned to start only at the genin level, but after discussion, it was decided to expand the scope to include ninja academy students as well.”

“A group of students from Kumogakure have already come here. As a Jonin from Kumogakure, Miss Samui will also be coming to the school to teach for a period of time as part of the exchange.”

"I need you to take good care of the course arrangements, Ms. Ebisu."

The two stopped in front of the office door. Ebisu opened the door and let Shuji go in first.

“The students of Kumogakure…” Ebisu carefully chose his words, “I am not aware of their previous course progress.”

"Just continue with classes as usual." Xiu Si stood by the desk. "They'll stay for six months, which is enough time for them to adjust."

"So, approximately how many people are there?"

"Except for the first grade, there are five students in each grade."

Upon hearing this, Ebisu breathed a sigh of relief. If someone had studied for at least a year, it meant they had a basic foundation, which would make classes easier.

"In addition, there are many genin involved in ninjutsu exchange activities."

"Therefore, I will need your help in this regard, Mr. Ebisu."

Ebisu, who had been promoted to Special Jonin, immediately straightened his back: "I understand. I will definitely not tarnish Konoha's reputation."

"You've worked hard." Shuuji patted him on the shoulder. "The village has made a lot of reforms in schools and ninja training. You're an expert in this area, so we can only rely on you more." The elite teacher straightened his back even more.

"Please rest assured, Lord Shuji! I, Ebisu, will not let you down!"
-
Ziyuan struggled a bit with the first lesson.

She looked at the schedule—Ninja World Geography, Basic Taijutsu, Chakra Theory, Mission Process Analysis…and later on, there was Shuriken Throwing and Trap Identification.

The ninja's lessons are completely different from those of the shrine maiden.

Shrine maidens only need to learn culture, sealing techniques, and everything about monsters. Ninjas, on the other hand, need to know how to protect, make judgments, and survive in various terrains. The types of missions they take on are diverse, and the things they need to learn are even more numerous.

She somewhat regretted her decision.

Why choose to come to the Ninja Academy?

"If you prefer to be with the guards, you don't have to go to the Ninja Academy."

When she asked why she came to school, the black-haired ninja known as "Lord Shuji" said this.

"Konoha cannot send you back to the Land of Demons until the demons reappear and are completely dealt with."

"As for when the demons will appear, we cannot predict."

"Perhaps you need to stay in Konoha for the rest of your life."

"So, I'm giving you two choices: either be a priestess and be protected in a mansion until the day a demon appears."

"Or, before that, she lived in this village as Shion."

The guards had objections, but they carried no weight in the eyes of that Lord Shuji.

He was only waiting for his own answer.

"I... want to go to school."

Now, Ziyuan stares at the timetable, her fingertips pressing on the edge of the paper, creating shallow creases.

That's really difficult...

But before that emotion could show on her face, the bell rang to signal the end of get out of class.

Immediately afterwards, her table was surrounded by people.

Why did you transfer schools at this time? Where did you go to school before?

The blond, fox-faced guy was the first to come over, his blue eyes dazzlingly bright.

Then more and more people joined in.

"Shion's hair is so beautiful..."

Was Ziyuan from a wealthy family before?

“Aster…”

Everyone was calling her name. The voices overlapped, like a surging tide. Ziyuan first shrank back in fear, her hands gripping her sleeves tightly.

"Don't surround people like this!" A girl with short blonde hair squeezed in, stood by Ziyuan's table, and turned to face the crowd: "Ziyuan is in a difficult position, don't you know that?"

Another pink-haired girl came in.

The girls chased the others away.

The girl with short blonde hair turned around and smiled at her: "My name is Yamanaka Ino, and your name is Shion? It's a very nice name, and it's a very pretty flower."

"I have this kind of flower at home. Can I bring it to you tomorrow?"

Ziyuan stared at her blankly, then nodded subconsciously: "...Yes...okay."

Shion heard her own voice; it was very soft, but she had indeed spoken it.

Ino's smile widened. She pulled up a chair and sat down. "It's a deal then! By the way, do you want to look at the notes from the first class? Some parts might be a bit difficult..."

Sakura also came over and pulled out her notebook: "You can borrow mine too!"

The two girls' voices mingled, and as Ziyuan listened, her fingers slowly loosened their grip on her sleeve.

Ninja Academy... seems... not bad...

She couldn't help but think.

(End of this chapter)